Xiaomi MIUI 8 Global Beta ROM released: List of supported devices, and Steps to install it

Xiaomi delivers what it promised! The company has released its much-awaited and -talked about MIUI 8 Global Beta ROM for its fans. The MIUI8 brings an array of new features, upgrades, and improvements, though in the form of Beta version for now. The final version for masses is expected to get released on August 16.

Here is the company's official post:

The wait is over! MIUI 8 Global Developer ROM is finally here for everyone to download! First of all, let's give credits to our developers, alpha testers and beta testers for all the pioneering work that they have done. Without their dedicated work, amazing things wouldn't happen. Their contributions shall be honoured and respected. Long live the MIUI! Please note, the MIUI 8 Global Stable ROM is projected to be released on Aug 16, please stay tuned for further announcement.

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Phones that will be covered:

Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi announced that it is releasing the update starting today for all its smartphones. You can download the update on Xiaomi Mi 2/2S, Mi 3, Mi 4, Mi 4c, Mi 4S, Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi Note, Mi Note Pro, Redmi 1, Redmi 1S, Redmi 2, Redmi 2A, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi 3, Redmi 3S, Redmi Note 3G, Redmi Note 4G, Redmi Note Prime, Redmi Note 2, Redmi Note 3 MTK, and Redmi Note 3 Qualcomm.

Here is how to upgrade to MIUI 8:

For those who are using latest MIUI China Developer ROM will get MIUI 8 OTA update notifications on their phone. They can update by clicking on 'Updater' app to check for updates. Others, using MIUI China stable ROM or other versions, here is what you need to do:

NOTE: Do take a backup of your data before upgrading!

STEP 1:

Download MIUI ROM Flashing Tool (Size:27M, 64a2b6f5620db2bf249dac0ce2017428). Those who have a locked device can unlock it from here.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Mi Max First Impressions

STEP 2:

Choose the right MIUI ROM version for your phone from here to download the corresponding package file.

STEP 3:

Turn your device off! Now press the volume rocker and the power key simultaneously to enter Fastboot mode. Then connect the device to the Windows PC/laptop via a micro USB cable.

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STEP 4:

Now, double click on the downloaded ROM file to decompress it, and then open the file folder for the decompressed ROM pack. Copy its path on the computer.

STEP 5:

Decompress the MIUI ROM flashing tool downloaded in Step 1, and double click on it to install. You can select 'Run', in case of security warning! Once the installation is completed, open MiFlash.exe and paste into the address bar the ROM file folder path copied in the last step.

You can now click on the first button (circled out in yellow) to Refresh, and MiFlash should automatically recognize your device. Then click the second button (circled out in red) to flash the ROM file to the device.

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STEP 6:

The progress bar inside MiFlash will turn fully green to indicate that the ROM has been successfully installed. Your device should automatically boot to the new version.

How to download Mi PC Suite:

If you don't find the flashing guide helpful, you can download Mi PC Suite from here.

Once the Mi PC Suite is installed, put your phone in fastboot mode, connect your phone to a computer, and select the correct ROM file to flash.

Highlights‪ of the MIUI 8 Update:

The MIUI8 Beta brings an array of new features, updates, and improvements, some of which look really interesting. Here are a few of the new features that the MIUI 8 brings for its users.

- Dual apps: life-changing feature that lets you have two separate accounts on one phone for any app you want: Whatsapp, Facebook, etc.

- Second space: create two entirely separate profiles on your Mi phones

- Gallery-native video editing, Quick sharing, redesigned thumbnails, Mi Cloud Photo Sync

- Scrolling screenshots, capture all you want with precise cropping

- Quick ball, fully customizable 5-gesture shortcut

- Calculator with smart conversions baked into the app

- MIUI 8 is the first OS to support Hindi T9 dialer

- More useful SMS app with one-tap actions on messages

You can read in detail about the changes from here, and can check the full change log from here: