Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 9A provide ample options for setting up security, but sometimes users are faced with a situation where access to features is limited.This can happen if you forget the password you set earlier, or purchased a device from hand where the previous owner left their restrictions. Parental controls are a useful tool, but it becomes a problem if you lose the credentials to disable it.
In this article, we will take a look at all the legal and technically sound ways to remove restrictions on your device, learn how to work with Google Family Link, use Safe Mode to remove malicious or forgotten blocking apps, and perform a complete reset if other methods did not help.
It's important to understand that the process of access recovery depends on the type of protection that was used. We'll look at scenarios for built-in MIUI features, third-party apps and Google accounts. To successfully complete most procedures, you'll need access to a Google account associated with the device, or physical access to control buttons.
Definition of the type of lock on Redmi 9A
Before you start taking action, you need to accurately identify the source of the restrictions. Redmi 9A smartphones running the MIUI shell can operate several layers of protection, most often the standard Google Family Link, which is tightly tied to Google servers and requires an administrator password for any changes.
Another option is built-in Digital Balance features or third-party apps from Play Market that mimic parental controls, which can block certain programs from running or limit screen time, and understanding the difference is critical because the methods of bypassing them are radically different.
Look at the lock screen or the messages that you see when you try to open your settings. If you want to enter a code that you sent to another phone or a password from your Google account, you're dealing with cloud protection. If you just pop up a window with a timer, it's probably a local application.
- 🔍 Check the list of installed apps for the words “Parent”, “Kids”, “Control” or “Family».
- 🔍 Go to Settings. → Passwords and security and see if the “App Protection” mode is activated there».
- 🔍 Try going to the Google Play Store – if there’s a purchase or download restriction, it’s Family Link.
⚠️ Warning: Trying to guess a password multiple times can lead to a device being temporarily locked or completely tied to an attacker's account.
Disable Google Family Link on Xiaomi
The most common scenario on Xiaomi Redmi 9A is using Family Link, a tool that allows parents to control a child’s device remotely, and to remove control, it’s not enough to simply remove the app; you need to break the connection between accounts.
If you know the password from your parent's account, the process is simple: Open the Family Link app on your parent's phone, select your child's device and click "Disable." Redmi 9A itself will have a notification, and once confirmed, the restrictions will be removed, but if the password is lost, the situation becomes more complicated.
If you lose access to your parent account, the only official way is to restore access through Google’s Restore Form, without which Android’s security system will not allow you to remove the restrictions, considering it a potential theft of the device.
There is also a method through the device itself, if you have access to the menu. Go to Settings → Digital Balance and Parental Control. If it displays Family Link Managed status, click three dots in the corner and select "Disable Parental Controls." The system will request an administrator password.
☑️ Check before disabling Family Link
Using Safe Mode to Remove Applications
If parental controls are implemented through a third-party app that you can’t remove in the usual way, Safe Mode will come to the rescue. In this mode, Redmi 9A loads only with system applications, allowing you to access settings and remove the blocker.
To enter Safe Mode on Xiaomi, you usually need to press the power button and then hold your finger on the “Switch Off” icon on the screen for a long time until you are prompted to go to Safe Mode. Some versions of MIUI require you to press the volume button when you load the logo.
Once downloaded, the screen corner will read “Safe Mode.” Now go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find a suspicious app that is blocking the phone, and click “Delete.” Once you reboot in normal mode, the lock should disappear.
- 🛡️ In Safe Mode, third-party launchers and screen blockers do not start.
- 🛡️ This method will not work if the application has device administrator rights.
- 🛡️ Do not remove Google system applications or MIUI, so as not to disrupt the operation of the OS.
⚠️ Note: If the application is granted administrator rights, the Delete button will not be active even in Safe Mode, in which case you first need to revoke the rights in the Device Administrators menu».
Resetting settings via Recovery Mode
When the password is forgotten and the account cannot be restored, the radical but effective method remains: Hard Reset via Recovery Mode, which will completely clear the memory of Redmi 9A, returning the phone to a factory state, and delete all passwords, including parental controls.
To enter recovery mode, turn off the phone completely. Then press the Power and Volume buttons up simultaneously. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button, while continuing to keep the volume. You will be taken to the Main Menu menu.
The navigation in this menu is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the choice is confirmed by the power button. You need to find the Wipe Data, then Wipe All Data and confirm the action by selecting Confirm.
What is FRP Lock?
Once you've completed the process, select Reboot and then Reboot to System. The phone will reboot as new. You'll need to reconfigure the language, Wi-Fi, and log in to your Google account. All data, including photos and contacts without a backup, will be lost.
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Hard Reset is the only solution if you don’t remember your password and don’t have access to your administrator account, but it’s guaranteed to delete all your phone data.
Working with device administrator rights
Many parental control apps gain enhanced rights by becoming device administrators, which allows them to block removal and prevent security from being disabled. On the Xiaomi Redmi 9A, these rights are in deep system settings.
To check the list of administrators, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Special features → Device administrators (the path may vary slightly in different versions of MIUI). If you see an unknown application with admin rights there, it is the one that controls the lock.
Try unchecking this application. The system may require you to enter a screen unlock password. If the password is not known, this method will not work directly, but knowing which application is the host will help you in the future search for solutions or password selection.
| Type of right | What's the point? | How to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Device administrator | Blocks deletion, resetting of screen password | Settings → Device administrators |
| Access to the use (Usage Access) | Keeps track of time in apps | Settings → Digital balance |
| Overlay over other windows | Draws lock windows on top of everything | Settings → Applications → Special. opportunities |
Frequent problems and their solution
Redmi 9A users often face technical nuances when removing restrictions, such as a phone may require a Wi-Fi connection to verify rights, but the network is locked, in which case you might try using the mobile Internet or creating an access point on another device.
Another common problem is cyclical reboot after trying to remove system control components, and if this happens, you need to log back into Recovery Mode and perform a data reset because the integrity of the system is compromised.
And then there's FRP, which is a hard reset, and you can ask the phone to enter the Google account that you used on the device before, not parental control, but protection against theft, and you can't use your phone without correcting your account.
- 🔄 If the phone is stuck on the Mi logo after reset, wait up to 15 minutes – the system performs optimization.
- 🔄 Make sure the date and time on the device are set correctly, otherwise Google servers won’t let you in.
- 🔄 When reset by computer (ADB) required to be debugged USB, password-locked.
⚠️ Note: Using third-party software to "hack» FRP or bypassing passwords can lead to irreversible damage to the software (brick) or virus installation.