Have you accidentally deleted an important app on Xiaomi and don’t know how to get it back? Or want to restore a program you haven’t used in a long time, but now you need it again? In this article, we’ll look at all possible ways to find and restore remote apps on Redmi, POCO and other devices with MIUI firmware.
Unlike iOS, where remote apps can be easily found in the App Store under Download, on Android (and especially Xiaomi with its customized shell), the recovery process is not always obvious. We will look at both standard methods through Google Play Market and MIUI Security, and advanced ones using APK archives, backups, and even manual search in system folders, and also find out whether it is possible to return the application if it was removed with the account.
Important: some methods only work if you have previously logged in to a Google account or enabled backup to MIUI. If you haven't, the chances of recovery are reduced, but not zero. Let's get this straight.
1.The easiest way: download history in Google Play Market
If you’ve removed an app but previously installed it through the official Google Play store, the quickest way to get it back is to look at your download history.This method works on all Xiaomi smartphones, regardless of model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11, etc.), since the story is tied to a Google account, not to firmware.
To find remote applications:
- 📱 Open Google Play Market on your smartphone.
- 👤 Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner.
- 📋 Select the option Application and Device Management.
- 🔍 Go to the Control tab. → Established → Not established.
Here you'll see a list of all the apps that you've ever installed but then deleted. To restore the program, just click on it and select Install. Note that if the application was removed from the device manually (not through the Play Market), it may not appear in this list.
⚠️ Warning: If you reset your smartphone to factory settings and haven't restored a Google backup, download history in the Play Market may be blank.
2. Application Archive in MIUI Security (for MIUI 12-14 firmware only)
Xiaomi’s MIUI firmware has a built-in remote application archiving feature, but it doesn’t work on all devices. If you have a smartphone with a MIUI 12, 13 or 14 (e.g., Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 11 Pro+), try this method:
Instructions:
- Open the Security app (the shield icon).
- Go to the Optimization section → Warehouse.
- Click on the Apps and scroll down to the Application Archive block.
- Here you'll see a list of remote programs. Click on what you want and select Restore.
This method only works if:
- 🔄 You did not clean the cache of the Security app after deleting it.
- 🗑️ No deep cleaning functions were used (e.g., Deep cleaning in the MIUI).
- ⏳ No more than 30 days have passed since the deletion (the archive is automatically cleaned after that).
Important: Some models (e.g. POCO F4) may not have an Application Archive section, depending on the MIUI version and regional firmware.
☑️ Preparation for recovery through MIUI Security
3. Search for backups in MI Cloud or Google Drive
If your Xiaomi has enabled automatic backup, chances are that the remote application is saved in the cloud. MIUI firmware supports two types of backups:
- MI Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi (only works with a tied Mi Account).
- Google Drive is the standard Android backup.
To check backups in MI Cloud:
- 🌐 Go to Settings. → Mi Account → MI Cloud.
- 📁 Click on the Backup and select the last saved copy.
- 🔍 Check if the application is listed (usually marked as Application Data).
- 🔙 Click Restore, but be careful – it may overwrite current data.
For Google Drive:
- 📱 Open the Settings. → Google → Backup.
- 🔄 Check if backup is enabled on your device.
- 📲 If you have a copy, reset your smartphone to factory settings and select recovery from Google Drive when you first turn on.
⚠️ Warning: Restore from backup will completely overwrite the current data on your smartphone.If you don't want to lose fresh files, make a new backup first.
| Method of backup | Where it's stored | Can a separate application be restored? | Storage period |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI Cloud | Xiaomi's Cloud | No, just full recovery. | Up to 6 months (depending on the tariff) |
| Google Drive | Google Cloud | No, just full recovery. | Unlimited (with active synchronization) |
| Local copy (via MIUI) | Memory of the device | Yes, you can select individual applications | Hand-cleaning |
4. Search. APK-Manually File Manager through File Manager
If the application was recently removed, its.apk file could have been left in the device's memory to find it:
Steps:
- Open any file manager (such as embedded Files or Solid Explorer).
- Go to /data/app/ or /data/app-private/ (root rights required).
- Look for folders with the name of the remote app (e.g. com.whatsapp for WhatsApp).
- If you find a file with the.apk extension, copy it to a safe location and install it manually.
Without root rights, you can try to search in:
- 📁 /sdcard/Android/data/ (There may be cached files left here).
- 📁 /sdcard/Download/ (if you downloaded APK manually).
- 📁 /sdcard/MIUI/backup/AllBackup/ (If a local backup copy has been enabled).
Important: In modern versions of Android (12+), access to system folders is severely limited, so without root, the chances of finding APKs are minimal.
What to do if APK-file found, but not installed?
5. Recovery through ADB (for advanced users)
If you're familiar with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can try to restore the list of previously installed applications through the command line. This method will not return the application itself, but will show its package name, which will help you find the APK manually.
Instructions:
- Connect Xiaomi to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to unlock Developer Mode, then Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB).
- Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:
adb shell pm list packages -uThis command will display a list of all the deleted packages (applications) and copy the package name of the desired application (for example, com.facebook.katana for Facebook) and find its APK on trusted sites like APKMirror.
To install APK through ADB:
adb install path to file.apk⚠️ Attention: Installation APK From unknown sources, it can be insecure. Always check the hash of the file and download only from proven resources. On Xiaomi with a lockdown of the bootloader (Redmi Note 10, POCO X3 and newer) some system applications cannot be restored without unlocking.
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If you frequently delete and restore apps, create a folder. APK_Archive You can put it on a memory card, and save the installation files before you delete them, so you can quickly return the program without searching.
6.What to do if the application is permanently removed?
If none of the above methods worked, the application was probably deleted permanently, and in this case, all that remains is:
- 🔍 Find the app in Google Play Market by name and install it again.
- 🌍 Look for APK on specialized sites (e.g. APKMirror, APKPure), but be careful with viruses.
- 📧 Contact the developer for support – some companies (e.g. WhatsApp, Viber) can provide a direct link to the download.
- 🔄 If it was a system app (like Mi Video or Mi Music), try resetting your smartphone to factory settings – sometimes it brings back stockware.
On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Mi A3, POCO F1), system applications can be restored via fastboot, but this requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to data loss.
Critical information: On devices with MIUI 14 and later, some system applications (e.g. Mi Pay, Mi Home) may be associated with regional firmware. If you have flashed your smartphone to a global version from China, you can't restore them without re-routing the firmware.
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If the app was removed with a Google or Mi Account, it can’t be restored using standard methods, so you can only search for the APK manually or install alternatives.