Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive notifications that the device’s usage time is up.Digital Wellbeing is a built-in feature of the MIUI and HyperOS shell designed to control gadget addiction, but in practice it only annoys users.
In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can disable your phone's digital detox completely or partially, and you won't have to look for workarounds or reset your ADB if you look carefully at the methods, and we'll look at the standard settings, hidden menus, and radical methods of shutting down system processes.
Disabling these features will give you full control of the device, you can use any application without time limits and without sudden locking of the interface, this is especially true for those who use the smartphone as a main working tool or gaming platform.
Why disable the Digital Wellbeing feature
The main purpose of Digital Wellbeing is to help users form healthy smartphone usage habits, but the algorithms used by Xiaomi devices often work too aggressively, such as blocking the messenger when you need to answer a work chat or restricting the navigator during a long trip.
In addition, the background work of services that track usage statistics consumes additional battery power. On older smartphone models, this can be noticeable. Disabling Digital Wellbeing frees up system resources and removes excess load on the processor. Users also note that constant notifications about “exceeding the limit” cause stress instead of relaxation.
Often users forget that they have set limits and do not understand why the phone stopped responding to touch in certain programs.
- 🚫 Removes the lock: applications stop closing on timer.
- 🔋 Battery savings: background usage statistics are stopped.
- 🔕 Silence: annoying notifications of time spent disappear.
- 🎮 Free play: multimedia and game mode work without interruption.
⚠️ Attention: By disabling the control system, you take full responsibility for your time on your smartphone.It really helps some people stick less on social media.
Disconnection through standard MIUI and HyperOS settings
The easiest and safest way to remove restrictions is to use the built-in settings menu. With current versions of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and the new HyperOS, the path to managing digital well-being is standardized. You don't need superuser rights or a computer connection.
To start, you need to open the main settings menu, find a section called Digital Well-Being and Parental Control, which, depending on the version of the shell, can be in the Special Features category or placed in a separate menu with an hourglass icon.
Inside the menu, you'll see a screen schedule and a list of apps, and in the upper right corner of the screen, there's three dots or a gear, which is the input to the additional settings, and that's where the switch is, which is responsible for activating the entire system.
☑️ Pre-switch check
Once you've entered the settings, click on the Digital Well-being button again to open the service management window, and then you'll find the Use Digital Well-Being switch and put it inactive, and the system will alert you that the statistics will stop collecting and the timers will stop working.
If the standard path doesn't work or menu items are hidden by the manufacturer, try searching by settings. Type the phrase "wellbeing" or "wellbeing" into the search box and the system will suggest the desired shortcut.
Managing timers and sleep patterns
Even if you don't want to shut down the system completely, it's often enough to remove specific constraints, Focus Time and Sleep Mode can lock the screen at inappropriate times, and these options are managed in the same menu, but require detailed adjustment.
App Timers shows you a list of programs that have limits on each application, and you can remove the restriction for each application separately by clicking on the hourglass icon and selecting Delete the timer, which allows you to use Instagram or TikTok as much as you want, leaving control over other programs.
The "Sleep Mode" is a special feature, which often turns on automatically on a schedule and turns the screen into black and white, as well as blocks notifications. To turn it off, go to the appropriate submenu and deactivate the "Sleep Mode" switch or change the schedule for off-hours.
| Function | What's he doing? | How to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Application timer | Block the application after the time has expired | Settings → Timers → Delete |
| Time in focus | Leaves only selected applications | Settings → Time in focus → Off |
| Sleep regimen | Includes nighttime and silence | Settings → Sleep mode → Schedule |
| Notifications | Shows warnings about limits | Settings → Notifications → Off |
It’s important to understand that some system limitations may come back after a firmware update, so it makes sense to check these settings after each major MIUI update.
Using Developer Mode to Hide Icons
If a standard shutdown doesn’t remove the Digital Well-being icon from the notification curtain or menu, you can use Developer Mode, a technique that hides visual elements of the system that are intrusive to the user.
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on the MIUI or HyperOS version. After the message "You became a developer" appears, go back to the main settings menu.
Find a new section called "Additional" or "Extended Settings" and then select "Developers"; in the long list of options, scroll down to "Network" or "Interface." We're interested in "Disable Digital Well-Being" or a similar wording that depends on the Android version.
What if there is no developer in the developer?
Activating this switch will force monitoring services to stop, but be careful: changing the settings in developer mode can affect other system functions, such as window animation or background processes.
After making changes, it is recommended to restart the device, which ensures that all services related to Digital Wellbeing will be restarted to the new settings.
Radical method: Disconnection through ADB
For advanced users who want to securely remove the digital well-being functionality, there is a method of disabling through USB debugging.This requires a computer and cable, but gives the cleanest result.
You will need to install Xiaomi and ADB drivers on your PC. Connect your phone in debugging mode (turns on in developer mode as described above). Open the command line on your computer and enter the command to connect:
adb devicesOnce you have confirmed your connection on your smartphone screen, use the command to disable the package.The digital well-being package is usually called com.android.wellbeing or com.miui.health depending on the regional version of the firmware.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.wellbeingThis command doesn't delete the application completely, but it does inactive for the current user. The system will think the application is deleted and stop running its processes. To get it back, use the command adb shell pm enable com.android.wwellbeing.
⚠️ Be careful when putting commands into ADB. A bug in the packet name can lead to unstable system operation or cyclical reboot.
Problems with parental control of Google Family Link
Users often confuse Xiaomi’s built-in digital well-being with the restrictions set through a Google Family Link account. If a child profile is activated on a device or the device is managed by another account, standard disconnection methods will not work.
In this case, the timers and locks are set remotely from the parent’s device, and to remove the restrictions, you either need to log in to the parent’s account and disable control in the Family Link app, or delete the child’s account from the device.
Trying to bypass Family Link by resetting or shutting down the Internet usually only has a temporary effect, and once the phone is connected to the network, the restrictions will be applied again, and the only legal way is to negotiate with the account manager.
- 👨👦 Family Group: Check if your account is in a Google Family Group.
- 📱 Child's device: If the phone is registered as a child's phone, a complete disconnection is possible only through the parent's password.
- 🔒 Blocking Settings: With an active Family Link, the digital well-being menu may not be available for changes.
If you bought a used phone and found someone else’s parental control on it, the best solution would be a complete reset to the factory settings (Hard Reset) before starting use to clear the device from other people’s accounts.
Possible consequences and alternatives
After you completely shut down Digital Wellbeing, you may notice that some of the features tied to statistics have stopped working, like the Screen Time widget on your desktop showing zeros or not updating, which is normal behavior.
Some users prefer not to turn off the feature entirely, but to use third-party time-control apps that give more flexibility. Apps like Forest or StayFree allow gamify to abandon the phone without locking the system down.
💡
If you have disabled Digital Wellbeing but battery discharge notifications remain, check your battery optimization settings for specific applications. Often, the MIUI system itself limits the background work.
It’s also worth remembering that in new versions of HyperOS, some elements of digital well-being are integrated deeper into the security system, and their complete removal may require superuser rights (Root), which is not recommended for ordinary users because of the risk of losing warranty.
In the end, the choice is yours: live on the schedule that Xiaomi offers, or take control of the gadget in your own hands. For most adult users, completely disabling these functions is the most comfortable scenario for using a smartphone.