Switching from Flyme G to Flyme A and back: Possibilities and limitations

Many Meizu users prefer the Chinese version of the Flyme firmware. It is considered better than the global one, with more extras, as well as more frequent updates. However, it should be borne in mind that Chinese firmware has some disadvantages for the global consumer. Meizu smartphones with Flyme A (China) version of the firmware installed are not certified by Google and do not have built-in Google Services in the operating system, unlike global ROMs, as well as with many Chinese applications pre-installed. They also do not have a multilingual menu, only Chinese and English.

Almost all Chinese applications that come with Flyme A can be uninstalled without a need to root the phone (acquire administrator rights). Google Services can be additionally installed via Google Apps Installer, which can be downloaded from Meizu’s App Store. However, the Google Apps Installer only installs the framework and Play Store. Then we need to put the other Google applications that we need – Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Maps and more.

If we want to use more than the default features in the global ROMs, we must additionally download and configure other applications from the Play Store:
• to synchronize contacts – Google Contacts
• to synchronize photos – Google Photos
• to synchronize Viber – Google Drive

Chinese firmware also causes localization problems in some applications. Here again there is a solution – by rooting the phone and installing PUTT REBORN. This tool is a work of Russian developers and fixes the localization completely or partially, depending on whether we use the paid or free version. With PUTT REBORN we can also install Google Services.

What are the possibilities for switching to the Chinese version of Flyme and back?
• We cannot install a global version of Flyme on Meizu phones designed for the Chinese market. They are recognizable by the inscriptions with hieroglyphs on the phone box, as well as by the Chinese charger in the set. The Flyme version is xxxx A and cannot be replaced with xxxx G (Global) unless we are advanced users, depending on the smartphone model.

We may also have purchased a Chinese version of the Meizu phone with a global version of Flyme pre-installed. These are special cases in which the seller has unlocked the bootloader and installed some custom ROM. Such firmware cannot be replaced with another, there are no over-the-air updates (OTA updates).

• If the version of our Meizu phone is for the global market and it is pre-installed with Flyme G, we can switch to Flyme A and also go back to Flyme G if we don’t like the Chinese firmware. We simply download the appropriate version of Flyme for our model, click on the update.zip file and install it by checking the “wipe data” option, to which we will be prompted.

However, there are some conditions here:
• First, the version of the Flyme firmware must be G, not RU or EU, which are also global in principle, but are designed specifically for the Russian or European market. In the RU and EU versions of Flyme, we cannot install either Flyme G or Flyme A.

• Another feature is the Android version, which is pre-installed on the phone. The transition between global and Chinese Flyme firmware and vice versa is possible only if our Meizu phone is running Android 8 or older. For Android 9 and up, the restrictions imposed by Google with the integration of Android Verified Boot 2.0 apply. The date of the security patch plays a key role here. That is, we cannot switch to the Chinese / global version of Flyme if it has an older security patch date. We also can’t return an older version of Flyme (do downgrade).