How to permanently or temporarily disable the pedometer on Xiaomi: a detailed guide

A stepmer on Xiaomi devices is a useful feature for those who monitor activity, but not all users need it.Some want to save battery power, some are annoyed by constant notifications about a “slow lifestyle”, and some simply do not use a fitness tracker for their intended purpose. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn off the pedometer, from temporary suspension to complete removal of system components.

It's important to understand that step counting works differently on Xiaomi smartphones (via MIUI or Google Fit) and on fitness bracelets in the Mi Band series. We'll look at both options, and we'll also explain how to turn off cloud data synchronization and stop sensor background activity. If you're looking for a way to get rid of intrusive alerts or just optimize the device, this is the guide for you.

Why the pedometer can interfere: 4 reasons to disconnect

Before we get to the instructions, let’s look at where users decide to deactivate the feature.

• 🔋 Battery consumption: Motion sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope) consume energy even in the background. On low-end Redmi models, this can reduce battery life by 5-15%.
• 📱 False positives: Step-counting algorithms are not perfect: they can record traffic, table vibrations, or even washing machine performance as “meters traveled".
• 🚫 Intrusive notifications. MIUI The Zepp Life app (formerly Mi Fit) regularly sends reminders about activity goals, which annoys many users.
• 🔒 Privacy: Location and activity data synced to Xiaomi's cloud. If you don't want the company to track your movements, you'd better turn it off.

In addition, the pedometer can conflict with other fitness apps (like S Health or Apple Health) by duplicating data or resetting statistics. If you use an alternative tracker, it makes sense to deactivate the one built into Xiaomi.

Method 1: Disabling the pedometer in the MIUI settings (for smartphones)

If you want to stop counting steps directly on your smartphone (Redmi, POCO, Xiaomi 11/12/13, etc.), the easiest way is to deactivate the function in system settings. This method does not require superuser rights (root) and works on all versions of MIUI 12-14.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. In the search bar, enter Step Counter (or Step Counter in English firmware).
4. Select the Shagomer app (the icon with the man and the graphic).
5. Click Disable (or Remove Updates if the button is inactive).
6. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After that, the system application will be deactivated and the steps will stop counting, but keep in mind that this method does not remove the motion sensor itself, it just stops processing data. If you use the Mi Band fitness bracelet, the steps will still be fixed on it, but will not sync with the smartphone.

Method 2: Delete Google Fit (for users of Google services)

Many Xiaomi users are unaware that steps can be counted not only through MIUI, but also through Google Fit, the standard activity tracking app from Google.If you are not using the Google ecosystem (for example, prefer Mi Account), this service can be completely removed.

How to do this:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Enter Google Fit Search.
• 🗑️ Click Remove (if the button is inactive, select Remove Updates first, then try again).
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone to make changes take effect.

If the delete button is not available (this happens on some firmware), you can turn off autostart and background activity:

1. In Google Fit settings, select Battery → Background activity.
2. Turn off Autostart and Background Activity switches.
3. Go back and click Notifications, then deactivate all alerts.

This is especially useful if you notice that the steps are duplicated in Zepp Life and Google Fit. After you turn off one of the services, the statistics will become more accurate.

Method 3: Disable pedometer on Mi Band (all generations)

If you use a fitness bracelet Mi Band 4/5/6/7 or Smart Band Pro, the pedometer works autonomously, regardless of your smartphone, and to turn off step counting, you need to change the settings directly in the Zepp Life app (formerly Mi Fit).

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Zepp Life app and connect to your bracelet.
2. Go to the Profile tab → Your device (model name Mi Band).
3. Select device settings → Notifications and reminders.
4. Find the Activity Goals or Inactivity Reminder and turn it off.
5. Return to the basic bracelet settings and select Screen → Displayed elements.
6. Uncheck the Steps (or Activity) to remove the display from the main screen.

Unfortunately, you can't completely disable the motion sensor on the Mi Band, because it's embedded in the firmware of the device.

• 📵 The bracelet will stop showing steps on the screen.
• 🔔 Notifications of activity objectives will cease.
• 📊 Data will not sync with the smartphone (but will continue to be recorded in the memory of the bracelet).

If you want to reset your step statistics completely, do it through the bracelet menu: Settings → Data Reset → Reset steps. After that, the counter will reset, but the count will resume automatically.

Method 4: Disconnect via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods do not help (for example, the “Disable” button is inactive), you can use ADB debugging. This method requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and executing commands through the terminal, but gives more options for setting up.

What you need:

• 💻 A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB Tools.
• 📱 Smartphone with enabled debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → For developers).
• 🔌 USB-plug-in.

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the command line (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
3. Follow the command to disable the pedometer: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.stepcounter For Google Fit, use: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.fitness
4. Reboot your smartphone.

To get it all back, replace the disable-user with enable in the commands above.

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Before execution ADB-commands to back up data through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset, which will help restore the system if something goes wrong.

Method 5: Removal of system applets (root required)

If you're willing to take drastic measures and have super-user rights, you can completely remove the system applets responsible for counting steps, a method that is suitable for power users, because the wrong actions can lead to unstable MIUI operation.

What files should be deleted:

How to delete:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Follow the paths and remove them. APK-files (pre-restore them!).
3. Clear the cache and data through Settings → Storage → Cleanup.
4. Reset the device.

💡

Removing system applets can disrupt other sensor-related functions (such as gestures or automatic screen rotation).

After that, the pedometer will be disabled at the system level, but remember: the next MIUI update, deleted files can be restored. To avoid this, use Magisk modules to block updates to system applications.

What to do if the pedometer itself turns on after the update

Many users have a problem: after updating the MIUI or firmware of the Mi Band bracelet, the pedometer starts working again, despite previous settings, this is because the system restores the standard settings. Here's how to avoid this:

• 🔄 You can roll back to the previous firmware version. For smartphones, you can do this through Fastboot or TWRP, for bracelets - through the utility Mi Band Tools.
• 🔒 Block updates for specific applications. Use a Magisk module called App Systemizer or Disabler for. MIUI.
• 📵 Turn off automatic sync. In Zepp Life, go to Profile. → Settings → Synchronize data and deactivate the option.
• 🛠️ Use alternative firmware. For example, Pixel Experience or LineageOS don't have a built-in pedometer from Xiaomi.

If you don’t want to opt out of official updates, the only reliable way is to check your settings regularly after each update and repeat the shutdown if necessary.

💡

Create a shortcut to quickly disable the pedometer: add the Settings Shortcuts widget to the home screen and select Stepmer. Now you can deactivate it in one click.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning off the pedometer on Xiaomi