How to remove wiretapping from Xiaomi phone: a complete guide to detecting and removing spyware

Xiaomi smartphones have long been market leaders due to their price-quality ratio, but their popularity has the downside: devices are often targeted by attackers. If you notice suspicious activity — fast battery discharge, strange sounds during calls, unexpected reboots or increased traffic — your phone could be a victim of wiretapping. In this article, we will examine all possible ways to detect and remove spyware on Xiaomi, including hidden services, malicious applications and hardware surveillance methods.

It's important to understand that wiretapping on modern smartphones is rarely limited to the classic "listening to calls." Today, spyware can track location, intercept. SMS And they're using messengers, they're using the microphone and the camera remotely, and they're stealing data from banking applications, and many of these programs are disguised as system processes. MIUI Xiaomi's legitimate services (e.g., com.miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.midrop) will show you how to distinguish between a normal system and a real threat.

This article is relevant for all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO base MIUI 12/13/14 HyperOS, including Xiaomi’s flagship series 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13 budgetary POCO X5/M6. Methods tested on firmware 2023–2026 and take into account the latest attack patterns, such as exploits through MediaTek chips or vulnerabilities in Qualcomm modems.

Signs of wiretapping on Xiaomi phone

The first step is to confirm your suspicions, and spyware rarely presents itself as a symptom, but there are indirect signs that should alert you:

• 🔋 The battery runs out in 3-4 hours without active use (even in standby mode.
• 📶 Mobile traffic is growing for no reason (check Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic. Some Trojans are sending data to remote servers.
• 🔊 Extraneous sounds during calls: clicks, echoes, noises or voices. This can be a sign of call forwarding).
• 📱 The phone spontaneously restarts or turns on at night, and some malware is activated in sleep mode.
• 📡 Notifications of unfamiliar connections (for example, USB-Debugging enabled or new device in Mi Account).

Hardware listening methods that are independent of software are especially dangerous, such as some Xiaomi models (especially low-end ones like Redmi). 9A or POCO C31) Intruders can use wiretaps through:

• 🛠️ Modified battery with built-in transmitter (occurring when buying used phones).
• 📶 SIM card with interception chip (so-called IMSI-catcher).
• 🔌 Charger with hidden module (transmits data over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi).

⚠️ Note: If the phone has been repaired in an unofficial service, there is a risk of installing a hardware bug in the motherboard. Such devices are not detectable software - you will need disassembly and multimeter check.

How to check the Xiaomi phone for wiretapping: step-by-step instructions

Before you take drastic measures (such as factory reset), perform a system diagnostic. Start with simple methods and gradually move on to deep verification.

1. Verification of active processes and applications

Open the Settings. → Annexes → App management and sort the list by Battery Use or Traffic:

• 📌 Apps with Chinese characters in the title (e.g. com.duokan.phone.remotecontroller).
• 📌 Programs that consume traffic in the background (check Settings) → Mobile network → Using traffic).
• 📌 Unknown services with device administrator rights (see Settings) → Passwords and security → Administrator rights).

Use the command to output all running processes (required) USB-debugging):

adb shell ps -A | grep -i "spy\|listen\|record\|mic\|camera"

If suspicious processes appear in the output (e.g. com.android.spy or miui.hidden.listener), this is a direct sign of spyware.

2. Scanning for viruses and malware

Standard. MIUI Security doesn't always detect spyware. Install one of the specialized applications:

• 🛡️ Malwarebytes (detects Cerberus or Pegasus Trojans).
• 🛡️ Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus (effective against Chinese spies like Chamspy).
• 🛡️ Bitdefender Mobile Security (checks data leaks through microphone/camera).

⚠️ Attention: Some spyware blocks or masks itself as antivirus installation. If the antivirus doesn't start, try installing it through the APK-file.

Turn off mobile internet and Wi-Fi|Remove Unknown Apps|Check the administrator's rights|Run the antivirus in safe mode-->

3. Checking network activity

Use NetGuard or PCAPdroid to track which programs are sending data to suspicious servers.

• 🌍 Connections to IP-addresses in China, Hong Kong or Singapore (frequent targets for spyware).
• 🌍 Domains with tracker.xiaomi names[random].com or miui.analytics[digits].net.
• 🌍 Permanent. UDP-streams (may indicate audio/video transmission).

For advanced users: Dump traffic via tcpdump (root required):

adb shell su -c "tcpdump -i any -s 0 -w /sdcard/dump.pcap"

Analyze dump.pcap file in Wireshark by filtering packages by keywords: mic, audio, spy, listen.

How to remove wiretaps from Xiaomi: from simple to radical methods

If you've confirmed that you have spyware, you can go from the least to the most destructive, start with software cleaning, and if that doesn't work, move on to hardware measures.

1. Removal of suspicious applications

Go to Settings. → Apps and remove:

• 🗑️ All programs with unknown developers (check Google Play).
• 🗑️ Applications that request illogical permissions (e.g., a calculator with microphone access).
• 🗑️ Services such as com.miui.analytics, com.xiaomi.mipicks, com.miui.systemAdSolution (they can be disabled, but not removed without root).

Complete removal of system applications will be required ADB:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks

Xiaomi models with MediaTek processor (e.g. Redmi Note 11 or POCO M4 Pro) some spyware modules are embedded in firmware at the kernel level and can only be removed by flashing through the firmware. SP Flash Tool.

2. Reset to factory settings

If uninstalling apps doesn’t help, do a hard reset:

1. Back up your important data (but don’t restore it after you reset it!).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose Delete all data and confirm.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Mi) 11 Ultra or Redmi K50) Reset does not delete data from the section /data/miui, where traces of spyware can be stored. Use the command to clean up completely:

fastboot erase userdata


fastboot erase cache

3. Flashing through Fastboot/EDL

If the wiretapping survived after the reset, reflash the phone with the official firmware through:

• 🔧 Fastboot (for most models).
• 🔧 EDL-mode (for "bricks" or devices with a locked loader).

Instructions for Fastboot:

1. Download the firmware from the official Xiaomi website.
2. Unpack the archive and launch it. flash_all.bat (Windows or flash_all.sh (Linux/Mac).
3. Connect your phone in Fastboot mode (press Power + Vol− when you turn off).

In models with Snapdragon chip 8 Gen 1/2 (Xiaomi 12/13 Pro, Redmi K60) After flashing, be sure to block the bootloader with the fastboot oem lock command, otherwise the vulnerability will remain.

Hardware inspection

If software methods do not help, check the phone for physical bugs:

• 🔍 Battery: Check for additional boards or wires.
• 🔍 SIM card: check for chips (use a magnifying glass).
• 🔍 Charging port: In some cases, the bug is installed inside USB-plug.

For a deep diagnosis:

1. Remove the back cover (on non-removable battery models like Xiaomi) 13T, will require a hair dryer).
2. Call the multimeter contacts of the battery and motherboard for the presence of foreign chains.
3. Check for additional antennas (can be hidden under the screen).

💡

If you suspect a wiretapping through a microphone, check its activity using the Access Dots app (Android 12).+). It shows when a camera or microphone is being used.

How to protect Xiaomi from future wiretaps

Even after the spyware is removed, the phone remains vulnerable unless you take precautions.

• 🔒 Disable unnecessary permissions for apps (especially access to microphone, camera, and location).
• 🔒 Use alternative firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) to get rid of Xiaomi’s built-in services.
• 🔒 Install a firewall (e.g. AFWall)+) to block suspicious connections.
• 🔒 Regularly check system logs via adb logcat for suspicious entries.

For root-access models:

• 🛡️ Install XPrivacyLua to control the data that apps send.
• 🛡️ Block access to the /dev/msm_camera and /dev/snd for all applications except system.

If you frequently connect to public Wi-Fi, use it. VPN with traffic blocking (e.g., ProtonVPN or IVPN). This will make it harder to intercept data through Man-in-the-Middle attacks.

💡

Xiaomi phones with MediaTek processors (Helio G-series) and older versions are most vulnerable to wiretapping MIUI (Update the firmware and avoid installation APK unverified.

What if the wiretap is still there?

If after all the manipulations, the signs of wiretapping persist, it is possible:

• 🕵️ Spyware is embedded in the hardware module (for example, in the Qualcomm Snapdragon modem). X55/X60).
• 🕵️ The device is infected at the bootloader level (complete soldering of memory is required).
• 🕵️ The wiretapping is carried out by the operator (for example, through IMSI-catcher).

In such cases:

1. Contact the Xiaomi service center to check the device for unauthorized modifications.
2. File a complaint to the police (in Russia – under article 138 of the criminal code “Violation of the secrecy of correspondence”).
3. Buy a new phone and transfer data selectively (without backups).

⚠️ Warning: If you suspect targeted surveillance (e.g. by an employer or intelligence agency), do not attempt to remove the wiretapping yourself.This may be seen as an attempt to destroy evidence.

Mistakes on Xiaomi: What not to be afraid of

There are a lot of rumors on the web about "built-in wiretapping in all Xiaomis", and let's figure out what is true and what are myths:

• ❌ Myth 1: “All Xiaomi spy on users by default". ✅ Reality: Xiaomi does collect telemetry (as do other manufacturers), but it is not equivalent to wiretapping. The data is anonymized and used to improve the software. → Confidentiality → Diagnostics.
• ❌ Myth 2: If there is a Chinese firmware on the phone, it is definitely bugged". ✅ Reality: Global firmware (MIUI Global) does not contain spyware modules, only custom firmware from unverified sources poses a risk.
• ❌ Myth 3: “Transaction is only possible through a microphone". ✅ Reality: Modern spyware uses a gyroscope (to detect speech by vibration), an accelerometer, and even a light sensor to intercept data.

However, in 2020, Xiaomi was caught stealthy data transfer by the Mi Browser browser (including browsing history).The issue was fixed in updates, but if you are using the older version MIUI (below 12.0.3), we recommend updating.

FAQ: Frequent questions about wiretapping on Xiaomi