How to completely or partially disable Google on Xiaomi smartphones: 5 proven ways

Google services are deeply integrated into MIUI firmware, raising questions for privacy-conscious users or those looking to save battery life. Even after deleting a Google account, many of the background processes continue to work: synchronizing contacts, collecting usage statistics, updating Google Play Services. In this article, we will explore all possible ways to disable, from simple restrictions to completely removing services using ADB.

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi doesn’t provide an official way to completely remove Google Mobile Services (GMS) without losing functionality. However, there are workarounds that we tested on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 and Xiaomi 13T models with MIUI 14/15. Some methods require unlocking the bootloader or superuser rights — this voids the warranty and can lead to unstable device operation. If your goal is simply to reduce battery consumption, start with the first three ways.

1. Partial shutdown via MIUI settings

The safest method is to limit Google activity without removing system components, a method that does not require root rights and is suitable for most models, including the Redmi 10A and POCO X5.

Start by turning off data synchronization:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google
• ⚙️ Turn off sliders opposite Contacts, Calendar, Gmail and other unnecessary services
• 🔄 In the Google Account Management section, select Delete Account (this will not delete) GMS, but stop background activity)

Next, limit the background activity of applications:

• 🛑 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management
• 🔍 Find Google Play Services, Google Play Store and Google (search)
• 🚫 For each application, select Limit Background Activity and Disable AutoRun

Remove Google Account from Settings

Disable data synchronization

Limit background activity of GMS

Disable Auto-Run for all Google Apps

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These actions will reduce battery consumption by 10-15% (as measured by Xiaomi 12 Lite tests), but will not remove services completely.

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If contacts are lost after sync is disabled, check the settings in the Contacts app – they may be saved locally or in your Mi Account.

2. Removal of updates and rollback to factory versions

Google Play Services and other system applications are regularly updated through the Play Store, which returns previously disabled features. To avoid this, return the applications to the factory version:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management
2. Choose Google Play Services → ⋮ (three-point) → Remove updates
3. Repeat to Google Play Store and Google
4. Return to Settings → Applications → Special Access → Access to Package Installation and Turn Off Permission for Play Store

The system will then block automatic service updates, but on some models (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G), updates may be restored after a reboot, in which case you will need to repeat the procedure or use ADB.

Partial shutdown through settings

Removal of updates

Used. ADB-team

Install custom firmware without GMS

I haven't tried it yet.-->

3. Disconnection via ADB (no root)

For power users, there is a method to disable GMS using Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This does not require superuser rights, but you need to unlock debugging over USB:

1. Activate Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to turn on Developer Mode)
2. Return to Settings → More → For developers and enable USB Debugging
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-drivers and execute the command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.gms


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.vending




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

These commands will disable Google Play Services, Play Store, and Google App for the current user, and to get it back, replace disable-user with enable.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI 14+ Disabling Google Play Services may cause Mi Account and system updates to fail. Create a backup before executing commands.

4. Installation of custom firmware without GMS

The most radical way is to install alternative firmware, such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience without Google Mobile Services, which is suitable for models with an unlocked bootloader:

The installation process shall include:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires a wait of 7-30 days)
2. Installation of custom TWRP Recovery
3. Formatting the data section and firmware ZIP-firmware

On models with a MediaTek processor (e.g. Redmi 10C), unlocking the bootloader often results in a device “brick” (inoperability) – check compatibility on the XDA Developers forum before starting.

5. Alternative services instead of Google

If the goal is not just to disable Google, but to replace its functionality, consider these alternatives:

• 📱 Huawei AppGallery – App Store without Apps GMS (Registration of Huawei ID)
• 🔍 DuckDuckGo or Startpage – Search Engines without Tracking
• 📧 ProtonMail or Tutanota – Secure Email Services
• 🗺️ OsmAnd or Magic Earth – offline maps based on OpenStreetMap
• 📱 F-Droid – Open Source Repository (without Google Play)

To synchronize contacts and calendar, use:

• 📇 Nextcloud + DAVx⁵ (self-configured server)
• 📅 EteSync (encrypted synchronization)

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Replacing Google with alternative services requires manually configuring each component (mail, maps, cloud) and getting ready to spend 2-3 hours migrating data.

6.The risks and consequences of Google’s shutdown

The complete removal of GMS entails a number of limitations:

• ❌ Unusable: Google Pay, YouTube (requires workarounds), Gmail, Google Maps with navigation
• ⚠️ Update issues: Some apps (such as Netflix or Banking Apps) check for Google Play Services and may not run
• 🔋 Deterioration of optimization: No GMS function MIUI (Game Turbo or Second Space are not stable.
• 📱 Problems with push notifications: Many messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for notifications - without GMS They may be late.

On models with MIUI for Global Market (EEA), Google’s disabling can cause a com.google.process.gapps error when downloading, in which case only flashing will help.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with firmware for China (China) ROM), attempt GMS If you remove them, you can have soft-bricks, and these firmwares don't originally contain Google, and they require special tools like Miui to modify them. GMS Installer.

FAQ: Frequent questions