Xiaomi Activities: What is this process and how to set it up

Smartphone and tablet owners from the Chinese giant often face unexplained activity in the list of running processes. In task manager or debugging on USB, you can see a strange process called com.miui.contentcatcher or simply Activities Xiaomi. To the average user, it looks like a hidden threat or a virus that is not clear why it consumes the resources of the device. However, in fact, it is a legitimate system component of the shell of MIUI and HyperOS.

The main function of this process is to collect statistics on app usage and provide recommendations. It is thanks to Xiaomi Activities that tips, ads and suggestions to install new games appear in the Tools folder or in the Recent menu. The system analyzes which programs you open most often, and from this data forms personalized results, a key element of the ecosystem that many users consider intrusive.

There is a common misconception that removing or disabling this component will lead to unstable smartphone performance. In practice, disabling Xiaomi Activities is often the only way to get rid of aggressive advertising in standard interfaces. In this article, we will discuss in detail whether to touch this process, what risks exist and how to properly deactivate it without obtaining root rights.

Technical purpose of the com.miui.contentcatcher process

The official name com.miui.contentcatcher is a powerful analytics engine that not only collects data, but also actively interacts with system services such as MIUI Daemon and msa (MIUI System Ads), which is designed to track user behavior within the operating system, which includes application launch rates, screen usage times, and even geolocation tags to target content.

Unlike standard Android services, which run in the background to maintain communication or sync, Activities Xiaomi has greater access to user data. It scans installed packages and can initiate the launch of advertising modules. It is this process that is responsible for the appearance of banners in standard Explorer, Security application and even in settings.

⚠️ Note: The com.miui.contentcatcher process is closely linked to system libraries. Attempting to completely remove it (not just disable it) through system files can result in a cyclical device reboot (bootloop).

It’s important to understand that in the latest versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14, the functionality of this component has been expanded. Now it is also responsible for working on desktop widgets and smart scenarios. If you actively use weather, news or sports widgets, disabling Xiaomi Activities can cause these widgets to stop updating or display an error.

Why Xiaomi’s Activities are wasting battery and memory

Many users notice that after another firmware update, the smartphone starts to run out faster, and an unknown process leads the way in power consumption statistics. Often, Activities Xiaomi is the culprit, because data collection algorithms work constantly, requiring access to the Internet and CPU time to analyze actions in real time.

The load is particularly severe on devices with little RAM. When com.miui.contentcatcher starts scanning installed applications to form recommendations, it can cause interface friezes, and the system forcibly unloads background tasks to free up resources for the analytics module, which negatively affects multitasking.

There are several factors that increase the negative impact:

• 🔄 Version Conflict: After Updating MIUI Old configuration files may conflict with new analytics module.

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If you notice a battery discharge, try clearing the Analytics and Xiaomi Activities cache through the Apps menu → All Apps → Show System. Often this solves the problem without complicated debugging.

It's worth noting that at night, when the phone is idle, this process can be activated to synchronize the statistics collected during the day with Xiaomi servers, at which point the device can heat up even if the screen is turned off, turning off this feature will not only speed up work, but also prolong the battery life.

Data security: whether to trust the collection of statistics

The privacy issue is becoming increasingly urgent. Xiaomi’s Activities process collects a vast array of data, including the list of installed applications, their usage history and frequency of interactions. Although the company claims that the data is anonymized and used only to improve the service, the fact of transferring information to external servers remains.

For users working with sensitive information or using corporate devices, the presence of such a “spyware” module may not be acceptable (MDM-policy) often requires the complete absence of third-party telemetry, in such cases, disabling com.miui.contentcatcher is a mandatory step to ensure information security.

By disabling this service, you not only increase privacy, but also reduce the risk that your habits will become a commodity for advertisers. However, it is worth remembering that some personalization features, such as smart gallery photo sorting or Xiao AI voice assistant, can work less correctly without access to contextual usage data.

How to disable Xiaomi Activities through Settings (Without Root)

The easiest and safest way to limit the process is to use built-in system tools. You don't need a computer or complex ADB commands. You just need to go through multiple menu items consistently to minimize data collection and advertising. This method is suitable for all models, from the Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 13/14.

First of all, you need to turn off ad personalization. To do this, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data. Here you need to find the item associated with msa (MIUI System Ads) and turn it off. The system will ask you several times and wait 10 seconds before turning it off, which is a security mechanism that you just need to wait.

The following should limit the process of Xiaomi Activities:

1. Open Settings and select Applications.
2. Click on the menu button (three dots) and select Show all apps.
3. In the list, look for Analytics or Xiaomi Activities.
4. Go to Data Use and disable Wi-Fi and mobile network access.
5. Go back and click Clean → Clear the cache and Clean everything.

After that, it will be unable to transmit data to the servers, but it may continue to work locally, and a deeper approach will be required to stop completely, but for most users, blocking network access is the best solution to keep the system stable.

⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to press the Remove button in the system settings if it is active. MIUI. Use only access restriction and data cleanup.

Complete removal via ADB: instructions for advanced

For those who want to (radically) solve the problem, there is a method of removing the system package through USB debugging.This method requires a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux) and an installed ADB driver. It allows you to delete com.miui.contentcatcher for the current user, which effectively disables it forever, even after resetting the settings.

Before starting the procedure, activate the developer mode. Tap 7 times in a row on the MIUI version in the About Phone section. Then in the Additional → For developers menu, turn on USB Debugging. Connect the smartphone to the PC with a cable and allow access on the device screen.

Execute the following commands in the terminal or command line:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.contentcatcher


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global




adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics

These commands will remove the analytics package, the system ads, and the Activities module itself. The phone can reboot. Once turned on, you'll notice that the interface has become cleaner and the ads in the standard apps have disappeared.

Possible problems and solutions

After disabling or removing Xiaomi Activities, users may experience a number of side effects, most often due to widgets and system notifications being disrupted, such as the Horizon widget or widget tape (to the left of the desktop) may stop displaying news or displaying network error.

Another common problem is that automatic scripts stop working, and if you set your alarm clock to automatically turn off when your alarm goes off or if you start music over Bluetooth, these scenarios may stop working, as the analytics module often triggers such events.

List of possible symptoms:

• 🚫 Errors in GetApps: The App Store may not open or load pages.
• 📉 Disruptions in the topic: Some topics may not apply fully.
• 📢 Lack of notifications: In rare cases, push notifications from system services may disappear.

If you encounter a critical error, the best solution is to restore the remote package using the cmd package install-existing com.miui.contentcatcher command via ADB. This will return the process to a factory-like state, but without losing user data.

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Removing system components through ADB is an irreversible action without completely resetting. Be prepared for what Wipe Data will have to do to get back to you.

Conclusion and final recommendations

Xiaomi’s Activities process is an integral but often annoying part of the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem. It provides smart features, but the price is privacy and battery resources. For most users, the best solution is not to completely remove, but to correctly configure access rights and disable advertising personalization.

Use the method of blocking network activity for this process, if you are not sure about your actions with ADB. This will keep the system stable, getting rid of the main load on the battery. Remember that modern Xiaomi smartphones have enough power to ignore the background processes, but control over them should remain with the owner.

Check your list of running apps regularly and update your firmware. With new software versions, Xiaomi is gradually rolling out more privacy controls, allowing you to flexibly adjust the level of data collection without the need for third-party utilities.