Xiaomi smartphone users often face intrusive behavior from system and pre-installed apps that tend to update at the most inopportune time, especially with products from the Yandex ecosystem such as the Browser, Drive orlauncher, which can independently initiate downloads of new versions via Wi-Fi or mobile network, which not only consumes traffic, but sometimes leads to a decrease in device performance due to background processes.
Android, which runs the MIUI or HyperOS shell, has built-in app controls. However, standard settings don’t always block a specific software update without root rights. Redmi and Poco phone owners need to take a holistic approach, combining the settings of the app store itself with the system limitations of the battery.
There are several effective ways to solve this problem, from simple menu switches to the use of advanced debugging tools. The choice of the specific method depends on your smartphone model and the version of the installed firmware. Below we will discuss each of them in detail so that you can choose the best option for your device.
Setup auto-update in Yandex Browser
The most obvious and first step is to check the internal settings of the application itself. Yandex Browser developers have provided the ability to control the download of updates, although sometimes these items can be hidden in the depth of the menu or renamed in different versions.
Open the app and navigate to a menu that's usually represented by three dots or bars. Find the Settings section, then scroll through the list to About or Update. This is where the switch that automatically checks new versions often hides, and if the slider is active, it needs to be put inactive.
⚠️ Note: Even after disabling the option inside the application, the Android system can force the program to update through Google Play or GetApps, ignoring the internal browser settings.
It is worth considering that some versions of applications may not have an explicit ban on updating, requiring the user to intervene more deeply in the system, in which case relying only on internal settings is not enough.
Disable Auto Update via Google Play Store
The main channel for distribution of applications on Xiaomi smartphones of global versions is the Google Play store, which most often initiates the background download and installation of new versions of programs, to prevent this, you need to change the settings for a particular application.
Launch the Play Store app on your device. At the top of the screen, click on your profile avatar to open the account management menu. Select App and Device Management and then go to the Manage tab. Here you will see a list of all installed programs.
Find Yandex Browser or another company product you want to stop. Click on the app name to open its page. In the menu that opens, find Auto Update and uncheck it by selecting Do not update apps automatically. This action will prevent the store from updating your selected software.
- 📱 Open Google Play Store on your Xiaomi.
- 👤 Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner.
- 📂 Go to the section “Manage applications and devices».
- 🚫 Find Yandex and select “Do not update automatically».
If you have several Yandex services installed, you will have to repeat the procedure for each of them separately.
☑️ Checking the settings of Google Play
Limiting background activity in MIUI and HyperOS
The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have an aggressive energy-saving system that can be used for its own purposes, and if you block an application from running in the background and accessing the network, it will not be physically able to check for updates and download them.
To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the desired Yandex service in the list and click on it. You are interested in the Battery or Energy section. Select the No Limits mode only if you want the application to work, but to block updates, you better choose Restricted or completely ban background activity.
Next, you need to restrict access to the Internet. In the same app settings menu, find "Access to the network" or "Data Use." Turn off the sliders for Wi-Fi and mobile network. Now the application will only work when you open it, and then without access to the outside world, unless you manually turn on the network for it.
| Parameter | Recommended value | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-start | Off. | The app does not start when the phone is turned on |
| Background activities | Limited. | The system kills the process when folding |
| Wi-Fi access | Forbidden. | Inability to upload data in the background |
| Access to data | Forbidden. | Blocking traffic through SIM card |
This is the most radical method, as it can disrupt widgets, Alice voice assistant and notifications. Use it if you want full control of the app.
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If you disable background activity, Yandex’s desktop widgets may stop updating weather or news information until the next manual opening of the app.
Use of the Developer Menu and ADB
For advanced users who are not afraid of the command line, there is a method of disabling components through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to “freeze” or completely disable the service pack without removing the application itself, this is especially true for system applications that can not be removed in the usual way.
First, activate Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on either MIUI Version or OS Version. Once the notification appears, go back to the main settings menu, find “Additional” and select “Developers” and turn on “Debugging over USB.”
Connect your phone to your computer and use a command to disable a specific package, for example, to turn off the update service, you can use the command:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.browser.updaterThe name of the package may vary depending on the application. For Yandex Browser, the main package is com.yandex.browser, but updates are often provided by separate service modules. Be careful when disabling system components so as not to disrupt the stability of the OS.
⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Disabling critical system services can lead to unstable smartphone operation or cyclical reboot.
The good thing about this method is that it doesn't require root rights and is reversible, and you can get it back anytime you want by replacing the disable-user with enable.
List of deactivation packages
Disconnection in the GetApps app store
Xiaomi smartphones, designed for the Russian market or with firmware for Russia, preinstalled app store GetApps (formerly Mi Apps), it often duplicates the functions of Google Play and can independently update applications, including products of Yandex, even if Google Play is banned.
To stop this process, open the GetApps app. Click on the user profile in the lower right corner or menu. Go to Settings and find Auto App Update. Select Never or Wi-Fi Only if you want to control the process.
It’s also worth checking the list of installed apps inside GetApps. Sometimes you can find a specific app and uncheck Auto Update individually, similar to what you did in Google Play. Ignoring this step will nullify all previous efforts, as priority may be given to Xiaomi’s home store.
- 🛍️ Launch the GetApps store on your device.
- ⚙️ Go to the profile settings.
- 🔄 Find the Auto Update section.
- ❌ Set the value of "Never».
Users of global firmware versions may not encounter GetApps, but for owners of devices purchased in official retail of the Russian Federation, this step is mandatory.
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Double controls through Google Play and GetApps ensure that no store updates the app without your knowledge.
Possible problems and solutions
Despite all the measures taken, you may find yourself in a situation where the app is still updated, which may be due to synchronization of your Google account when settings are applied from the cloud, or because of system updates to the MIUI shell itself that reset user preferences.
In some cases, it helps to completely freeze the application through third-party utilities such as Freezer or Titanium Backup (require root).However, for the average user, the safest way is a regular check of settings after major system updates. It is also worth considering that older versions of applications may no longer support some web standards, which will lead to incorrect display of sites.
If the update has already occurred and the new version works worse, the only way out is to roll back to the previous version. APK-file the desired version from a reliable source, delete the current application (saving data if possible) and install the old version, previously prohibiting its updating by the methods described above.
Keep in mind that blocking updates constantly carries security risks, and older browser versions may contain vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit when visiting infected sites.