How to disable applications on Xiaomi: Effective methods

Modern Xiaomi smartphones running on the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS often come with pre-installed software that the user does not always need. Many device owners face the problem when the background processes of system services or unnecessary games consume precious battery and RAM resources, which leads to a decrease in overall performance of the gadget and the appearance of intrusive advertising in the system interfaces.

Disabling such programs is a safe way to optimize your device without the risk of personal data loss, which is often confused with complete deletion. Unlike simply removing a shortcut, deep service stops it from starting at system start-up and blocks background activity. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to correctly and safely disable applications on Xiaomi, using built-in system tools and advanced tools for power users.

Before you start taking action, you need to understand the difference between user and system components. System applications are part of the operating system and provide basic functionality of the phone, such as calls, messages or screen settings. Their complete removal can lead to unstable operation of the device, so it is the method of forced stopping or disabling through settings that is the most reasonable solution for the average user.

Analysis of resources consumed before disconnection

The first step in optimizing your smartphone should be to carefully analyze which programs are loading the processor and consuming battery life. Owners of Redmi and POCO devices often do not even realize that some rarely used services are constantly active. Go to the battery settings to see a list of the most voracious applications, and assess the need for each of them for your daily work.

Note the programs you rarely use but still run in the background. Background activity can be caused not only by social networks, but also by system analytics services or content stores. If you do not use a certain service, stopping it will allow you to redirect CPU resources to more important tasks, which is especially noticeable on models with a small amount of RAM.

For detailed statistics, you can use the built-in performance monitor, click on the battery icon in the upper right corner, or go to the settings menu to see the energy consumption schedule for the last 24 hours or 10 days, which will help to identify hidden processes that are not displayed on the home screen, but significantly affect the autonomy of the device.

Basic disconnection through smartphone settings

The simplest and safest method of stopping applications is available to every user directly in the settings menu, which does not require super-user rights or a connection to a computer, which minimizes the risk of system damage, but it is worth considering that for some critical system components, the shutdown button may not be available or hidden by the manufacturer.

To make a stop, open your Xiaomi settings and search for the Apps section. Here you will need to select All Apps to see the full list of installed software. In the list, find the target application you want to deactivate and click on it to go to the management menu.

In the menu that opens, look for the “Disable” or “Stop” button. If the button is active, the system will request confirmation of the action, warning that the application will cease to function. Once confirmed, the application icon will disappear from the desktop, and its processes will be completely frozen until it is re-enabled.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable applications related to the operation of Google Play Services, system interface or telephony if you are not 100% sure of their purpose.

Using Developer Mode for Advanced Users

For those who want to gain more control over the Android operating system, there is a developer mode, activating this mode opens up access to hidden settings, allowing you to limit background processes globally or for specific groups of applications.

To activate the developer mode, go to the About Phone section and click seven times in a row on the MIUI build number. After the successful activation message appears, a new option will appear in the main settings menu "Additional" or "Extended settings", where the desired section is hidden, and you can find the "Background Process Limit" option here.

Changing the background limit allows you to specify how many applications can remain active in memory at the same time. Choosing a “No Background Processes” or “No More than 1 Process” option can significantly speed up the old smartphone, but will lead to a constant reboot of applications when switching between them, which will increase battery consumption.

Also available in this section is the “Do Not Stay Activity” feature, which destroys the process immediately after the user leaves the application, a radical measure that is useful for testing, but extremely inconvenient for everyday use, as it disrupts normal multitasking.

Removing System Garbage Through ADB Without Root Rights

The most effective way to get rid of undeleteable embedded software is by using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) debugging, which allows you to remove or disable system packages that are hidden from the average user without having to obtain superuser rights, which preserves the guarantee on the device.

To start, you need to enable debugging over USB in the “Developers” menu, which is activated in the above way. Then you need to install Adb drivers on your computer and download the SDK Platform-Tools platform from the official Google website. Connect your smartphone with a cable to your PC and allow debugging in the pop-up window on the phone screen.

Once you have set up the connection, open the command line on your computer and type in the command to find the name of the packet to be removed. Use the command adb shell pm list packages to output a list of all packets or adb shell pm list packages | grep the name to search for the keyword.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.example.package

It is important to understand that the command uninstall --user 0 does not physically erase the application from the partition of the system, but only removes it for the current user, which makes this process reversible. To return a remote packet, just enter the command cmd package install-existing com.example.package.

Limiting Auto Start and Background Activity

The MIUI and HyperOS shells have aggressive memory management policies, but some applications still manage to sign up for autoboot, and there is a dedicated Autostart section in the system to control this process, which allows you to manually manage the list of programs that start with the operating system.

Go to settings, select Apps, and find AutoStart. Here you will see a list of all programs that have permission to start when you turn on your phone. Turn off all apps that you don't need immediately after you turn on your device, such as stores, games, or secondary social networks, which will significantly reduce boot time and reduce the load on the processor in the first minutes of operation.

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Use Sleep mode for apps in battery settings to completely shut them off from the background even if they are running, which is more effective than just swiping them.

In addition, check the background permits for each particular application. In the application management menu, find the option “Battery Savings” and select the option “No restrictions” only for instant messengers, and for others, set “Background Activity Limitation” to prevent them from running constantly when you are not using them.

Possible risks and system recovery

There are always risks involved in interfering with system components, and users may find themselves in a situation where, after a key service is disabled, the camera, app store, or even touch input stops working, and it is important to know how to get everything back to normal so that they don’t carry the phone to the service center.

If you've disabled the application through standard settings, you can easily turn it back on by finding it in the "Disabled" list or by searching by name. If you use ADB and delete packets, recovery requires connecting to your computer and commanding you to install an existing package, as mentioned earlier. Always keep a list of modified packages.

⚠️ Warning: If your phone stops turning on or isn't working properly, try booting into Safe Mode. To do this, press the off button, and when the menu appears, press and hold the "Stop" option until the prompt appears to go to Safe Mode.

In extreme cases, when the system does not boot normally, a full factory reset via the Recovery menu may be required.This will delete all user data but return system files to their original state. Therefore, before any experiments with system applications, it is strongly recommended to make a full backup of important data.

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It is safest to use the “disconnect” method in settings or ADB-team --user 0, They do not physically delete files and make it easy to restore the system.

Comparison of methods of optimization of application operation

The choice of the method of stopping applications depends on your goals and level of training. For the average user, there are enough built-in system tools that provide a balance between security and functionality. Advanced users can use ADB for deeper cleaning, but must be aware of responsibility for their actions.

Regular cleaning of autoboot and control of background processes is the best prevention of slowdowns. Do not try to turn off absolutely everything that is not used, as some services are necessary for the correct operation of notifications and data synchronization. A reasonable approach will extend the life of the battery and speed up the interface without losing functionality.

Remember that new versions of HyperOS and MIUI are constantly updated, and menu names or available features may vary slightly. Always check the relevance of the information for your version of the firmware. Proper application management is the key to comfortable use of the Xiaomi smartphone throughout its life.