Owners of Xiaomi’s flagship smartphones often face a situation where the next update to the MIUI operating system brings more problems than improvements. Xiaomi Mi 9, released in 2019, is already in a mature support cycle, and new versions of the software may work unstable on the hardware of previous years.
In such cases, the only sensible solution is to go back to the previous, more stable version of the firmware, a process technically called downgrade, and requires careful attention, because it is not possible to do it through the standard settings menu. Security system MIUI Blocks installation of older versions on top of new ones to prevent compatibility errors.
With the knowledge and tools, however, you can get around these limitations. In this article, we will discuss how to safely roll back the system on the Xiaomi Mi 9, what risks exist and what files you will need to successfully perform the procedure.
Why is it necessary to roll back firmware
The main reason users are looking for a way to roll back is performance decline after the update.Optimizing code for new Android features often puts a heavy burden on the Snapdragon 855 processor installed in the Mi 9. As a result, the phone starts to heat up even for simple tasks, and battery life is reduced by 30-40%.
The second common problem is software bugs. MIUI System applications may not work correctly, the possibility of recording calls or errors in work may disappear. NFC-Sometimes updates come with certificate validation errors that block banking applications.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting your system to an earlier version is almost always accompanied by a complete deletion of all user data. Backup photos, contacts and documents in advance in the cloud or on your computer.
It’s also worth considering that some apps stop supporting older versions of the operating system.If you roll back too far, for example, on Android 9, some modern banks or instant messengers may refuse to run, requiring a newer version of Android.
Preparation for the downgrade procedure
The first step is to find and download the correct firmware version. You need to find an archive with the.zip extension, the version of which is older than the one installed now. For the Xiaomi Mi 9 (codename cepheus), it is important to download files only from trusted sources, such as the official MIUI forum or the XiaomiFirmwareUpdater site.
Make sure your smartphone has a battery charge of at least 60%, the flashing process is energy intensive, and suddenly turning off the device at a critical moment can make it impossible to boot the system. USB-cable, preferably original, to connect to a computer.
☑️ Checklist of preparations
Some rollback methods may require an unlocked bootloader. You can check its status from the Settings menu → About Phone → The MIUI version where you need to click on the build number several times, and then from the Advanced Settings menu → For developers → bootloader status. If it is blocked, the procedure will have to be performed through the Recovery mode with data cleaning.
Recovery method through the standard Recovery menu
The easiest way to do this without having to connect to a computer or use special utilities is to manually install the archive through the recovery menu, but the standard MIUI Recovery menu has built-in protection that prevents you from installing the old firmware on top of the new one without additional actions.
To start, copy the downloaded firmware archive (.zip) to the root folder of your smartphone’s internal memory. rename the file to update.zip for convenience, although this is not always a strict requirement. Then go to the update menu: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and click on three dots in the corner of the screen.
Select Select a firmware file and specify a path to your archive. If the system gives an error "Can't verify update" or tells you that the version is older than the current one, you will need to rename the firmware file. Change the archive name to update_old.zip Or just try to start the installation again after the restart, as in different versions. MIUI The algorithm of the test is different.
What if Recovery says "package damaged"?
If you've got the installation going, but you've got a red line at the end that's got an error, it means that the Anti-Rollback protection has blocked the process, so you can move on to the next, more reliable method using your computer. Don't try to install the firmware multiple times, it won't work.
Complete reset and installation via Fastboot
The most reliable method to ensure the result is using the Fastboot mode and the Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool utility on your computer, which allows you to completely clear the memory partitions and record a clean image of the system, ignoring version checks installed in normal mode.
Unpack the firmware archive to the root of the C disk: on your computer, so that the path to the folder is short and does not contain Cyrillic characters. Install the ADB and Fastboot drivers, as well as the Mi Flash Tool itself. Turn off your smartphone and enter Fastboot mode, holding the power and volume buttons at the same time.
fastboot devicesConnect your phone to your PC and enter a command into your console to check the connection. If your device is determined, launch the Mi Flash Tool, press the Refresh button and select the path to the firmware folder. In the lower right corner, make sure to select Clean all mode. This is critical for a successful downgrade.
| Firmware mode | Data retention | Downhraid possibility | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update | Keeps it. | No (locked) | Regular update |
| Clean all | Deletes everything. | Yes (main method) | Recoiling version, treatment of errors |
| Clean all + lock | Deletes everything. | Dangerous (brick risk) | Only for global firmware |
⚠️ Note: When using Clean All mode + lock on the Chinese version of firmware with a global account (or vice versa), the phone can turn into a "brick" with a verification error.
Press Flash and wait for the process to be completed. A green bar in Success status means success. The phone will automatically reboot, and the first boot can take up to 10 minutes. Don't interrupt the process, even if the screen is long on black.
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Clean all mode in the Mi Flash Tool is the only guaranteed way to get around downgrade protection, but it requires the complete removal of all data from the device.
Using ADB commands for advanced users
For those who prefer the command line over the GUI, there is a method of forced installation through ADB, which allows you to control each step of the process, first you need to enable debugging over USB in the menu for developers and connect the phone to the PC in normal operation.
Open the command line in the Platform-tools tool folder and enter the command to reboot in Recovery mode:
adb reboot recoveryIn the Recovery menu (if it supports installation with ADB) or in Fastboot mode, you can try to send an installation command. However, in modern versions of MIUI, the direct adb sideload command also checks the version, so this method is more often used to prepare the device or to drop flags if standard methods do not work.
If you have a bootloader unlocked, you can use the fastboot erase userdata command to force the data to be cleaned before attempting installation via Recovery, which sometimes helps bypass version verification.
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Use it. USB-port 2.0 on the motherboard (back of the system unit) instead of 3.0 ports or front panels, which reduces the likelihood of data transmission errors when you are firmware through Fastboot.
Possible mistakes and ways to solve them
In the process of downgrade, users often encounter an error Anti-rollback check failed. This means that the device has activated the security version counter, and the system prohibits returning to vulnerable versions of the software. In the case of Xiaomi Mi 9, this is true when trying to roll back from Android 11 to Android 10 or lower, if the manufacturer has updated the bootloader.
Another common problem is bootloop after installation, which occurs when the remnants of the old system conflict with new files, and the solution is one: repeat the procedure through Fastboot with Clean all mode, pre-formatting the data.
You may also experience a situation where the computer does not see the phone in Fastboot mode. In Windows Device Manager, the device may appear as "QHSUSB_BULK" In this case, you need to reinstall the drivers of Qualcomm or Xiaomi. USB Drivers and try another one USB-cable.
⚠️ Note: If the phone does not turn on and does not respond to buttons after firmware, it may have been installed firmware for another model (for example, for the Mi 9 Pro instead of the Mi 9). EDL, It is better to trust the service center.