The company has announced that it will cover all devices under warranty even if they’re rooted and will also re-flash any devices free of charge if they get stuck in a boot loop. The statement was made because MIUI itself started as a custom ROM developer for Android devices and it would be unethical to not allow users to explore with their device just because of the fear of losing the warranty. Now that you are convinced, let’s have a look at how you can root the device. The only way to root the Xiaomi Mi 4 is by flashing a developer ROM to the device. Note: Currently the developer version is available only as a MIUI 5 ROM and you will have to downgrade your phone to get root access. While the stock MIUI installed is 6.3, the developer ROM is currently available only for 5.2.6. So once you have made up your mind to root the device even if it means using the older version for a while, let’s see how the process goes.
Back Up the Device
The very first thing you must do is back up the device. It’s extremely important as the process will completely wipe your device. One good thing about the MIUI is that it comes with a built-in backup and restore feature. For MIUI 6 users, open the Android Settings and navigate to Additional Settings. Here you will find Backup & Reset as the very last option. Use the option to back up all your settings to the internal storage and then copy the phone’s internal data to a computer.
Flashing the Developer’s ROM
Once everything is in place, download the developer’s ROM for the Mi 4 and transfer the ZIP file to the phone’s internal storage. Please make sure you download the file from the official page itself, to avoid any issues. Now tap on the three dotted menu on the top-right edge of the screen and select the option to update for a specific file. Navigate to the file you saved on the internal storage for flashing. The device will now begin the process and reboot to install the developer ROM. The process might take some time, so be very patient. Once the device reboots, open the Security app and tap on the Permissions to see the root access option there. It would be a good idea to install SuperSU from the Play Store and update the latest binary files. That’s all, you can now enjoy the power of root access on your Xioami Mi 4 device. You may restore the backup at this time. While installing the developer ROM, you might get some Chinese apps and you will have to remove them manually.
Conclusion
So that was how you can root your Xiaomi Mi 4 phone. If you wish to unroot it for some reason, simply flash the stable version from the official website. As the device is totally covered under warranty as far as rooting is concerned, there’s nothing to fear about. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.