Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where a familiar system tool suddenly disappears from the desktop. Users ask where security is located in Xiaomi, believing that the application was removed or hidden by the update. In fact, the system component Security is an integral part of the MIUI or HyperOS shell and is built into the operating system core. It cannot be completely removed by standard methods without obtaining superuser rights, since it is responsible for critical functions of the device.
The absence of an icon on the home screen is most often indicative of accidentally removing a shortcut or moving the application deep into folders. Xiaomi’s shell interface is famous for its flexibility, which sometimes leads to confusion: widgets can be hidden, and icons can be moved to the Tools folder. In this article, we will discuss how to find the built-in antivirus, why it can be invisible and how to properly configure your gadget’s protection from threats.
It's worth noting that this app goes far beyond just a simple antivirus, a comprehensive performance, permissions and data access control center, and understanding how this module works will help you not only find the missing icon, but also optimize your smartphone's performance by extending its battery life.
Search for system applications through settings
The most reliable way to find a hidden or lost system application is to use a global settings search, which, unlike a regular menu search, goes directly to the system parameters database, and to do this, lower the notification curtain and type the word "Security" or "Security" in the search bar at the top.
If you don't get a keyword search, you can manually brute-force partitioning. In modern firmware versions, the path often goes like this: Settings → Apps → All Apps. In the list that opens, you need to scroll down to the letter "B" and find the system component there, and its presence in the list confirms that the application is installed and functioning, even if its icon is not displayed.
⚠️ Warning: Do not force the Security system application to stop working through the application menu, which can lead to unstable background processes, memory cleanup failures and real-time antivirus protection failures.
In some cases, the icon can simply be moved to a folder with system utilities, often called Tools or Services. Carefully examine all the desktop pages and folders. If you use a third-party launcher, it may be hiding system applications by default, and you need to activate them in the launcher settings.
Functional built-in antivirus and cleaner
The built-in app combines several powerful modules that could be separate programs in other smartphones, based on an antivirus engine that can be based on Avast or AVL technologies in different regions. It performs real-time scans, checking the installed applications and files in the device’s memory for malicious code.
The second critical component is the garbage cleaner, which analyzes the cache, residual files after deleting programs and temporary data, freeing up storage space. Cleanup also includes autoboot control, which allows you to prevent unnecessary programs from running with your smartphone, saving battery power.
- 🛡️ Antivirus: scanning APK-files and installed applications on cloud databases.
- 🚀 Acceleration: Forced closure of background processes to free RAM.
- 🔋 Battery: analysis of energy consumption and energy saving modes.
- 📱 Blocking: blacklist for calls and SMS, spam-proof.
The Hide Apps feature, which allows you to hide selected programs from prying eyes, open the security application, scroll down to Hide Apps and activate it, and access hidden applications through a special code or gesture in the dial menu.
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For deep cleaning, use the Cleanup function inside the application once a week, which will help to avoid overflowing the system partition and keep the interface running faster.
Permit and confidentiality management
Modern mobile security is not only about protecting against viruses, but also about controlling the access of applications to personal data. In Xiaomi shells, this is the responsibility of the Privacy Protection section, which is integrated into the overall security application, and here you can see what permissions are requested by installed programs.
The system allows you to configure access flexibly. For example, you can only allow an app to access geolocation "During use," deny access to contacts or microphone completely. This is critical for protecting against data leaks. If you notice that a flashlight requires access to your SMS, this is a clear signal to check such an application through the built-in antivirus.
| Type of permit | Risk | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Medium. | Allow only maps and navigators |
| Contacts | High-pitched | Allow only messengers and calls |
| Camera/Microphone | critical | Strict control, including if necessary |
| Files. | High-pitched | Allow only file managers |
Also available in this section is the special permissions feature, where you can configure settings like “Occurring on top of other windows” or “Run in the background” and disabling startup in the background for unnecessary applications is a great way to reduce battery consumption without losing functionality of the main programs.
Setting up a blacklist and filtering calls
One of the most useful features for many users is blocking unwanted calls and messages. The security app has an Antispam (or Lock) section that allows you to create an effective filter. You can add numbers to the blacklist manually or use automatic rules.
To activate the function, you need to go to the anti-spam settings and turn on the Unknown Number Filter or the Hidden Number Filter, which is especially true during the period of activity of phone scammers, and the system will automatically drop calls from numbers that are not in your phone book or send them to an answering machine.
⚠️ Warning: Be careful when you turn on the "Block All Unknowns" mode, you may miss an important call from a courier, doctor or employer who calls from a number you don't know.
In addition, the Do Not Disturb Mode feature is available, which is also integrated into security settings, allowing you to set a quiet schedule, for example, at night, or activate it by geolocation (for example, in a movie theater), in which only selected contacts can be allowed, which ensures that you do not miss an emergency call.
☑️ Setting up protection against spam
Scanner. QR-codes and payment protection
In the Age of Digital Payments and Usage QR-And the built-in scanner becomes an important security feature, and it's right in the main menu of the Security app, and unlike the camera, this scanner first analyzes the link encoded in the security app. QR-code, through databases of phishing sites.
If the code leads to a suspicious resource, the system will issue a warning and block the transition, which protects the user from theft of bank card data and logins, and also in this section is “Payment Protection”, which checks the environment before launching banking applications or browsers with saved cards.
Important to know: Scanner QR-The codes in the Xiaomi security application do not require an internet connection for basic code structure check, but a link to the malicious site database is required to check the link.
For maximum protection, it is recommended to enable payment verification in the settings, then when you run any financial application, the system will check:
- 📱 Presence/root-device-rights.
- 🔓 Loader status (whether it is unlocked).
- 📡 Security of the current Wi-Fi connection.
- 📜 Suspicious permissions from other applications.
Solving problems: if the application does not open
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the Security app is on the system, but when you try to launch it immediately closes or gives an error. This can be caused by damage to the cache of the application itself or conflict after updating the firmware. The first step should always be to clean the cache.
To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Security. Click Memory and select Clear Cache. Don’t confuse it with the Erase Data button, as this will reset all your blacklist and exclusion settings. If clearing the cache didn’t help, try updating security components through the GetApps (Mi Store) app.
The way to reset settings (if the application is available):
Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Advanced Settings → ResettingIn extreme cases, if the system file is critically damaged, you may need to completely reset your device to factory settings.Be sure to back up important data to the Mi Cloud cloud or your computer before doing so, as all user data will be deleted.
What to do if the antivirus does not see viruses?
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Xiaomi’s Security app is not just an antivirus, but a central hub for managing performance, permissions and privacy, and if it is removed or broken, it can disrupt the entire system.