How to remove (roll back) camera update on Xiaomi smartphones: 3 working ways

Why a Camera Update Can Ruin Photos and How to Fix It

Xiaomi’s camera software updates should improve the quality of the images, add new features like night mode or artificial background blur. But in practice, users often face the opposite effect: after an update, photos become too dark, there is a strong noise at low ISO, and autofocus begins to “float” when shooting videos. In some cases, the camera completely refuses to start, giving the error “Camera does not respond”.

The reasons for such failures lie in the incompatibility of the new version of the camera firmware with the hardware of a particular model, errors in image processing algorithms or conflicts with custom firmware such as LineageOS. Fortunately, you can roll back the camera update on Xiaomi in several ways - from simply resetting through settings to manually stitching the old version through Fastboot. In this article, we will analyze all working methods, their pros and cons, and also tell you how to avoid repeated problems.

Before you start rolling back, make sure that the problem is in the software.

• 🔍 Check the camera in safe mode (press the power button) → «Safe mode. If it works properly, it's the fault of third-party software.
• 📱 Try resetting the camera settings in Settings → Annexes → Camera. → Warehouse → Clear the data.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone – sometimes the glitches disappear after a reboot.

Method 1: Recoil through MIUI settings (without PC)

The easiest method is to use the built-in camera update reset feature, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models based on MIUI 12-14, but does not always work: some system updates block the possibility of rollback through the menu.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the camera in the list and tap it.
3. Select “Storage and Cache” → “Delete Updates”.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

If the Remove Updates button is inactive or missing, the camera firmware is integrated into the system partition, in which case only manual rollback (see methods 2 and 3) will help.

Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Make a backup photo/video|Disable two-factor authentication in MI-account (if any)|Remember the current camera settings-->

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi Note 11 Pro)+) Resetting camera updates can cause all user presets (such as manual white balance settings) to reset.

Method 2: Remove the update via ADB (for power users)

If the standard reset didn’t work, you can remove the camera update via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method requires connecting the phone to a PC, but does not violate the warranty and does not require unlocking the bootloader. MIUI Android 10-14 based.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux and installed Xiaomi drivers.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📦 Utility. ADB Fastboot (download the latest version).
• 🔧 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap the version → return to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Step-by-step:

1. Unpack the archive from ADB to the root of the C:\ disk (should be a folder C:\platform-tools).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and select File Transfer mode.
3. Open the command line in the folder with ADB: cd C:\platform-tools adb devices If the device appears in the list - debugging works.
4. Enter the command to remove the camera update: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.camera.updater If it doesn't work, try: adb shell cmd package install-existing com.android.camera
5. Reboot the phone.

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If ADB doesn’t see the device, try reinstalling drivers via the Mi PC Suite or manually pointing the path to drivers in Windows Device Manager.

Method 3: Manually stitching an older version of the camera through Fastboot

This is the most reliable, but also the riskiest method, which involves running the original camera file (.img) through Fastboot mode, requiring an unlocked bootloader (some models will void the warranty!) and an exact firmware version for your model.

Warning: Incorrect firmware can lead to a camera brig or a phone that is completely inoperable, and use this method only if the first two fail and you are confident in your actions.

Algorithm of action:

1. Download the stock firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi website (choose the Fastboot version).
2. Unpack the archive and find the camera file – usually called the file. camera_[version].img or mi_camera_[model.img.
3. Transfer the phone to Fastboot: adb reboot bootloader or turn off the phone and press Power + Volume down.
4. File: Fastboot Flash Camera camera_[version].img fastboot reboot

⚠️ Note: On devices with dynamic partitions (e.g. Xiaomi) 11T or Redmi K50) Firmware of a separate.img file can disrupt system integrity, in which case you have to flash the full Fastboot package with the check disabled. -w).

What to do if the camera stops working after the rollback

In rare cases, after removing the update, the camera may produce errors such as "Camera failed to connect" or "No resolution."

• 🔄 Reset all camera settings: Go to Settings → Annexes → Camera. → Warehouse → Clear the data and cache.
• 📱 Reinstallation APK: Download the original Camera.apk for your model (e.g. with APKMirror) and install manually.
• 🔧 Permissions Checker: Go to Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → Camera and make sure the app has access to the camera and microphone.
• 🛠️ Recovery via Mi Flash: If the camera is “dead” after firmware, try recovering the phone using the Mi Flash Tool (select the “Clean all” option»).

If nothing helps, check the camera's hardware health:

• 🔦 Light a flashlight into the lens – if you see damage to the lenses or dust inside, repairs will be required.
• 📱 Install a third-party camera app (like Open Camera or GCam) if it doesn't work, there's a problem with the hardware.

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Before contacting the Xiaomi service center, be sure to return the stock firmware and block the loader - otherwise warranty repairs may refuse to perform.

How to Prevent Automatic Camera Updates in the Future

To avoid repeated problems, turn off automatic camera updates:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select “Update Settings”.
3. Turn off the option “Automatic download over Wi-Fi”.
4. For full control, install MIUI bootloader from Google Play – this app allows you to selectively block updates of individual modules.

You can also block camera updates via ADB:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.updater


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

If you use custom firmware (like Pixel Experience or ArrowOS), check for patches for the camera on the XDA forum.

FAQ: Frequent questions about rollback of Xiaomi camera updates