Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face an intrusive situation where the device decides when and what to update on its own, which can occur at the most inopportune time: during an important conversation, when using the mobile Internet or when the battery is critically low. Automatic updates are designed to improve security, but in practice they often lead to bugs in new versions of programs or just annoying with constant notifications.
You may notice that after another nightly update, the interface of the usual messenger has changed, and some functions are lost or not working correctly. In the MIUI ecosystem and the new HyperOS, several independent services are responsible for this process, so simply closing one setting window will not be enough to fully control the system.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to prevent automatic downloads and install updates. You will learn how to manage this process through the Google Play store, the GetApps brand directory and the system settings of the shell itself, which will allow you to save traffic and save the version of the software that is time-tested.
Disabling Auto Updates in Google Play Store
The main source of new software for most users is the official Google store, which stores the lion’s share of installed utilities, and to stop their self-modernization, you need to change the global settings of the app catalog.
Open the Play Store app on your smartphone. Click on the profile icon in the top right corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, select Settings, then go to Settings (or General in some versions of the interface).
In the window that opens, the system will offer three options: Select Do not update apps automatically. This action will completely stop the background download of new versions of programs through this channel. Now you will have to manually check for updates for each program you are interested in.
- 📱 Wi-Fi Only: Saves mobile traffic but keeps uploading updates at night.
- 🚫 Never: Complete ban on any automatic action by the store.
- ⚙️ By application: allows you to customize individual behavior for each installed software.
⚠️ Note: Disabling Auto Updates in Google Play Does Not Affect System Components MIUI Apps from the GetApps store. These services need to be configured separately.
It is important to understand that avoiding automatic updates puts security on your shoulders, and check regularly for security patches for banking applications and instant messengers, as older versions may contain vulnerabilities.
Setting up the GetApps brand store
Xiaomi’s smartphones pre-installed its own app store called GetApps (formerly known as Mi Apps), which is often used to update the company’s system utilities and services, and ignoring the settings of this directory can cause the system to still load data packets.
Run GetApps. Usually, its icon is an orange bag with a logo. Go to the Profile tab (the person icon in the lower right corner). In the menu that opens, find and click on Settings.
In the settings section, look for the Auto Update option. By default, it can be "Only via Wi-Fi." Change this to Off or Never. It's also worth checking the adjacent Autodownload Update setting if it's placed in a separate item in your shell version.
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Periodically go to the “Updates” section inside GetApps manually to avoid missing critical fixes for Xiaomi system components.
Disabling this feature is especially important for users who prefer older, lighter versions of the interface.Newer versions of system applications often carry design changes or advertising that many want to avoid.
Managing Updates Through System Settings
The MIUI and HyperOS shells have their own update mechanisms that are independent of the app stores, such as system components, security and service frameworks, which are managed through the phone’s main settings menu.
Go to Settings. Find the About Phone section (usually at the top of the list) and click on a major system version icon (e.g. MIUI 14 or Xiaomi HyperOS) and the Update Check screen will open.
Click on the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the screen. Select Settings (or Additional Settings). Here you will see the Auto Update switch. Make sure it's off. It's also recommended to turn off the Receive Update Notifications option if you want complete peace of mind.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-update system | Off. | The system does not download firmware in the background |
| Downloading over Wi-Fi | Off. | Saving router traffic |
| Notifications | Off. | Absence of annoying pop-up windows |
| Nightly update | Off. | The phone will not be rebooted in the middle of the night. |
There is also a hidden setup available through an engineering menu or special codes, but for the average user, the steps described above are enough. System updates often require a device reboot, which can interrupt important processes.
☑️ Shutdown checklist
Individual settings for specific applications
Sometimes the user does not need to shut down globally, but only to prevent the update of one particular program, for example, you use an old version of the navigator that is more stable than the new one, or you need a previous version of the social network.
In Google Play, find the app you want. On the Google Play page, click on the three dots in the top right corner. Uncheck the Auto Update box. Now, the global update rule will not apply for this program.
The logic is similar in GetApps: find an app on the installed list, log in to its card, and look for an auto-update switch. If there is no such option in the card, then the app only obeys the global store rules.
⚠️ Warning: If you individually disallow updates, you risk incompatibility.For example, a new game server may stop supporting the old client version on your phone.
This method is useful for developers or testers who need to save a certain environment, and it is easier for the average user to manage the process centrally so as not to get confused by exceptions.
Limiting background activity and traffic
Even if you have disabled all visible switches, some applications may try to update through their own mechanisms or using the system's background processes.
You can prevent apps from using the mobile Internet. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Choose the right store or service. Find Network Connections or Data Use. Turn off Mobile Network or Data Transfer slider.
Now, the app can only be updated when connected to Wi-Fi, which can also be controlled, and the good thing about this is that it doesn't break the app's functionality, it just restricts the communication channels.
What to do if the application requires an update to work?
Using power saving modes also helps: In charge saving mode, Xiaomi aggressively restricts background activity, which often prevents background update downloads.
Consequences of Failing to Update and Security
When you decide to stop automatic updates, you need to be aware of the risks. Security is the main reason developers release patches. New versions close holes through which attackers can access your data.
The lack of updates can lead to unstable software performance: developers optimize code, fix memory errors and improve compatibility with new communication standards.
- 🛡️ Security risk: vulnerabilities in older versions of browsers and messengers.
- 🐞 Errors: Bugs that have been fixed in newer releases will stay with you.
- 📉 Compatibility: New OS features may not work with older applications.
However, if your goal is to maintain performance on older devices or avoid changes to the interface, this trade-off is justified, and the main thing is to manually check for critical updates periodically (once a month).
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Full control over updates gives the user stability, but requires discipline in manual security checks.