How to completely disable Yandex Zen on Xiaomi Mi: a step-by-step guide

Yandex Zen is a personalized recommendation service that is often pre-installed on Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI firmware. For many users, it becomes a source of unnecessary traffic, annoying notifications and unnecessary battery consumption, especially for Mi device owners, where the service is integrated at the system level and is not removed by standard methods.

If you want to get rid of Zen forever or at least limit its activity, this article will help. We will look at all possible ways, from simply disabling notifications to completely removing system components (including methods for root-right users). It is important to understand that some methods may require additional knowledge or even resetting, so read the warnings carefully before you act.

It is worth noting that Xiaomi regularly updates the firmware MIUI, And some menu items may change, and if your version has a different interface, search by settings (⚙️ → Search or check the version MIUI In Settings → The phone.

1. Disabling notifications from Yandex Zen

The easiest and safest way to reduce Zen's impact is to turn off its notifications, which won't remove the app itself, but will eliminate intrusive pop-ups and beeps.

For this:

1. Open the settings on your Xiaomi Mi.
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. In the search bar, enter “Yandex” and select Yandex Zen.
4. Slip on Notifications and turn off the slider at the top of the screen.

Additionally, Zen can be prevented from showing notifications on the lock screen:

• 🔒 In the same notification menu, select On the lock screen.
• 📵 Set the switch to the position Do not show.

This method does not require root rights and is reversible — you can always turn the notifications back on, but the application itself will continue to work in the background, consuming Internet traffic and battery power.

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If notifications keep coming, check the settings in the Zen app itself: open it, go to profile → Settings → Notifications and turn off all options.

2. Removal of Yandex Zen Updates

Often, Yandex Zen is updated via Google Play, which returns it to the system even after deleting, and to avoid this, you need to roll back the application to the factory version and prevent it from updating.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Yandex Zen and tap it.
3. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and select Remove Updates.
4. Confirm the action.

After that:

• 🛑 Stop Automatic Update on Google Play: Open Play Store. Find Yandex Zen. Tap three dots next to Update. Uncheck Auto Update.

Remove updates

Important: Once reset to the factory version, Zen may stop opening or not work properly, but this does not affect the stability of the system.

3. disable Yandex Zen through MIUI settings

MIUI has hidden options for managing pre-installed applications, and one way is to turn off Zen through the AutoRun menu, which will limit its activity in the background.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Yandex Zen and open its settings.
3. Select Permissions and disable all switches (especially Auto Run, Show over other windows, and System Settings Modification).
4. Go back and tap the battery → select Limit background activity.

You can also completely ban the application from accessing the Internet:

• 🌐 In Zen settings, select Mobile Traffic and Wi-Fi.
• 🚫 Disable both switches (Mobile Data and Wi-Fi).

These actions will not remove the app, but will minimize its impact on the system, Zen will stop updating the feed, showing ads and spending traffic.

Notifications disabled | Updates removed | Autorun prohibited | Background activity restricted | Internet access disabled-->

4. Complete removal of Yandex Zen without root rights

If previous methods have failed, you can try removing Zen through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) which does not require root rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).li>
• 🛠️ Utility. ADB (You can download from the official Android website).

Instructions:

1. Turn on the phone Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
4. Open the command line (or terminal) in the ADB folder and execute: adb devices (you should display your device).
5. Enter the command to remove Zen: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.yandex.zen

If the command is successful, Zen will disappear from the app menu, but when the phone is reset to factory settings, it can return.

5. Removal of Yandex Zen with root rights

If you have root access, you can completely erase Zen from the system, including its updates and cache, which is the most radical method, but it ensures that the application does not return after the updates.

For this:

1. Install any file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/YaZen or /system/app/YaZen
3. Delete the YaZen folder (or files inside it: YaZen.apk, YaZen.odex).
4. Clear the cache and data through Settings → Applications → Yandex Zen → Storage.

You can also use Titanium Backup or Lucky Patcher to freeze the app.

• ❄️ In Titanium Backup, find Yandex Zen and select Freeze.
• 🔄 In Lucky Patcher, use the option to Uninstall the system application.

⚠️ Attention: improper root rights actions may result in loss of warranty or inoperability of the phone.Before deleting system files, make a backup through TWRP or MIUI Backup.

6. Alternative methods: disabling through the browser and Yandex ID

If Zen is integrated into Yandex Browser or linked to your Yandex ID, it can be disabled through your account.

For the browser:

• 🌍 Open the Yandex Browser.
• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Zen ribbon.
• 🚫 Turn off the slider Show the Zen tape.

For the Yandex account:

1. Go to the website passport.yandex.ru.
2. Sign in and go to Access Control.
3. Find the Personalization section and disable Zen Recommendations.

These methods will not remove the app from the phone, but will stop its personalization and displays in other services of Yandex.

Comparison of Yandex Zen Disconnection Methods

The choice of method depends on your technical skills and purpose. For most users, it is enough to disable notifications + remove updates. If you want to get rid of Zen completely, use ADB or root methods.

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On Xiaomi devices with MIUI Global firmware, Yandex Zen often returns after resetting. To avoid this, delete it via ADB before reset or create a backup without system applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Yandex Zen shutdown