Install /e/ on a Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro - “violet”

Very important: please read the following carefully before proceeding!

Installing a new operating system on a mobile device can potentially:

  1. lead to all data destruction on the device
  2. make it an unrecoverable brick.

So please only flash your device if you know what you are doing and are OK with taking the associated risk.

The /e/ project and its project members deny any and all responsibility about the consequences of using /e/ software and/or /e/ services.

Warning : Downgrading Smartphones already on Android Q or LineageOS 17.x to Pie or from Pie OS to Oreo or Nougat can cause instability or at worst brick some devices.

Tip: If you find an issue with this installation document or to suggest any improvements , Please add your suggestions to this topic on our community forum

Requirements

  1. Highly recommended: it is recommended that you have an /e/ account (like: john.doe@e.email) if you want to benefit from /e/ account integration for all online services such as: email, drive, calendar, notes, tasks. Register for your free /e/ account.
  2. Make sure your computer has working adb and fastboot. Setup instructions can be found here.

    Please ensure you follow the instructions for adb and Fastboot setup exactly as given in the previous step to avoid unexpected issues during device setup.

  3. Enable USB debugging on your device.
  4. Please read through the instructions at least once completely before actually following them to avoid any problems because you missed something!

Unlocking the bootloader

Warning: Unlocking the bootloader will erase all data on your device! Before proceeding, ensure the data you would like to retain is backed up to your PC and/or a online drive.

  1. Visit Xiaomi’s official unlocking website and apply for unlocking permissions.
  2. Wait until you get the approval, which may take some days.
  3. At the same time, link the device to your Mi account in Settings > Additional settings > Developer options > Mi Unlock status. This step is mandatory and will trigger a countdown of 360 hours, the waiting period before a device can be unlocked.
  4. Once you get the approval, visit the website again and you will be redirected to the Mi Unlock app download page.
  5. Download the Mi Unlock app (Windows is required to run the app).
  6. Once the 360 hours waiting period is over, run the Mi Unlock app and follow the instructions provided by the app.
  7. After device and Mi account are successfully verified, the bootloader should be unlocked.
  8. Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue.

A Mi account is required to apply for permissions. You don’t need to re-apply for permissions to unlock new devices, but beware that one account is only allowed to unlock one unique device every 30 days.

It is highly recommended to have the latest official MIUI dev package installed on the device, before proceeding with unlock.

Installing a custom recovery using fastboot

  1. Download a custom recovery - you can download TWRP. Simply download the latest recovery file, named something like twrp-x.x.x-x-violet.img.

  2. Connect your device to your PC via USB.
  3. On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type: 
     adb reboot bootloader

    You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:

    • With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power. Keep holding both buttons until the word “FASTBOOT” appears on the screen, then release.
  4. Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing: 
     fastboot devices
  5. Flash recovery onto your device: 
     fastboot flash recovery twrp-x.x.x-x-violet.img

    on some devices the below command may be required

     fastboot boot twrp-x.x.x-x-violet.img
  6. Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation.
Tip: Xiaomi users when reverting to the stock MiUi ROM use the Mi Flash Tool. This requires a windows PC. Linux users can try an alternate method to flash the stock ROM. They can unzip the ROM file and run the flash-all.sh file from a console screen.
Tip: On some devices if the device does not boot into TWRP you could try it manually by following these steps
With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power. Keep holding both buttons until the "MI" logo appears on the screen, then release.

Download /e/ for violet

Installing /e/ from custom recovery

  1. Download the /e/ install package that you’d like to install from here.

  2. If you aren’t already in recovery mode, reboot into recovery mode:

     adb reboot recovery
  3. Optional Tap the Backup button to create a backup. Make sure the backup is created in the external sdcard or copy it onto your computer as the internal storage will be formatted.
  4. Go back to return to main menu, then tap Wipe.
  5. Now tap Format Data and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption as well as delete all files stored on the internal storage.
  6. Return to the previous menu and tap Advanced Wipe.
  7. Select the Cache and System partitions to be wiped and then Swipe to Wipe.
  8. Sideload the /e/ .zip package:
    • On the device, select “Advanced”, “ADB Sideload”, then swipe to begin sideload.

    • On the host machine, sideload the package using:

        adb sideload filename.zip
  9. Once installation has finished, return to the main menu, tap Reboot, and then System
Success: Congratulations !! Your phone should now be booting into /e/OS !!

This documentation “Install /e/ on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro - violet” is a derivative of “install LineageOS on violet” by The LineageOS Project, used under CC BY.