Part of Xiaomi guides, 2022 guides.

Sometimes you do not want the ROM everyone is posting about. You want the one nobody has tried yet, boot it up, and see what happens. BananaDroid on alioth is that kind of pick. It is unofficial for this device, and that word is worth understanding before you flash.

Unofficial does not mean broken. It means this build comes from a community developer rather than the ROM team's own device list. Nobody signed off on it as an official release for the MI 11X, POCO F3 or Redmi K40. That is not a reason to skip it. It is a reason to read the release post properly and keep a backup ready.

What you need before you start

• An unlocked bootloader on the alioth.
• A custom recovery that can handle an Android 12L zip. An old recovery will fail on the first step and send you hunting for the wrong problem.
• The BananaDroid build for alioth specifically. Not a build for a similar-sounding device.
• Firmware that matches the base the build expects. Unofficial builds are often pickier here than official ones.
• A full backup, because a clean flash wipes you clean.

Step 1 — move the ROM zip into internal storage

Keep the zip on the phone, in internal storage. If the build asks you to format data after the flash, you will have a recovery session where your PC connection is not available, and a zip sitting on your desktop is useless at that point.

Step 2 — boot into recovery and back up first

Always first. Take a full backup of system and data before you wipe anything. With an unofficial build this matters more, not less — you are the only test lab this build has.

Step 3 — wipe data, cache and Dalvik

Clean flash. Wipe data, cache and Dalvik. If you are coming from another ROM on a different Android base, this is not optional, and neither is the format afterwards.

Step 4 — flash the ROM zip

Flash it and let it finish. Do not touch the phone, do not unplug anything, and do not take the silence at the end of the progress bar as a failure.

Step 5 — format data if the build asks

If the installer asks for a data format, do it. This is usually about the encryption setup changing. Refusing the format is the number one reason people sit and stare at a looping boot animation.

Step 6 — reboot and wait out the first boot

The first boot on a clean flash of an unofficial build is slow. Give it the time it needs. The setup wizard will appear when it is ready.

Step 7 — use it for a day before deciding

Do not make a call on this ROM in the first hour. Run setup, install your normal apps, and live with it for a day. Battery readings in the first few hours mean nothing because the phone is still settling.

What BananaDroid actually gives you

It is an Android 12L base, so the core is the Android 12 feature set. Themed system colours that pull from your wallpaper, the updated notification shade and quick settings, and the privacy indicators in the status bar that tell you when an app is using the camera or microphone.

On top of stock Android 12L, BananaDroid adds its own customisation layer. That is where it differs from a bare AOSP build:

• A customisation section in settings for the status bar, quick settings and lock screen.
• Gesture options that go a bit further than the stock set.
• Its own accent-colour handling, separate from the standard Android theming.

The feel is light. There is no MIUI shell loading on top of everything, and on alioth that is most of the point.

What you should not expect is polish that matches a mainline ROM. An unofficial build might have a bug the official build already fixed. That is the trade you are making, and it is a fair one as long as you know.

Where people get stuck

• Treating an unofficial build like an official one. No backup, no reading the release post, then a bootloop with no way back. Back up first.
• Mixing zips from a different device or a different firmware base. The flash succeeds, the boot does not.
• Expecting mainline polish. An unofficial port or community build usually has rough edges. Some features may not work, and that is normal for this category.

Who should install this

Flash BananaDroid if you enjoy trying builds that most people have not run, and you are comfortable rolling back when something does not work. If you want a ROM you can set up once and forget, take an official release for alioth instead. Both are valid. They are just different jobs.

Do keep one thing in mind: an unofficial build can stop getting updates without warning, because the developer is doing this in their own time. That is not a complaint about anyone, it is just how community builds work. Keep the zip you flashed somewhere safe so you can return to a known state.

If the flashing side of this is where you get stuck, the free Rom Flasher tool on GitHub bundles the ADB and fastboot driver install into a couple of clicks so Windows actually sees the phone. It is free, and the link is in the downloads section.

Full description from the video

BananaDroid Android 12L on the MI 11X — how to flash this unofficial build on alioth, and what the ROM actually gives you once it boots.

BananaDroid is the kind of ROM you flash when you want something other than the big names everyone posts about. This one is unofficial for alioth, which just means it's a community build rather than a release from the team's official device list. That's not a dirty word, but it does mean you should read before you flash and keep a backup ready. The MI 11X, POCO F3 and Redmi K40 all share the same hardware, so one zip covers all three names. In the video I take it from a downloaded file to a booting phone and show what you're looking at on the other side.

📱 Device : MI 11X / POCO F3 / Redmi K40 (alioth)

🧩 ROM : BananaDroid (Unofficial)

🤖 Android : 12L

🛠️ What You Need

• Unlocked bootloader on the alioth.
• A custom recovery that can handle an Android 12L zip.
• The BananaDroid build for alioth, not another device's build.
• Firmware that matches the base this build expects.
• A full backup, because clean flashing wipes you clean.

📝 Steps

1. Move the ROM zip into internal storage.
2. Boot into recovery and back up first. Always first.
3. Wipe data, cache and Dalvik.
4. Flash the ROM zip and let it finish.
5. Format data if the build asks for it.
6. Reboot and wait out the long first boot.
7. Run setup, then use it normally for a day before deciding.

⚠️ Where People Get Stuck

• Treating an unofficial build like an official one and flashing with zero backup.
• Mixing zips from a different alioth variant or a different firmware base.
• Assuming a port or unofficial release will be as polished as a mainline ROM. It usually isn't, and that's fine as long as you know.

Common questions

More for Mi 11X