How to permanently remove GetApps from Xiaomi phone: from simple shutdown to complete removal

Why Users Want to Get Rid of GetApps and Can It Be Done Safely?

GetApps (formerly the Mi App Store) is installed by default on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones as part of the MIUI brand shell. Officially, it is positioned as an alternative app store with exclusive offers for brand users. However, in practice, many face aggressive advertising, unnecessary notifications and automatic consumption of traffic in the background - even if you have never opened the app.

The main problem is that GetApps is integrated into the system at the firmware level, which means that simply removing the icon from the desktop or turning off the settings will not have the full effect: the application will continue to work in hidden mode, update through Google Play and take up space in memory, and even after resetting the settings or updating the MIUI, it will return.

In this article, we will look at all possible ways from temporary shutdown to complete root removal, including methods for different versions of MIUI (12 to 14) and smartphone models. It is important to understand that some actions can affect the stability of the system, so we will specify the risks for each method.

Method 1: Disable GetApps without deleting (the safest method)

If you just need to stop the application activity, but not critically free up space in memory, just turn it off through the settings. This method does not require root rights and is suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and other modern devices.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 In the list, find GetApps (may be called the App Store or the GetApps Store").
• ⚙️ Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Disable.
• ✅ Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After disconnection, the application will cease:

• 📵 Show notifications and advertisements.
• 🔄 Update in the background.
• 📥 Consuming mobile traffic.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling does not delete the application files. It will still take up ~50-150 MB in device memory and can return after update MIUI.

Method 2: Remove updates and reset to factory version

If GetApps was updated through Google Play, it can be rolled back to a factory version that takes up less space and has no features, which runs on MIUI 13/14 and does not require root.

Steps:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → GetApps → Three Dots → Remove Updates.
2. Confirm action. The version of the app will reset to the factory version (usually 5.x.x instead of 6.x.x).
3. Return to the app settings and click Clear Cache and Clear Data.
4. Turn off autostart in the Battery → Autostart section.

Advantages of the method:

• 📉 Reduces the space occupied by ~150MB to ~30-50 MB.
• 🚫 Remove some of the advertising modules (but not all).
• 🔄 Prevents Automatic Update Through Google Play.

⚠️ Note: After resetting settings or updating MIUI The app will update to the latest version again.To avoid this, block updates via Google Play: Open Google Play → Profile → App management. Find GetApps and click on three dots. → Turn off auto-update.

Method 3: Remove GetApps via ADB (without root but with PC)

For users who are ready to connect a smartphone to a computer, there is a method of deleting through Android Debug Bridge (ADB). It does not require root rights, but involves working with the command line. Suitable for MIUI 12-14 on most models, except for devices with blocked debugging (for example, some versions for China).

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 📱 Cable USB (preferably original).
• 🔧 Installed drivers ADB (download from Android).
• ⚙️ Included debugging by USB phone-on.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm access to debugging.
4. Open the command line (terminal) and type: Adb devices Make sure the device is defined.
5. Execute the command to remove: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks For some versions of MIUI, an alternative package may be required: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.service

Result:

• ✅ The application will be completely removed for the current user (without affecting system files).
• ⚠️ After resetting settings or updating MIUI GetApps may be back.
• 🔧 To re-delete, it is enough to repeat the command.

Method 4: Complete removal with root rights (for power users)

If you have root access (e.g., through Magisk), you can delete GetApps permanently, including all system files, and this method is suitable for users who are prepared for potential risks (loss of warranty, unstable system operation).

Important: Before deleting, back up via TWRP or Mi Backup!

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/GetApps or /system/app/GetApps (the path may vary depending on the version of MIUI).
3. Delete the GetApps folder completely or rename it (for example, in the GetApps_bak).
4. Reset the device.

Alternative method through Terminal Emulator:

su


mount -o rw,remount /system




rm -rf /system/priv-app/GetApps




mount -o ro,remount /system




reboot

Advantages:

• 🧹 Complete removal without the possibility of recovery through updates.
• 📱 Frees up to 200 MB of system memory.
• 🚫 Guaranteedly removes all background processes.

⚠️ Note: Removal of system applications may result in: 🔄 Cyclical reboot (bootloop) for error in the way. 📵 Loss of functionality of some Xiaomi services (for example, design themes). 🔧 Problems with OTA-Before removing, check if GetApps is dependent on another system function (such as Mi Video or Themes).

pm list packages | grep xiaomi

This will show all Xiaomi packages related to GetApps.-->

Method 5: Blocking through hosts file (alternative to deletion)

If deleting seems risky, you can block GetApps’ access to the Internet by blacklisting the app’s domains through the hosts file, which will stop updates, ads and background activity.

Instructions (require root or ADB):

1. Download the hosts editor (e.g., Hosts Editor from Google Play).
2. Add the following lines to the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 app.mi.com 127.0.0.1 api.game.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com
3. Save the changes and restart the device.

Effect:

• 🚫 The application will stop updating.
• 📵 Banners and notifications will disappear.
• 🌐 Access to Xiaomi servers associated with GetApps will be blocked.

For users without root, you can use a traffic blocker (for example, NetGuard or the built-in Background Data Limitation in the MIUI settings).

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

To determine the best way, assess your needs and risks:

Selection recommendations:

• 🆕 For beginners: disabling in settings or removing updates.
• 💻 For the advanced: ADB-Deletion or blocking through hosts.
• 🔧 For experienced: Complete removal from root (only if you understand the risks).

💡

On devices with a locked bootloader (most global versions of Xiaomi), it is impossible to completely remove GetApps without root.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you use GetApps, you're going to have a common bug, and you're going to look at the most common ones.

1 After removal via ADB, the application is returned

Reason: MIUI restores system applications when it updates.

• 🔄 Turn off auto updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Settings → Auto-downloading updates.
• 📵 Use Magisk with Universal SafetyNet Fix to block recovery.

Error "Failed to uninstall: Not installed for 0"

Reason: Incorrect application package. Solution:

• 🔍 Check the exact package with the command: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i getapps
• 📌 Use the found packet in the delete command (e.g. com.xiaomi.mipicks or com.xiaomi.gamecenter).

3.The phone has stopped updating through OTA

Reason: Removing system applications breaks the update mechanism.

• 🔧 Install firmware manually via the Mi Flash Tool or TWRP.
• 📥 Download full firmware packages from Xiaomifirmwareupdater.com.

4. There were errors in other Xiaomi applications

Reason: GetApps is linked to Mi Account or Themes.

• 🔄 Restore deleted files from backup.
• 📲 Reinstall problematic apps via Google Play.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions