How to fix bricked Redmi 3s on MIUI 7 / MIUI 8

Reinstalling (flashing) MIUI ROM through fastboot has been a common solution when a Xiaomi device is in soft-bricked state or in endless bootloop state. However, it could also be an utter disaster if done improperly and therefore it is a tedious task for some users who never try to install an Android ROM through Fastboot mechanism. In this article, we are going to show you a step by step tutorial on how to flash MIUI ROM on Redmi 3s / Prime even with bootloader locked and hence solving any issues of your phone. Please bear in mind that the method of reflashing Android ROM can only works fixing soft-bricked devices and NOT for hard-bricked ones. For instance, you won’t be able to use this method if your dropped your phone and it crashed which eventually it’s getting bricked.

Xiaomi Redmi 3s is also one of notable Redmi series phone due to its specs offered. The phone boasts Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 430 chipset with octacore processors, Adreno 505 GPU, 2GB RAM, 13MP main camera, 5MP front-facing camera, and also 5-inche IPS touchscreen display. On top of that, the phone is available at very affordable price tag.

Also read : Redmi 3s vs Redmi 3x – What are the differences.

Normal way to flash MIUI fastboot ROM needs a device with unlocked bootloader which can be obtained officially from Xiaomi Dev Team. Nevertheless, the permission requires few days to be granted (usually 2 weeks). Luckily, Mitch002 which is one of honorable member in MIUI community has shared a procedure to flash the ROM on device with locked bootloader. Thanks and credits belong to him.

Requirements

• Xiaomi Redmi 3S / Prime device – with either locked or unlocked bootloader.

• A USB cable – just use the one came with your phone.

• A computer either PC or laptop running Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10.

• Download latest Mi Flash tool into your computer.

• Download Qualcomm QDLoader USB driver.

• Download USB ADB Drivers or Mi PC Suite.

• Make sure your phone has at least 50% battery power remaining.

• Download corresponding build of MIUI Fastboot ROM for your device (links below).

MIUI Fastboot ROM file always has .tgz extension NOT .zip. The one for Redmi 3S should have _land_  (codename of the phone) in part of its file name. You can download the file from one of the links below (choose which version you want):

• MIUI 7.5 Global Stable ROM for Redmi 3s.

• MIUI 7.5 China Stable ROM for Redmi 3s.

• Check MIUI 8 Global Stable ROM availability here.

• Check latest Stable or Developer ROM here.

Moreover, we really recommend you to use a computer running Windows 64-bit. Xiaomi has rolled out MiFlash Tool version 20160830 that is being said to work also on 32-bit OS. However, it should be better if you can use a 64-bit computer.

Important! Please do not attempt to follow the article at your first reading. Make sure you have read the whole article first and have understood each steps before trying to proceed. Neither Mitch002 nor XiaomiTips.com will hold responsibility of any damage that could happen on your phone.

How to Flash MIUI Fastboot ROM

Step 1 – Download and install USB ADB Driver or Mi PC Suite on your computer. Only do this if you have never done it before.

Step 2 – Disable driver signature enforcement on your computer. How to do it? Simply follow these sequence. You can do that by pressing Windows button + i on keyboard to reveal the Settings page. From there you can choose Update & Security >> Recovery >> Advanced startup >> Restart now. Wait a moment for your computer to restart. Next, go to Troubleshoot >> Advanced options >> Startup settings >>Restart. Once your computer restarts, now choose Disable driver signature enforcement which is option number 7. See the video below for more details :

Step 3 – Now install MiFlash tool onto your computer.

Step 4 – Extract the MIUI Fastboot ROM (.tgz) you have downloaded. Use either WinRAR or 7ZIP to extract it. Make sure you have all the files and and the images folder. Also make sure you extracted the ROM package in the C: drive and it is not inside any folder with spaces.

example – notice the space:

Correct one:
C:\Fariez\MIUI\land_images.....

Wrong:
C:\Fariez\MIUI ROM\land_images.....

Step 5 – Now you have to firstly boot your phone into Emergency Download Mode (EDL Mode). You can read and follow my previous guide : How to put Redmi 3s into EDL mode. Alternatively, you can also try this one :

1. Turn off your phone completely.

2. Launch up Mi Flash Beta on your computer.

3. Plugin the USB cable into your computer main USB port. It means if you are using PC then the USB port is in the back of your PC (the one attached directly to the motherboard).

4. Now grab your phone.

5. Press and hold Volume Up (+) as well as Volume Down (-) buttons all together and then plugin another end of the USB cable to your phone while the buttons are still pressed. Alternatively if that also didn’t work: Press and hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power buttons all together, connect it to USB cable (which still connected to PC), and then release the Power button at the first vibration. Wait for the device to vibrate for the second time and release both Volume buttons.

EDL Mode Alternative #2:

1. Turn off your phone completely.

2. Connect your phone to PC while it is off – use its USB cable to connect it to computer.

3. Press and hold Volume Up (+) and Power button together.

4. The screen will be blank. Just let it be.

EDL Mode Alternative #3:

1. Turn off your phone completely.

2. Press Volume Up (+) and Power buttons simultaneously. This will bring your phone into Recovery Mode.

3. You will see several options in Recovery menu. Choose “Download”

4. Your phone should reboot into Download mode / EDL.

5. Finally you can connect it to PC using its USB cable.

Step 6 – Install Qualcomm QDLoader driver you have downloaded before. You can read our previous guide on how to install Qualcomm QDloader driver. Alternatively, you may follow this short sequence:

1. Open Windows Device Manager.

2. Look for your phone in Device Manager. It should be displayed as QHUSB_BULK under the COM Ports section.

3. Right-click on it and choose “Update Drivers”

4. Choose “Browse My Computer for Driver Software”

5. Go to following path : C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Xiaomi \ MiPhone \ Qualcomm \ Driver

6. Choose “Install this Driver Software anyway”

Once done, it should be displayed similar to this:

Step 7 – Assuming your phone is now in EDL mode and it is connected to computer, open up Mi Flash tool and then click the “Refresh” button. Your device should be displayed in the list of connected device. It will be recognized as COM3 or COM4.

*Please ignore the folder name of the ROM in the screenshot pics.

Step 8 – Next, click the “Select” button and locate the folder of where you extracted MIUI Fastboot ROM in your computer.

Step 9 – Select “Clean All” option in the button of the tool.

Step 10 – Finally, click the “Flash” button and wait for the tool to finish its job.

Step 11 – Once done, You’ll see the status displayed as “Success“.

Step 12 – Disconnect your phone from PC and tun it on by pressing Power button until your phone vibrates and shows the familiar MIUI logo. First time booting may take longer than usual (~5 min – 10 min).

Voila! Your bricked Redmi 3S device is now fixed. Have that worked successfully for your phone? Do not hesitate to share your experience in comment section below.

Also read :

• How to root Redmi 3S and install Play Store.

• How to flash TWRP and root on Redmi 3s.

• How to install Play Store on Redmi 3s.