How to completely block YouTube on Xiaomi Smart TV: a detailed guide

Xiaomi Mi TVs with Android TV or Google TV provide access to a huge amount of content, but sometimes this access needs to be limited, for example, if you want to protect children from unwanted videos, reduce the time of viewing ads or just get rid of distracting content. Blocking YouTube on smart TV is a feasible task, but requires knowledge of the nuances of firmware and features of the device.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to restrict or completely block access to YouTube on Xiaomi Mi TV 4/4A/4C/4S/5/5A, Mi TV Q1/Q2, Redmi Smart TV and other models. From standard parental controls to advanced methods through router or third-party settings. Importantly, some methods may require administrator permission or network settings change, so prepare the data to log into your router’s control panel in advance.

If you're looking for a way to temporarily hide an app or permanently remove it from the screen, there's a solution here, too, and for those who have experienced YouTube's automatic recovery after resetting, we've prepared a separate section explaining why and how to prevent it.

1. YouTube blocking through parental controls on Xiaomi TV

The most obvious and safe way is to use the built-in parental control feature, which is available on all Xiaomi TVs with MIUI TV or Google TV firmware (depending on the model), which does not require additional devices or programs, but has a limitation: the lock is only at the application level, not at the network level.

To activate parental control:

• 📺 Go to Settings. → Accounts and security → Parental control.
• 🔑 Set a PIN (remember or write it down!) This is a must-do step - without the code, you can't change the settings.
• 🔍 In the list of applications, find YouTube and select the option to Block or Restrict access.
• 🔄 Save the changes. Now, when you try to open YouTube, the system will ask for a PIN.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google TV (on new Xiaomi models TV Q2 2023+), The path to settings may be different: Profile → Settings → Family → Parental controls. Also note that some firmware versions allow you to reset your PIN through a reset, so this method is not suitable for full lock-out from tech-savvy users.

Write the PIN to a secure location | Check the firmware version (Settings → About TV) | Make sure YouTube doesn't update automatically | Turn off guest mode (if any)

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2.Removal of YouTube as a system application (ADB required)

If you don't like parental controls, you can go a radical way of removing YouTube as a system app, which is suitable for power users, because it requires you to connect to a TV through a network. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: The app will disappear from the system completely and it will not be able to restore without re-installation.

For this you will need:

• 🖥️ Computer with drivers installed ADB (You can download from the Google website).
• 🔌 USB-cable (to connect TV to PC) or access to a single Wi-Fi network.
• 📋 YouTube Package Identifier: com.google.android.youtube.tv (for TV-version) or com.google.android.youtube (for mobile version, if installed).

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode on your TV: Go to Settings → About TV. Find the Build Number string and click on it 7 times in a row until you become a developer!. Return to Settings → Additional → Developer Settings and turn on USB Debugging and Network Debugging.

Connect the TV to the PC on USB or via Wi-Fi (find out) IP-TV address in network settings).

adb connect [IP- address television]:5555

For example: adb connect 192.168.1.100:5555.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.youtube.tv

For mobile version: com.google.android.youtube.

⚠️ Attention: Removing system applications can cause the TV to function unstable, especially if YouTube is integrated into the launcher. TV 5 Pro) after updating the firmware, the application can recover automatically. To avoid this, disable the automatic update in Settings → Annexes → YouTube → Auto-update.

3. Block YouTube through router settings (by MAC or DNS)

If you want to block YouTube on all devices connected to your network (including smartphones and tablets), the easiest way to do this is through a router, which is independent of the TV firmware and works even after resetting.

There are two main ways:

• 🌐 Lock-in DNS — Redirecting YouTube requests to an “empty” server.
• 🔗 Lock-in MAC-address – limiting access to a particular device (TV).

Instructions for blocking by DNS (on the example of the Xiaomi Mi Router router):

1. Open the router control panel (usually at 192.168.31.1 or miwifi.com).
2. Go to the Additional settings → Network → DNS.
3. In the field Main DNS enter: 176.103.130.130 (this is: DNS from AdGuard>, blocking advertising and part of the sites).
4. In the Alternative DNS field, type 176.103.130.131.
5. Save the settings and restart the router.

To lock down MAC-address:

1. Find out. MAC-TV address in Settings → Network → State of the network.
2. In the router panel, go to Access Control → Blacklist.
3. Add in. MAC-TV address and specify the blocking rule for domains youtube.com, googlevideo.com.

Parental Control | Delete via ADB| Blocking on the router | Another option

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4.Use of third-party applications to block

If built-in methods don't work, you can use third-party apps that offer advanced control features, such as AppBlock or StayFocusd (available on Google Play for Android TV).

• ⏰ Set time limits on the use of YouTube.
• 🔒 Block the application on schedule (for example, during school hours).
• 📊 Keep statistics of viewing time.

How to install and configure AppBlock:

1. Download the app via Google Play on your TV (if it’s not available, use it). APK-File and installation through File Manager).
2. Open AppBlock and create a new profile with a PIN code.
3. In the list of applications, select YouTube and set limits: 🕒 Time-bound blocking (for example, from 20:00 to 8:00). 📅 Blocking by week (only on weekends).

Activate protection so that changes cannot be reversed without a PIN.

⚠️ Note: Some blocking apps may conflict with Xiaomi firmware TV, Especially if they require administrator permission, check user reviews of your TV model before installing it, and note that once the firmware update is updated, the app may fly off and you'll have to reconfigure it.

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5. Resetting the TV to factory settings (last resort)

If all previous methods failed or you want to completely clean the TV of unnecessary applications, you can perform a factory reset, which is a radical method, since it will delete all data, including installed apps, accounts and personal settings. YouTube will return to its original state (it will be available, but not updated).

How to reset:

1. Go to Settings → Device → Reset and Reset → Reset settings.
2. Choose Delete Everything (some models may require you to enter a PIN from your Xiaomi or Google account).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

After discharge:

• 🔄 YouTube will be in its original state (you can delete it immediately through the ADB or block through parental control).
• 🔧 All network, sound and image settings will reset — they will have to be reconfigured.
• 📥 When you first connect to the Internet, the TV can automatically start updating firmware and restoring applications.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models TV Google TV (Like Mi. TV Q2 2023) the reset may not delete YouTube completely, as it is part of the system launcher.In this case, after the reset, immediately apply one of the blocking methods from the previous sections.

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6 Why YouTube is back after being blocked and how to prevent it

Many users have a problem: once you delete or block YouTube, the app will come back after a while.

• 🔄 Automatic update (the system restores remote system applications).
• 📥 Background sync with Google account (if the TV is linked to a profile).
• 🛠️ Firmware updates (new versions) MIUI TV Can restore standard applications).

How to prevent YouTube from recovering:

1. Turn off automatic updates for YouTube: Go to Settings → Apps → YouTube → Auto Update. Select Not to Update automatically.
2. Delete your Google account from your TV (if it is not needed for other services): In Settings → Accounts, find your Google profile and delete it.
3. Turn off background sync: In Settings → Accounts & Security → Sync turn off the option for Google.

router-level lock

If YouTube is coming back anyway, try a combination of methods: for example, delete an app through ADB and simultaneously block its domains through the DNS on the router, which will create double protection.

7.Alternative ways: limiting content without blocking it completely

If your goal is not to block YouTube completely, but to restrict access to certain content (for example, for children), you can use the built-in features of the application or third-party services:

• 👶 Children's YouTube profile: Enable YouTube Kids mode through your Google account settings, which will limit the video to children's content only.
• 🕒 View timer: You can set a time reminder in YouTube settings (e.g., “Stop after 1 hour").
• 🚫 Keyword Blocking: Some routers (like Keenetic) allow you to block queries with specific words (like “minecrt”, “roblo").

How to turn YouTube Kids on Xiaomi TV:

1. Open the YouTube app and log in to your Google account.
2. Go to Profile. → Settings → General.
3. Select Enable Limited Mode and set the age filter.
4. Save the settings. YouTube will now only display content that is appropriate for the selected age group.

⚠️ Attention: YouTube's restricted mode does not block ads or guarantee 100% content filtering. Combine it with other methods for reliability, such as time-blocking via AppBlock.

FAQ: Frequent questions about blocking YouTube on Xiaomi TV