In Alex’s case, the previous owner had forgotten to remove their account. For others, it happens when buying “new” phones from third-party sellers who pre-logged into dummy accounts.
After 72 hours, Alex unlocked the bootloader successfully. Error 1004 wasn’t a bug—it was a feature to prevent theft. He learned that the error means: “Prove you own this device by using the original account or having it removed properly.” mi unlock tool 1004 error
He opened Settings > Mi Account on the phone. The top showed an unfamiliar email—the previous owner’s. That confirmed it: the phone was still bound to someone else. In Alex’s case, the previous owner had forgotten
Error 1004 is Xiaomi’s security mechanism preventing an unauthorized MI account from unlocking a device. Unlike simple password errors, 1004 means: “This phone is locked to a different Mi account, and you haven’t proven ownership.” Error 1004 wasn’t a bug—it was a feature