How to change your Play Market account on Xiaomi smartphones: 4 working ways

Why it’s hard to change your Google account on Xiaomi and what to do about it

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a problem: after buying a used phone or trying to add a second account, Google Play Market stubbornly ignores new data and returns to the old profile. It’s all about the features of the MIUI firmware, which aggressively caches account data and links it to system services. Even after leaving the profile through the settings, the app store can continue to use old credentials for downloads and payments.

To make matters worse, Xiaomi is modifying standard Android by adding its own security layers. For example, on devices with MIUI 14/15, when trying to change an account, the system can request a password from the previous profile or even block access to account settings. This is not a bug, but a feature: this is how the manufacturer tries to protect users from data theft. But what if the phone is bought from hand and the previous owner did not delete his profile?

In this article, we will discuss 4 proven ways to change your Play Market account to Xiaomi, from simple (through settings) to radical (using ADB). All methods have been tested on Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra models with the latest firmware versions. Importantly, some actions will require administrator rights or debugging over USB, we will warn you about this in advance.

Method 1: Standard account change via Android settings

Let’s start with the most obvious and safe method that will work if the previous owner of the phone has not linked the device to his account. MI (This is a separate headache. This way, you don't have to reset or do a technical manipulation.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings app (cog icon on the home screen).
• 👤 Go to Accounts and Synchronization (on some firmware – just Accounts).
• 🔍 Find it in the Google list and tap it.
• 🗑️ If there is an old account, click on it. → Delete your account (requires password or pattern lock confirmation).
• ➕ After deleting, click Add Account → Google and log in with your data.

After this, open Play Market, which should automatically pick up a new account. If it doesn't, try:

1. Clear the cache of the Settings application → Apps → Google Play Store → Memory → Clear the cache.
2. Reboot the phone.
3. Start Play Market and wait for sync (can take up to 5 minutes).

⚠️ Note: If the system requests a password from the previous owner's Mi Account when deleting an account, this method will not work.

Method 2: Delete your Google account through the recovery menu (no reset)

If the standard method didn’t work, but you don’t want to reset your phone to factory settings, you can try removing your account’s association through Recovery Mode, which is suitable for devices where MIUI doesn’t block access to system partitions.

Important: The method requires debugging over USB and working with ADB. If you have never used these tools, you should skip this section or act extremely carefully.

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Download the ADB (Android SDK Platform Tools)|Enable USB debugging on your phone |Plug your phone to your PC with the original cable |Unlock the bootloader (if required)

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Step-by-step:

1. Activate USB debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version to unlock Developer Settings. Go back to the main settings, open Additional → Developer. Enable USB Debugging and confirm the action.

Connect your phone to your PC

ADB

Follow the commands:

adb shell


pm clear com.google.android.gms




pm clear com.android.vending




reboot

These commands will clear the data of Google Play Services and the Play Market itself, which will force the system to request a new account at its next launch.

After the reboot, open Play Market, which should prompt you to log in. If that doesn’t happen, try manually adding an account through Settings → Accounts.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M4 Pro) after these commands can fly activation Widevine L1, This will result in the loss of full support. HD It's only possible to restore it through a complete reset.

Method 3: Resetting settings (if other methods have not worked)

If the previous methods didn't work, the radical solution is factory reset, which will erase all data from the phone, including the linked accounts, but is guaranteed to solve the problem. Xiaomi has two types of reset:

We recommend starting with reset via Settings:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Enter the password from your current Mi Account (if requested).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.

If there are no documents, there are semi-legal methods that we describe exclusively for informational purposes:

Important: All of these methods violate Xiaomi’s user agreement and may result in the device being locked at IMEI level.

⚠️ Warning: If you bought the phone with your hands and the seller didn’t untie it from your Mi Account, you have 30 days to contact Xiaomi with proof of purchase.

What to do if Play Market doesn’t change your account

There are times when, even after a reset or deletion of an account, Play Market stubbornly ignores new data, which involves caching Google services at the system level.

• 🔄 Reinstall Play Market Updates: Go to Settings → Annexes → Google Play Store. Click on it. ⋮ → Remove updates. Reboot your phone and wait for automatic updates.

Clear the data of Google Services:

Settings → Applications → Google Play Services → Memory → Clear data

Attention:

Gmail

YouTube

Check the sync:

Settings → Accounts → Google → Synchronization

If the problem persists, it is possible that the phone has a modified firmware (such as Custom ROM) that conflicts with Google services, in which case only flashing to the official MIUI will help.

💡

On Xiaomi devices with global firmware (EEA), account change problems are less common than on the Chinese versions (CN).

How to avoid account problems when buying used Xiaomi

If you are planning to buy Xiaomi with your hands, be sure to check the following points before transferring money:

• 🔓 Mi Account Unbundling: Ask the seller to remove the device from your Mi Cloud account (Settings) → Mi Account → Remove the device).
• 📱 Reset to factory: Make sure your phone has passed a full reset in your presence.
• 🛡️ Lock Check: Enter ##4636## and make sure that there are no lock marks in the device information (Device is locked).
• 📄 Documents: Take a check or receipt with an indication IMEI — This is your insurance in case of blocking.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing your account to Xiaomi