Unlocking the bootloader on any Xiaomi device is easy as they officially let you unlock the device bootloader using their Mi Unlock Tool after you register for an MI account which is associated with your Xiaomi smartphone.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is a budget-friendly smartphone for the youth priced at 200$ which is packed with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset with 4 GB of onboard RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Xiaomi has introduced this smartphone with a 6.26 inch IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio which is pretty much decent for the price range.
In this article, we will guide you on how to officially unlock the bootloader of Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite and install a custom recovery like TWRP which will then let you install custom ROMs and Kernels.
To unlock Mi 8 Lite Bootloader you will have to wait for 15 days after applying for unlocking request and in the meanwhile do not change the SIM card from your smartphone or else it will reset the waiting time again.
How To Unlock Bootloader Of Mi 8 Lite
We have to keep a few things in mind which should be followed carefully.
Pre-requisites:
- You need a laptop/computer.
- Register an account on the MI website and associate it with your device.
- Keep the device battery charged above 75%
- Take a backup of all the files and personal data from your smartphone as unlocking process deletes everything.
- USB Type C cable (provided in the box).
- ADB & Fastboot Tools.
- USB Drivers For Windows (not required on Windows 8.1 and above)
- Enable OEM Unlocking on your device
- Go to Settings > About Phone and tap MIUI Version 5-10 times until it shows Developer options enabled.
- Now go to Additional settings under the Settings menu and then open Developers options.
- Find the OEM unlocking option and slide it to enable. Alternately you might notice below that the MI Unlock Status shows “locked”.
Instructions
- Go to MI Unlock website and login with your MI credentials same as on your Mi 8 Lite.
- Download the MI Unlock Tool and install it on your computer or laptop.
- Now Turn off your mobile and press the Power button + Volume Down button together for 5-10 seconds and release it. This will reboot to the fastboot screen.
- Connect your mobile to your laptop or computer and open the MI Unlock Tool.
- Log in with your MI Account and click the unlock button on the MI Unlock Tool Application.
- If this is your first time, then a message will pop up displaying “Wait for 360 hours” which is 15 days to be precise.
- After 15 days, follow the same procedure from step 3, and then you will successfully get your Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite bootloader unlocked.
How To Install TWRP On Mi 8 Lite
Once you are done with the procedure of unlocking the bootloader of Mi 8 Lite, the next thing you can do is installing a custom recovery which will then help you install any custom ROM. The guide is simple and is just like unlocking the bootloader where you need your computer/laptop once again, and it will take not more than 2 minutes. Remember, that after you install TWRP on Mi 8 Lite, you can root your device using Magisk as well.
Pre-Requisites
- Keep your Mi 8 Lite charged above 75%
- ADB and Fastboot (follow the instructions and install it)
- USB Type C (provided in the box)
- Custom Recovery TWRP/BATIK – download any one of them (make sure you extract the file if it is in zip format and after extraction, you will get a .img extension file which you need to rename it as recovery.img)
Instructions
- Turn off your smartphone and press Volume Down Button + Power Button until you see the MI logo.
- Now connect your smartphone to the laptop or computer
- Go to C:Program Files (x86)Minimal ADB and Fastboot and right-click on cmd-here and run as administrator
- Now type list devices (It will display your device on the ADB and fastboot tool window
- Type fastboot flash recovery recovery.img and hit enter. You will see the write successfully message.
- Now press and hold Volume Up and Power button for 10-12 seconds until you see the Mi boot logo to enter the custom recovery mode.
How To Root Mi 8 Lite
To root Mi 8 Lite, you need to have Magisk and a custom recovery like TWRP or BATIK which we have installed earlier. Also, remember that rooting may void the warranty of your device. So any loss or damage is your responsibility. However, rooting your Mi 8 Lite will give access to a lot of new features that can be explored with the Magisk Modules.
Instructions
- Download and copy the Magisk stable or beta version on your device internal storage (I would recommend the stable version).
- Reboot to Custom Recovery (turn off your device and then press the Power Button + Volume Up button together until you get a vibration).
- Tap the install button on the recovery interface
- Locate the downloaded Magisk zip file and slide to install
- Reboot to the system and find the Magisk App (if it is not there then install the Magisk Manager APK from the downloaded folder)
You have successfully installed Magisk and have rooted your Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite. You can check the root authentication on your device by opening the Magisk Manager App. If for some reason, the Magisk Manager App is not installed, then you can manually install it by downloading it from here.