Google One on Xiaomi: a detailed guide to the cloud service from Google

If you own a Xiaomi Android smartphone, you've probably noticed a strange name on the app list, Google One. Many users mistake it for a virus or junk software when trying to remove it. It's actually an official service from Google that's tightly integrated into the Android ecosystem and offers a number of useful features. But why do you need it on Xiaomi devices that already have their own Mi Cloud? And is it worth paying for a subscription?

In this article, we will take a closer look at what Google One is, how it works on Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and flagship series), what benefits free and paid tariffs provide, and how to manage it from setup to complete removal. We will focus on security, MIUI compatibility and alternatives from Xiaomi. If you want to optimize the use of cloud storage or just get rid of excess software, read on.

What is Google One and why is it necessary for Xiaomi?

Google One is a cloud service from Google that combines several features: advanced storage for Google Photos, Gmail and Google Drive, automatic backup of smartphone data, as well as exclusive bonuses for subscribers (for example, discounts on Google Play). On Xiaomi devices, it is pre-installed as a system application, as it is part of Google Mobile Services (GMS).

The main tasks of Google One on Xiaomi:

• 📁 Backup of contacts, messages, photos and settings to Google Cloud (alternative to Mi Cloud).
• 📧 Expand storage for Gmail, Google Photos and Google Drive (free 15 GB for all services).
• 🔄 Synchronize data between devices (for example, if you also have a tablet or laptop on your device) Android/ChromeOS).
• 🎁 Subscriber bonuses: Google Play cashback, access to Google technical support experts.

It’s important to understand that Google One doesn’t duplicate Mi Cloud features, but complements them. For example, Mi Cloud is better optimized for backing up MIUI-specific data (study, Mi Notes notes), whereas Google One is universal for all Android devices. However, both services can conflict if automatic copying of the same data (photos, contacts) is enabled.

How Google One Interacts with MIUI: Pros and Cons

Xiaomi’s MIUI operating system has its own backup and synchronization mechanisms, which sometimes leads to conflicts with Google One.

The main advantage of Google One on Xiaomi is cross-platform, if you use not only a smartphone, but also other devices on Android or ChromeOS, then data will be synchronized everywhere, for example, photos with Redmi Note 12 will automatically appear on a Samsung tablet or in the web version of Google Photos.

There are, however, downsides:

• 🔋 Battery consumption: Google One background sync can increase power consumption (especially on budget models) POCO).
• 📶 Traffic: Automatic copying of photo / video in high resolution "eats" mobile Internet.
• 🛠️ Conflicts with MIUI: If you enable the same data to be copied to both clouds, you may experience duplicates or synchronization errors.

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To reduce battery consumption, turn off automatic uploading of photos/video to Google Photos over the mobile network. To do this, go to Settings → Google → Backup → Backup Settings and select “Only via Wi-Fi”.

Google One Fees: How Much It Costs and What Your Subscription Gives

The basic Google One tariff includes 15 GB of free storage, which is distributed between Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. For most users, this is enough for 1-2 years of active use (if you do not store high-resolution video).

Is it worth paying? It depends on your needs.

• ✅ Yes, if you do:
• ❌ Not if you:

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Before you buy a tariff, check how much space your data takes up. To do this, open Google One → Storage and see the distribution by service. Often you can make room just by deleting old emails or take photos.

How to set up Google One on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

If you decide to use Google One, you need to set it up correctly first. The instructions are relevant for all Xiaomi smartphones on MIUI 12-14 (including Redmi, POCO, Black Shark):

Step 1: Authorization in Google Account

Without a Google account, you can't use Google One. If you're not already logged in:

1. Open Settings → Google.
2. Click Manage Google Accounts.
3. Select Add Account and follow the instructions.

Step 2: Enabling backup

After authorization:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Activate the Backup Switch in Google Drive.
3. Click on Backup Settings and select which data to copy (contacts, SMS, call log, device settings, etc.).

Step 3: Set up Google Photos

By default, Google Photos can automatically upload all your photos to avoid overspending traffic:

1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Select Download Quality: High quality (free, compression) - does not take up space in storage. Original quality - takes up space, but retains the original resolution.

Mobile data

Backup over the mobile network

How to Disable or Remove Google One on Xiaomi

If you don't plan on using Google One, you can disable it or delete it.

⚠️ Note: Deleting Google One completely may disrupt other Google services (such as Play Market or Gmail) and recommend disabling autosynchronization first, and removing it only as a last resort.

Method 1. Disabling backup

To stop syncing, but leave the application:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Turn off the backup switch in Google Drive.
3. In the Google Photos app, turn off Backup and Sync.

Method 2: Removal of updates (reset to factory version)

Since Google One is a system application, you can’t completely remove it, but you can return it to the factory version:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google One in the list and select it.
3. Click Remove Updates (the button will appear if the app has been updated).
4. Confirm the action.

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The best way to do this is to use both services in parallel, but configure them so that they don’t duplicate each other, like copying only contacts and photos on Google One, and copying MIUI notes and settings on Mi Cloud.

Security and Privacy: What You Need to Know

Many users are worried about data security on Google One, and here are the key points:

1. Data encryption

Google encrypts all files uploaded to Google One, both in transfer (TLS) and on servers, but the encryption keys are stored by Google, which theoretically allows the company to access your data (for example, at the request of law enforcement).

Two-factor authentication (2FA)

To protect your account, turn on 2FA:

1. Go to myaccount.google.com/security.
2. In the Google Account Login section, select Two-Step Authentication.
3. Follow the setup instructions (you can use SMS, Google Authenticator app or a physical security key).

3. Control of access of third parties

Check which apps have access to your Google One:

1. Go to myaccount.google.com/permissions.
2. Remove access to unnecessary services.

⚠️ Note: If you store sensitive data (document scans, passwords) on Google One, consider additional file encryption before downloading (for example, using Cryptomator or Google One). 7-Zip password-wise).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Google One on Xiaomi