[Xiaomi Mi 8 Guides, News, & Discussion] achickennugget:
Context:

Over the few months i have seen many Mi 8 owners who tweak their phone end up with a bricked device, of all the cases, a huge majority of them is due to the lack of research and jumping into modifying their phones before fully uinderstanding the situation (I almost made the mistake too, taking for granted that all android phones have minimal restrictions)

There are two things to take note of (especially if you decide to tweak your Mi 8/SE):

1. Xiaomi implemented a policy that prevents relocking of bootloader if you install a Global Rom on a China Variant Mi Phone

What this means: You cannot relock bootloader if your Mi8/SE is a China variant and you have Global Miui version installed (Developer/Stable)

Common mistake(s):

1. Avoid 'Clean and lock' option when using MiFlash. Only use 'Clean all' or 'Save user data' option

2. Do not relock your Mi8/SE if you are on Global Beta or Developer or Any MIUI rom that is Global

2. Google implemented a policy that prevents rollback to older Android versions for Android Oreo and above Roms. This is for 'Security' reasons and affects MIUI.

What this means: You cannot rollback to an older Miui version (Below Android 8.0) if you already you are currently on Andorid Oreo (i.e Miui 10) and up.

Common mistake(s):

1. Do not restore an old backup with Miui that has any Android version less than 8.0 from Miui 10 ( Android 8.0)

2. Do not install Miui 9 (Below Android 8.0) after installing Miui 10 (Android 8.0 Above)

*As of now: Developer version with ARB=1 has no ARB activated and it is safe to downgrade.*

*Tip: Ask yourself if the Android version you are about to install is lower than the Android version currently installed, if it is, DO NOT flash it. (Applicable if you are currently on Android 8.0 and up)

3. Downgrading/Upgrading Miui Roms with Locked Bootloader.

Same rules applies: Global Variant use Global Miui Rom, China Variant use China Miui Rom

* Switching between Stable and Developer on locked bootloader possible: Use Miflash or Xiaomi Tool. (Upgrading use updater app "select package"option)

4. Safetynet/ Playstore Certification with unlock bootloader.

You can pass Safetynet with Magisk 17.1 onwards for use with Banking/Payment apps

More info:

* Flash Magisk upon clean wipe and after flashing your Rom.

* Dm-verity & Force encryption disabler is required.Download and flash before first boot from here: https://xdaforums.com/android/software/universal-dm-verity-forceencrypt-t3817389

* Encryption must be diabled for Magisk to work. Therefore encryption is not possible if you wish to pass Safetynet.

Please keep all of this in mind before you start tweaking your phone as you will run the risk of bricking your Mi 8/SE. After which, your Mi 8 becomes a very expensive paperweight. I hope this helps to clear things up for many people! Do know that while I disagree with Xiaomi's new anti-consumer policy, i also feel that it is YOUR responsiblility in your own actions, especially when you decide to modify your device and when you do modify anything (not just phones), there are always risks involved. When in doubt, it does no harm to Google it or just ask around in the forums. Moral of the story: Proceed with caution!

For those already bricked:

1. Contact Xiaomi Customer Service and try obtain EDL permission to peform Testpoint fix.

2. Bring your phone to a Mi Store and hope that they can help you with it.

*In the case where my information is wrong, please correct me so that I can update accordingly for the benefit of everyone!

Have a nice day ahead and all the best in your phone tweaking adventures! Hopefully I helped you in clearing things up :good::cowboy:

Last update: 12/11/2018