Xiaomi has replaced Mi Cloud with Google Photos: how to completely disable backup

Since 2023, Xiaomi has been massively redirecting users from its own Mi Cloud service to Google Photos, ostensibly to “improve the experience.” In practice, this means that your photos, videos and contacts automatically sync to your Google account, even if you never consented to it. MIUI It gets more complicated with each new version of the firmware.

Compounding the problem, Xiaomi doesn’t give users the choice of either agreeing to transfer data to Google Photos or losing access to backups altogether, and many face unexpected traffic costs, Google cloud storage overflows, and even personal data leaks due to the changed privacy rules. In this article, we’ll look at how to completely disable forced backups, take back control of their files, and what to do if settings are blocked.

Why Xiaomi has replaced Mi Cloud with Google Photos: official and real reasons

In official statements, Xiaomi has motivated the move to Google Photos by “optimizing services” and “integrate with the Android ecosystem.”

• 💰 Savings on infrastructure: The Mi Cloud’s own cloud required significant server and support costs, while Google is taking over the costs.
• 📱 Google pressure: Google has been tightening requirements for Android device manufacturers since 2022, requiring them to use standard services (including Google Photos) for pre-installing.
• 🔒 Data collection: Google accesses metadata from your photos/video (geolocation, time of shooting), which is beneficial for targeted advertising.
• 🌍 Globalization: Mi Cloud was under-recognized in Europe and the US, and Google Photos is the de facto standard.

It’s important to understand that replacing is not an improvement, for example, Google Photos defaults to compress all downloadable media files (unless you have a Google One subscription), while Mi Cloud has maintained its original quality, and Xiaomi’s Chinese is subject to local data retention laws and Google’s to American ones, which can create risks for users from heavily regulated countries (e.g. Russia, China, Iran).

What is dangerous about automatic backup in Google Photos

At first glance, automatic synchronization seems convenient: photos are saved in the cloud, they can be restored if you lose your phone, but there are hidden risks that Xiaomi and Google are silent about:

This is especially important for users who:

• 📸 They're making a lot of videos in 4K — These files take up gigabytes of space.
• 🌐 Travel with roaming – background synchronization can ruin traffic.
• 🔐 Works with sensitive data (e.g. document photos).

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with firmware for the Chinese market (China) ROM), If you're linked to Google Photos, you can disrupt local services like WeChat or Alipay, and then you have to turn off your backup.

How to disable backup in Google Photos: step-by-step instructions

The process of disconnection depends on the version MIUI Here is a universal algorithm that works on most devices (Redmi Note). 10/11/12, Xiaomi 12/13/14, POCO F4/5 etc.).

Method 1: Through Google Photo Settings

1. Open the Google Photos app (the multicolored fan icon).
2. Slip on your profile (avatar in the upper right corner) → Photo settings.
3. Select Backup and Synchronization.
4. Move the slider to the position of Rekl. (gray).
5. Confirm the action by pressing OK in the pop-up window.

Method 2: Through Xiaomi account settings

If the first method did not work (for example, the slider is blocked), try to turn off synchronization through system settings:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select your Google account (usually displayed as yourname)@gmail.com).
3. Tap the account sync.
4. Find the Google Photos item and turn off the slider.
5. For reliability, also disable Contacts and Drive if they have been activated.

Method 3: For advanced users (via ADB)

If Xiaomi has blocked the backup at the firmware level (relevant to the MIUI 14+), can be used ADB. This method requires connecting the phone to the PC:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.photos


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.photos

⚠️ Warning: Delete Google Photos via ADB It may disrupt other Google services (such as Google Drive or Gmail) and create a full backup through Settings before you execute commands. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

💡

If photos continue to sync after disabling backup, check the settings of the Gallery app. MIUI There is a separate item Cloud sync, which duplicates the function of Google Photos.

What to do if the settings are blocked or missing

On some devices (especially with the MIUI Global or EEA) Xiaomi hides options to disable backups.Here are alternative solutions:

• 🔄 Resetting the app settings Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Google Photo → Storage and click Clear Data + Reset. That will remove all sync settings.
• 📱 Create a new Google account without linking to Google Photos and use it as your main account on your phone.
• 🛠️ LineageOS or Pixel Experience firmware does not have forced synchronization with Google Photos.
• 🚫 Firewall blocking applications like NetGuard or AFWall+ Google Photos can be blocked from accessing the Internet.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI China ROM (For example, Xiaomi 13 Pro for the Chinese market, disabling Google Photos can lead to errors in the work of Google Play Services. In this case, it is recommended to use alternative galleries (for example, Simple Gallery or Aves) that are not integrated with cloud services.

How to return data from Google Photos back to your device

If you want to completely abandon Google Photos and transfer all media back to your phone or Mi Cloud, follow this instruction:

1. Open Google Photos on your phone or through your browser (photos.google.com).
2. Select the files you want to download (or click Ctrl)+A on PC to select all).
3. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Download.
4. Wait until the files are uploaded to the Download folder (on your phone) or the.zip archive (on your PC).
5. Transfer the downloaded files to Mi Cloud (if necessary) or leave them in local memory.

To speed up the process, you can use Google Takeout, a service for mass data export:

1. Go to takeout.google.com.
2. Uncheck all boxes except Google Photos.
3. Choose the archive format (.zip or.tgz) and the maximum size (up to 50 GB).
4. Click Create Export and wait for the email with the link to download.

⚠️ Important: After downloading files manually delete them from Google Photos to free up space in the cloud:

1. In Google Photos, highlight all files → three-point → Move it to the basket.
2. Go to the basket. → Clean the basket.

💡

Even after disabling backup, Google Photos can store your data for up to 60 days.To delete it completely, use Google's My Activity tool.

Alternatives to Google Photos for Xiaomi users

If you don’t want to use either Google Photos or Mi Cloud, consider these alternative backup services:

For maximum confidentiality, we recommend:

• 🔐 Local Storage: Use a microSD card (e.g., 512GB SanDisk Extreme) and transfer files manually.
• 💾 Outside SSD: plug the drive into the USB-C (for example, Samsung T7 Shield) and make backups through MIUI File Manager.
• 🌐 Encrypted Cloud: Services like Proton Drive or Tresorit encrypt data according to the standard AES-256.

If you choose local storage, don’t forget the rule. 3-2-1:

• 3 copies of the data (original) + 2 backups).
• 2 different types of media (e.g. telephone) + SSD).
• 1 copy outside the home (cloud or bank box).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you turn off backup, users often face typical problems, and here's how to prevent them:

• 🔄 «Photos continue to sync after disconnection Reason: MIUI Dual sync can be activated (via Google Photos and Mi Cloud simultaneously). Solution: Disable both options in Settings → Accounts and synchronization.
• 📵 «I can't log in to Google Photos after resetting" Reason: On devices with MIUI 14+ After reset, you may need to re-authorize to Google.Solution: Delete your Google account in the settings and add it again.
• 🚫 «Backup Disable Button is Inactive Reason: Xiaomi is blocking the change of settings on some firmware (EEA ROM). Solution: Use ADB (See Method 3) or install the Magisk module DisableForceEncrypt.
• 📥 «Downloaded photos from Google Photos do not open" Reason: Files may have been uploaded in compressed format (.webp instead of.jpg).Solution: Use a converter (e.g. WebP to). JPEG) Download the originals through Google Takeout.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI For example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G) If you turn off Google Photos, you may lose access to the Google Play Store. To avoid this, add a second Google account before you turn off and make it your primary account.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions