Xiaomi Mi 9 : Unlock & Install TWRP Recovery 3.3.0 – Easy Tutorial

If you looking for a way to unlock Xiaomi Mi 9 and install latest TWRP recovery (3.3.0) on it, then you are in right place. Unlocking your smartphone/tablet is the first step to extract the complete juice of your device hardware. Once Xiaomi Mi 9 is unlocked, you can then easily install custom recovery such as TWRP recovery, can root it using Magisk or SuperSu. After root access, you can perform various system related task which otherwise isn’t possible.

Related: How to Root Xiaomi Mi 9 in 2019 – Easy Guide

How To Unlock and Install TWRP Recovery On Xiaomi Mi 9

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 your Google account, or equivalent. We (TrueAndroid Team) are not responsible if anything happen to your device while following this tutorial.

Advantage of TWRP Recovery

1. A touch based interface.
2. Can flash custom ROMs, Mods and kernels.
3. Can wipe Dalvic /ART Cache.
4. Allow you to access and use phone memory when you are in recovery.
5. You can install Xposed Modules.
6. You can root your device using root zip file (magisk, supersu etc.)
7. Flashing a custom kernel may help you to overclock or underclock your SoC.
8. Can factory reset your device.
9. You can remove all bloatware by flashing proper bloatware removal zip.
10. You can take a full system backup (Nandroid) and later restore it.

Requirements:

1. Make sure your computer has working adb and fastboot. Setup instructions can be found here.
2. Enable USB Debugging on your device. [Tutorial]
3. Proper USB driver is installed. [Download]

How To Unlock Xiaomi Mi 9

1. First visit Xiaomi’s official unlocking website and apply for unlocking permissions. It might take some days.
2. Meanwhile, link your 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..
3. Once you get the approval, you will get Mi Unlock app download link (Windows Only). Install the utility in your PC.
4. Once the 360 hours waiting period is over, run the Mi Unlock app and follow the instructions provided by the app to unlock your Xiaomi Mi 9.
5. Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging for the next recovery installation process.

Once unlocking process is completed, you can then follow below steps to install TWRP Recovery.

How To Install TWRP Recovery 3.3.0 on Xiaomi Mi 9

1. Download TWRP.
2. Once done, connect your device to your PC using a USB cable.
3. Now on your computer open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type: adb reboot bootloader . You can also boot your Xiaomi Mi 9 to fastboot mode by pressing Volume Down + Power when the device power is off, until FASTBOOT appears.
4. To confirm the device is connected in fastboot mode or not, type: fastboot devices.
5. Once confirmed, type the following command to flash TWRP Recovery: fastboot flash recovery twrp-x.x.x-x-cepheus.img. [Note: Replace TWRP file name with your downloaded file name]
6. The device should automatically reboot, if not then reboot it manually.

Tip: To boot into recovery first turn off your Xiaomi Mi 9 and then press and hold Volume Up and Power button together until the “MI” logo appears on the screen, then release.

That’s it! You now have an unlocked Xiaomi Mi 9 with latest supported TWRP Recovery installed.