How to Flash Lineage OS ROM 14.1 on Redmi 2

by John Garner · March 1, 2017

CyanogenMod, the popular open source mobile operating system based on Android, is dead and yet, that’s not the end of it. CyanogenMod announced the new Lineage OS and further development from here will happen on the CyanogenMod code, but in the name of Lineage OS. So, you have a different name, but the very same thing!

Developers have been working around the clock to bring Lineage OS early to more and more Android handsets and your is no exception. Now, you can flash the Lineage OS ROM 14.1 on your Xiaomi Redmi 2 and I must tell you that I have personally used the Lineage OS ROM and I didn’t feel any lag or instability in Lineage OS even though this is not the official version.

In fact, I can already make the assumption that Lineage OS will be much better than Cyanogenmon, but I cannot offer you the guaranty that there is no secret issue laying there and waiting to mess things up. It’s still too early for that!

Take care of following tasks before you proceed with flashing the custom ROM:

Be sure to take a backup of all your data including Contacts, SMS / MMS, APN & MMS Settings as well as photos and videos stored on your device’s internal or external storage. They will be soon wiped out;
Make sure you have an Unlocked Bootloader on your Xiaomi Redmi 2 before getting started with the procedure;
Make sure you have the TWRP installed on your device;
The USB Debugging should be enabled on your Redmi 2 device; this is a commonly-used option that’s tucked away neatly under Android’s Developer Options menu, but I know that many users enable it without giving it a second thought and without knowing what it really does. USB Debugging is a way for an Android device to communicate with the Android SDK (Software Developer Kit) over a USB connection, so it allows an Android device to receive commands, files. This si what you will need a later time, so take care of this aspect now;
Most of the custom ROM will not have Google Apps in them. So, you will have to download and install GApps manually, but this should be no problem as the link is below included;
Charge your handset up to 60-70% if you want to face the challenges that come along with this flashing operation. I know that a few years back, your Android’s battery meter went from a pixel-wide strip of red to a huge green bar in no more than 10 or 15 minutes. Nowadays, however, your poor phone takes much longer to recharge, and you’re constantly scrambling from one charge session to the next, but if you don’t do that now, your device could end up bricked and I know that you don’t want such a thing to happen.

Installation Instructions:

First of all, download Lineage OS for Redmi 2 from here;
Download Lineage os gapps for Redmi 2 by entering here;
Transfer the downloaded LineageOS & GApps zip from your PC in your Redmi 2. Use the handset’s cord for that;
Turn off your device;
Press and hold Volume Down + Power to boot your Xiaomi Mi Max device into TWRP Recovery mode;
First of all, tap the Backup button and take a backup of your current ROM on an external SD card;
Also select all the partitions including System, Data, Boot and swipe right to backup;
In TWRP, select Advanced Wipe, Select Dalvik, System, Data & cache partition. Swipe to confirm wipe;
To install the LineageOS 14.1 ROM, go to Install > Locate the downloaded LineageOS zip file;
In a similar way you have to flash the Google Apps (Gapps) package file;
Then, reboot your device and note that the first boot will take about 10 minutes if not even more.