Many Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners face intrusive notifications or the inability to remove certain applications, often caused by activated device administrator rights that are linked to system processes or installed programs, and understanding how to manage these rights is critical to the security and cleanliness of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.
Disabling administrator rights frees up resources, increases privacy, and eliminates malware that may be disguised as legitimate services. However, interfering with system processes requires caution, as improper disabling of critical components can lead to unstable gadgets. In this article, we will discuss in detail all secure methods for managing privileged accounts and applications.
Before making changes, you need to be clear about the difference between a regular application and a program with extended access rights. The device administrator has the power to lock the screen, reset the password or even delete data, so controlling this list is a basic skill of any advanced user.
What are Administrator Rights in Android System
The Android operating system that powers Xiaomi smartphones has a layered security structure, with device administrator rights being a special status that allows an application to perform activities beyond the standard user experience, typically required for corporate clients, antivirus, stolen phone search services, or parental control applications.
When you give an application administrator status, it gets deep access to the system, which means that the usual way to remove such an application through the settings menu will not work — the system will block the removal, requiring prior revocation of rights, a security mechanism designed to prevent the accidental removal of critical components or malicious action of ransomware.
Xiaomi owners should be aware that some MIUI system services may also appear on the admin list, and disabling unknown or suspicious apps from this list is the first step in combating intrusive advertising and potential security threats.
Why can’t you just remove the app?
Checking the list of active administrators of the device
The first step in the rights management process is to make a thorough diagnosis, so you have to open the settings menu and find the security and privacy section, and the path may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI firmware, but the logic remains the same across all Xiaomi models.
Find passwords and security or advanced settings in the settings, and within this menu, look for device administrators or Administrator Apps, and this is where you see the full list of programs with enhanced privileges.
- 📱 Open the settings of your Xiaomi smartphone.
- 🔒 Go to Passwords and Security (or Privacy).
- 🛡️ Select the Device Administrators.
- 👀 Carefully review the list of active applications.
In the list that opens, you'll see app names. System processes usually have standard names like Google's Find My Device or MIUI Security. If you see an unknown app with a suspicious name or icon, it could be a sign of malware that has entered the system.
Step-by-step instructions for disabling rights
The process of deactivating administrator rights on Xiaomi devices is simple, but requires care. The main rule is not to disable system services, the purpose of which you are not sure, as this can disrupt the basic functions of the phone, such as finding a device or remote locking.
To disable the third-party application, click on its name in the admin list. A pop-up will appear on the screen warning that the application will lose its rights. Confirm the action by clicking on the Disable or Deactivate button. After that, the application will return to the status of a regular program, and it can be removed in a standard way.
☑️ Algorithm for disabling rights
In some cases, especially when working with aggressive advertising software, the system may try to automatically reactivate the rights immediately after they are disabled, in this situation, it is recommended to put the smartphone in safe mode before performing the procedure, this will temporarily disable all third-party applications and allow you to safely remove unnecessary rights.
⚠️ Warning: Never disable the Find My Device app if you plan to use the phone search feature in the event of a theft.Also be careful with corporate profiles if the phone is used for work - disabling rights can result in blocking access to work mail.
Removal of Unremovable System Applications
Xiaomi smartphones have a lot of apps that can’t be removed in the usual way, some of which are administrator rights and are deeply integrated into the MIUI shell. Standard settings are not enough to work with such components, and more advanced tools such as ADB (Android Debug Bridge) are required.
Using ADB allows you to send commands directly to the operating system without the GUI constraints, which is suitable for experienced users who understand the risks of removing system components. Be sure to back up important data before starting any manipulations.
To get started, activate the developer mode. Go to About Phone and quickly press 7 times the MIUI build number. Then, in the menu, Additional enable USB Debugging. Connect the phone to your computer and use the command line to manage packages.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.packet.applicationsThis command will remove the application for the current user, effectively hiding it and disabling its functions, even if it is system-based, and is safer than completely removing it, since if necessary, the system can be returned to its original state by factory reset.
💡
Use the team. `adb shell pm list packages` To view the full list of installed packages and find the exact name of the application you want to remove.
Comparison of rights management methods
There are several ways to manage access rights on Xiaomi, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of method depends on your goal: whether you just want to remove the extra application or conduct a deep cleaning of the system from the embedded debris.
The standard settings menu is suitable for most users, it is safe, intuitive and does not require a connection to a computer, but its functionality is limited only to revocation of rights, but not to the complete removal of system components, which are often the source of problems.
Use of specialized uninstallation applications or ADB-commands give full control, but requires technical literacy. ADB It can cause important functions to fail, such as a camera or app store.
| Method | Difficulty | Risk to the system | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settings menu | Low. | Minimum | Medium |
| Safe regime | Medium | Low. | Tall. |
| ADB Teams | Tall. | High-pitched | Maximum |
| Root rights | Expert | critical | Complete. |
⚠️ Attention: Getting Root rights (superuser rights) on Xiaomi requires unlocking the bootloader, which leads to the complete removal of all data from the device and disrupts the operation of banking applications and Google Pay.
Security and system recovery
After any operations to change the rights of the administrator or remove system applications, it is extremely important to make sure that the device is stable.
If you notice strange system behavior, constant reboots or interface errors, a critical system application may have been affected, in which case the only correct solution is to perform a full reset to factory settings, which will return the phone to its original state and remove all the changes made.
To perform the reset, go to About Phone → MIUI (or Advanced Settings) → Reset → Erase all data. Remember to save important contacts and photos to the cloud or computer beforehand, as this operation will destroy all personal information.
💡
Regularly checking the list of device administrators is the best prevention of hidden viruses and intrusive advertising on your Xiaomi.