Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive behavior of the operating system, which forcibly opens links in the built-in MIUI Browser or HyperOS Browser application. This happens even if you have long installed Google Chrome, Yandex or Opera and used to use them.
This can be annoying, as third-party browsers often offer a more user-friendly interface, built-in ad blockers, or better sync with your work computer. Fortunately, there is a mechanism in the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS to take back control of your device. You don't need to have superuser rights or reflash the device to change this setting.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how to get your smartphone to ask you when you open links or how to permanently secure the app you want, and we’ll look at the standard methods through settings, as well as deeper ways to reset system priorities if the standard path doesn’t work.
⚠️ Attention: In recent firmware versions, developers sometimes hide a direct reset button. If you haven't found the items described, don't panic - below are workarounds to solve the problem.
Why Xiaomi is Ignoring Your Browser
Xiaomi’s policy is to keep users as much as possible within its ecosystem of services. The built-in browser is not just a web browsing tool, but a full-fledged aggregator of news, videos and promotional offers, which is why the system automatically assigns them to the top when you first activate your smartphone.
When you install a new app from Google Play or GetApps, Android usually prompts you to make it the main one, but on devices with a MIUI shell, this pop-up may not appear, or the user accidentally clicks “Cancel”, leaving an old flag in the system’s memory indicating Browser as the only means of navigation on the Internet.
And then there's the concept of smart recommendations, which is that shell algorithms analyze which application you use less often, and they can try to compensate for that by actively promoting native tools, and understanding this logic helps you not be surprised when you reset your settings to factory after another system update.
Standard way through application settings
The easiest and safest way to change a priority app is to use the Android Settings menu, which is universal for most versions of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and the current HyperOS, and here we don't delete data, we only change logical priority.
To get started, you need to get into the general application management menu. Find the Settings icon on your desktop and scroll down to the App section. In some versions of the interface, this item may be called Applications and Notifications. Inside, we're interested in the All Apps subsection, which displays the full list of installed software.
☑️ Algorithm of action
In the list that opens, find the app that is currently the default (usually just a Browser with a globe icon or a MIUI logo). Click on it to open the app card. Next, select Open by default. If it has the Delete Default Settings or Clear Settings button active, click on it. This action will "forget" the system selection.
Then, look for your preferred browser (e.g. Chrome) in the list. Go to its settings in a similar way (Applications → All apps → Chrome → Open by default) and make sure there are no active opening links. Now, the first time you click on a link from the messenger, the system should give a selection window.
⚠️ Note: If the Remove Settings button is inactive (gray), it means that the system does not consider the application to be running for this type of file.
Resetting settings through program management by default
If manual search on a list of all apps seems too long, you can use a special file type management menu, which is often hidden in the depth of settings in MIUI and HyperOS, but it allows you to centrally manage associations.
Go to Settings → Applications → App Settings. In the upper right corner of the screen, find a three-dot menu and select the default App (or App Settings Reset) option. In the list that opens, you will see categories: Browser, Call App, SMS, and more.
Click on the Browser. You'll see a list of all the browsers you've installed. Choose the one you want to use all the time. If you want your phone to ask you every time, select the "Always Ask" option, if it's available in your firmware version, otherwise selecting a particular app will cement it as your primary one.
| Action. | Where to find out. | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | Warehouse → Clean up | Delete temporary files, does not reset the choice |
| Resetting settings | Appendix → Open by default | Remove priority, return the question at the start |
| Forced stopping | The bottom of the app screen | Temporarily closes the process, useful when hanging |
| Removal of updates | Three points. → Remove updates | Returns the system browser to the factory version |
It's important to understand the difference between clearing cache and resetting default settings. Cache cleaning only removes temporary files, speeding up work, but does not affect which application opens links. Open by default is critical to our task.
Setup in the new shell HyperOS
With the release of the HyperOS operating system, the menu structure has changed, becoming more minimalistic, but also more confusing for those who are used to the old MIUI. Logic remained the same, but the paths to settings have shifted.
In HyperOS, go to Settings and at the top of the screen, find the search bar. Type in the word "default" or "browser." The system will prompt you to go to the desired section. If the search does not help, go through Applications → Application Management.
Hidden features of HyperOS
HyperOS is more aggressive in its background work. If you choose a browser but it stops opening, check your battery settings. Go to Apps → Your browser → Power Savings and select No Limits. This will prevent the application from falling asleep by the system.
The new system also includes a feature called “Change Protection” that can block switching if the system thinks the new application is unstable, and if you are confident in the reliability of the software, ignore warnings or turn off automatic optimization for the browser you choose.
⚠️ Note: In HyperOS, when resetting your browser settings, the system may repeatedly intrusively suggest returning the standard browser. Be careful and firmly select "Use this application" for your choice.
Forced installation via ADB (for advanced)
If the GUI doesn’t allow you to change your settings or the reset button is constantly returning to its original state, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) debugging, which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and having basic knowledge of working with the command line.
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI Version (or OS Version) 7 times. Then the Settings menu will appear in the Additional → Developer section. Enable Debugging by USB.
adb shell pm set-home-activity --user 0 com.android.browserHowever, changing the default browser will be more difficult, as it requires knowing the exact batch name. The universal way through ADB is to clear these preferences:
adb shell pm clear androidThis command will reset all open default settings for all applications at once. Once the phone is rebooted, it will behave like a new one, and the first time it clicks on the link, it will be obliged to ask you about the choice of program. Use this method with caution, as it affects system preferences.
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Before using ADB, make sure to back up important data. While the command is secure, any manipulation of system settings carries minimal risk of failure.
Frequent problems and their solution
Even after doing all the work, users may find that links continue to open in the wrong place. Often the problem lies not in the browser settings, but in a specific source application. For example, Viber, Telegram or VKontakte may have their own internal settings of the built-in browser.
Check the settings of the messenger itself. On Telegram, this is the Settings section → Privacy → Web pages. Make sure that there is no “Open in App” checkbox. On Viber, a similar setting is in the Privacy section. Disabling the built-in browsing will force the application to use the system link handler that we just set up.
Another common problem is that you have multiple user profiles or Second Space modes, and your browser settings are independent, so if you switched your browser to the main profile, you'll have to repeat the procedure in the second space.
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The main reason for ignoring settings is the internal settings of the messengers themselves (Viber, Telegram), which take priority over the system.
Safety and optimization recommendations
Choosing the right browser is not just a matter of convenience, it’s also a matter of security. Standard MIUI-based browsers often pass metadata about the sites they visit to the manufacturer’s servers to “improve recommendations.” Third-party browsers like Firefox Focus, DuckDuckGo, or customized Chrome can provide better privacy.
It is also recommended to install a reliable antivirus or use browsers with built-in phishing protection. On devices Xiaomi has proven itself well AdGuard, which can filter traffic at the system level, clearing ads in all applications, not just in the browser.
Update your chosen application regularly. Developers are constantly closing vulnerabilities. If you use an old but favorite browser that hasn't received updates in a long time, you're risking your account data. In the HyperOS era, it's getting harder to support older versions of software.