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How to find out which firmware is official. What information is needed to find the firmware? The most important information for selecting firmware

If you have just switched to Xiaomi smartphones or are just preparing for such a step, then you have probably already heard how fast and functional the MIUI shell is. However, if you dig deeper, you can think about the problem of choosing a firmware version, since their choice is huge. For this reason, someone may be afraid to update their phone, or wait for an update that will never appear. This problem of choice has led us to this review of the main MIUI ROMs. Now you will have clear instructions for all versions of MIUI with a brief description of the features, pros and cons.

How are MIUI firmware divided by region?

First of all, let's divide MIUI firmware by region. Everything is very simple here.

Two versions are officially released:

  • for the domestic market, also known as Anglo-Chinese – China ROM;
  • for the international market, global – Global ROM.

These are two basic versions of MIUI firmware, on the basis of which custom firmware is created. Below is a little more detail about each of the two.

MIUI Global ROM (global firmware)

This firmware is intended for smartphones and tablets manufactured outside of China. The international version of MIUI already has pre-installed applications and services from Google. There is a choice of languages, including Russian.

MIUI China ROM

This version is released exclusively for smartphones sold in the domestic market. The firmware has 2 pre-installed languages ​​- Chinese and English; there are also no Google services and installed software that works only in China.

How do MIUI firmware differ by type?

So far everything seems very simple, but MIUI is also divided by type:

  • MIUI Developer ROM – for developers, beta version of MIUI;
  • MIUI Stable ROM – stable firmware version;
  • MIUI Ported ROM are unofficial versions of MIUI firmware, supported by developers in local markets;
  • homemade firmware based on MIUI - the same as custom ones, but often their “creators” are unknown;
  • regional MIUI firmware - usually released for models that support a specific type of mobile connection.

MIUI Developer ROM

These firmwares are released officially by Xiaomi developers. Initially, such assemblies are intended for more experienced users, for whom it is important to be the first to gain access to new functions of the operating system. Developer ROM is designed for testing innovations and often contains various shortcomings.

That's why updates appear weekly on Fridays (except holidays). As soon as bugs are discovered, they are quickly fixed and the next version of MIUI usually does not have previously identified flaws.

It’s very easy for developers to figure out the firmware – even by name. For example, if you see that the build is called MIUI 8 7.21.4, then it was released on April 21, 2017.

MIUI Stable ROM

With these firmware versions everything is much simpler. They are also produced by the Xiaomi development team, but these builds are official, stable, tested, with fully functioning functions and without obvious glitches that are eliminated in developer builds.

You can safely install such firmware on your phone, but you will not be among the first to gain access to innovations. Here the choice is made in favor of stability. Stable ROM firmwares are updated without a specific schedule, so you may see an update every couple of weeks, or even not receive anything new for months.

MIUI Ported ROM

Most custom builds belong to this type of MIUI firmware; of course, they are all unofficial. You can often encounter such firmware for one main reason - outside of China, Xiaomi smartphones usually install localized versions of MIUI compiled by third-party developers.

We also include high-quality builds of enthusiasts who port MIUI to devices from other manufacturers besides Xiaomi to this type of firmware.

Basically, Ported ROM MIUI is built on the basis of a stable version of the firmware, or on a developer version with bugs eliminated. Often these custom builds are updated on a specific schedule, but installation will be done manually.

Custom low-quality MIUI builds

Still, we have to single out a separate subtype from the overall picture of custom MIUI firmware - home-made assemblies that pop up on “gray” Xiaomi smartphones. Often such firmware has a terrible translation, terrible optimization and contains uncorrected bugs.

If this is your first time encountering MIUI firmware of this type, then your impression of the operating system and the phone as a whole will probably be spoiled for a long time. Never use such assemblies.

Regional MIUI ROM / Other versions

These are far from the most common types of MIUI firmware. We noted above that these are mainly regional localized assemblies designed for a specific type of mobile communication or for a specific operator. The most well-known firmware are WCDMA ROM MIUI and TD ROM - the first will work on models only with support for 3G WCDMA communications (more or less common), and the second - only on the domestic market of China.

We can also divide MIUI firmware according to the simplest criteria - size.

Full ROM is a full-fledged version of the firmware that you can safely install from scratch on your smartphone. Often, installing such an assembly eliminates all errors and other problems that could not be dealt with in other ways. This MIUI package offers all the necessary services, which is why the firmware file will not weigh so little - up to 2 GB.

Incremental ROM is just an addition to the firmware, updating it with the necessary fixes. You can often get them via OTA (downloading via WiFi) if you have the official MIUI firmware installed - stable or for developers. These updates are small - from 20 to 200 MB.

And in conclusion, we note the implicit division of MIUI firmware according to the update method - by OTA or manually.

Any official MIUI firmware has the ability to receive an update over the air at any time, but only if you have not manually changed anything in the system files. Because of this, there may be an issue with OTA updates. You will have to fix the problem manually - by installing the assembly, which can always be downloaded from the official Xiaomi MIUI forum.

Custom builds of MIUI rarely have the ability to update over the air, so they are usually installed manually. To do this, you will have to unlock the bootloader, which has been officially blocked for some time now.

How to find out the firmware on Xiaomi?

To find out the firmware version installed on your smartphone, you need to go to the system settings and select the lowest item - “About phone”.

The window that opens will display technical information about the system, including the firmware version.

Reading time: 8 minutes. Views 14.9k. Published 08/07/2019

Have you purchased a new Xiaomi phone from Aliexpress or any other store from the Middle Kingdom? Quite satisfied with the quality, but can’t find the Russian language in the settings? Don’t understand why all the inscriptions are depicted in hieroglyphs? Most likely, you have come across a smartphone with a Chinese shell China ROM. This happens quite often, so the user needs to know how to distinguish the global Xiaomi firmware from the Chinese one.

Navigation

MIUI firmware is a great combination of comfort, simplicity and versatility. But, unfortunately, its main disadvantage for beginners is its confusion.

The user hears dozens of different names and versions, not understanding which one is right for him. So we'll figure it out.

China ROM

This is the MIUI version, intended exclusively for the domestic Chinese market. It is installed on phones that will be sold in China. Moreover, new Xiaomi products operate first on China ROM. If you want to be among the first to buy a cool smartphone and order it from AliExpress, be prepared to reflash it yourself.

And only a few months after the release of the Chinese firmware, Global ROM appears, which we will discuss below. Why is China not suitable for us?

  • This firmware does not have multilingual capabilities.. Living in any European country, you will not be able to set your native language on your phone. Only Chinese and English are available.
  • Chinese services available. Such as a local geolocation service, browsers with limited access to some services (the Great Internet Wall of China), “dialers” that do not recognize Russian operators. At best, such programs will be simply useless, and at worst, they will refuse to work at all and slow down the operating system.
  • No Google services. Agree that it is difficult for an Android user to do without the Google Play store, Gmail, Chrome, etc. When purchasing a device with a Chinese shell, be prepared to install the necessary utilities yourself.

But there is also an advantage - a lower price. Such smartphones are an order of magnitude cheaper than phones with a global version, while all the characteristics, of course, are identical.

Global ROM

website China Stable China Dev Global Stable Global Dev
Google Services No No Yes Yes
Changing the font Yes Yes No No
Music player Online and regular Online and regular Regular only Regular only
Themes Some are paid Some are paid All free All free
Theme availability All All Global only Global only
Updates Once a month Once a week Once every two months Once a week
Language support Only Chinese and English More than 50 languages More than 50 languages
Chance to catch a bug Short High Short High
ROOT access No Built-in No No
website China Stable China Dev Global Stable Global Dev

But this one is already international version of firmware released outside of China. It is the global firmware that is suitable for European users because:

  • Multilingual. Almost all languages ​​are supported, including Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, etc.
  • Availability of Google services. You don’t have to implement Google Play yourself and endure constant slowdowns in its operation.
  • There are no inscriptions in Chinese, sections, settings and menus are perfectly translated. There are also no unnecessary programs from the Middle Kingdom.

What to do if your phone has unofficial firmware installed

After looking at the firmware version, some Xiaomi phone owners are horrified that their version is Vietnamese, or they have installed a terribly low-quality custom one. What to do?

  1. If you just purchased a phone and find such a problem, immediately contact the store with presentations. No seller has the right to offer you a self-made smartphone at the price of the original! Does the store tell you that they simply received such a shipment and are not aware of the counterfeit? Then ask for the contact information of the supplier company.
  2. Did you buy the device not from a local store, but from a Chinese or regional Internet service? Here, unfortunately, complaints are unlikely to help, since you simply will not be able to reach the seller by phone after receiving the parcel.

In the future, avoid purchasing from unknown sources, and on AliExpress choose only trusted sellers with a large number of positive reviews.

You can check the originality of your phone by using.

Answers to popular questions

My smartphone runs on MIUI from Xiaomi EU. Is it worth switching to the global official version?

If you are completely satisfied with the current version, you can continue to use it without any problems. The main thing to pay attention to is the following parameters: are there frequent slowdowns, crashes, or crashes of the operating system? Are there updates coming? Are you satisfied with energy saving? If the answer is yes, the firmware is of high quality.

I have a Chinese version of my smartphone, can I upgrade to global firmware?

Just recently, Xiaomi approved a new rule: flashing from China to an international shell and back is prohibited, otherwise you will get a brick.

As you can see, it is quite easy to distinguish global firmware from Chinese firmware on Xiaomi. All you need is a little time and care. Follow our instructions and everything will work out.

Firmware or Firmware is the software that is installed on your Android device. Firmware can be official - it is developed by the device manufacturer (or Google, if it is a device from the Nexus line), and also unofficial - it is developed by enthusiasts. In general, firmware is a set of basic software that is installed on your device. Without Android firmware, the gadget is just a brick that won’t even turn on.

Many users are interested in how to find out the firmware version on an Android device. It's actually very easy to do. To do this, just open the Android settings and go to the “About smartphone” section (or to the “About tablet” section if you have a tablet computer).

The firmware version will be indicated here, as well as other data. These include: build number, kernel version and Android version. It should be noted that the firmware version and the Android version are not the same thing. Android version is the version of the Android operating system that was used to develop the firmware. And there can be many different firmwares with the same version of Android.

Why and how to update the firmware? The firmware is updated for two purposes: to fix bugs in the existing firmware and to add new features to the firmware. The firmware update is installed when the Android device is connected to the computer or using WiFi. For example, Samsung uses the KIES application, which runs on Windows. By connecting an Android device from Samsung to a computer and running the KIES program, the user can update the firmware. If updating via WiFi is possible, the user almost does not need to make any effort. The device will prompt you to reboot the gadget and install new firmware. By agreeing to the reboot and waiting a couple of minutes, the user will receive a firmware update.

What is custom firmware and why are they needed? Custom firmware is not official firmware developed by independent developers. For example, one of the most popular custom firmware is CyanogenMod. Installing custom firmware is already more difficult compared to installing firmware from the manufacturer. But, nevertheless, any user can handle this if desired. After this procedure, the user will receive many new features that were included in the firmware by the developer. It should be borne in mind that installing non-official firmware carries some risks. In particular, as a result of incorrect installation, you can turn your phone into a non-functional brick; in addition, after installing the katom firmware, you will most likely lose the official warranty from the manufacturer.

Would you like to add to the article? Please provide any information you have in the comments?

If you have recently used a push-button mobile phone, then you may not even suspect that modern smartphones are equipped with different operating systems. And we’re not even talking about the fact that it can be not only Android, but also Windows Phone, OS, as well as the well-known iOS. Even the versions of operating systems differ on different smartphones! Therefore, in today’s article we will talk about how to find out the Android version, as well as the meaning of updates.

Why is the latest version of the operating system so important?

Many novice smartphone users do not pay any attention to the version of the installed operating system. They pick up a device running Android 4.2, after which they are surprised by the instability of operation and the small number of supported applications.

Depending on the version of the mobile operating system, the functionality of the device varies. The “five” and “six” have so many different settings and capabilities that it’s difficult to come up with something new. It should also be noted that many utilities and games are developed with the latest versions of Android in mind. And if your device has an old version of the operating system, then some games and programs may not even start. And even if they work, it will be with interruptions and unexpected crashes. Only old applications that were originally designed for your version of the operating system will function stably.

We'll talk more about the main differences between different versions of Android next time. In the meantime, you should understand how to find out the Android version on a tablet or smartphone. Let’s say right away that the mentioned method works on all devices, regardless of their type and the installed proprietary shell.

The only and easiest way

Step 1. First you need to get into " Settings" The corresponding icon can be found in the menu, and sometimes on the desktop.

Note: button " Settings" is often also available in the notification panel if you pull it out completely.

Step 2. Scroll down the list and click on " About the phone».

Step 3. Review the information displayed. It is possible that you will see the firmware and OS version here.

Step 4. On some devices you need to go to an additional subsection. For example, in devices it has the name “ Software details».

Google introduces an interesting Easter egg into each version of its operating system. To view it, quickly click about ten times on the Android version. As a result, you will see an image of one or another delicacy, which corresponds to the name of this version. And sometimes you can even get into a mini-game this way - in particular, it is available in Android 6.0.

This is how you can easily find out the Android version on your phone. Often this section contains information about the kernel version, security level, build number and other software parameters. But all this is required only by professionals who know much more about all this compared to ordinary users.

Now you will learn about indirect and functional signs that can help you determine the type of hack on Xbox 360 even in cases where you are unable to connect the console to an electrical outlet.

You can find out the firmware type of your Xbox 360 using several simple methods. In most cases, these methods allow you to independently determine the firmware on the set-top box.

How to find out the firmware of Xbox 360: Freeboot

Most often, this type of hack is installed on the console.. That is, if you buy a used console without information about what firmware it has, there is a high probability that it will be freebooted.

The presence of Freeboot is very easy to identify by the following sign- if when you turn on the console by pressing the drive key, the Xell menu in blue is displayed on the screen (the menu name will be written at the top), then your Xbox 360 has been hacked using a freeboot.

If this menu does not appear, and instead the console simply turns on and the standard menu starts, it means that it has some other type of firmware or a device without hacking at all.

It is also worth paying attention to console startup speed and sounds when turned on. Original consoles launch in a few seconds. If Freeboot is installed on the Xbox 360, the startup may take several minutes and be accompanied by buzzing sounds.

There is also other signs, by which you can check that the Xbox 360 is flashed using Freeboot:

  • Availability of Freestyle Dash shell. At the same time, during loading, a logo with the name of the shell appears. The main menu of the console has separate indicators on the screen indicating the temperature of the processor and video card, and the library has a section “Emulators”.
  • Support for games from a flash drive in GOD format. Since not all consoles automatically launch the shell, one option for finding out what firmware is on the Xbox 360 is to try to launch the game in GOD format on the console.

What firmware is on the Xbox 360: the drive is flashed

If all of the above attempts to find out what firmware is installed on the Xbox 360 were unsuccessful, then Most likely the drive is flashed on the console. In general, it is impossible to recognize the presence of a hacked drive visually, since when you turn on the console, the standard menu is displayed, and the presence of signs of tampering on the case cannot accurately indicate the type of firmware.

The only option is to buy a pirated disc in a store or burn the game to DVD yourself, and then try to run such a copy on the console. Here you also need to take into account that unlicensed disks for two different firmware versions are now common on sale: LT+ 3.0 and LT+ 2.0. For each firmware version you will have to download different versions of hacked games.

If the drive does not see the pirated disc, then try checking the drive by launching any game from a licensed disc. If the console does not launch games even from licensed discs, there is a high probability that the drive may not be working.

What firmware is on the Xbox 360: Xkey

Finding out the Xkey firmware on the Xbox 360 is often quite simple. Often, such a console comes with a special remote control, which has connectors for connecting flash drives or a hard drive. Another noticeable sign that the console has x360key will be availability of a special dongle which is connected to the USB port.

If you cannot find out on your own what firmware is on your console, you can always contact the service that deals with game consoles, and will be able to reliably determine, what is installed on your Xbox 360.