How to turn off the camera on the Xiaomi phone: all the ways from software to hardware

In the era of total digitalization, privacy is becoming increasingly important, with the smartphone camera being one of the key conduits for potential data breaches, especially if a device falls into the wrong hands or becomes a target for malware. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO often face the need to completely block access to the camera modules, whether for security reasons, battery saving or for testing applications.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of disabling the camera on Xiaomi devices running MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS, including hidden system settings, ADB commands, physical locking and even radical measures like disabling drivers. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances for popular models – from the flagship Xiaomi 13/14 Ultra to the budget Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5. Importantly, some methods will require root rights or unlock the bootloader, which can affect the warranty.

Why You Should Turn Off Your Camera on Xiaomi

At first glance, the idea of deactivating the main camera module seems strange, because it is one of the key functions of the smartphone.

• 🔒 Anti-spying: Malware (like the Cerberus Trojan or Pegasus) can secretly activate the camera to capture the environment, and shutting down the hardware level reduces the risk to zero.
• 🔋 On Xiaomi flagships with multiple cameras (for example, battery saving, 13 Pro has 3 core module + ToF) their background activity may be expended up to 7-12% Charges per day, even without use.
• 👶 Controlling child use: Parents often restrict access to cameras to prevent unwanted filming or leakage of personal data.
• 🛠️ Software testing: Developers sometimes need to simulate a device without a camera to debug applications.
• 💰 Resale with defects: If the camera matrix is damaged, its software shutdown allows you to sell the phone as a "working one, but without the camera".

According to a 2023 Kaspersky study, one in five cases of personal data breaches through mobile devices is associated with unauthorized access to the camera, and MIUI has a reputation as one of the most “curious” firmware because of the integrated Xiaomi Cloud and Mi Analytics services that can collect photo metadata even when the permissions are turned off.

Method 1: Disable permissions for all applications (without root)

The easiest and safest way to do this is to block access to the camera at the permission level, and that doesn't physically shut down the camera itself, but it makes it inaccessible to all programs, including system programs. MIUI 12-14 HyperOS:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Permissions → Application permissions.
2. Select Camera (may be called Camera Access on new versions).
3. In the upper right corner, click on the icon. ⚙️ ("Settings") and select Disable for All.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After that, any application trying to use the camera will receive the error "Camera disabled by the administrator." QR-Mi Pay or Mi Home codes, so additional steps will be required to block the code completely.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) K50 or POCO F4) Face Unlock may stop working after the permissions are disabled, and to return the face unlock, you will have to temporarily turn on access to the camera for the com.android.facelock app.

Method 2: Deactivation via ADB (for power users)

If disabling permissions isn’t enough, you can lock the camera at system level using Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method doesn’t require root, but requires connecting the phone to a PC and enabling developer mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute in the terminal: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 android.hardware.camera.provider
4. To block the front camera, additionally do: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.camera2

Once you have the commands, the camera will disappear from the device list, and attempts to use it will cause the "Camera not found" error. To return everything back, use the same command, but with the enable flag:

adb shell pm enable android.hardware.camera.provider

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If so, ADB-The camera is still determined in the system, check for updates MIUI. In some versions (e.g, MIUI 13.0.4 for Redmi K40) The bug allowed you to bypass the lock through MediaProvider, solved by flashing to the latest stable version.

Method 3: Physical lock (sticker or cover)

The most reliable, but irreversible, way is to physically shut down lenses, which is true for users who want to eliminate the possibility of shooting completely, including hidden methods through ADB or root.

Lockdown options:

• 📱 Special stickers: Sell sets made of black light-tight film (for example, 3M They stick on top of the lenses and block the light, leaving no trace when removed.
• 🛡️ Many cases for Xiaomi (like Spigen or Ringke) have retractable curtains for cameras. Minus - protects only when the case is closed.
• 🔨 Hardware shutdown of the plume. For advanced users, disassembling the phone and disconnecting the camera plume from the motherboard. On models with an integrated camera (for example, Xiaomi Mix Fold 2), this will lead to a complete loss of display functionality.

The advantage of physical locking is that it works even if the phone is hacked or stitched with custom firmware. QR-Also, some applications (like Google Lens) may produce errors due to lack of image.

Method 4: Turning off camera drivers (root required)

For users with unlocked bootloader and root rights, a radical method is available - removing or deactivating the camera drivers, which will lead to the fact that the system will no longer "see" the camera hardware at all.

Instructions for Magisk or TWRP:

1. Install Root Explorer or FX File Explorer with root support.
2. Go to /system/vendor/lib/hw/.
3. Find the files: camera.{model combination}.so android.hardware.camera.provider@1.0-service
4. Rename them by adding the.bak extension (e.g. camera.xiaomi.so.bak).
5. Reboot the phone.

After that, the camera will disappear from the system, and attempts to use it will cause a critical error. To get it back, just delete the.bak from the file names.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Black Shark) 5) Camera drivers integrated into the common module media_codecs.xml. Deleting them can lead to loss of sound or problems with video playback.Before changing files, make a backup through TWRP!

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (XPrivacyLua, AppOps)

If you need to flexibly control access to the camera without making any deep changes to the system, you can use specialized tools that allow you to lock the camera selectively, for example, only for certain applications or at certain times.

Top.-3 camera-locking applications:

• 🛡️ XPrivacyLua (requires root or Work Profile) allows you to create rules for each application separately, including a time limit or geolocation.
• 🔒 AppOps (built-in in MIUI, It's activated through the ADB: adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.SubSettings Then select AppOps. → Camera and disable access for unnecessary applications.
• 🕵️ Bouncer (no root) gives temporary permissions — for example, you can only allow the camera for 5 minutes for one application.

Example of setting up XPrivacyLua to lock the camera in Telegram:

1. Open the app and select Telegram in the list.
2. Go to the Hardware section → Camera.
3. Set the Deny rule (prohibit).
4. Save the settings and restart Telegram.

These tools are especially useful for parental control or if you give the phone to someone temporarily (like a service center), minus they don’t block system processes, so the camera can still be used for Face Unlock or AR Core.

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Third-party apps like XPrivacyLua allow you to create a whitelist of trusted programs, leaving the camera only available to them, which is convenient if you want to lock the camera for social networks, but save it for banking applications (for example, for scanning checks).

What to do if the camera is still working

If the camera continues to function after all the methods have been applied, the problem may be one of the following:

If neither method works, there are two radical options:

1. Flashing to custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) where you can completely remove camera modules from the kernel.
2. Hardware shutdown – cutting the plume or removing the camera physically (requires soldering skills).

On models with a subscreen camera (for example, Xiaomi Mix 4 or Redmi K60) physical shutdown is fraught with damage to the display, so it is better to limit the software methods.

FAQ: Frequent questions about shutting down the camera on Xiaomi