How to completely disable Yandex.Zen on Xiaomi smartphone: all working methods

Yandex.Zen tapes on Xiaomi smartphones often appear unexpectedly, either as a widget on the home screen, or as an integrated block in the Mi Browser browser, or even in the system settings. Many users of Redmi, POCO or Mi are faced with the fact that the service consumes traffic, shows intrusive advertising and slows down the device. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to turn off Zen — from standard settings to radical methods for experienced users.

The problem is compounded by the fact that Xiaomi is actively cooperating with Yandex in the CIS, and the service is often pre-installed at the MIUI firmware level. Even after removing the application, it can recover from updates. We tested the solutions on different versions of MIUI 12-14 and collected only working instructions - without general tips like "just turn off notifications."

If you want to not just hide Zen, but completely remove its traces from the system, read the section on radical methods. For those who are afraid of breaking the phone, there are safe alternatives with minimal tampering with settings.

Why Zen Appears on Xiaomi and What Hits It

Yandex.Zen service is integrated into MIUI firmware by agreement between the companies. On devices for the Russian market (Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13T, POCO X5 Pro, etc.), it can be:

• 📱 Widget on the home screen (often disguised as "News" or "Recommendations")
• 🌐 Built-in block in Mi Browser (opens when you start the browser)
• ⚙️ System process (consumes up to 5% charge per day even without use)
• 🔔 Source of spam notifications (advertising, clickbait headlines)

According to tests, Zen on Xiaomi in the background can consume up to 150-200 MB of traffic per month (excluding content viewing), on weak models (Redmi 9A, POCO M3) it additionally loads the processor, which leads to slowdowns when multitasking.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI 13.5+ Zen is linked to the system application com.miui.yellowpage, and its forced shutdown may cause a launcher to malfunction.

Method 1: Remove the Zen widget from the main screen

The easiest way is to remove the widget from the desktop, and it won't shut down the service completely, but it will eliminate visual debris.

Instructions:

1. Press your finger on the empty seat of the main screen → select “Widgets”.
2. Find a widget called Zen, News, or Yandex (may be hidden in the Xiaomi folder).
3. Drag it up to the inscription "Delete" (or "Remove").
4. Confirm the action if a request appears.

If the widget is not removed in the standard way:

• 🔄 Restart your phone and try again.
• 📂 Try first to delete the folder in which it is located (if the widget is nested in "Xiaomi" or "Services").
• 🔧 Use an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher) that ignores system widgets.

Make sure the widget is gone from the main screen|

Check the folder "Xiaomi" or "Services" for hidden widgets |

Restart your phone to make the changes effective |

Open the launcher settings (long press). → "Screen settings) and deactivate the option "Recommended Content"-->

Method 2: Disconnect Zen in Mi Browser

Xiaomi's Mi Browser often shows the Zen block on the homepage or in a new tab to remove it:

Steps for MIUI 14/13:

1. Open Mi Browser. → three-point (⋮) → "Settings".
2. Go to Start Page → select Empty Page or Xiaomi Home Page (without Zen).
3. Return to the basic settings → “Privacy” → turn off “Personalized recommendations”.
4. Clear the browser cache: Settings → Additional → Clear the data.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 10C, POCO M4 Pro) after updating the browser, the settings are reset. To avoid this, install an alternative browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) and make it the default browser in Settings. → Annexes → Default applications.

Method 3: Forced shutdown and disabling of the Zen application

If Zen is installed as a separate application (e.g. Yandex.Zen or Yandex Zen), it can be disabled through system settings, which works on most devices with MIUI 12-14, but requires caution.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search, type "Zen" or "Yandex".
3. Select the application → “Forced Stop” → “Disable”.
4. Confirm the action and uncheck the tick from "Show notifications".

If the "Disable" button is inactive:

• 🔓 Unlock Developer Rights (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap it 7 times) and turn on "Debugging by USB".
• 📱 Use it. ADB (Android Debug Bridge for forced shutdown. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.zen (replace com.yandex.zen with a real application package that can be found through App Inspector).

💡

If Zen continues to appear in search or settings after disabling, check for updates for the GetApps app (Xiaomi Store).

Method 4: Disabling personalized recommendations in MIUI

MIUI has hidden settings that control how Yandex recommends, and disabling them will help reduce the amount of intrusive content.

How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → Special features → System settings.
2. Find the section "Content Recommendations" or "Personalization" (the name depends on the version of MIUI).
3. Turn off all switches associated with: 📰 "Recommendations for news" 🔍 "Personalized search" 🌐 "Content from partners" (this is Yandex.Zen)

Annexes → Application management → Three points (⋮) → Reset application settings

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI 13.5 for Russia) these settings can be reset after the system update. To consolidate the result, after disabling recommendations immediately disable auto-update for GetApps and MiuiSystemAdSolution applications in Settings → Annexes.

Method 5: Radical methods (for power users)

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to go deep, and these methods require an unlocked bootloader and can lead to a loss of warranty.

Method 1: Removal through ADB

Connect your phone to a PC with ADB Tools installed and do:

adb shell


pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.zen




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.yellowpage




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

After the reboot, check for Zen absence in Settings → Apps.

Method 2: Editing the build.prop file

This method blocks the loading of Yandex services at the system level:

1. Install Root Explorer or any file manager with root access.
2. Open /system/build.prop and add to the end of the line: ro.miui.region=global ro.product.locale=en-US
3. Save the changes, restart the phone.

For fans of minimalism, the Clean Screen widget from Microsoft Launcher or manual folder creation with frequently used applications is suitable.

Frequent questions