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Android 10 custom ROMs arrive on the Xiaomi Mi 3, Mi 4, Redmi Note 7, and the Lenovo ZUK Z2 Plus
The Xiaomi Mi 3, the Xiaomi Mi 4, the Redmi Note 7 and the Lenovo ZUK Z2 Plus - all have now received custom ROMs based on Android 10. Check them out!
Android 10 is the latest Android version out there, but it is available officially on only a handful of devices, namely the Google Pixels, the Essential Phone, the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro and the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro so far. But since the source code of the new release has already made its way to AOSP, custom ROM developers have helped us experience all the new features on Android through custom ROMs across a growing list of devices, including but not limited to the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1, Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 6, POCO F1, Redmi Note 5, Xiaomi Mi A2, Mi Mix 2, Mi Mix 2S, OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, Asus ZenFone 6/Asus 6z, Asus ZenFone 5z, and LG G2. We now have more additions to the list, as the Xiaomi Mi 3, Xiaomi Mi 4, the Redmi Note 7 and the Lenovo ZUK Z2 Plus have also joined in on the update train.
Xiaomi Mi 3, Xiaomi Mi 4, & Xiaomi Redmi 4X get Android Pie (Android 9) ports
The Xiaomi Mi 3/Mi 4 (device code-name: cancro) and the Xiaomi Redmi 4X (santoni) have received nearly stable AOSP Android Pie (Android 9) ports.
Google released Android 9 Pie for the Google Pixel/XL and the Google Pixel 2/XL last week. The latest version of Android comes with significant improvements including a new gesture navigation system, a new Material Design theme, Digital Well-being, privacy and security improvements, and more. In terms of updates, the Essential Phone is the only third-party Android phone to have received the Android Pie update so far (in fact, it received it on day one). Other smartphones eligible for the Android Pie beta program should be receiving updates in the next few weeks, but for those smartphones that are not due to receive official updates especially quickly, there is always the development community to help.
What you need to know about MIUI 10 Global Beta
Wonder what's new in MIUI 10 and which devices will get it? You can see a list of features and supported Xiaomi Redmi and Xiaomi Mi devices in this article.
Xiaomi announced MIUI 10 in India yesterday. As they claim, the system's new version is "faster than fast." The four main focus points are speed, design, sound, and AI portraits. The first devices with MIUI 10 are the smartphones that are eligible for entry into the China Beta ROM (or can flash it manually). Xiaomi's representatives talked about a lot of things, so I'll do my best to break them down.
MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM now available for all supported Xiaomi India devices
The MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM is now available for all supported Xiaomi devices. The list of devices includes almost four-year-old devices like the Redmi 1s and the Mi 3.
Xiaomi announced the MIUI 9 China ROM back in July. Then, in November, the company officially announced the global version of MIUI 9. MIUI 9 Global is different from the Chinese version of MIUI 9 as it's intended for international markets and includes Google Play services.
Exploit Targets Qualcomm's EDL Mode, Affects Some Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nokia and other Devices
Qualcomm devices have an EDL mode, which as it turns out seems to be exploitable if you have the right tools released by the OEMs.
Devices with Qualcomm chipsets have a Primary Bootloader (PBL) which typically boots the Android system, but also houses an alternative boot mode known as EDL mode. EDL mode is Qualcomm's Emergency Download Mode and allows an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to force flash software on a device. This cannot be modified (read-only mode) and has full control over the device's storage. Many OEMs including OnePlus and Xiaomi have released tools (known as programmers) which utilize EDL mode and a protocol known as Firehose to unbrick a device, while other tools from companies such as Nokia have leaked. Firehose can utilize a number of commands to flash devices, along with the ability to examine the data within a device's memory. Security researchers Roee Hay (@roeehay) and Noam Hadad from Aleph Research have discovered critical device vulnerabilities using this mode, which effectively grants an attacker full device access.
Android Oreo ROM Available for the Xiaomi Mi 3 and Mi 4 (Cancro)
XDA Senior Member vasishath has put together an early build of Android Oreo for the Xiaomi Mi 3 and the Mi 4 that was built from AOSP.
It's been a big week for Android enthusiasts. Not only did we see the official launch of the Galaxy Note 8, but Google jumped out ahead of Samsung to announce the next version of Android. Even after all of the teasing that has happened over the years, the new version turned out to be Android Oreo. Shortly after the release, the company uploaded the AOSP source code and for many it was off to the races. Individual builders began working on builds for their device and a reader quickly uploaded their screenshot of it running on their Mi 5S Plus.
Unofficial CyanogenMod 12 for the Xiaomi Mi3
Developers have prepared a CyanogenMod 12 build for the Xiaomi Mi3, even without kernel source.
Xiaomi is rapidly becoming one of the most important Android OEMs. Currently, this Chinese company shares the podium with Samsung and Apple. Despite such popularity and numerous devices sold across the globe, Xiaomi refuses to publish the source code for their kernels, standing in clear violation to the GPL licensing.