How to Install MIUI Version 4 on Nexus One

The Nexus One is the device that many people had once craved for. But, let’s face it–it is not a hot thing anymore, as better devices are popping out in the market. This is inevitable, though–a time will definitely have to come when a product becomes obsolete. In this case, obsolete in terms of the “What’s the hot thing?” criterion. But, for those who have kept their Nexus One alive, there is great news for you. The time for your Nexus One to get some slick and classy upgrade has finally come.

For those who still do not know, version 4 of the popular MIUI ROM based on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich has arrived for the Nexus One. If you want to load up your Nexus One with Ice Cream Sandwich via MIUI ROM, check out the rest of this guide.

What’s with MIUI?

MIUI is known in the world of Android custom ROMs because the ROM looks and functions like Apple iOS, which is very elegant, slick, and classy. It also features additional functionality that is not available in stock Android, like toggles on the notification pull-down, custom music app, gallery and camera apps, and a phone dialer that has been customized.

So far, MIUI v4 is still in beta (the official MIUI is still not out for release), which means that it is still undergoing heavy development. This also means that there could be some issues in this ROM. Developers have mentioned the following known issues with MIUI v4:

No video camera support
No panorama pictures
No FM radio
No USB mounting/tethering (it’s charging though)
No WiFi DHCP (only static IP is working)

Requirements

To be able to update your Nexus One with MIUI version 4, take note of the following requirements:

Blackrose must be installed on the Nexus One. This is a custom bootloader required for you to be able to load custom ROMs on your Nexus One. See this guide for installing Blackrose.
Your Nexus One will also need a newer, updated Hboot (specifically, hboot_220-16-200.nb0). Download this Hboot file from here. Flash it to your Nexus One using the ADB commands “fastboot flash hboot hboot_220-16-200.nb0″ (without the quotes) followed by “fastboot reboot-bootloader” (also without the quotes).
Download the MIUIv4 Beta ROM file to your computer. Get the ROM here.
Make a back up of all the important files on your phone such as bookmarks, contacts, SMS, and APNs (Internet settings).
Make sure that your phone hast at least 50% battery power.

Installation Instructions

After you have satisfied all the requirements, you can now proceed to the installation process. We will not be held liable if your phone gets bricked or your phone loses data due to your following this guide. Proceed at your own risk.

Here’s how to install MIUI v4 on your Nexus One:

Transfer the ROM file that you have downloaded to the SD card of your Nexus One.
Turn your phone off and reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery. You can do this by holding down the Trackball and the Power button until the device boots into the bootloader mode.
In bootloader mode, press the Power button once. Scroll down to “Recovery” (by using the Volume keys) and press the Power button to select. This will take you to recovery mode.
In recovery mode, back up your existing ROM by going to Back Up and Restore > Backup.
Clear all data on your phone. Go to “Wipe data / factory reset.”
Then, “Wipe Cache Partition”, and finally, “Wipe Dalvik Cache”.
Go back to the main recovery menu.
Choose “ Install Zip from SD card”.
Select “Choose zip from card”, and choose the file that you have transferred earlier.
Confirm installation by selecting “Yes — Install MIUI-GER_v4_2.1.6_N1_4.0.3_Signed.zip.zip”. The installation will take a few minutes.
Reboot your phone.