When a Xiaomi smartphone endlessly displays the Mi or Redmi logo and reboots, it causes panic in any owner.This phenomenon, known as bootloop, can occur suddenly, without prior falls or moisture.The device becomes virtually useless, turning into a “brick”, although often its insides function normally.
The main reason lies in a software failure, when the Android operating system or the MIUI shell can not load critical system files. Sometimes the problem lies deeper — in memory damage or hardware conflicts. Understanding the nature of the failure is the first step to successfully recover the gadget.
In this guide, we'll take you through the techniques from simple button manipulation to complex flashing, and you don't have to be an experienced engineer to do it, but you have to be consistent and not miss the important steps of diagnosis.
Primary diagnosis and safe regimen
Before we go to radical measures, we need to eliminate temporary software conflicts. Often the culprit is a recently installed application or update that has not properly installed on the system. First of all, try to enter Safe Mode. To do this, on the switched-off device, press the on button, and after the logo appears, hold the volume button. If the phone boots, then there is a problem in third-party software.
If the system is going into a cyclic reboot anyway, try a forced reboot. It's not the same as a normal shutdown. Press the on and up button at the same time. Hold them for about 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out. This combination breaks the battery power at the software level, which often helps reset the controller's hanging processes.
In some cases, a long connection to the charger helps. A discharged battery may not give enough voltage to start the system, causing constant attempts to turn on and off. Leave the phone on the original charger for at least an hour, even if it shows signs of life.
⚠️ Warning: If the phone heats up in the processor or battery area during the on-off attempts, stop the procedure immediately.Overheating may indicate a short circuit and further attempts may make the situation worse.
Using Recovery Mode for Resetting
If simple methods didn't work, you'll have to use the built-in recovery tool, Recovery Mode, which is a separate partition in the phone's memory that works independently of the main operating system, and you can get there by turning off the phone and holding the on and on buttons and volume up at the same time, hold them until the menu with black background and yellow or blue text appears.
In the menu, you can navigate with volume buttons (up/down), and select a point with an on button. You need to find the Wipe Data section. Here, it's important to understand the difference between the two options: Wipe All Data completely erases user files, photos and contacts, returning the phone to factory status. The Wipe Data option (without the word All) in some versions of the Recovery boot can try to save data but reset, but with a full reset more often than not.
The reset process takes a few minutes. Once complete, the system will prompt you to return to the main menu (Main Menu) or reboot (Reboot). Select Reboot to System. If the phone then reboots again, the firmware system files are damaged and you need to reinstall it.
☑️ Preparation for data dumping
And it's worth noting that once you reset the phone, you'll need to enter a password from the Mi Account that was previously linked, which is a theft protection mechanism, and if you don't remember the password, it's going to be very difficult to restore access without having to call in support.
Recovery (Update via Recovery)
One of the most effective ways to save data and system is to update the firmware directly through the recovery menu, which works if the phone bootloader is not locked by the manufacturer, or if only a portion of the system files are damaged, USB-cable and firmware file Recovery ROM in.zip format, corresponding to your model.
Download the current firmware from the official website or a trusted source. Rename the file to update.zip to make it easier to search. Connect the phone to your computer when it's off. If the phone is defined as a drive, copy the file to the root of the internal memory. If the phone isn't visible, this method may not work without an unlocked bootloader.
Then enter Recovery mode. Select Connect with MIAssistant (or simply Connect with Assistant). On your computer, run Mi Flash Tool or use the file manager if your phone is identified. Find update.zip and start the process. The system will check the integrity of the archive and begin the installation.
Where do I get the official firmware?
Important: If the firmware version is lower than the one before, the system may issue an error and refuse to update, in which case you will have to search for a file with a newer version or use the Fastboot method with a full cleanup.
Fastboot mode and flashing through PC
When Recovery is powerless, Fastboot comes to the rescue, a low-level protocol that allows you to interact with your phone's memory directly. To enter this mode, turn off your phone, then press the on button and the volume down button, and you'll see an image of a hare fixing an android, or the words FASTBOOT.
To work in this mode, you will need the Xiaomi Mi Flash Tool program on your computer and Qualcomm or MediaTek drivers (depending on the processor). ROM), which must be unpacked into the root folder of the disk so that the path is short, for example, C:\rom\.
In the Mi Flash Tool, press the Refresh button to let your computer see the device. At the bottom of the window, select the firmware mode: Clean All (full cleaning and firmware) or Clean All and Lock (cleaning, firmware and locking the bootloader). Be careful with the lock option: if you reflash a region (for example, from China to Global), locking the bootloader will lead to a brick.
| Firmware mode | Data retention | Locking the loader | Risk of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update | Keeps it. | It doesn't. | Low. |
| Clean All | Deletes everything. | It doesn't. | Medium. |
| Clean All & Lock | Deletes everything. | Locks it down. | High (when changing region) |
It takes 100 to 300 seconds. If the progress bar is 100 percent and it's green, it's a success. If there's a mistake, check it out. USB-cable, port or try another version of the drivers.
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Use it. USB-port 2.0 on the motherboard behind the system unit. USB 3.0 and front body panels often cause communication errors when firmware is running.
Hardware causes and short circuit
It's not always software. Cyclical reboots can be a symptom of a physical malfunction. One of the common causes is sticking the on or volume button. If the button is pressed, the phone will constantly try to turn on or reboot. Check the tactile movement of the buttons, clean them with alcohol if necessary, or disassemble the case.
The second option is a battery malfunction: if the battery is old or swelling, it may not keep the voltage under load. When you try to boot, the processor consumes more power, the voltage drops, and the phone turns off. Replacing the battery often solves the problem.
A more serious problem is a short circuit in the power supply or a power controller failure, which often happens after falls or moisture, even if the phone is dry, moisture causes contacts to corrosion, which leads to unstable operation, in which cases software methods are powerless, soldering and diagnostics are required on the board.
⚠️ Warning: Disassembling a phone that is under warranty will lead to its loss. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to contact an authorized service.
Prevention and preservation of data
To minimize the risk of bootloop in the future, follow simple rules: update your system regularly, but don't rush to put raw beta versions of MIUI immediately after release. Give other users time to test the update and find critical bugs.
Always back up your important data. Use Mi Cloud or Google Photos to automatically sync. Local backups on your site SD-The card is also useful, but remember that the memory card can fail at any time.
Avoid installing applications from unknown sources. APK-files may contain malicious code that damages system libraries. Use only the official Google Play store or GetApps.
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Regularly backing up is the only way to ensure you don’t lose important photos and contacts in the event of a sudden system crash.