Why Yandex AON can interfere and how to properly disable it
Yandex’s number detector (AON) is automatically installed on many Xiaomi smartphones as part of pre-loaded services. While the feature seems useful — it shows the names of callers from the database — many users face incorrect work: erroneous definitions, delays in incoming calls or even leaking personal data through cloud services.
In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable Yandex AON on Xiaomi phones, from standard MIUI settings to radical methods for power users. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of firmware (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14) and models (for example, Redmi Note 11 or POCO X5), where the menu layout may differ.
Before you start, note that some methods require superuser rights (root), which can violate the warranty or stability of the device, we will note such methods with special warnings.
Method 1: Disable AON through phone settings (without root)
The easiest and safest method is to deactivate the number detector in standard MIUI settings, which works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with MIUI 12 firmware and later.
Instructions:
- Open the phone application (pipe icon).
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
- Go to the Number Definer section (or AON and spam in some versions).
- Turn off the slider next to Yandex.Determinator or Show the names of callers.
- Confirm the action if a request appears.
If you don’t have a “number detector” option on your menu, try an alternative path:
- 📱 Settings → Annexes → Application management
- 🔍 Find in the list Yandex or Yandex.Definition
- ⚙️ Open the app settings and select Disable or Remove Updates
Close all background applications
Connect to Wi-Fi (for stability)
Check the MIUI version in your phone settings
Make a backup copy of your contacts-->
After shutting down, it is recommended to restart the phone so that the changes take effect.If the number detector continues to work, proceed to the next method.
Method 2: Removal of Yandex app updates
Often, the AON continues to work even after the settings are turned off due to background processes, in which case it will help to remove updates to the Yandex application, which will reset it to the factory version (usually without AON).
How to do this:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find Yandex in the list (may be called Yandex.Search or Yandex.Services).
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
- Confirm the action. The app will return to the factory version.
If the Remove Updates button is inactive, the application is system-based and has no updates, in which case, try the following method.
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After removing the updates, disable auto-update for the Yandex application in Google Play. To do this, open the Yandex page in the Play Store, click on three points → “Delete from auto-update”.
Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for power users)
If standard methods do not work, you can disable Yandex AON using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which does not require root rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.
Step-by-step:
- Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
- Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
- Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB Tools, and open the command line in the adb.exe folder.
- Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
- Run the command to disable AON Yandex: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.phone If the package is not found, try: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.searchplugin
After you execute the command, restart the phone. Yandex AON will be completely disconnected until you turn it back on by the command:
adb shell pm enable com.yandex.phoneWhat if the ADB can’t see the device?
Method 4: Complete removal of Yandex.Determinator (root required)
If you're willing to take drastic measures and you have root rights, you can completely remove Yandex from the system, and that will permanently remove the AON and free up space in memory.
For this:
- Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
- Go to /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/.
- Find folders with names that contain yandex (e.g. YandexPhone or YandexSearchPlugin).
- Delete these folders or rename them by adding.bak at the end (e.g. YandexPhone.bak).
- Reboot the phone.
Yeah, all the time.
Yes, but only for specific tasks.
No, I'm afraid to break stability.
No, I don't know how to do that.-->
Attention! Deleting system applications can lead to:
- 🚨 Violation of other services (for example, Yandex.Weather or Yandex.Maps).
- 🚨 Errors in updating MIUI (The system may attempt to recover deleted files).
- 🚨 Loss of warranty if manufacturer detects changes in system partition.
If you have problems after deleting, restore deleted files from the backup or reset settings.
Method 5: Alternative Number Determiners
If you have disabled Yandex AON, but want to use the number detector, consider alternative applications. They often work more accurately and do not load the system.
Popular analogues:
| Annex | Features | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Truecaller | Large number database, spam blocking, integration with messengers | Requires registration, collects contact data |
| GetContact | It works offline, shows names from social networks | Lots of advertising in the free version |
| Who's calling? | Russian-language interface, minimalist design | Less number base than foreign analogues |
| sberaone | Integration with the Sbera ecosystem, free for bank customers | It only works with Russian numbers. |
Before installing an alternative AON:
- 🔒 Check the permissions of the application in Google Play (access to contacts, calls, SMS).
- 📥 Download only from official sources (Google Play, AppGallery).
- 🛡️ Set up spam blocking in the app itself to avoid annoying calls.
Frequent problems and their solutions
Even after Yandex AON is disabled, Xiaomi users may face unexpected difficulties, and we will analyze typical situations and ways to solve them.
Problem 1: AON continues to work after the shutdown in the settings.
⚠️ Attention! This is due to cached data. Clear the cache of the Phone and Yandex application in the settings (Settings) → Annexes → Warehouse → If it doesn't help, delete Yandex updates (see Method 2).
Problem 2: After the AON shutdown, contact names from the phone book stopped showing.
Solution: Check the contact display settings in the Phone application → Settings → Contact display. Choose Contacts Only or All Contacts.
Problem 3: A notification appears “Yandex service is stopped”.
Solution: This is normal after disabling AON via ADB or removing updates. To remove the notification, turn it off in the notification settings for Yandex.
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If Yandex continues to work after all the manipulations, it is likely integrated into the firmware at the system level, in which case only flashing to the custom version of MIUI (for example, Xiaomi.eu) or resetting to factory settings will help.