How to completely disable step counting on Xiaomi phone: all ways

The step counter on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature for active users, but not everyone needs it. Many owners of Redmi, POCO or Mi face a situation where the phone constantly captures movements, consumes battery power on the background activity of sensors and fills notifications with unnecessary statistics. Moreover, some applications (such as Mi Fit or Google Fit) can automatically synchronize data even if you never gave permission to do so.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable the pedometer on Xiaomi phones – from standard settings. MIUI You'll learn how to delete activity history, deny applications access to sensors, and even physically deactivate the accelerometer (if critical). MIUI 14/15 HyperOS, where the settings interface has changed significantly.

Why Xiaomi phone counts steps and can it be turned off?

The steps counting on Xiaomi works thanks to a combination of hardware and software components:

• 📱 The accelerometer is the main sensor that detects the movements of the phone in space. It consumes minimal charge, but it works constantly.
• 🔄 Algorithms MIUI — So, the software that we use to analyze sensor data, converts it into steps, distances and calories, and that computation can be loading the processor.
• 📊 Partner apps: Mi Fit, Google Fit, Zepp Life automatically access activity data, even if you haven’t run it.

You can turn off the counting of steps completely, but there are nuances:

• ✅ At the level MIUI — Deletes notifications and statistics, but sensors continue to work.
• ✅ Through application settings – blocks data transfer to Mi Fit/Google Fit.
• ⚠️ Developer mode – allows you to turn off sensors, but this can disrupt other functions (e.g., automatically rotating the screen).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T pro POCO F5) After upgrading to HyperOS, the path to pedometer settings has changed. If you don't find the right menu items, check the firmware version in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI.

Method 1: Disabling the pedometer in standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in system options, which is suitable for most models on MIUI 12-15 and HyperOS:

1. Open Settings → Google → Google Services → Physical Activity
2. Click on "Counting steps" and move the slider to the off position.
3. Return to the main settings menu and go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
4. Find Mi Fit (or Zepp Life), open its settings and select "Disable" (do not delete!).

If the “Counting Steps” item is not in the Google Services menu, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Select Data Sync and turn off Fitness & Health.

No notifications about steps in the curtain | Disappearance of statistics in Mi Fit | Disabling background synchronization in account settings | Check battery consumption after 24 hours-->

This method does not physically turn off the sensors, but stops processing data and saves up to 5-7% of battery life per day (according to the tests on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+).

Method 2: Blocking access to sensors for applications

Many users are unaware that even after disabling the pedometer in the MIUI settings, some applications continue to receive data from the accelerometer, to completely deny them access:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Application Permissions → Physical Activity.
2. In the list, find all apps with sensor access (e.g. Mi Fit, Google Fit, S Health) and turn off permissions.
3. For reliability, go to Settings → Applications, select each of these applications and click Stop (forced stop).

If you are using HyperOS, the path may be different:

Settings → Memory and applications → Permissions → Body sensors

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g. global) MIUI EU) After blocking permissions, apps can automatically turn them back on when you update. To avoid this, disable auto-update for these programs in Google Play.

Mi Fit|Google Fit|Zepp Life|Another |I don't know/I don't use-->

Method 3: Disconnect sensors through developer mode

For those who want to completely deactivate the accelerometer (for example, to save charge or avoid surveillance), there is a radical method through the developer's settings.

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional settings → For developers.
3. Scroll down to the Sensor Block and turn it off: 📊 Accelerometer (responsible for counting steps) 🧭 The gyroscope (can affect games and the AR) 🌡️ Stepmer (if such a point exists)

If the phone starts to behave unstable after the sensors are turned off (for example, the screen stopped turning), return the settings back. On some models (for example, Xiaomi 12S Ultra), turning off the accelerometer can cause the camera to crash when shooting with stabilization.

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Before you turn off the sensors, back up your settings in Settings → Additional → Backup. This will help you quickly restore your phone if something goes wrong.

Method 4: Remove system applications (for advanced applications)

On Xiaomi phones, the steps are counted by system services that cannot be removed by standard methods, but if you have root access or are willing to use ADB, you can force them to be deactivated.

List of applications related to the pedometer:

• 📌 com.miui.analytics – Collects activity data
• 📌 com.xiaomi.hm.health - Mi Fit core
• 📌 com.google.android.gms – Google Fit Services

To turn them off without rooting:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and activate debugging over USB in the developer settings.
2. Open the command line and type in: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.hm.health
3. Repeat the command for other packages from the list above.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system apps can cause your phone to run unstable, especially if you use a Mi Band fitness bracelet. On HyperOS models (e.g. Xiaomi 14), this can cause sync errors with your Mi Account.

Method 5: Resetting health and fitness settings

If you've tried different methods, but the steps statistics still show up, maybe the data is cached in the system files, and then resetting your health settings will help.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Fit (or Zepp Life) and click on Storage.
3. Select "Clear Data" and "Clear Cache".
4. For a full reset, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account → Data Sync and turn off Fitness and Health, then turn it back on.

On phones with HyperOS, an additional step may be required:

Settings → Memory and Apps → Cleaning → Deep Cleaning → Select “Health and Fitness”

Once reset, all steps, distance and calories will be permanently deleted. If you synced with Mi Cloud, the information can be stored on Xiaomi servers - check this in the Mi Account web version.

What to do if the steps are counted anyway?

If none of these methods worked, the problem may be:

• 🔄 Firmware from third-party developers (for example, MIUI EU They often have additional monitoring services sewn in.
• 📱 On some phones (for example, Xiaomi Mix Fold 3), the pedometer is integrated into the processor and does not switch off software.
• 🔗 Sync with other devices. If you have a Mi Band or smartwatch, they can send step data directly to Mi Fit, ignoring the phone's settings.

In such cases:

1. Check if other gadgets are connected to the phone via Bluetooth.
2. Update your firmware to the latest version – new versions of MIUI and HyperOS often fix bugs with background sensor activity.
3. If the problem is critical, consider rolling back to stock firmware through the Mi Flash Tool.

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If the pedometer continues to work after all the manipulations, the most likely reason is synchronization with an external device (bracelet, watch) or custom firmware with modified services.

FAQ: Frequent Questions About Step Counting on Xiaomi