How To Guide How To root Redmi Note 10S without TWRP (Text Guide in English)

[RandomAccessVemuri]

By Following this guide, you will lose your warranty so keep that in mind before you begin. (Although you have probably already lost your warranty by unlocking the bootloader)

So, if like me, you ended up buying the Redmi Note 10S because it was very cheap (it's something like 200$ for a really good phone) and then just hopped on to xda forums for the latest roms and stuff, you'll find that not much development is going on regarding this phone, understandably because of "better" alternatives within the same line-up.

As a consequence, we don't yet have TWRP or CWM or any such custom recoveries built for this specific device (Redmi Note 10S) nor do I think they're coming any time soon, which is unfortunate since that would have made the process a tad bit more convenient. We don't have any custom roms built specifically for our device either (although we can probably use GSI roms)

So we'll now try to do the process ourselves.

Now, for the disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I'm an amateur in terms of tinkering with android stuff and phones in general. The process mentioned below has worked on my phone but I would still recommend waiting for someone more....knowledgeable to weigh in his/her opinions. If you end up bricking your phone or if things go wrong, I'm not responsible, that's on you.

Also, please read the entire guide first and then begin.

Alright, with the appetizers out of the way, let's just crack on to the main course:

STEP-0: Requirements:

• Redmi Note 10S
• Install OEM fastboot drivers
• Obtain android platform-tools along with knowledge about how to use it
• Your Bootloader should be unlocked (wait for 1 week after first attempt at unlocking after which you'll receive your "permission")
• Fastboot rom from here
• Magisk apk
• Being ready to lose your data (in short, don't personalize your phone just yet (....and also take a backup of everything)) and accept that you'll have SafetyNet related issues until you do some other special stuff
• Enable Developer mode and USB debugging

STEP-1: Obtain boot.img (and vbmeta.img)

What we need is a boot.img that we can patch using magisk. We can do some code-fu to pull it from the phone but we don't need to do that. We can instead obtain the fastboot rom from here (I don't think region matters but take accordingly just to stay safe). While downloading, you'll see that what you're downloading a zip. This is intended because the boot.img (and the vbmeta.img) is within this zip file.
Anyways, once you download it, unzip all of the contents into a folder and move on to the next step.

STEP-2: Patch the obtained boot.img:

Take the boot.img from the zip file you obtained earlier and move it into the internal storage of your phone. Install the Magisk Manager apk from here. Install the apk and then after opening, go straight to installing Magisk, then select "Select and Patch a File" and then select the boot.img that you moved into the internal storage. It will then start patching the boot.img after which it will generate a patched boot.img, the directory of which is mentioned at the end of the patching process.

Move the patched boot.img back into your computer and move on to the next step.

STEP-3: Flash the patched boot.img:

Alright, this is the final leg of the journey (or should I say, desserts?).
Keep the vbmeta.img and the patched boot.img handy as you will be needing them here. You can find the vbmeta.img in the zip file you extracted earlier in the guide.

NOTE: The vbmeta.img is especially important because if you don't flash this while disabling verity and verification, you'll be stuck in a bootloop until you flash the stock boot.img (the boot.img before you patched it) back because this.

Alright, with all of that at hand, boot your phone into fastboot mode.
Now disable what is equivalent to the windows version of secure boot:

fastboot.exe --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

And then the following command that will finish it off:

fastboot.exe flash boot patched_boot.img

If you get stuck in a bootloop (perhaps because incorrectly flashing vbmeta.img or anything else), flash the stock boot.img with the same command and try the process again

And then finally for the cherry on top:

fastboot.exe reboot

After all that is done, hopefully you will see the setup for MIUI. Complete it as you normally would, and after the setup, you will find the magisk manager preinstalled but it will have the placeholder android app logo. Open that and it will prompt you to complete the download and installation of magisk manager. Do that and then open magisk manager (at this point it will have the familiar logo), go straight to installing Magisk and then select Direct Install (Recommended) and then let it do its thing.

After that, it will prompt you to restart your device to complete some stuff at which point you have successfully rooted your phone.

Aftermath:

I would like to remind you that SafetyNet will fail, even if you enable MagiskHide. You will have to do some other stuff to fix that if you want to use stuff like Google Pay so if that is a deal breaker, I suggest you don't follow this guide yet until some recommendations regarding SafetyNet pop up in this thread (or if you find some stuff elsewhere (please do let me know)).

Weirdly the Widevine rating is still at L1 according to DRM Info so I guess Netflix and other stuff will work fine(?). I don't use netflix or prime video so I can't help you there.

Concluding:

If there is anything step I have missed out or some issues you're facing, please let me know within this thread. I'll be happy to resolve the issue. If there are any recommendations regarding SafetyNet or any recommendations in general, I'll be happy to listen.

EDIT 1: You can't use Netflix because you won't be able to find it in Google Play Store.

EDIT 2: You can use Netflix and other DRM protected applications by installing the following Magisk Modules:

• Riru (This is required by the next one)
• Universal SafetyNet Fix (To pass SafetyNet ctsProfile evaluation)
• MagiskHide Props Config (!!MOST IMPORTANT!!) (To get fingerprint certificates and pass other authentication related stuff)

Of course, as is with software, this stuff may eventually be patched by google or netflix so you should still refrain from using this guide (or rooting in general) if you don't want to deal with the hiccups down the road.

Certification is still L1 (weirdly) after installation of the modules and you will now be able to find Netflix in the store.

EDIT 3: Edited the guide after @murigny64 's reply (Thanks!)

 

[murigny64]

Hello

No need to flash both A and B,
you can use "fastboot flash boot patched_boot.img", it will flash active system branch
because "boot" is a "partition_by_name" and symlinked to active partition (boot_a or boot_b)

 

[Exb22]

I can flash Boot & VBmeta without issues but "--disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img" command just does not work. I got vbmeta.img from original device image & i have tried all kind of versions of command "fastboot.exe --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img". Flasching VBmeta vorks but then i guess i would need spesific modified image file where it is disabled already. Any advice?

 

[sengottuvel]

flashing vbmeta does result in an error and boot loop.

Error: unknown option -- diable-verity

 

[jacobpayag]

Okay it seems like my phone has been sort of rooted but not completely. When I tried to edit my build.prop (to disable MiraVision), it resulted in the entire build.prop being wiped completely.

 

[woody4165]

Thanks for sharing

Anyone got Google Pay working after installing Magisk and Universal Safety Net Fix ?

 

[stuntdouble]

I can flash Boot & VBmeta without issues but "--disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img" command just does not work. I got vbmeta.img from original device image & i have tried all kind of versions of command "fastboot.exe --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img". Flasching VBmeta vorks but then i guess i would need spesific modified image file where it is disabled already. Any advice?

flashing vbmeta does result in an error and boot loop.

Error: unknown option -- diable-verity

Use a command prompt, not windows powershell.

 

[sengottuvel]

Use a command prompt, not windows powershell.

I shall try what you said. And get back to you.

 

[sengottuvel]

I shall try what you said. And get back to you.

same issue. Even cmd did not work. what am I doing wrong?

Can you please outline the steps? perhaps I am missing something by mistake.

 

[stuntdouble]

You haven't followed the guide above, you've sent the commands in the wrong order. If you have done it in the right order previously then your adb version is maybe out of date so follow this guide and try again:

How to install ADB on Windows, macOS, and Linux

A step-by-step guide to get you started with the Android Debug Bridge tool.

www.xda-developers.com

 

[sengottuvel]

You haven't followed the guide above, you've sent the commands in the wrong order. If you have done it in the right order previously then your adb version is maybe out of date so follow this guide and try again:

How to install ADB on Windows, macOS, and Linux

A step-by-step guide to get you started with the Android Debug Bridge tool.

www.xda-developers.com

Could you please tell me the right order in which the two command lines have to be entered?
I was able to successfully entered the two lines in the below order,

fastboot flash boot path to patched boot image
fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
fastboot reboot

I am now seeing MIUI logo for more than 10 minutes. I am not sure if this waiting time is normal?

Could I try replacing the second line with fastboot flash vbmeta path to vbmeta image?

Your help will be highly appreciated.

 

[stuntdouble]

In the exact same order as RandomAccessVemuri has kindly posted for us all in their guide above. The vbmeta file first then the boot.img. If everything is done to the letter then there's no reason it shouldn't work on your device.
It looks like you're trying to format one of the partitions after modifying the boot.img, that's the wrong way around, so yeah that's going to stop it from booting. And when the commands take it should take seconds, then on rebooting using the fastboot command it should load up in a normal time.

 

[Zekovic23]

By Following this guide, you will lose your warranty so keep that in mind before you begin. (Although you have probably already lost your warranty by unlocking the bootloader)

So, if like me, you ended up buying the Redmi Note 10S because it was very cheap (it's something like 200$ for a really good phone) and then just hopped on to xda forums for the latest roms and stuff, you'll find that not much development is going on regarding this phone, understandably because of "better" alternatives within the same line-up.

As a consequence, we don't yet have TWRP or CWM or any such custom recoveries built for this specific device (Redmi Note 10S) nor do I think they're coming any time soon, which is unfortunate since that would have made the process a tad bit more convenient. We don't have any custom roms built specifically for our device either (although we can probably use GSI roms)

So we'll now try to do the process ourselves.

Now, for the disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I'm an amateur in terms of tinkering with android stuff and phones in general. The process mentioned below has worked on my phone but I would still recommend waiting for someone more....knowledgeable to weigh in his/her opinions. If you end up bricking your phone or if things go wrong, I'm not responsible, that's on you.

Also, please read the entire guide first and then begin.

Alright, with the appetizers out of the way, let's just crack on to the main course:

STEP-0: Requirements:

• Redmi Note 10S
• Install OEM fastboot drivers
• Obtain android platform-tools along with knowledge about how to use it
• Your Bootloader should be unlocked (wait for 1 week after first attempt at unlocking after which you'll receive your "permission")
• Fastboot rom from here
• Magisk apk
• Being ready to lose your data (in short, don't personalize your phone just yet (....and also take a backup of everything)) and accept that you'll have SafetyNet related issues until you do some other special stuff
• Enable Developer mode and USB debugging

STEP-1: Obtain boot.img (and vbmeta.img)

What we need is a boot.img that we can patch using magisk. We can do some code-fu to pull it from the phone but we don't need to do that. We can instead obtain the fastboot rom from here (I don't think region matters but take accordingly just to stay safe). While downloading, you'll see that what you're downloading a zip. This is intended because the boot.img (and the vbmeta.img) is within this zip file.
Anyways, once you download it, unzip all of the contents into a folder and move on to the next step.

STEP-2: Patch the obtained boot.img:

Take the boot.img from the zip file you obtained earlier and move it into the internal storage of your phone. Install the Magisk Manager apk from here. Install the apk and then after opening, go straight to installing Magisk, then select "Select and Patch a File" and then select the boot.img that you moved into the internal storage. It will then start patching the boot.img after which it will generate a patched boot.img, the directory of which is mentioned at the end of the patching process.

Move the patched boot.img back into your computer and move on to the next step.

STEP-3: Flash the patched boot.img:

Alright, this is the final leg of the journey (or should I say, desserts?).
Keep the vbmeta.img and the patched boot.img handy as you will be needing them here. You can find the vbmeta.img in the zip file you extracted earlier in the guide.

NOTE: The vbmeta.img is especially important because if you don't flash this while disabling verity and verification, you'll be stuck in a bootloop until you flash the stock boot.img (the boot.img before you patched it) back because this.

Alright, with all of that at hand, boot your phone into fastboot mode.
Now disable what is equivalent to the windows version of secure boot:

fastboot.exe --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

And then the following command that will finish it off:

fastboot.exe flash boot patched_boot.img

If you get stuck in a bootloop (perhaps because incorrectly flashing vbmeta.img or anything else), flash the stock boot.img with the same command and try the process again

And then finally for the cherry on top:

fastboot.exe reboot

After all that is done, hopefully you will see the setup for MIUI. Complete it as you normally would, and after the setup, you will find the magisk manager preinstalled but it will have the placeholder android app logo. Open that and it will prompt you to complete the download and installation of magisk manager. Do that and then open magisk manager (at this point it will have the familiar logo), go straight to installing Magisk and then select Direct Install (Recommended) and then let it do its thing.

After that, it will prompt you to restart your device to complete some stuff at which point you have successfully rooted your phone.

Aftermath:

I would like to remind you that SafetyNet will fail, even if you enable MagiskHide. You will have to do some other stuff to fix that if you want to use stuff like Google Pay so if that is a deal breaker, I suggest you don't follow this guide yet until some recommendations regarding SafetyNet pop up in this thread (or if you find some stuff elsewhere (please do let me know)).

Weirdly the Widevine rating is still at L1 according to DRM Info so I guess Netflix and other stuff will work fine(?). I don't use netflix or prime video so I can't help you there.

Concluding:

If there is anything step I have missed out or some issues you're facing, please let me know within this thread. I'll be happy to resolve the issue. If there are any recommendations regarding SafetyNet or any recommendations in general, I'll be happy to listen.

EDIT 1: You can't use Netflix because you won't be able to find it in Google Play Store.

EDIT 2: You can use Netflix and other DRM protected applications by installing the following Magisk Modules:

• Riru (This is required by the next one)
• Universal SafetyNet Fix (To pass SafetyNet ctsProfile evaluation)
• MagiskHide Props Config (!!MOST IMPORTANT!!) (To get fingerprint certificates and pass other authentication related stuff)

Of course, as is with software, this stuff may eventually be patched by google or netflix so you should still refrain from using this guide (or rooting in general) if you don't want to deal with the hiccups down the road.

Certification is still L1 (weirdly) after installation of the modules and you will now be able to find Netflix in the store.

EDIT 3: Edited the guide after @murigny64 's reply (Thanks!)

Hello,
I have done a factory reset to my phone and I lost something very important so is it possible to get back to the previous version of the phone before the reset or should I give up
And thanks for your answer

 

[Agellustig]

Hello, I have the same phone as u. I wanted to unlock my bootloader and I tried like every tutorial on Youtube and other websites i could found but none of them worked out for me. this ****ty outdatet program of xiaomi just dont recognize my phone. Pleaaase tell me how u did it

 

[XibalbaM]

Is it possible to don't wipe userdata ? Maybe using flash_all_except_data_storage.bat ?

 

[XibalbaM]

There is some options to set before root ? On some other tutorials they tell to turn off MIUI optimization for example

 

[Vipvip up]

Gg

 

[Flameagle2021]

I want to root my phone but I am scared I hard brick it because I did it before but I was still under warranty and I somehow locked the bootloader so should I give it another shot or just forget it?

 

[tutibreaker]

I want to root my phone but I am scared I hard brick it because I did it before but I was still under warranty and I somehow locked the bootloader so should I give it another shot or just forget it?

if you read all the instrucctions you wont hard brick your device

 

[Franzyy]

Does it work using an different android version than the boot.img file i extracted it from, since i often switch android versions with gsis and so on. (e.g android 11 boot.img with android 13 gsi?)