How to remove double applications on Xiaomi: removing clones

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to use two accounts in the same social network or messenger. the function of Cloning applications in the shell of MIUI allows you to create an exact copy of the program, but sometimes there is a situation when a second copy is no longer needed. Users may want to free up space in memory or just clean up the menu, but standard deletion is often difficult.

The problem is that the dual app doesn't get deleted the way you normally would, and if you just try to click on a cross or drag an icon into the cart, it might give you an error or not respond at all, because of the way Second Space works and the cloning mechanism that's deeply integrated into the Android operating system.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to deactivate duplicate programs. You will learn how to correctly remove double applications on shaomi through the system settings, what to do if the icon is missing, but the process continues to hang in memory, and how to avoid common errors when cleaning the device from excess software.

Standard Removal Method through MIUI Settings

The most reliable and secure way to remove a clone of an application is to use the built-in duplicate management tool, which ensures that all system connections are broken correctly and the residual files do not take up space on the disk.

Find the Apps section, then select App Cloning. In some firmware versions, this item may be inside the Additional Settings menu. You will see a list of all the programs that have copies made for you. It's important to understand that the switch opposite the application works in both directions: turning on creates a clone, and turning off removes it.

Simply move the slider opposite the unwanted application to the “Off” position, the system immediately warns that all data accumulated in the cloned version (correspondences, logins, cache) will be irrevocably deleted. Confirm the action, and in a few seconds the copy will disappear from the menu.

⚠️ Warning: Before deleting, make sure you do not lose important data. If there is important correspondence left in the second copy of the messenger, first make a backup or transfer the information to the main version.

After the procedure, it is recommended to restart the smartphone, which will allow the MIUI system to recalculate the application index and finally clear the cache that may have been left from the remote component.

Removal through the application management menu

There is an alternative way to manage individual instances of software in more detail, which is useful if you don't want to remove all clones at once, but selectively clean specific services. Open Settings and go to the Apps section, then select All Apps.

In the list of all installed programs, find the desired application. Note that the cloned version often has a distinctive icon or is marked with the number "2" next to the name. However, in the list of all applications, they can appear as a single item marked with the presence of two spaces.

Click on the name of the application to open the page about it. Here you will see the button Remove or Remove Updates. If the system sees the clone as a separate process, it will prompt you to choose which version you want to uninstall. In some cases, you will need to click on three dots in the upper corner of the screen and select Delete the clone.

This is especially effective for heavy gaming and social media, which take up a lot of space. Deleting through the control menu makes sure that you delete the duplicate, and not the main working version of the program.

💡

If you remove a clone of the game, check if your progress is tied to your Google Play or Xiaomi Cloud account to keep your achievements from being lost.

What to do if the icon is missing, but the application remains

A common problem with Xiaomi users is that the cloned app icon has disappeared from the desktop, but the program continues to be listed in the Task Manager or in the list of running processes, this can be due to a launcher failure or an error in updating the system, in which case simple waiting will not help, forced intervention is required.

The first step is to check hidden folders and desktops. Sometimes the icon isn't deleted, it's just hidden. Swipe your finger up or sideways to open the menu of all the apps, and search. Type the name of the program. If it's found, press the icon and see if there's an option to delete.

If the search didn't work, but you know it's hanging, you can use the settings search function. There's a search bar on the settings screen at the top. Type in the app name. The system will find the appropriate item in the cloning menu, even if there's no icon, and that will allow you to quickly go to the switch and disable the clone.

In more complex cases, cleaning the system component cache helps. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, find App Cloning (or App Cloner) in the list. Click Clear → Clear cache. Don't confuse it with cleaning the data, otherwise the settings of the cloning mechanism itself may be confused.

⚠️ Warning: Never attempt to delete system files through root-righted file managers unless you are sure of their purpose.This can lead to a cyclical smartphone reboot.

Cleaning of residual files after deletion

Once you've managed to remove the dual applications on the shaomi, the device often has tails in its memory, which are media folders, temporary logs and cache that used to occupy space on the drive, and you need to manually review the file system to clean it properly.

Open the standard File Explorer and go to the root of internal memory. Look for folders with names of remote applications. For example, for instant messengers, this can be the directories of WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber. Within them, often lie subfolders with names like Media or Cache, which inflate to gigabytes.

Also worth checking is the Android/data folder. This is where the app data is stored. Find a folder with the name of the remote clone package (e.g. com.whatsapp or similar for a clone). If you're sure the app is removed, this folder can be safely deleted, freeing up valuable space.

You can use a built-in cleaner to automate the process. Go to the Security app (green icon with shield), select Cleanup. The system will scan the memory and suggest that you delete the residual files. Be careful and uncheck the files you want to save.

• 🗑️ Remove Remote Program Names from the Root Directory.
• 📂 Check the way. Android/data clone-dumping.
• 📸 Don’t forget to clear the gallery of duplicate photos and videos that may have been saved from the second account.
• 📉 Use the built-in memory analyzer to find large forgotten files.

Problems with removing systemic clones

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where it is impossible to remove a clone of a preinstalled system application.The MIUI shell can block the removal of critical components, considering them to be part of the system.

If the standard methods don't work, you can try disabling the application. In the All Apps menu, find the problem clone. If the Remove button is inactive, a Disable button should be available, which will hide the application from the interface and stop its processes, although the files will remain on the disk.

For advanced users, there is a method of removing through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and having the appropriate software. The adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 <name packet> command allows you to remove the application for the current user, bypassing system restrictions.

adb shell pm list packages | grep clone


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.clone.app

Using ADB requires caution. An error in the name of the package can result in the removal of an important system component, which will make the phone unstable. Use this method only if you are fully confident in your actions and know the exact name of the package.

Prevention and optimization of work with clones

So in order to avoid the problems of overcrowded memory and the difficulties of deleting in the future, you should plan the use of the cloning function wisely. Don't create clones for all applications in a row, which not only makes the processor and battery resources difficult, but also complicates navigation.

Regularly audit installed programs, check the list of cloned applications once a month, and remove those that have been discontinued, which will help keep the system clean and ensure the interface is fast.

Also, some apps have a built-in multi-account feature, such as Telegram or YouTube, which allows you to add multiple profiles within the same app, and this feature is often more effective than creating a full clone of the program, since it does not create unnecessary load on the system.

• 🚀 Create clones only for really necessary messengers.
• 🔋 Turn off sync in the second account if you don’t need it to save charge.
• 📲 Use Do Not Disturb mode for cloned apps so notifications don’t get in the way.
• 🔄 Regularly update both the main and cloned versions of the applications.

💡

Timely cleaning of unnecessary clones of applications extends the life of the smartphone drive and maintains the high speed of the MIUI interface.