How to permanently remove FaceMoji Keyboard on Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12

Xiaomi’s FaceMoji Keyboard has been a headache for many users since upgrading to MIUI 12. Despite its bright design and integrated emojis, it often slows down, eats up battery resources and compulsively appears instead of a standard keyboard. Worst of all, the system doesn’t always allow you to remove it through normal settings, offering only a shutdown.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to remove FaceMoji Keyboard – from simple to radical, including methods through the use of the FaceMoji Keyboard. ADB You will also learn how to avoid common errors (such as loss of functionality of system applications after deletion), and which alternative keyboards are better to install instead. POCO base MIUI 12 and newer.

Why is FaceMoji Keyboard so hard to remove?

The reason is the MIUI 12 architecture, and the FaceMoji keyboard is embedded as a system application (not a custom one), so:

• 🔹 It is updated via Google Play, but not removed in the standard way.
• 🔹 MIUI Blocks the “Delete” button in the application settings.
• 🔹 Forced removal may disrupt other services (such as Mi Accounts or Themes).

Moreover, even after shutdown, the keyboard can automatically activate after a system reboot or update, which is because Xiaomi has integrated it into the com.miui.miservice package, a key component of MIUI.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 9 Pro or Xiaomi Mi 10) remove FaceMoji Keyboard via ADB Mi Cloud may crash. Make a backup copy of your data before you do anything!

Method 1: Disconnect via MIUI settings (without deleting)

If you do not need to completely erase the keyboard, but just hide it from the interface, use the standard method:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, type FaceMoji Keyboard.
3. Slip on the app and select Disable.
4. Confirm the action by clicking Disable the application.

After that, the keyboard will disappear from the list of available input, but it will remain in the system and can be activated again after the update.

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To prevent automatic activation, go to Settings → System → Settings Reset → App Resets. This will return all applications to factory settings, but will not delete user data.

Method 2: Removal via ADB (without root)

To completely remove the FaceMoji Keyboard, you will need an ADB debugging bridge. This method works without root rights, but requires connecting the smartphone to a computer.

Step 1: Preparation

• 🔧 Install. ADB Tools on PC.
• 🔧 Enable Developer Mode on Smartphone: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (tap 7 times).
• 🔧 Activate Debugging on USB In Settings → Additionally. → For developers.

Step 2. Follow the commands:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the command line in the adb folder.
2. Enter: Adb devices (you should see your device).
3. Perform deletion: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.facemoji

If the command fails, try an alternative package:

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.sohu.inputmethod.xiaomi

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 12.5 Enhanced method may cause an error DELETE_FAILED_DEVICE_POLICY_MANAGER. In that case, move on to the method. 3.

Method 3: Manually delete system files (root required)

If ADB didn’t help and you have root rights, you can manually delete the keyboard through a file manager with access to system folders (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer).

Instructions:

1. Open the file manager and go to /system/priv-app/FaceMojiKeyboard.
2. Delete the entire folder or only the files: 📄 FaceMojiKeyboard.apk 📄 FaceMojiKeyboard.odex (if any)

Reset the device.

If you experience a failure after deleting (e.g. Mi Account does not work), restore files from a backup or reinstall the keyboard via ADB:

adb install com.miui.facemoji.apk

Method 4: Remove via TWRP Recovery

If you have a custom TWRP recap on your device, you can delete the FaceMoji Keyboard through it:

1. Load to TWRP (clip Power + Volume Up).
2. Go to Advanced → File Manager.
3. Find and delete folders: 📁 /system/priv-app/FaceMojiKeyboard 📁 /data/app/com.miui.facemoji-* (all the folders with that prefix)

Wipe → Cache

This method is the most reliable, but requires an unlocked bootloader and a TWRP installed.

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If none of these methods work, and the keyboard is critically disruptive, you have to completely reset your settings, and this method will delete all the data from the device, so:

• 📱 Make a backup copy through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 📱 Transfer important files to the PC or cloud.
• 📱 Remember your Mi Account information (you will need it after the reset).

For discharge:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Choose to erase all data.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the completion.

After the reboot, FaceMoji Keyboard will be removed, but you will have to configure the device from scratch. To prevent the keyboard from installing again, do not update MIUI through Settings → System Update or turn off automatic update installation.

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Resetting to factory settings is the only way to guarantee that you will remove the FaceMoji Keyboard, but it erases all user data. Use it only if other methods have failed.

Alternative keyboards for Xiaomi

After removing FaceMoji Keyboard, we recommend installing one of the proven alternatives:

To make the new keyboard become the main one:

1. Install it from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
3. Select the keyboard installed and activate it.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When removing FaceMoji Keyboard, users face typical problems:

• 🚫 Error "Failed to delete the package": Solution: Check the correct name of the package (com.miui.facemoji or com.sohu.inputmethod.xiaomi).If it doesn't help, try to delete via TWRP.
• 🚫 The keyboard is back after the update MIUI: Solution: Turn off automatic update installation in Settings → Updating the system → Settings (⚙️) → Auto-update.
• 🚫 Mi Account does not work after deletion: Solution: Restore keyboard files or reinstall Mi Account via Deletion ADB (spoiler).

If the keyboard keeps popping up after all the manipulations, it’s likely integrated into the firmware at the core level, in which case only flashing to custom MIUI (e.g. xiaomi.eu) or switching to LineageOS will help.

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Before radical actions (remove via root or reset), always check the backup. 30% of the time users lose data due to an incorrect backup.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions