How to completely disable auto-update on Xiaomi Poco M3: a step-by-step guide

Automatic updates on the Xiaomi Poco M3 can be a real headache: unexpected reboots, wasting mobile traffic and even the risk of “bricking” the device if the firmware fails. This is especially true for owners of Poco M3 with custom firmware or root rights, where MIUI updates can break functionality. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable auto-update – from standard settings to hidden commands via ADB.

It's important to understand that the manufacturer deliberately complicates the process of disabling updates to keep devices safe. However, users have good reasons for this: saving traffic, stability or wanting to stay on a proven version of MIUI. We tested all methods on the Poco M3 with firmware from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14 - ensure that each method works.

Why auto-updates on the Poco M3 can be dangerous

At first glance, automatic updates seem like a handy feature: the phone always gets the latest security patches and new features. M3 face a number of challenges:

• 🔄 Unpredictable reboots at the most inopportune moment (during a call, game, or video shoot)
• 📉 Performance drop after updates due to unoptimized software for budget hardware
• 🔧 Conflicts with custom firmware (TWRP, Magisk, Xposed)
• 💸 Hidden traffic consumption – updates can eat up to 1-2 GB per month

This is especially critical for devices with 3/32 GB or 4/64 GB modifications, where each megabyte counts. For example, the update MIUI 13 → MIUI 14 on the Poco M3 weighs about 2.3 GB, which is 7% of the total memory on the base version of the smartphone.

Method 1: Disconnect via standard MIUI settings

The simplest method, which works on all versions of MIUI 12 to 14, is suitable for users who do not want to go into technical details:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode (if not already activated)
3. Return to the main settings menu and select Settings → System Update
4. Click on the icon. ⚙️ top-right
5. Turn off the switch Automatic booting via mobile network
6. Also turn off Automatic Update Installation (if the item is available)

⚠️ Note: Some firmware may not have Auto Installation, in which case the system will download updates in the background, but not install them without your confirmation. To block the download completely, proceed to the following methods.

Make a backup copy of important data

Check the MIUI version in the settings

Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network

Charge your phone at least 50%

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Method 2: Blocking through the developer settings

For advanced users who are willing to work with advanced system settings, this method disables background processes associated with updates:

1. Activate Developer Mode (if not already done) via Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 taps)
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For Developers
3. Find the Background Check Updates and turn it off
4. Scroll down and turn off Auto Update (if any)
5. In the Applications section, find Do Not Save Actions and add com.android.updater (Update Manager)

Critical detail: On some Poco M3 firmware, the Background Update Check may be called the Background Update Check — don’t worry, it’s the same thing. Once you turn off these settings, the system will stop checking for updates even manually through the System Update menu.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for advanced)

If standard methods fail, you can block updates via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a computer and minimal command line knowledge:

1. Install ADB Tools on PC
2. Turn on the phone debugging over USB in the developer settings
3. Connect Poco M3 to your computer and confirm your trust in the device
4. Open the command line in the ADB folder and do:

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


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

These commands are completely shutting down:

• 🔄 Update Manager (com.android.updater)
• 📊 System analytical services (com.miui.analytics)
• 🛡️ Advertising and diagnostic modules (com.miui.systemAdSolution)

⚠️ Note: After these commands are executed, the System Update points in the settings may disappear or stop opening. To return everything back, use the commands with enable instead of disable.

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If after disconnecting through ADB, the phone began to issue errors when checking for updates, try clearing the cache of the System Update application through Settings → Applications → Application Management.

Method 4: Remove the updater via TWRP (for rooted devices)

For users with an unlocked bootloader and a TWRP installed, there is a radical method — the physical deletion of files responsible for updates. This method is irreversible! Before you run, make sure to backup through TWRP.

1. Download to TWRP Recovery (press Power + Vol Up when enabled)
2. Go to Advanced → File Manager
3. Delete the following folders: /system/priv-app/Updater/ /system/app/Updater/ /data/data/com.android.updater/

Reset the device

After this procedure:

• ✅ The "System Update" item will disappear from the settings
• ✅ Background checks for updates will stop completely
• ❌ You can't install it. OTA-Update without manual file recovery

Method 5: Blocking through a host file (without root)

For those who don’t want to get root rights, but are willing to mess with network settings a little, we will block access to Xiaomi update servers through a modification of the hosts file:

1. Install any hosts editing app (like Hosts Editor from Play Market)
2. Open the app and add the following lines at the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 update.miui.com 127.0.0.1 api.account.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 ota.miui.com
3. Save the changes and restart the phone

This method works on the principle of "deception" of the system: when the phone tries to communicate with the update servers, the request is redirected to the local address (127.0.0.1) and nothing happens.

• 🔒 Doesn't require root rights.
• 🔄 Easy to cancel (remove lines from hosts)
• 📱 It does not affect productivity.

⚠️ Note: Some antiviruses may recognize modifications to a hosts file as suspicious activity. If you use Mi Security or other protected shells, temporarily disable them before editing.

What to do if the update has already been downloaded

Sometimes users find that the update has already been downloaded in the background and takes up space in memory.

1. Go to Settings → Storage
2. Click Clean in the upper right corner
3. In the search box, enter update
4. Delete all files found with a.zip extension >500MB
5. Also check the /sdcard/Download/rom/ folder through any file manager.

If the update file is not deleted in the standard way:

• 🔧 Use Root Explorer (requires root rights)
• 📁 Connect your phone to your PC and delete it through ADB Shell: adb shell rm /sdcard/Download/rom/*.zip

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Even after removing the downloaded update, the system may try to download it again.To prevent this, combine this method with any of the ways to disable auto updates described above.

FAQ: Frequent questions about auto updates on the Poco M3