Many owners of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 (codenamed ginkgo) are faced with the desire to get rid of intrusive advertising in MIUI and get the smoothest possible interface. Installing custom firmware such as the Pixel Experience allows you to turn a budget device into an analogue of the flagship Google Pixel, while maintaining performance and adding new features. This solution is ideal for those who appreciate clean Android and timely security updates.
The process of replacing the operating system requires careful and strict adherence to the sequence of actions. Any error in the stage of unlocking the bootloader or formatting partitions can lead to the failure of the device, so before starting work, you need to carefully study all the steps.
Preparation of the device and necessary tools
Before you start modifying the software, make sure your smartphone is fully charged and the battery is in good condition. Interrupting the firmware process due to battery discharge is the surest way to turn your phone into a brick. You will need a Windows computer that is working properly. USB-cable (preferably original) and stable Internet connection.
You need to download specialized software that you can't interact with system partitions without, and the main tool will be ADB and Fastboot, which allow you to send commands to the device in bootloader mode, and you will need an archiver to unpack downloaded firmware files.
- 📥 Drivers. ADB Fastboot (Google’s platform-tools)
- 🔓 Mi Unlock utility to unlock the bootloader
- 📱 Pixel Experience and Recovery Firmware Files (TWRP Or OrangeFox)
- 💾 Backup of important data on external media
Special attention is paid to backup. Installing custom firmware involves the complete removal of all user data. The process of installing Pixel Experience on Redmi Note 8 requires complete cleaning of the data partition, recovery of deleted files without backup will be impossible. Save contacts, photos and documents in advance.
☑️ Firmware readiness check
Unlocking the Bootloader bootloader
The first and most important step is unlocking the bootloader. Xiaomi defaults to block this feature for security reasons, so you will have to request permission from the manufacturer. Without an unlocked Bootloader, installing third-party Recovery and firmware is impossible.
To start, activate the developer mode on your smartphone. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly press 7 times on the item Version MIUI. After the message “You became a developer” appears, go to the menu Additional → For developers, you need to include the "Debugging by USB» and “Unlocking by the loader».
⚠️ Warning: After linking your Mi Account to your device and applying for unlock, you may need to wait 7 to 15 days.Do not try to bypass the timer by re-associating your account - this will reset the wait.
When the wait is over, turn off your phone and press down and power at the same time to enter Fastboot mode. Connect your phone to your PC, launch Mi Unlock, log in to the same Mi Account and press the unlock button. The process will take a few minutes and completely clear the device's internal memory.
What if Mi Unlock is running a 10009 error?
Installation of custom Recovery (TWRP)
stainless_recovery_ Xiaomi only allows basic operations, so we need an advanced recovery environment to install the Pixel Experience. 8 The de facto standard is TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project or its OrangeFox fork, which supports new versions of Android.
Download the current recovery image, which is compatible with the codename ginkgo. It is important not to confuse the versions, since firmware from another model (for example, willow for the Note 8T) can damage the display or touchscreen. Place the.img file in the folder with ADB tools on your computer.
Put your smartphone into Fastboot mode and connect it to your computer. Open the command line in the ADB folder and type a command to check the connection:
fastboot devicesIf the serial number of the device appears in the list, then the connection is established. Now run the command to temporarily download Recovery:
fastboot boot twrp-ginkgo.imgOnce uploaded to TWRP, the first thing you need to do is encrypt the data, or, conversely, unencrypt the encryption if the firmware requires it. Most modern Pixel Experience builds require a clean data format. To do this, select Wipe → Format Data from the TWRP menu, enter yes and confirm the action. This will delete all files, including internal memory.
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If after formatting the data, TWRP shows memory as 0 MB, just restart Recovery (Reboot → Recovery). This is normal after the partition encryption/decryption procedure.
Installation of the Pixel Experience
Now that the prep environment is complete, you can move to the operating system installation directly. Copy the Pixel Experience firmware file (usually a.zip archive) into the phone's internal memory or onto a connected microSD card. If you format data, it is easiest to throw the file through MTP-mode that is available in TWRP when connected to a PC.
From the main Recovery menu, select Install. Find the downloaded firmware archive and select it. Make sure the correct options are selected before confirming installation. For a clean installation, it is recommended to also wipe the Dalvik and Cache partitions, although Data formatting usually already does.
| Section | Action. | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Dalvik / ART Cache | Wipe | Removing the application compilation cache |
| System | Wipe (optional) | Cleaning the old system completely |
| Data | Format | Decryption and data cleanup |
| Cache | Wipe | Clearing temporary files |
Start the swipe installation process. It can take 3 to 7 minutes to install depending on the speed of the memory card or the state of the internal flash memory. Once successful, the Reboot System button will appear. Remember to uncheck the Reboot Recovery box if it is active, otherwise the phone will go back to the recovery menu.
Primary setup and optimization
The first launch of the Pixel Experience on the Redmi Note 8 can take up to 5-10 minutes.This is normal, as the system optimizes applications and creates new configuration files. The screen can display the Google logo or download animations - be patient and do not try to reboot the device forcibly.
After the welcome screen, you will be greeted with a clean interface, typical of Pixel devices. Unlike MIUI, there are no built-in advertising and heavy shells. It is recommended to check the updates immediately in the Settings → System → System Update, since developers often release security patches.
To improve autonomy and performance, you should pay attention to the following settings:
- 🔋 Turn on adaptive brightness and dark theme to save charge on AMOLED-screens (although the Note 8 has a IPS, The dark topic still reduces the burden on the GPU).
- ⚡ In the menu For developers, you can change the scale of animation to 0.5x Visually speed up the interface.
- 📶 Check network settings if you use operators with specific frequencies LTE.
⚠️ Warning: If you see a fast battery discharge in the first hours after installation, it's normal.The system should "learn" how to use your applications.Let the phone lie on a charge with the screen off for about an hour after full charge.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Despite the stability of the Pixel Experience build for ginkgo, users may experience typical problems when switching from MIUI. One of the common problems is a broken VoLTE or camera. In most cases, this is solved by flashing the modem partition or installing a fix patch (GApps or Camera Fix), if it is provided by the developer.
If the phone is stuck on the logo (bootloop) after installation, don't panic. Return to Recovery mode (clamp down on the volume and power buttons) and try doing Wipe Data/Factory Reset again. If that doesn't help, the firmware version may not be compatible with the current firmware version (base firmware Xiaomi), in which case you need to upgrade the basic MIUI firmware to the latest stable version, and then repeat the customization.
If the proximity sensor is no longer working or the touchscreen is acting strange, check the forum from where you downloaded the firmware. Often specific versions of Android (such as Android 11 based on MIUI 12) require specific drivers or vendor partitions that need to be stitched separately through the Fastboot.
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The stability of custom firmware is 90% dependent on the relevance of Xiaomi’s base firmware. Always update stock MIUI to the latest version before switching to Pixel Experience.