Best Custom ROMs for POCO F7 (2026): Android 17 crDroid, Infinity X, PixelOS & How to Install

Last updated: November 13, 2026. Short answer: the POCO F7 (codename onyx, sold in China as the Redmi Turbo 4 Pro) has one of the most active custom-ROM scenes of any 2025 Xiaomi phone. Android 17 is already available as official builds of crDroid 13, Project Infinity X 4.2, PixelOS 17, AxionOS 2.9 and DerpFest 17, with Evolution X 12.4 and several others as unofficial builds. In the POCO F7 custom-ROM thread on 4PDA, crDroid and Infinity X are the clear favourites. You need an unlocked bootloader (Global or India POCO F7 only), the firmware version your ROM asks for, and a clean install that erases the phone.

Android 17 custom ROMs for the POCO F7

Versions and dates below were checked on November 13, 2026 against each project’s own download page or update server. “Official” means the build is listed by the ROM project itself; unofficial builds come from independent builders.

ROM	Latest build	Status · maintainer	Google apps	Download
crDroid 13.0	Oct 26, 2026 · security patch 2026-10-01 · monthly	Official · Vikas (Optimus)	Not included (crDroid recommends NikGapps)	crdroid.net/onyx
Project Infinity X 4.2	Nov 9, 2026	Official · SharmagRit	Two builds: Vanilla and GApps	projectinfinity-x.com
PixelOS 17	Monthly; page updated Sep 21, 2026	Official · Adarsh Grewal	Included	pixelos.net/download/onyx
AxionOS 2.9 (Noesis)	Oct 10, 2026	Official	Vanilla build on the update server	axionaosp.github.io
DerpFest v17	Oct 20, 2026 (Stable)	Official · built by UnmoveD	See the ROM page	SourceForge
Evolution X 12.4	Nov 12, 2026 (frequent builds)	Unofficial · fakhrads	Included	SourceForge
BlissROMs 20.0	Oct 2026	Listed on blissroms.org; ships HyperOS 3 drivers	See the ROM page	blissroms.org
The Clover Project 4.0, MistOS 17, HaloUI 1.0	Sep–Oct 2026	HaloUI official; others listed in the 4PDA thread	Varies	4PDA thread

Android 16 builds are still around too (crDroid 12, Matrixx 12, RisingOS Revived 8.1.1, LunarisAOSP, AfterlifeOS and many more), plus ports of OxygenOS 16 and ColorOS 16.1. For a daily driver on a phone this new, the Android 17 builds above are the ones that are actively maintained.

Which ROM should you pick?

The 4PDA POCO F7 custom-ROM thread runs a poll “Which firmware do you use?”. Of 136 votes, crDroid got 42 (31%) and Project Infinity X 40 (29%), well ahead of LineageOS-based builds (14), PixelOS (13), Evolution X and Matrixx (6 each). A quick guide from that and from the ROM pages:

• crDroid 13: the most popular choice. Lots of customisation, official monthly builds with OTA updates, and a recent security patch. Add your own GApps.
• Project Infinity X 4.2: the newest official build (November 9), offered both with and without Google apps, so you don’t have to flash GApps separately.
• PixelOS 17: a clean Pixel-style system with Google apps built in and monthly releases.
• Evolution X 12.4: Pixel features and Google apps included, but it’s an unofficial build. Its builder recommends doing a clean flash when coming from any other ROM.
• DerpFest 17: the 4PDA user who posted the build reported fast battery drain on the stock kernel and the camera crashing on every shot on the Global 47G model, so treat it as one to test rather than a safe daily driver.

Before you start

• Check your model. All of these ROMs are for onyx: POCO F7 25053PC47G (Global), 25053PC47I (India) and Redmi Turbo 4 Pro 25053RT47C (China). Don’t flash them on the POCO F7 Pro or F7 Ultra, which are different phones.
• Unlocked bootloader. Follow our HyperOS bootloader unlock guide. For the China Redmi Turbo 4 Pro, 4PDA notes that Xiaomi has completely removed bootloader unlocking for China units, so the official route doesn’t work there.
• Back up everything. A clean install formats the phone, including internal storage.
• Back up your IMEI partitions. The 4PDA thread links a backup method that needs root and Termux (below). Keep the files private.
• A PC with current Platform Tools. The 4PDA install guide stresses that an old ADB may simply fail to start the sideload. Get the latest ADB and Fastboot.

IMEI backup (from the 4PDA thread)

With root, run these in Termux. They copy the nv*, protect* and persist partitions (IMEI, SIM, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi data) to an imeibackup folder:

su
mkdir -p /sdcard/imeibackup/ && cp /dev/block/by-name/nv* /sdcard/imeibackup && cp /dev/block/by-name/protect* /sdcard/imeibackup && cp /dev/block/by-name/persist /sdcard/imeibackup

Copy the folder to your PC, then keep it secret and don’t share it with anyone. If you don’t have root yet, see our Magisk root guide.

Step 1: Flash the firmware your ROM needs

Custom ROMs use the phone’s firmware (modem, bootloader and other low-level partitions) from HyperOS, so each ROM names the firmware it expects. Check the ROM’s own post or page: for example, the Evolution X builder asks for the latest stable Global HyperOS 3 firmware, and the PixelOS post asked for the latest Android 15 / HyperOS 2 firmware when it was published. The 4PDA thread header explains how to flash a firmware package:

1. Download the firmware you need from the links in the thread header (fw-onyx or XiaomiFirmwareUpdater) and unpack it.
2. Boot the phone into Fastboot: turn it on while holding Volume Down.
3. Run the script from the package and wait until it finishes.

Current stock HyperOS builds for every region are on our POCO F7 firmware page.

Step 2: Install the ROM (clean flash)

This is the official flashing guide that Project Infinity X publishes for onyx. PixelOS, BlissROMs and Evolution X use the same image set with only small differences, so always read the guide that comes with your ROM.

1. Download the image files from the same place as your ROM build: boot.img, dtbo.img, init_boot.img, recovery.img and vendor_boot.img (PixelOS lists them under “Additional Images”).
2. Power off the phone, then hold Volume Down + Power until the word FASTBOOT appears.
3. Flash the images:

   fastboot flash boot boot.img
   fastboot flash dtbo dtbo.img
   fastboot flash init_boot init_boot.img
   fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
   fastboot flash vendor_boot vendor_boot.img

4. Reboot into recovery to check it worked: fastboot reboot recovery
5. Download the ROM .zip for onyx.
6. Sideload it, but don’t reboot to the system before finishing the next steps. On the phone choose Apply update → Apply from ADB; on the PC run adb -d sideload /path/to/rom.zip
7. Choose Factory Reset → Format data / factory reset and confirm.
8. Reboot to system. The first boot takes a while.

Notes from the 4PDA install guide (by elektrovenick, updated October 23, 2026):

• Put the ROM zip in a short path without spaces or Cyrillic letters, for example the root of drive C:, to avoid errors.
• When the sideload reaches 47% and the phone asks a question, tap No, then do the factory reset / format data. Stopping at 47% on the PC side is normal.
• If your ROM has no Google apps and you want them, reboot back into recovery, open sideload again and run adb sideload with the GApps zip (MindTheGapps or NikGapps for Android 17), then start the system.
• The LineageOS-style recovery that comes with these ROMs isn’t suitable for ColorOS, OxygenOS or HyperOS ports.

Updating and switching ROMs

• Update the same ROM: use the ROM’s built-in updater, or download the new zip, open recovery, choose Apply update and install it from storage or with adb sideload. A format isn’t needed (PixelOS and Evolution X describe the same “dirty flash”).
• Switch to a different ROM: same sideload steps, but do a factory reset / format data after installing.

Touch not working in recovery?

The 4PDA thread has a dedicated post for this (elektrovenick). It can happen after installing ColorOS or OxygenOS ports, after flashing vendor_boot from some guides, or after HyperOS. In order:

• Boot fully into the system once, then try recovery again.
• Use the latest OrangeFox from the thread header. In OrangeFox 12 a mouse over OTG works; you can also hold both volume buttons for 3–4 seconds to switch to button control (Hardware GUI Control).
• If you plan to stay on custom ROMs, flash the LineageOS-style recovery (for example the one from the Infinity X repository) and install ROMs with adb sideload; that recovery doesn’t break this way.

Going back to HyperOS

Flash the official Fastboot ROM for your region from our POCO F7 firmware page with Mi Flash and Clean all. Before flashing an older build, check anti-rollback, and only relock the bootloader on an unmodified official ROM that matches your phone (see ROM regions).

FAQ

Is HyperOS 4 coming to the POCO F7, or should I install a custom ROM for Android 17?

Xiaomi’s global schedule puts the POCO F7 in the mid-November 2026 HyperOS 4 wave, so the official Android 17 update is close. Our HyperOS 4 tracker shows when a build appears for your region. A custom ROM makes sense if you want a cleaner system or more customisation, not only for Android 17.

Which custom ROM is best for the POCO F7?

By popularity among 4PDA users, crDroid 13 and Project Infinity X 4.2 lead, both official Android 17 builds. PixelOS 17 is the pick if you want Google apps included and a Pixel-like system.

Can I install these ROMs on the Redmi Turbo 4 Pro?

The builds are for the same codename, onyx, but you first need an unlocked bootloader, and 4PDA reports that Xiaomi has removed official bootloader unlocking for China units.

Do I lose my data?

Yes. The first install of a custom ROM needs Format data, which erases everything including internal storage. Updating the same ROM later doesn’t.

Which GApps should I use on Android 17?

The 4PDA guide and the ROM pages point to MindTheGapps and NikGapps; crDroid links NikGapps on its download page. Use the Android 17 (arm64) version, and skip it if your ROM already includes Google apps.

Sources: 4PDA POCO F7 / Redmi Turbo 4 Pro custom-ROM thread (header and poll, edited by -=©DRU987=- on 01.11.26); ADB sideload install guide by elektrovenick; recovery touch fix by elektrovenick; IMEI backup by Chiaroscuro; ROM posts for DerpFest 17 and PixelOS 17; Redmi Turbo 4 Pro unlock note by *DEMON_ODESSA13*; Project Infinity X official devices and onyx flash guide; crDroid for Poco F7; PixelOS onyx; Evolution X 17 flashing guide by fakhrads.