How to completely hide or remove Play Market on Xiaomi: a detailed guide

Google Play Market is an integral part of the Android ecosystem, but not all Xiaomi users want to see it in their smartphone, and the reasons range from wanting to save battery power to switching to alternative app stores like APKMirror or Aurora Store. Unfortunately, you can't just delete the Play Market -- it's embedded in the system partition, but there are legal ways to hide it, disable it, or at least minimize the impact on the device.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven methods, including disabling through settings, blocking updates, using ADB and even completely removing for advanced users (with root rights). All instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 and earlier, but some steps may differ depending on the model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.).

Why you can’t just remove Play Market from Xiaomi

Unlike regular apps, Google Play Services and the Play Market itself are Android system services, which are installed in the protected /system/priv-app section and are privileged.

• 🔒 Without root rights, you can’t physically remove the APK-file.
• ⚙️ Even after being disabled through settings, some processes (com.android.vending) may continue to work in the background.
• 🔄 The system automatically restores remote system applications after the update MIUI.
• 📱 On some models (Xiaomi for global market), removing Play Market may disrupt Google Mobile Services (GMS), This will cause errors in other apps (such as YouTube or Gmail).

However, you can completely disable the visibility of the Play Market and block its background activity without root - more on this.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI For China (without pre-installed Google Services), the Play Market is initially absent. If you bought such a smartphone and independently flashed the global version, all the methods in this article apply.

Method 1: Disable Play Market through MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to deactivate the app in the settings, which won’t physically remove it, but will hide the icon from the menu and stop most background processes.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, enter the Play Market (or Google Play Store on Russian firmware).
3. Slip on the app, then select Disable (or Remove Updates if the Disable button is inactive).
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After that, the icon will disappear from the main screen and from the app menu.

• ⚠️ Some system processes (com.google.android.gms) may remain active.
• 🔄 Next update MIUI Play Market May Come Back to the Future.

Method 2: Block Play Market Updates via ADB

If you want to not only hide the app, but also prevent its automatic recovery, you will need ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works without root rights and is suitable for most Xiaomi models.

Steps:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version.

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

ADB

adb shell pm hide com.android.vending


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




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

The last command removes all Play Market updates, returning it to the factory version (which is less visible in the system).

adb shell pm enable com.android.vending


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

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI After restarting the Play Market device, you can activate again, in which case repeat the commands or use the method with Debloater (described below).

Method 3: Use Universal Android Debloater (without root)

For those who do not want to manually enter ADB-There is a convenient utility - Universal Android Debloater (UAD). It allows you to disable system applications through a graphical interface.

Instructions:

1. Download UAD from GitHub (available for Windows, Linux, macOS).
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC in USB Debugging mode (see Method 2).
3. Run UAD and wait for the list of applications to load.
4. In the search box, type vending or play market.
5. Check out com.android.vending (Play Market) com.google.android.gms (Google Play Services – optional, but may disrupt other applications)

Uninstall selected

Disable selected

Advantages of UAD:

• 📊 Visual control over disabled applications.
• 🔄 The ability to roll back changes in one click.
• 🛡️ Safer than manual input ADB-Teams (less risk of error).

Method 4: Completely remove Play Market with root rights

If you're willing to take drastic measures and you have root access (like Magisk), you can physically remove Play Market from the system partition.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/PrebuiltGmsCore or /system/priv-app/Phonesky (the path may vary depending on the version of MIUI).
3. Delete or rename the files: Phonesky.apk (Play Market main file) Phonesky.odex (optional if available)

Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: On devices with dynamic partitions (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) physical system removal APK This can lead to bootloop.Before experimenting, check your model compatibility on forums. XDA Developers or 4PDA.

💡

Before removing the root-righted Play Market, create a full system partition backup via TWRP or OrangeFox Recovery, which will allow you to restore the device in the event of a crash.

Method 5: Hide the Play Market icon without turning it off

If you just need to remove the icon from the home screen, but leave the Play Market itself working (for example, for rare use), there are two options:

• 📱 Hiding through the launcher: Click the Play Market icon. From the menu that appears, select Remove from the screen or Hide (in the menu). MIUI Launcher.The icon will disappear, but the app will remain on the menu All apps.
• 🔍 Use an alternative launcher: Install a Nova Launcher, Hyperion Launcher or Lawnchair, and their settings include the option to hide individual apps from the list. → Settings. Go to App Settings. → Hide apps. Mark Play Market and save changes.

The advantage of this method is reversibility, and you can return the icon back at any time, or find the Play Market through an app search.

💡

Hiding an icon doesn’t turn off the background of Play Market. If the goal is to save battery power or traffic, use methods 1-4.

What to do if Play Market reappears after MIUI update

The MIUI system has a nasty feature: after major updates, it restores disabled system applications.

1. Block Automatic Updates: Go to Play Market → Settings → Auto-Update Apps. Choose Never.

Turn off the update of Google services:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.gms/.update.SystemUpdateService


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.gms/.update.SystemUpdateActivity

Debloater

after each update:

Run Universal Android Debloater and re-disable com.android.vending.

Some firmware (such as MIUI 15 for Xiaomi 14) may require locking through Package Disabler Pro, an app that keeps a list of disabled components even after updates.

FAQ: Frequent questions about hiding Play Market on Xiaomi