How to disable the application on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5: the full guide

Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to manage system and user programs. Redmi Note 5, despite its age, remains popular due to balancing performance and price, but its software shell MIUI requires proper configuration. Sometimes standard methods of closing programs do not give the desired effect, and processes continue to consume resources in the background.

It is important for the user to understand the difference between simply closing a window and completely shutting down the service or turning off the system component. The Android operating system on which MIUI runs, has security mechanisms for critical processes that prevent them from being eliminated simply, which is designed to ensure the stability of the device, but sometimes prevents an advanced user from optimizing the gadget for their needs.

In this article, we will discuss all available methods in detail, from standard settings to using the engineering menu and the ADB command line. You will learn which processes can be safely stopped and which ones should not be touched, so as not to turn the phone into a “brick”. Proper management of the software will prolong the battery life of your Xiaomi.

Difference Between Closing, Stopping and Deleting

Many users mistakenly believe that swiping an app card from the menu of recent tasks completely stops it working.In fact, the Android operating system often continues to keep processes in RAM for quick re-start. This is normal system behavior, but for some "heavy" programs this may not be desirable.

The Stop or Disable feature in the settings works at a deeper level, it forcibly terminates all the ongoing processes associated with a given package and prevents it from running itself when a device is turned on or certain events occur. System applications often do not have a Delete button, but they can be deactivated, which effectively equates them with remote ones, freeing up space and resources.

It's important to distinguish between user software that you can safely remove and system components. If you delete the Google Play app or system framework, the phone may not function properly, so you need to clearly identify the target before any action is taken.

• 📱 Closing recent tasks from the menu is a temporary measure that does not guarantee a stop to background services.
• ⛔ Stop in settings – forced termination of ongoing processes before the next manual start.
• 🚫 Disconnection – blocking the application launch by the system, hiding its icons and removing updates.

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Disabling an application does not remove its installation file (APK) from the system partition, but completely blocks its execution and updates.

It is worth noting that some processes in MIUI have stop protection, and if the stop button is inactive, it means that this process is currently necessary for the system or is part of the kernel, and attempts to circumvent this protection require the rights of the Root superuser.

Standard method of stopping through MIUI settings

The safest and most affordable way to manage programs is built into the MIUI shell interface, which doesn't require a computer connection or third-party software installation, and is suitable for most custom optimization tasks.

First, you need to get into the application management menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of Android and MIUI installed on your Redmi Note 5.

First, open the main menu and find the Settings icon. In the settings list, scroll down to the App (or All Apps) section. You will see the full list of installed software. Here, it is important to switch to the All tab to see not only custom but also system programs.

Find the app you want to use, click on it to open the information page, and in the menu that opens, you'll see a Stop (or Close) button, and clicking on it will alert you that the app may be be behaving unpredictably the next time you run it, and confirm the action.

If you want to stop an app from working completely, look for the Disable button, which is often located next to the delete button, and once you turn off the app icon, it will disappear from the desktop and go to sleep mode until you activate it again.

⚠️ Note: Do not disable system components with names that contain the words “System”, “Framework”, “Google Services” or «MIUI», If you don't know exactly what they're doing, it can cause a cyclical reboot of the device.

Managing through Developer Menu and Statistics

For a deeper analysis of which apps are consuming resources and disrupting the device, there is a developer menu. In Redmi Note 5, it is hidden by default, but it takes a couple of seconds to activate and gives access to powerful diagnostic tools.

To activate Developer Mode, go to Settings → About Phone. Find the MIUI Version bar and quickly click on it 7-10 times in a row until the notification “You became a developer” appears.

In the developer menu, you're interested in the section that's connected to running services, which lets you see how much RAM each process is taking up right now, and you can force you to stop even services that aren't displayed in your regular application list.

Also available in this section is the "Do Not Stay Activity" feature, which if you turn on this switch, the system will destroy the background activity of the application as soon as you switch to another task, a radical method that is useful for testing, but in everyday use can make working with the phone uncomfortable due to the constant reboot of windows.

• 🔍 Battery usage statistics will show which app consumes the most charge in the background.
• 🛑 Forced Stop through the Developer Menu is More Effective Than a Regular Closing.
• ⚙️ Limitation of background processes globally affects system multitasking.

Use these tools with caution. A permanent forced shutdown of system services can cause the Launcher interface to malfunction or notifications to fail.

Using ADB to Remove System Garbage

If standard methods do not allow you to disable an unnecessary system application (the “Disable” button is absent or inactive), the debugging toolkit comes to the rescue. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method requires connecting your smartphone to your computer via a computer. USB-cable.

Before starting work, make sure that the drivers for Xiaomi and the Platform Tools package are installed on the computer. On the phone in the developer menu (which was discussed above), you need to activate the Debugging option via USB. When connecting the cable on the smartphone screen, a request for debugging permission will appear - tick "Always Allow" and click "OK".

Open the command prompt or terminal on your computer in the folder with ADB. Enter the command to check the connection:

adb devices

If a device with device status appears on the list, the connection is established. Now you need to find out the exact name of the application package you want to disable, it can be found in the Google Play store in the address bar (after id=), or use the command:

adb shell pm list packages

To disable (freeze) the application without its physical removal, the command is used:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 name packet

For example, to disable a standard browser, the command would look like this: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser. Once the command is executed, the application will disappear from the menu and stop loading. To return it back, use the command: adb shell pm enable the name packet.

Analysis of battery impact and performance

Why do you have to turn off applications on the Redmi Note 5 at all? The main reason is power optimization, GPS-module and sensors, which significantly reduces battery life.

This is especially true for devices with not the newest hardware platform, which includes the Snapdragon 636 processor in the Note 5. The accumulated cache and background activity of a dozen applications can cause micro-freeze interface and heating of the case.

Regularly checking battery statistics helps you identify parasites, and if you see an application that you haven't used but it's used up 10 percent of its charge overnight, you'll have to limit it or remove it.

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Use the built-in Battery and Performance feature in the Security app to set specific limits for each application individually, without resorting to complex settings.

Possible problems and solutions

Xiaomi users may face a number of challenges in optimizing their system, most commonly the automatic restart of applications, and MIUI is known for its aggressive policy of re-entering processes, especially if they are linked to a Mi or Google account.

To combat this, it's not enough to just stop the process. You have to go to the settings of a particular application, find the AutoStart and disable it, and you also have to disable the permission to work in the background in the Battery section inside the settings of the application itself.

Another problem is that important notifications disappear after system services are disabled, such as disabling Google Play Services, which will cause notifications from email, instant messengers and banking applications to stop coming in, in which case you will have to reset or reactivate services through ADB.

⚠️ Warning: If after shutting down any component, the phone starts to restart indefinitely (bootloop), press the volume and power button to enter Recovery mode. Select "Wipe Data" to return the device to factory settings.

Sometimes the Stop button may be inactive immediately after the phone is turned on. This is normal. Try to start the app first and then stop it. Or wait until the system is fully loaded (in 2-3 minutes after the screen is turned on).

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The most effective way to combat intrusive applications is comprehensive: prohibition of auto-start + restriction of background activity + disabling notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)