Download Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite Software Updates (Latest: July 2021 Security Patch)

•Written by Dhananjay Bhardwaj
Download and Install Xiaomi Mi A2 Android 10 Update

Through this page, you can download all the Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite software updates released till now in form of OTA packages and fastboot ROM. Further, we will show you how to manually update the Mi A2/A2 Lite by flashing the fastboot ROM or by installing the recovery OTA package using stock recovery/TWRP.

Xiaomi’s Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite came with Android Oreo at the time of its launch and received the Android Pie update last year, which was followed by the Android 10 update earlier this year. Since then, the manufacturer has consistently been rolling out Android 10-based monthly security updates for both phones every month.

That being said, the latest July 2021 security update is now available and comes with V11.0.28.0.QDIMIXM build number for the Mi A2 and V11.0.21.0.QDLMIXM​ build number for the Mi A2 Lite. To force-check for the OTA update, you can go to ‘Settings’ → ‘System’ → ‘System update’ on your phone.

Since the rollout will take place in stages, it may take time before it’s available for every user. If you’re eager on updating now, then you can download the Android 10 Fastboot Image or Full OTA zip package for your Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite from below, and follow the instructions to install it manually. But before you get there, take a quick look at what new features this update brings to your phone.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Make sure that you fulfill all the requirements listed below before you head to the download links and instructions.

Download Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite July 2021 Security Update

Firmware files for Xiaomi Mi A2/Mi A2 Lite are available as a fastboot ROM and recovery ROM (OTA package). The former can be used to install the update on any unrooted or rooted Mi A2 device using the fastboot tool. The latter can be installed via the stock recovery or a custom recovery such as TWRP.

Make sure that you download the firmware file according to the installation method you choose.

Download Links for Previous Updates

June 2021 Security Update:

May 2021 Security Update:

February 2021 Security Update:

V11.0.21.0.QDIMIXM for Xiaomi Mi A2

V11.0.18.0.QDLMIXM for Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite

January 2021 Security Update:

V11.0.20.0.QDIMIXM for Xiaomi Mi A2

V11.0.17.0.QDLMIXM for Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite

December 2020 Security Update:

November 2020 Security Update

V11.0.17.0.QDIMIXM for Xiaomi Mi A2

V11.0.14.0.QDLMIXM for Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite

October 2020 Security Update

Important note regarding Mi A2’s October update:

As reported by several users over at XDA, flashing the V11.0.15.0 fastboot ROM will force the phone into stock recovery and show the “Can’t load Android system. Your data may be corrupt.” message. This will require you to perform a factory reset in order to boot the phone.

So, if you’re going to upgrade this way, make sure that you take a full backup of all your data beforehand so that you can restore it after updating. This issue doesn’t seem to affect the November security update (and above).

September 2020 Security Update

August 2020 Security Update

July 2020 Security Update

June 2020 Security Update

May 2020 Security Update

April 2020 Security Update

Huge thanks to XDA Senior Member Displax for providing the direct link to the official Android 10 OTA zip package. Also to XDA member emgi2 for extracting the payload.bin and providing the Fastboot image file.

How to Manually Install Updates on Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite

Installing the latest update on your Xiaomi Mi A2/Mi A2 Lite is easy and can be done in three different ways/methods. These are:

  • By sideloading the Recovery ROM (OTA) in stock recovery. Suitable for devices with a locked bootloader.
  • By flashing the Recovery ROM (OTA) through TWRP recovery, while retaining both TWRP and Magisk root after the update.
  • By flashing the fastboot ROM, suitable for restoring stock firmware, or making a fresh install. Requires an unlocked bootloader.

So, you will have to choose the method depending on whether or not your phone’s bootloader is unlocked and further if it has a custom recovery installed, or not. For an average user, who hasn’t modified their Mi A2 in any manner, Method 1 (sideloading the OTA) is recommended.

Method 1: Sideloading OTA in Stock Recovery

Earlier, there was no possible way to manually upgrade Mi A2 with a locked bootloader. However, things have changed now. Starting with Android 10, the Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite support OTA sideloading/installation via stock recovery. This means you can now sideload the update’s OTA ZIP package through the stock recovery menu.

To do this, download the OTA package (recovery ROM) of the update you want to install and boot your Mi A2 device into stock recovery mode. Then follow the instructions on this guide to sideload the OTA ZIP package.

Method 2: Flashing Recovery ROM via TWRP Recovery

Note: Flashing the full OTA package will unroot your phone, replace TWRP with stock recovery, and encrypt your device. To maintain all these things, you will need to follow some additional instructions after flashing the OTA, as listed below. This will also erase all your data, so take a backup first!

  1. Download the latest recovery ROM package for your Mi A2/Mi A2 Lite
  2. Also, download the Magisk, TWRP installer, and Encryption Disabler zip files:
  3. Copy the downloaded files to the phone’s internal storage.
  4. Power off your phone completely and boot it into TWRP Recovery Mode by holding the Volume Up and Power buttons together.
  5. (Optional): If you’re using a custom ROM, go to ‘Wipe’ -> ‘Advanced Wipe’ and wipe the ‘Cache’, ‘Dalvik/ART Cache’, ‘Data’ and ‘System’ partitions. In case you’re using stock firmware with TWRP and root, then you can skip this step.
  6. Go to the ‘Install’ menu in TWRP recovery and select the Recovery ROM file (e.g. miui_DAISYGlobal_V11.0.12.0.QDLMIXM_1e8d0d76bb_10.0.zip).
    Install Xiaomi Mi A2 Android 10 OTA Update Package using TWRP
  7. Swipe the button on the screen to flash the recovery ROM on Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite.
  8. Important: Now, change your phone’s currently active slot to the currently inactive slot. To do this, go to the ‘Reboot’ menu in TWRP and check the currently active slot. If it’s “a”, then set it to “b”, or vice-versa.
    Switch from active slot to inactive slot in TWRP on Mi A2
  9. Once you have successfully switched the slot, tap on the ‘Recovery’ button in the ‘Reboot’ menu to reboot your Mi A2 into TWRP recovery.
  10. Now, go to the ‘Install’ menu and select the Forced-Encryption Disabler zip file (e.g. Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt_03.04.2020.zip).
    Install Forced-Encryption Disabler on Xiaomi Mi A2
  11. Tap on the ‘Add more ZIPs’ button and select the TWRP installer zip file (e.g. twrp-installer-3.3.1-dees_troy-daisy.zip).
  12. Press ‘Add more Zips’ again and select the Magisk zip file (Magisk-v21.x.zip) to add it to the flashing queue.
    Flash Magisk to Root Xiaomi Mi A2 on Android 10
  13. Finally, swipe the button on the screen to flash the files.
  14. Once you have successfully flashed the files, tap on the ‘Reboot System’ button.

Method 3: By Flashing Fastboot ROM

  1. Download the latest Fastboot ROM for your Xiaomi Mi A2 or Mi A2 Lite.
  2. Extracted the downloaded ZIP file to an easily accessible location on your PC to get the TAR file. You will further need to extract the TAR to finally get the firmware images and flash scripts.
    Extract Mi A2/A2 Lite Android 10 Fastboot ROM on PC
  3. Move all these files to the folder on the PC where the Android SDK platform-tools are installed (Example: “C:\platform-tools”).
    Move Mi A2/A2 Lite Fastboot ROM Files to 'platform-tools' folder
  4. Once the extracted files have been moved, open the command-line window inside Platform-Tools folder.
  5. Now, power off your Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite completely and boot it into Fastboot Mode by holding the Volume Down and Power keys together.Boot Xiaomi Mi A2 into Fastboot Mode
  6. Connect the phone to the PC using the USB cable.
  7. Now, there are three different types of flash scripts available, which are as follows:
    • flash_all.bat: This will flash the stock firmware and erase the internal storage
    • flash_all_except_data_storage.bat: This will flash the stock firmware while preserving the data on the internal storage
    • flash_all_lock.bat: This will flash the stock firmware, erase the internal storage, and relock the phone’s bootloader
  8. Simply double-click on the desired flash script to flash the Latest fastboot ROM on your Mi A2/A2 Lite.

If you see a message (Invalid sparse file format at header magic) while flashing the files, do not worry, it’s completely normal. The message is a part of the regular flashing process.

The flashing process could take a few minutes to complete and the progress will be shown in the command-line window. During this time, make sure that you do not disconnect the phone from the PC or disturb the USB connection.

Your Xiaomi Mi A2/Mi A2 Lite should now be running the latest Android 10 firmware with the February 2021 security patch. If you have any questions regarding this update or the instructions in this post, please feel free to post a comment below.

Enjoy your updated phone now!

Related Articles

Enable Camera2 API and Download GCam Port for Xiaomi Mi A2

How to Root Xiaomi Mi A2/A2 Lite without TWRP Recovery

Advertisement

Advertisements