Disabling Administrator Rights on Xiaomi: When It’s Needed and How to Do It Right

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI Often, third-party applications (antiviruses, password managers, enterprise programs) request device administrator rights, which give software extended control over the system, from locking the screen to remote control. However, not all users understand that this status can interfere with the normal operation of the phone: cause conflicts with other programs, slow down the system or even create vulnerabilities for malware.

In this article, we will discuss how to safely disable the administrator application on Xiaomi without compromising system stability, which programs most often require such rights, when they are justified and when it is better to leave everything as it is, and we will also look at the typical mistakes that users make when trying to remove administrative authority, and give recommendations for alternative solutions (for example, replacing problematic software with analogues without extended rights).

Why Apps Become Administrators on Xiaomi

Admin rights (Device Admin) in Android are a special status that allows the application to:

• 🔒 Lock screens on schedule or remotely (useful for parental control).
• 📱 Manage passwords and data encryption (relevant for corporate devices).
• 🚨 Reset your phone to factory settings without user confirmation.
• 🔄 Turn off the camera, microphone, or other functions on command.

Xiaomi often requests these rights:

• 🛡️ Antiviruses (Avast, Kaspersky, 360 Security) – to block threats.
• 🔑 Password Managers (Bitwarden, LastPass) – for data protection.
• 🏢 Corporate MDM-Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace ONE).
• 👶 Google Family Link (Google Family Link, Kids Place).

The problem is that many programs do not automatically delete their administrative rights when uninstalled, resulting in "ghost" entries on the system that can interfere with the installation of new versions of the software or cause "Device is managed by an organization" errors.

When to Disable Administrator Rights

Not all Device Admin programs require removal, but here are the cases where it is actually necessary:

On the other hand, administrative rights should not be removed if:

• 🔐 The application manages data encryption (for example, Bitwarden for storing passwords).
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parental control is used for the child.
• 🏢 The phone was issued by the employer and requires compliance with corporate policies.

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Before disabling administrator rights, check if the application is used for two-factor authentication (2FA). Some banking services link confirmation to such programs!

Step-by-step: how to remove the application from the administrators

The process differs depending on the version MIUI, But the overall scheme is still there. Consider the universal method for most Xiaomi models (including the Redmi, POCO, Black Shark):

Close the application that you want to remove.

Make a backup copy of important data

Check if the program is being used for 2FA or encryption

Connect your phone to charge (in case of long-term operations)-->

Follow the steps:

1. Open your phone settings and go to Passwords and Security (on some firmware – Additional settings) → Confidentiality).
2. Select Device Administrators (or Administrator Privileges).
3. In the list, find the application whose rights you want to disable, and uncheck the tick next to it.
4. Confirm the action by clicking Deactivate or Disable.
5. If the app is still working, restart your phone to apply the changes.

On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi Note 11 with MIUI 14) the path may look like this:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Triplets (⋮) → Special Access → Device Administrators

If the desired item is not - use the search by settings (the icon of the magnifier in the upper right corner) and enter the request "administrator".

Special cases: system applications and MDM

Some programs cannot be disabled by standard methods, since they are built into the firmware. MIUI. They're included:

• 🛡️ Mi Security (Security of Xiaomi)
• 🔄 Find Device (phone search)
• 🏢 Android Device Policy (Corporate Governance)

To disable them, root rights or use will be required. ADB. Let's look at both options:

Method 1: Through ADB (no root rights)

This method is suitable for removing "ghost" records or disabling unnecessary ones. MDM-politician:

1. Activate USB Debugging in the Developer Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version – Press 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell dpm remove-active-admin [application package]/[administrator] For example, for Android Device Policy: adb shell dpm remove-active-admin com.google.android.apps.work.cloudsearch/.DeviceAdminReceiver
3. Reset the device.

Method 2: Root rights (for power users)

If you have Magisk or other root access, you can remove the administrator rights in full:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
2. Go to the file. /data/system/ and find the file. device_policies.xml.
3. Open it in the text editor and remove the lines associated with the unnecessary application.
4. Save the changes, restart the phone.

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Disabling system administrators (like Find Device) can disrupt phone search or password reset functions through your Xiaomi account.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users have problems when trying to disable administrative rights, and here are the most common errors and solutions:

⚠️ Note: If after the license is disabled, the phone no longer recognizes the fingerprint or PIN-code, which means that the remote application controlled the authentication system. Restore the rights or reset the password through Find Device.

Another common problem is that the message "Device is managed by an organization" appears after buying a used phone, which means that the previous owner did not remove corporate policies.

1. Try contacting the former owner and asking to remove the device from the MDM-system.
2. If this is not possible, complete the reset (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).
3. Some of the scaling will help the team through ADB: adb shell dpm remove-active-admin com.google.android.apps.work.cloudsearch/.DeviceAdminReceiver

Alternatives: What to use instead of applications with administrator rights

If you removed the program due to conflicts or unnecessary features, consider safer alternatives:

• 🛡️ Replacement of antiviruses: 🔹 Malwarebytes – works without administrative rights, scans on demand. 🔹 Google Play Protect (enough for most users).
• 🔑 Replacement of password managers: 🔹 KeepassDX is open source, does not require extended rights. 🔹 Built-in password manager in Google Chrome or Firefox.
• 👶 Replacement of parental control: 🔹 Google Family Link (works through a Google account, without deep rights). 🔹 Digital Well-Being Mode in Settings MIUI.

Important: Some features (such as remote phone locking or forced encryption) are only available to applications with administrator rights. Before switching to alternatives, evaluate what features you critically need.

How to check if there are “ghost” administrators

Even after you delete the program, it can still log in to the system to check it out.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the top corner, press three-points (⋮) and select Show Systems.
3. Scroll down and find the Inactive or Stopped section.
4. If there is an application with administrator rights, try to delete it through ADB (see section above).

You can also use the command to view active administrators:

adb shell dpm list active-admins

If the output is empty, there are no active administrators in the system, if there are records but there are no corresponding applications on the menu, it is "junk" that can be safely removed through the system. ADB.

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Check the list of administrators regularly (once in a week). 2-3 months, especially if you install a lot of new software, this will help to avoid the accumulation of unnecessary records.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling administrators on Xiaomi