Many Xiaomi smartphone owners, when they look at a list of installed programs or analyze battery consumption, notice a system process called Zen, which is often puzzling: who installed this application, why it is needed, and whether it is not a virus or a hidden miner. In fact, Zen is a legitimate service from Yandex, which is deeply integrated into the shell of MIUI and HyperOS to provide personalized content.
The system uses this component to create a news feed that is displayed on the desktop when swiping to the right, as well as in widgets and some system interfaces. Understanding the functionality of this module is critical for users who care about data privacy and optimizing their device's power consumption. In this article, we will discuss in detail the technical side of the service, its impact on smartphone performance and provide instructions for full deactivation.
Technical nature and purpose of the service
The Zen app on Xiaomi devices is not just a news aggregator, but a complex background service that collects, analyzes and displays content. It works in conjunction with the MIUI shell system libraries, accessing a list of installed applications, browser browsing history and geolocation to generate relevant results, which allows algorithms to suggest articles, videos and posts that theoretically should interest a particular user.
It is important to distinguish between the Yandex user app and the Zen system component. The first is a full-fledged super app with maps, taxis and a marketplace that you install yourself. The second is a system package, often hidden from normal removal, and serves solely to deliver content to system widgets, dictated by a partnership agreement between Xiaomi and Yandex, which is standard practice for Chinese manufacturers entering the global market.
The main task of this module is to ensure that the so-called "Infinite Slider" or recommendation tape works, and this service loads the previews of articles, caches the video stream and tracks your interactions (likes, reading time), without an active Zen process, the corresponding widgets on the desktop will cease to update or will display a connection error.
⚠️ Note: The Zen system component may have different names in the Application Manager, such as com.android.browser.feed or com.mi.android.globalminusscreen, depending on the firmware version and region.
Impact on productivity and battery
The impact of Yandex’s background services on the autonomy of Xiaomi’s smartphone remains a hot topic. Because Zen algorithms constantly analyze user behavior and load media content, they put a constant strain on the processor and communication module, especially in mid- and low-end models where RAM resources are limited.
While the news feed may be used to make a lot of sense, the service also consumes energy in the background, periodically sending requests to the server to update the feed, even if you haven't opened it for several hours. On modern devices with Snapdragon 8 Series processors, this effect is minimal, but on older models with a battery capacity of up to 4000 mAh, it can reduce the time of operation by 5-10% per day.
In addition to power consumption, you should consider the use of traffic. Zen tape is rich in graphic content and autoplayable videos. If you have a charging mobile Internet, the background load of "heavy" previews can imperceptibly consume a packet of data. The system tries to optimize this process by connecting only to Wi-Fi to download videos, but pictures can also be loaded over the mobile network.
Where the application is located in the system
Finding Zen in the standard app menu is difficult, because it often doesn't have an icon on the desktop. To locate it, you need to go to your smartphone settings. The path usually looks like: Settings → Apps → All apps. The list should look for Zen, Yandex, or system packages with Feed or Recommendations.
In some versions of the firmware, access to the management of this component is hidden deeper, and you can find it through a search in the settings by typing in a query for "Zen" or "Recommendations." If the search does not yield results, it is possible that your device has a global version of the firmware without preinstalled Yandex services, or the component is integrated into the system browser Mi Browser.
For advanced users using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), the name of the package can be found through the command line, this is necessary for point removal or freezing of the service.
adb shell pm list packages | grep zenKnowing the exact name of the package is necessary, since it is often impossible to remove this component by standard system means - the "Delete" button will be inactive, only the "Stop" or "Disable" option is available.
Instructions for disconnection and removal
If you think you don't need a service, you can turn it off, and that stops the background, data collection, and battery consumption, and the safest method is to use the Android settings, go to the application management menu, find Zen, and hit the Disconnect button, and then the system stops starting when the device starts.
For more radical removal, which cannot be done through the interface, you will need a computer and the utility ADB. This method allows you to remove the system application without superuser rights (Root). Before starting the procedure, make sure that the smartphone is debugging over USB in the menu "For developers".
☑️ Checklist before removing system components
Once you connect your smartphone to your PC, follow the command to delete the packet. Be extremely careful to remove only those components that you are 100% sure of their purpose.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mi.android.globalminusscreen⚠️ Note: Removal of critical system components through ADB This can cause unstable shell operation or cyclic reboot. Do this only if you understand the risks.
Setup of the recommendation tape
For those who don’t want to completely remove the service, but want to minimize its impact, flexible customization is available: You can limit the types of content displayed, disable the video player or reset your interest history, which will leave the functionality of the widgets, but will make the tape less intrusive and more relevant.
To set up the feed, swipe it to the right on your desktop. At the top of the screen, find a gear icon or a three-dot menu. You can turn off certain news categories, disable autoplay of videos, and clear your browsing history. You can also check the personalization settings in the Yandex app itself, if installed.
You can completely disable the left widget (Minus First Screen), where Zen most often lives. To do this, you need to pinch the empty space on the desktop, select Settings and find the switch Minus First Screen or Google Discover / Yandex Ribbon. Translating the toggle to the "Off" position will remove the page entirely.
Hidden settings through ADB
Comparison with analogues and alternatives
Xiaomi’s Zen service competes with other aggregators like Google Discover, Samsung Free, or Huami Insights, each with its own integration and matching algorithms. If you use the Google ecosystem, you may be more comfortable using native Google Discover, which is already built into Android and better syncs with Gmail and calendar.
Below is a table comparing the key characteristics of different news feeds preinstalled on modern smartphones:
| Characteristics | Yandex Zen | Google Discover | Samsung Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source of content | Runet, blogs, media | Global media, blogs | Partner media, games |
| Integration | Deep in MIUI | Native in Android | One UI. |
| Language of content | Mostly Russian | Depends on the language of the system. | Multilingual |
| Impact on the battery | Medium/High | Optimized | Low. |
Choosing between these services is a matter of taste. However, if you don’t use Yandex’s services (Taxi, Food, Market), then the news feed from the same developer may be less interesting to you than global trends from Google. In any case, having many active feeds at the same time makes no sense and only consumes resources.
Security and confidentiality concerns
Using any news aggregator means collecting data about user preferences. Zen analyzes your clicks, reading times and topics to improve your results. For some, it's convenient personalization, for others, invasion of personal space. It's important to understand what permissions you give an app when you first install or update.
The service can request geolocation access to show local news, microphone access (for voice search, if integrated), and access to an app list. Regularly check these permissions in the Settings menu → Apps → Zen → Permissions. Disabling unnecessary access (such as contacts or SMS) will increase the security of your data.
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Use Incognito mode in your browser or specialized launchers if you want to completely eliminate tracking your interests with news widgets.
In conclusion, Zen on Xiaomi is not a virus, but a regular shell element, which is conditioned by licensing agreements, and its removal is safe for the phone to work, but can deprive you of a convenient news widget, and the decision to disable it should be based on your personal preferences regarding privacy and the need for news flow.
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Disabling Zen will not affect the operation of the basic functions of the smartphone (calls, messages, camera), but will free up RAM and reduce battery consumption.