Owners of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone often face intrusive advertising in system applications and excessive resource consumption by the MIUI shell. The transition to a pure Android (AOSP) allows you to fully unlock the potential of the device, significantly speed up its work and extend battery life. This solution turns a budget gadget into a fast and responsive tool for everyday tasks.
The process of replacing the operating system requires care, as any errors can lead to the failure of the device. However, if you strictly follow the algorithm of actions, the risk is minimal. For Redmi Note 7 (codename lavender), there is a stable support of the development community, which ensures the availability of current versions of Android 11, 12 and even 13.
Before you start, you need to realize that all data on the device will be permanently deleted, you will need to back up important contacts, photos and documents, and also make sure that the battery is at least 70%, as the firmware process can take a considerable time.
Preparation of tools and files
The success of the operation depends on 90% of the quality of the workspace. USB-cable (preferably original) and stable Internet connection, without which no further action is possible.
The first step is to install ADB and Fastboot drivers, which allow your computer to communicate with your phone at a low level, download the Platform Tools package from the official developer site and unpack it to the root of the C drive for convenience.
☑️ Checklist of preparations
The next thing you need to do is download the firmware and the recovery file. For the Redmi Note 7, the best choice is LineageOS or Pixel Experience builds. You will also need a twrp-lavender.img file to be used to install the new system.
Unlocking the Bootloader bootloader
Xiaomi blocks the bootloader by default, which does not allow you to make changes to the system partition. To remove restrictions, you must apply through the official Mi Unlock Tool utility. This is a mandatory stage, without which installing a clean Android is impossible.
The unlocking process takes time. Once you apply in the Mi Account settings, you will have to wait 7 to 168 hours. The Bootloader will only unlock after this period, and trying again early will reset the timer.
⚠️ Warning: Once the bootloader is unlocked, all data on the phone will be erased automatically when it first boots, and some security features, such as Google Pay (now Wallet) will stop working as standard, although workarounds exist.
To start the process, turn your smartphone into Fastboot mode, holding the power and volume buttons simultaneously. Connect the device to your PC and start Mi Unlock. If status shows "Locked", follow the instructions on the screen. Successful unlocking will be confirmed by the words "Unlocked" in the program log.
Installation of custom Recovery TWRP
The regular recovery menu doesn't have a way to install third-party firmware. We need TWRP Recovery. Once the bootloader is unlocked, the phone is ready to accept commands via Fastboot. Make sure that USB debugging mode is on the developer menu.
Open the Windows command prompt in the ADB folder and enter the command to check the connection:
fastboot devicesIf you see the serial number of the device, you've got the connection, you've got to flash the image of the Recovery. Importantly, don't use flash because it's going to overwrite the active partition. Use boot to temporarily boot.
fastboot boot twrp-lavender.imgThe phone will reboot in the TWRP menu. The interface will be in English, but it's intuitive. At this point, the system hasn't changed yet, and you can just restart the device to normal mode at any time if something goes wrong.
The process of installing GSI or AOSP firmware
When you're on the TWRP menu, the first thing you need to do is clear the data. Go to Wipe and select Advanced Wipe. Check the Dalvik/ART Cache, Cache, Data and System sections. Don't touch the Internal Storage if you want to save files, but delete everything for a clean installation.
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Before installing the new system, make sure to make a full partition backup EFS through TWRP, In case of failure, you will not lose unique identifiers. IMEI and MAC-address.
After cleaning, go back to the main menu and select Install. ZIP-Firmware archive (like LineageOS) Swipe with a slider to confirm installation.
If you use GSI (Generic System Image, the procedure may be different, often requiring you to convert the image to a format that is understandable recovery, or flash it directly through the Fastboot. ZIP-Installers adapted to specific iron.
| Component | Appointment | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Bootloader | Loader OS | Critically. |
| Recovery | Reconstruction tool | Tall. |
| System | System section | Critically. |
| Data | User data | Medium |
Install Google Apps and Drivers
Pure Android (AOSP) often comes without Google services. To use the Play Market store, YouTube and other applications, you need to install the GApps package. Download the archive corresponding to the Android version of your firmware (for example, OpenGApps for Android 11, the architecture arm64).
Once you install the firmware, without restarting the system, go back to the TWRP installation menu. Select the GApps file and confirm the installation. The order is critical: first the firmware, then Google services, and then the first download.
⚠️ Note: If you forget to install GApps before the first boot, you will have to do Wipe Data again and repeat the procedure.
It's also a good idea to flash the Magisk patch if you need root rights, which is similar to installing GApps, but for the average user, a clean system without superuser rights is more stable and safer.
First download and setup
After successful installation of all components, select Reboot → System. The first download can last up to 5-10 minutes. Don't panic if you see the Android logo or download animations - the system calibrates.
When the device finally turns on, you'll be greeted by a welcome window. The interface will be radically different from MIUI. There are no extra pre-installed apps, except for the basic Google suite. It takes a couple of minutes to set up.
What to do if your phone is stuck on the logo?
Now your Redmi Note 7 is running on a clean operating system, and you'll notice a significant increase in performance and smoothness of animations, and the battery will start to be spent more economically, as the MIUI background processes no longer consume resources.
Possible problems and solutions
When switching to custom firmware, users may encounter a broken camera or Bluetooth, which is because the drivers in AOSP may be different from the stock ones. For the Redmi Note 7, there are special patches to correct these shortcomings.
If you lose the sound in your headphones or when you call, check the sound engine settings in the engineering menu. Sometimes you need to reflash the modem or firmware section through the Fastboot.
If you have a bootloop, don't panic. Go back to TWRP, clean up the Dalvik and Cache partitions, and that often solves the problem of incorrectly updating configuration files.
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Pure Android on the Redmi Note 7 gives the device a second life, providing up-to-date security versions and no advertising, but requires careful attention to the installation procedure.
To solve complex errors, it is recommended to read the development branch on the 4PDA or XDA Developers forum, where you can find current bug tracks and ways to fix them for a specific firmware build.