How to permanently disable Google Chrome on Xiaomi: from deleting to blocking updates

Google Chrome is pre-installed on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones as part of Google’s services. Even if you don’t use it, it takes up space in memory, consumes battery power in the background and receives automatic updates. In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to disable Chrome, from simple deactivation to complete deletion of system files (for power users).

It's important to understand that on MIUI devices (especially the global version), Chrome is often integrated into the system as a component of Google Play Services, which means that simply uninstalling through the app menu may not work. We'll look at workarounds, including disabling through ADB, blocking updates, and even manually removing APKs for embroidered devices. If you're looking for a way to free up space or stop background activity, here's a workaround.

Note: the instructions are valid for MIUI 12, 13 and 14 (including HyperOS), but may differ on custom firmware such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience. For devices with a locked bootloader, some methods will not be available.

1. Simple to disable Chrome through Android settings

The safest and most reversible way is to deactivate the browser in the app menu, which won’t remove it completely, but will stop the background processes and hide the icon from the launcher.

How to do this:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the search bar, type Chrome (or com.android.chrome).
• 🛑 Click Disable (on some firmware - Remove updates, then Disable).
• ⚠️ Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After the shutdown:

• ✅ Chrome icon will disappear from the app menu.
• ✅ Background activity will stop (but Google’s system processes may remain).
• ❌ Next time you update Google Play Services, your browser may be activated again.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO X3 Pro) the "Disable" button may be blocked, in which case proceed to the following methods.

2. Remove Chrome Updates (Reset to the factory version)

If the browser doesn’t shut down, try resetting it to the factory version.This will remove all updates but leave the base shell (which weighs significantly less).

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Chrome.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
3. Confirm action. The system will return the browser to the version preinstalled in the factory.

Advantages of the method:

• 📉 Reduces the space occupied by ~200 MB to ~20-30 MB.
• 🚫 Blocks automatic updates (before the first reboot).
• 🔄 Easy to restore if required.

⚠️ Note: After resetting Google Play updates, the Store may again offer to update Chrome.To avoid this, block the updates through Settings → Annexes → Google Play Store → Auto Update and select Do Not Update Automatically.

3. Block Chrome via ADB (no root)

For users willing to work with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), there is a way to completely disable Chrome at the system level without superuser rights.This method is suitable for devices with unlocked bootloader (but does not require root).

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to activate the developer mode, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Commands to execute:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.chrome


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.chrome

Transcript of commands:

• uninstall-k - removes all updates but leaves the factory version.
• Disable-user – disables the application for the current user.
• --user 0 — indicates the main user of the device.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (For example, the Chinese version of the command pm uninstall can return the error Failure [DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR]. In this case, use only disable-user.

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If ADB Does not recognize the device, try reinstalling Xiaomi drivers USB Drivers or using other drivers USB-port (preferably) USB 2.0).

4. Complete removal of Chrome with root rights

For users with unlocked bootloader and superuser rights, physical removal of the system APK Chrome is available.This method is irreversible and requires caution!

Tools required:

• 📱 Root access (for example, via Magisk).
• 🛠️ File Manager with support for root (Root Explorer, Mixplorer).
• 🔧 Backup of the system (in case of failure).

Instructions:

1. Open the root manager and go to /system/priv-app/Chrome or /system/app/Chrome.
2. Delete the files: Chrome.apk — basic APK-Chrome.odex (if any) – optimized executable.

Reset the device.

After removal:

• ✅ Chrome will disappear completely from the system.
• ✅ Released before 300-400 MBT.
• ❌ Some Google features (such as Google Assistant) may not work properly.

5.Block Chrome updates via host file

If you don’t want to delete Chrome, but you want to block its updates, you can edit the hosts file on the system, which will redirect the update requests to a non-existent server.

How it works:

• 🌐 The hosts file is responsible for matching domain names with IP-address.
• 🚫 Adding entries to Google domains blocks access to update servers.

Instructions (requires root):

1. Open the root manager and go to /system/etc/hosts.
2. Add the line at the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 android.clients.google.com 127.0.0.1 play.google.com
3. Save the file and restart the device.

Effect:

• ✅ Chrome will no longer be updated through Google Play.
• ✅ Background update checks are blocked.
• ❌ May disrupt other Google apps (such as Gmail or Maps).

⚠️ Note: Editing hosts without backup may result in loss of internet access.Before changes, make a copy of the original file!

6. Alternative ways: Replacing Chrome with another browser

If the goal is not so much to remove Chrome as to stop using it, consider alternative browsers with better optimization for Xiaomi:

How to make an alternative browser the main one:

1. Install the browser you select from Google Play or APKMirror.
2. Go to Settings → Applications → Default Applications → Browser.
3. Select a new browser from the list.

Tip: If you’re using Firefox or Brave, set up sync with your account to move bookmarks and history from Chrome before you delete it.

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Even after Chrome is removed, some Google system processes (such as WebView) may continue to work. To turn them off, deep firmware modifications are required, which is not recommended for inexperienced users.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning off Chrome on Xiaomi