Many owners of modern Xiaomi smartphones face a situation where the built-in step counter becomes annoying or simply unnecessary. Often users notice that the Health app or widgets on the desktop continue to count the meters traveled even when the phone is lying on the table. This is not only distracting, but can also affect the autonomy of the device, since the accelerometer and gyroscope work in the background, consuming energy.
Disabling this feature can be required for a variety of reasons, from a desire to save battery power to privacy concerns. There is no one universal “Switch off everything” button in the MIUI operating system or the new HyperOS, so the process requires a comprehensive approach.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can stop step counting, and we will look at both software methods through interface settings and deeper system changes, and understanding how activity tracking works in your gadget will help you fully control its functionality.
Why You May Need to Turn Off Activity Tracker
The main reason users are looking for a way to turn off the pedometer on Xiaomi is because of the increased charge consumption, the constant survey of motion sensors prevents the processor from going into deep sleep mode, which significantly reduces battery life, especially for older models, where battery capacity is already reduced due to natural wear.
Another important aspect is privacy: health apps collect data about your physical activity, your walks and your daily routine. While Xiaomi claims to protect data, many people prefer to minimize the collection of any digital information about themselves, and shutting down health services allows you to break this flow of data.
⚠️ Warning: A complete shutdown of health system services may cause other applications that depend on location or traffic data to malfunction, such as maps or navigators in pedestrian mode.
Also worth mentioning is the annoyance: notifications of achievements, vibration when the activity rings close, or just a constantly burning lock screen with numbers can prevent you from focusing, in which case a full stop of service is the only sure solution to restore calm.
Settings of the built-in Health app (Mi Fitness)
The first step in the deactivation process is to work with the native app, which is usually pre-installed on all the brand's devices, and depending on the firmware version, it can be called Mi Fitness, Mi Health, or simply Health, which is the main compiler of statistics.
Go to the app and find the settings section, which is often hidden in the user profile or in the My Data menu, and you can find options related to activity tracking here, but just closing the app is not enough, as it will continue to hang in memory and collect information through the system APIs.
To clean it up more deeply, you need to limit the background activity of the program. Go to your smartphone settings, find the Apps section, and select All Apps. Find your health app in the list. Here we are interested in the Autostart item, which you need to turn off, and this will prevent the system from running the program itself after you restart.
Next, limit background processes. In the same app settings menu, find “Saving Charge” or “Battery” and select “No Limits” mode (so that the system does not kill the process, if you want to just stop the score, you should choose “Limit Background Activity” or “Freeze” if this option is available in your version of MIUI).
☑️ Checking the application settings
Managing permissions and sensor access
The most effective software way to stop counting is to deny the app access to physical sensors. Android, starting with certain versions, and the MIUI shell, has detailed permission settings. If the app is not authorized to read the accelerometer data, it will not be physically able to count your steps.
To do this, go back to the app-specific settings menu (Applications → All Apps → Health/Mi Fitness).Look for Permissions or Rights. In the list, you’ll see location, camera, microphone access, and most importantly, fitness tracker or body sensors.
Click on the item related to fitness or sensors and select "Disable." After this action, the step counter should stop updating. However, some system widgets may still display old data or try to request access again.
| Type of permit | Default status | Recommended status | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness tracker | Permitted. | Forbidden. | Stops counting steps |
| Location | Permitted. | By use | Affects maps and weather |
| Auto-start | Included. | Off. | Saves battery life |
| Notifications | Included. | Off. | Removes pop-up messages |
It’s also worth checking the permissions for widgets. If the Steps widget is on the desktop, it can have its own settings: Press and hold the widget, select “Widget Settings” (if available), or simply remove it from the screen to stop visually displaying data.
Disconnect synchronization with Mi Band and other gadgets
Often users want to turn off the pedometer on their phone because they use an external tracker, such as the Mi Band, Amazfit or Huawei Band. In this case, there is a data conflict: the phone counts its steps, the bracelet is its own, and in the Mi Fit (or Zepp) app, the numbers are added or duplicated, creating confusion.
To solve this problem, you need to prioritize the data source. In the settings of the application through which you sync the bracelet (usually Mi Fitness or Zepp), find the "Profile" or "Device Settings" section, there should be an option "Data Source" or "Data Priority".
Choose your wearable as your primary source, and then the steps that your phone reads will no longer count in the general statistics if the bracelet is active, and if the bracelet is not connected, the phone can start counting the steps again on its own.
You can also turn off sync with the Mi Cloud for health data if you don't want that information to be stored on the servers, and that's done in the Mi Account settings. However, that won't stop counting, just data transfer.
Using third-party applications to block
If you don't think MIUI is working well enough, you can use specialized utilities, and there are freezer applications like Greenify or Ice Box, which allow you to force you to stop your programs when they're not in use.
The way it works is simple: you add a Health app or a Stepmer system service to the frozen list, and when you don't open it explicitly, it's completely offloaded from RAM and can't poll the sensors, which is a radical but very powerful method.
⚠️ Note: The use of third-party freezers requires granting them extended access rights (via the use of third-party freezers). ADB Inexperienced users should be careful not to freeze critical system processes.
Another option is to use clone applications or sandboxes, where you can put a health application in an isolated environment where it won't have access to the phone's real sensors, but will see zero values, but setting up such environments takes time and technical knowledge.
System Limitations and Hidden Services
It's important to understand that in today's Xiaomi smartphones, the pedometer is not just an app, it's a system service. It can be called com.mi.health or com.xiaomi.hm.health. Even if you remove the label from your desktop, you won't delete the service from the system, because it's sewn into the firmware.
Attempts to remove these services via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) are possible but risky: The pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mi.health command will remove the app for the current user.The phone will work, but any health-related features, the lock screen with steps and widgets will cease to function.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mi.health
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.healthUsing such commands requires a connected computer, a driver installed, and USB debugging enabled. This is a method for advanced users. If you accidentally uninstall the wrong package, recovery can take a long time or require a complete reset.
In newer versions of HyperOS, the system has become more aggressive to background processes, sometimes just a strict restriction in the Battery section -> Background restrictions is enough to stop the system itself from letting the pedometer work in the background.
Effect of disconnection on other functions
Before you can finally resolve the issue of shutdown, you need to weigh the pros and cons. Turning off the pedometer affects not only the calculation of steps. Many functions of the smartphone are tied to traffic and location data.
For example, the Raise to Wake feature uses an accelerometer. If you block access to motion sensors at the system level, this feature will stop working, the screen will have to turn on only with a power button or double tapping (if it uses a different sensor).
Also, the following may be affected:
- 📍 Navigation: Walking trails may be built less accurately or run with delay.
- 🏃 Sports Modes: Track recording in third-party apps (Strava, Runkeeper) may stop or become inaccurate.
- 🔄 Screen Rotation: In rare cases, system resolution conflicts may affect screen autorotation, although this depends on the specific firmware implementation.
If you use your phone as a navigator in a car or pedestrian, make sure you only deny access to the Health app, but don’t take away the rights from the maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps, 2GIS).