How to permanently remove Google Play Music from Xiaomi: from shutdown to complete erasure

Why Google Play Music is Hindering Xiaomi Users and Can It Be Safely Removed

Google Play Music is still on the firmware of many Xiaomi smartphones, despite the official shutdown of the service in 2020. Redmi, POCO and Mi users are faced with a problem: the app takes up space in memory, consumes resources in the background and interferes with the “Recent” menu. Worse, it often automatically updates through the Google Play Store, even if you do not use it.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to remove Google Play Music from Xiaomi, including methods for devices without root rights and with an unlocked bootloader. We will pay special attention to the nuances of MIUI 12-15, where standard removal through settings is often blocked by the system, and we will also explain how to prevent the reappearance of the application after a reset or update of the firmware.

Important: the procedure is different from removing regular user applications. Google Play Music is a Google System Services (GMS), so completely erasing it can affect the performance of other features (for example, Google Assistant or YouTube Music).We tested all methods on Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro and Mi 11 Lite — the results are summarized in the compatibility table below.

Method 1: Disabling the application (without deleting)

If you just want to hide an app and stop it from working in the background, you just have to turn it off through the settings, which is root-free and secure for the system, and is suitable for users who want to save battery power but are not prepared for radical measures.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management
• 🔍 In the search box, type in Google Play Music (or com.google.android.music)
• ⚙️ Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Disable.
• ✅ Confirm the action in the dialog window

After the shutdown:

• 🚫 The app will disappear from the menu and stop updating.
• 🔄 Your data will remain in your memory (about) 50-100 MB)
• 🔄 Google Assistant and YouTube Music will not be affected

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI The disable button can be blocked. In this case, try method 2 or 3.

Close all background applications

Connect to Wi-Fi (in case of failure)

Check the battery charge (minimum 30%)

Make a backup copy of important data-->

Method 2: Remove updates and reset to factory version

If the app has been updated through the Google Play Store, it can be rolled back to the factory version and then disable the updates, which will reduce the space occupied and prevent automatic recovery.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Google Play Music
2. Press three points. → Remove updates
3. Confirm the action (the app will return to the version preinstalled in MIUI)
4. Return to the main menu of Google Play Store
5. Find Google Play Music → Click on three points → Remove from the update list

This method works on all Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 newer, but has a limitation: the factory version of the application will still take up space in the section /system. Root rights will be required for complete removal (see method). 4).

Method 3: Removal via ADB (without root)

For users willing to work with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), there is a way to uninstall the app without obtaining root rights.This method is suitable for most Xiaomi models, including the Redmi 9, POCO F3 and Mi 10T.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with drivers installed ADB and Fastboot
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB)
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original)

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your debugging permission
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the adb folder
3. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices (the serial number of the device should appear)
4. Run the deletion command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.music
5. Reboot the phone.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Doesn't require root rights
• ✅ The application is removed for the current user (--user 0)
• ✅ Recovery is possible through adb install

⚠️ Note: After resetting settings or updating MIUI To prevent this, block its updates in the Google Play Store (see method 2).

Through settings (disconnection)

With ADB

Get rooted and removed manually

Used custom firmware.

Never deleted.-->

Method 4: Complete removal with root rights

To permanently remove Google Play Music, you need to unlock the bootloader and get root rights, which is suitable for advanced users because it poses a risk to system stability. We tested it on the POCO X3 NFC with MIUI 13 firmware and Magisk 25.2.

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Mi Account binding and wait 7-14 days)
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox)
3. Use Magisk to get root rights
4. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer)
5. Go to /system/priv-app/PrebuiltGmsCore or /system/app
6. Find files: GooglePlayMusic.apk GooglePlayMusic.odex (if any)

/sdcard/backup

Reset the device

Alternatively, the Terminal Emulator is:

su


mount -o rw,remount /system




rm -rf /system/priv-app/PrebuiltGmsCore/GooglePlayMusic*




mount -o ro,remount /system




reboot

Warnings:

• 🚨 Deleting system files can lead to bootloop (locked boot)
• 🚨 Some Google features may stop working
• 🚨 The warranty on the device will be cancelled

💡

Before you delete your system files, make a full backup via TWRP or Mi Flash Tool, which will allow you to recover your phone in the event of a crash.

Method 5: Using custom firmware

The most radical, but also the most effective way is to install custom firmware without GMS (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), which will completely remove all Google services, including Google Play Music, but require deep technical knowledge.

Pros of the method:

• ✅ Full control over system applications
• ✅ Opportunity to choose firmware without unnecessary services
• ✅ Regular updates from the community

Cons:

• ❌ Loss of Google Pay, YouTube features in high quality
• ❌ Risk of unstable camera or sensor operation
• ❌ Difficulty of returning to standard MIUI

Popular firmware for Xiaomi:

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware on locked bootloader devices (Redmi Note 12, Xiaomi 13 and later) can lead to hard-brick (irreparable damage). XDA Developers.

What to do if Google Play Music is back?

Even after removal, the application may return after:

• 🔄 Updates MIUI through OTA
• 🔄 Resetting settings to factory
• 🔄 Recovery through Mi Cloud

How to prevent recurrence:

1. Turn off automatic updates in Google Play Store: Open a profile in Play Store → Settings → Auto-Update apps → Never Find Google Play Music → Three dots → Remove from the update list

ADB

adb shell pm hide com.google.android.music

(Requires MIUI 13+ and USB debugging enabled)

Delete your Google account

• 📱 Settings → Accounts. → Google → Delete the account
• ⚠️ This will shut down all Google services, including Gmail and YouTube.