Why Xiaomi does not update over the air - all solutions. Why is Xiaomi not updating? Other installation options

  • 19.01.2024

Due to the frequency of new firmware releases from Xiaomi, devices do not always successfully reinstall new firmware. It happens that failures occur in the “stuffing”, leading to Xiaomi not being updated.

Checking auto-update

Before you figure out that there are no requests to install modern versions of MIUI, check for auto-updates:

1. Go to Settings => About phone => Update.

2. In the window that opens, click on the three dots and in the upper right corner of the screen, select the item associated with automatic reinstallation.

3. Turn on the Internet, start searching for the latest version of the software.

4. Here, check the “Update automatically” checkbox if it is missing.

Did not help? Let's try to figure out the system.

System settings failure

By default, Xiaomi is configured to automatically reinstall to modern MIUI firmware. But sometimes an error may occur. Try updating your device manually:

1. Charge the gadget to 60% or connect it to a charger.

2. Open the Settings => About phone => Update section.

3. In the menu that opens, click the button.

If this option does not work, you need to download the file for this device model on the developer’s official website and place its archive in the root of the directory. Then we take the steps:

1. Go to the menu with the gear => About phone.

2. Trying to update.

3. If the device displays a line with no new settings, click on the three dots at the top.

4. Select the “Select firmware file” section.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen.


Important! Firmware won't install? You may be trying to install an old OS.

Availability of custom firmware

Custom malware is not uncommon if a smartphone was purchased in China. Most amateur software does not have auto-updates; you will not receive released firmware for the gadget. You will need to unlock the bootloader using Fastboot mode and the Mi Flash application.

When system improvement is not needed

If you have a stable MIUI operating system and everything works perfectly, you can disable downloading new software and not worry that the update has not arrived on Xiaomi. There is also a risk that the “native” and downloaded installations will compete with each other and cause serious problems in the operation of the device.

It’s easy to understand that you have a custom OS modification. Open Settings, then the top line, look at the malware number. If you have more than 4 digits in the number, the operating system is amateur.


When Xiaomi doesn't receive updated software, don't panic right away. As follows from the article, the problem can be quickly fixed, and sometimes does not require any action at all.

Having bought a Xiaomi smartphone, we expect that it will receive some useful updates to the operating system and the proprietary MIUI shell, but time passes and there are still no updates. Why does this happen and how to force the mobile device to update?

This problem is not uncommon and is caused by several reasons:

  • The smartphone has custom firmware installed that cannot be updated;
  • automatic checking and downloading of a new firmware version is disabled in the system settings;
  • The current firmware version is installed.

Let's take a closer look at each of the above points.

Custom firmware

If you bought a Xiaomi smartphone delivered directly from China and it has Russian-language localization, there is a high probability that it has custom firmware installed. Such firmware, as a rule, is created by amateur enthusiasts with the goal of changing “to suit” some of the features of the smartphone. At the same time, by getting into the source code of the firmware, you lose the ability to update it “over the air” in automatic mode, and therefore the smartphone will not be able to update and you will have to constantly use what was installed initially.

Custom firmware is useful when it is created for smartphones that do not have global firmware versions and, by default, is available only in Chinese and English. In this case, users can use firmware translated by “traditional craftsmen”, but must be prepared for the impossibility of receiving updates.

More information about the various firmware options can be found in the article:

In this case, you will need to reflash your smartphone via Fastboot using the application.

Checking for new firmware is disabled

It also happens that you have a firmware version installed on your smartphone, for example, a weekly one, but there is no sign that an update has arrived. This may be due to the fact that checking for updates is simply disabled.

You can check for updates yourself by going to your smartphone’s settings and clicking on the “System Update” button.

In the window that opens, click “Check for updates.” To check, mobile Internet or WiFi connection must be turned on.

In order for the smartphone to check for updates independently in the future, just click on the ellipses button (in the upper right corner) and go to the “Settings” item.

What to do if the firmware on Xiaomi is not updated

The Xiaomi brand is distinguished not only by its wide functionality and the number of released models, but also by frequently updated operating systems - MIUI firmware, which, by the way, will soon receive a new version - MIUI 10. And as new firmwares are released, the number of problems associated with them increases. One of these problems is the inability to update Xiaomi OS. Why - we'll figure it out further.

There are a certain number of reasons why a Xiaomi smartphone is not updated. This may be due to either the inattention or carelessness of the user, or shortcomings of the manufacturer or the store itself where the device was purchased.

Why is my Xiaomi phone not updating?

  • Failure to follow update instructions correctly;
  • Availability of the latest and most current OS version;
  • Damaged or custom firmware;
  • Problems with auto-update;
  • Problems with settings.

There are many possible problems, so study each one separately before contacting the service center.

Failure to follow firmware update instructions correctly

A fairly simple and clear point - perhaps you misunderstood or did some step of the instructions during the update process, missed something or completed it in advance.

Or perhaps the update manual was completely incomplete and incorrect or did not suit your model: you need to replace the firmware on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, and you are looking at the replacement instructions on Xiaomi 4x - the only difference is in the available versions of MIUI.

Many people skip this point, being confident that they are doing everything correctly, but it is still better to double-check what you have already done or do it again.

How to check what firmware is installed on your phone

The second and third points in the section of possible problems can be combined based on a simple criterion - the current firmware. It's very easy to check what's currently installed on your smartphone.

Checking the current firmware:

  • Go to the “Settings” of your phone, scroll down the page and find the “About device” tab;
  • By opening this section, opposite the line “MIUI Version”, you will see the current firmware, for example, “ManhiT”;

It is possible that the latest possible firmware version is already installed on your smartphone, and you are in vain trying to update the phone “even further.” In this case, it is worth inquiring about the currently available OS versions.

There is also a possibility that your gadget has custom firmware or the so-called “flip-flop”.

Custom firmware– an operating system created by individual amateur users who change some aspects of the smartphone’s operation “to suit themselves,” relying on the source code of ready-made operating systems. And in the process of these same changes, the ability to automatically (over the air) update and have access to new firmware is lost. In this case, you always have to use what has already been installed.

"Vietnamese"– this is a firmware that has the original in Chinese, but was incorrectly translated into Russian. That is, the functionality in such operating systems is completely taken from the Chinese firmware, but is in Russian, which is not acceptable. Such OS can be found on smartphones purchased in China.

In both of the above cases, you will need to reflash the phone. To do this, you will need to unlock the bootloader and reflash the device using the “Mi Flash” application and “Fastboot” mode.

Methods for fixing a device not updating

Now let's get down to how to deal with the lack of firmware updates. To finally update your phone, you need to check the following points: auto-update and update settings. You can also resort to updating.

How to fix disabled auto-update:

  • Go to “Settings” and scroll down the page to the “About device” or “About phone” section;
  • In this tab, scroll down the page again and click on the round “System Update” button - the arrow located at the very bottom;
  • When you enter the update settings, the phone may ask you to enable automatic updates - agree, if this does not happen, move on. On this page you can see whether any updates are currently available or not.
  • Click on the three dots, select “Settings”;
  • In “Settings” you see only two functions: “Update via Wi-Fi” and “Auto-update” - the second option must be activated;

Using this method, you can check auto-update on all Xiaomi brand models: Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus, Xiaomi Redmi 4, Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi Mi 5, Xiaomi Redmi 3, etc.

Another way is manual update

You never know what kind of glitches can happen on your phone. Try restoring the update yourself.

First download the file of the required firmware version from the manufacturer’s official website and place it in Explorer on your phone.

Instructions:

  1. To make this method more successful, connect the charger to the phone;
  2. Go to “Settings”, then “About device” (“About phone”) and “System update”;
  3. Check again for updates by clicking on the corresponding button;
  4. If there is nothing, open three dots and click on “Select firmware file”;
  5. Next, select the file you downloaded in advance, and then follow all the instructions from your phone;

The main thing is not to try to install VPO – embedded software.

After the release of any official firmware, most users install new versions of them in order to ensure better performance of the device, although this is not at all necessary. If you still decide to improve your operating system, in this article we will tell you how to do it correctly. The update of Xiaomi Mi5 and some other devices will be partially taken into account. We will also talk about installing a new version of software over the air.

What is OTA

To be precise, in simple, understandable language, OTA (Over The Air) updates do not require a connection to a computer, that is, you can update via 3G Internet, EDGE or Wi-Fi, this method is often called “over-the-air update”. Having a user account, we will be able to synchronize our device only with new firmware modules, this function also allows you to receive notifications about released products regarding the OS, your data is not lost, but remains saved, in short, this method saves you a lot of time and effort. Absolutely every Xiaomi owner will be able to cope with updating the system to the new version, and we will talk about device compatibility in the future.

The current firmware at the moment is the MIUI 8 update, so in the future we will talk specifically about it. We will tell you who can afford to upgrade to the current MIUI 8 build, and also advise what to do if you still have not received the firmware for your device. We won’t talk about its pros and cons, we’ll just say that this innovation will allow you to change the appearance of the interface, add a multi-screen mode that allows you to work with a number of special programs, in general, your Android will be transformed quite well, and there will be something to look at.

Compatibility

It is also important which devices can be updated with new firmware, so it is important to understand this issue. According to official sources, the firmware will be available on all Android 6.0 devices, including devices such as Xiaomi Mi4, its earlier representatives of the Mi series, that is, Mi 2, Mi 2S, Mi 3 and so on. Updating the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, and indeed the entire Redmi line along with Mi Note, is a given.

True, there is one thing. The fact is that the firmware is not yet available to everyone, since it is released in “waves” for certain series of devices, but if you have all the necessary files, you can install it manually, which we will briefly discuss later.

Firmware update

Updating the firmware is not the easiest process, at least it used to be. Now, with the help of OTA, you can do everything in a few clicks, and you don’t need a computer, a connection cable, and you will also be able to do without searching for the necessary files, their correct location, and so on. Since you already know about over-the-air updating, let’s move on directly to the process, looking at three simple steps:

  • Make sure that your device is charged to the maximum, but even 30% of the battery is enough to carry out such an operation; for some, 60%. But it’s better not to take risks by fully charging the device;
  • Of course, up to Android 6 and older you need official firmware, that is, custom and root rights are not suitable here, and there should not be any changes in the firmware;
  • Then you just have to follow the standard path to check for updates: “Menu” – “Settings” – “About phone” – “System updates” – “Check now”. When the system sees that there is an update, agree to install it, restart the device, and then wait.

Having figured out how to update your Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro and some other devices, I would like to mention that for the same Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, Xiaomi Redmi 3S at the time of writing there is only a Chinese version of the firmware and there is nothing you can do about it, so you have to wait. We remind you that the latest version of MIUI firmware is not released immediately and not for all devices. They will still be translated (global version), so there is no rush, of course, unless you want to get a device in Chinese.

Other installation options

Since many people want to upgrade their device to MIUI now, there are manual installation options via Recovery and Fastboot, but this is a topic for another article. It is also worth considering that the approximate similarity of devices, say Redmi 3 and 3 S, does not promise us that they will be able to officially update at the same time, although everyone really hopes for this.

If for some reason you are unable to update your device, you should try slightly more difficult methods, but no less correct; more about this in the article about device firmware.

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