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Turn your Xiaomi Mi 8 into a Google Pixel 2 with this custom ROM
- XDA Developers contributor “argraur” ported the Pixel ROM to the Xiaomi Mi 8.
- Using the Pixel ROM, you can make your Mi 8 work like a Pixel 2, complete with Android 9 Pie.
- The Pixel ROM even enables access to Digital Wellbeing.
If you love your Xiaomi Mi 8 but hate the MIUI 10 skin over Android 8.1 Oreo, we have some awesome news: you can ditch MIUI and flash the Pixel ROM instead, which will turn your Mi 8 into a de facto Google Pixel 2 running Android 9 Pie.
The Pixel ROM experience is so close to the real thing that even the Google Play Store will think you are operating a Google Pixel 2.
Senior XDA Developers forum member “argraur” ported stock Android firmware to the Xiaomi Mi 8, making some subtle adjustments to compensate for things like the Mi 8’s display notch. Other than those small tweaks, the Pixel ROM is essentially the same software as what is currently running on an official Google Pixel 2 or Google Pixel 2 XL.
The firmware for Pixel ROM is based on Android-9.0.0_r8 AOSP tag (PPR2.180905.006.A1) and even includes the latest Google Apps from the Google Pixel 2 (PPR2.180905.005). All the features you would expect from a Google Pixel 2 are here, including Wi-Fi hotspot, always-on-display, etc. Even the Pixel 2 live wallpapers are included.
Unbelievably, you can even go to the Google Play Store and install Digital Wellbeing, which is currently only officially available for Pixel devices and the Nokia 7 Plus.
There are two caveats here. The first is that although NFC works, Google Pay does not. The second is that there are no customization features here, just the stock Pixel 2 experience. As such, if you’re looking for anything that a Google Pixel 2 doesn’t do out-of-the-box, it won’t be here.
You can click the button below to go to the forum post for the Pixel ROM on the Xiaomi Mi 8. If you’ve never flashed a custom ROM before, we advise you to read our beginner’s guide on the process by clicking here.