Users of Xiaomi’s MIUI 12-shell smartphones often face a situation where a third-party keyboard like Facemoji compulsively offers its services or simply stops offering functionality. Deleting this application may seem like a trivial task, but there are nuances in the Android ecosystem related to access rights and system permissions. If you want to regain control of text input, you will need to perform a series of sequential actions.
The problem is often not so much the application file itself as the fact that it has the status of an active input method. As long as the Facemoji Keyboard is active, the system can block its complete removal or hide standard uninstallation buttons. In this article, we will discuss not only the standard method of deleting, but also methods for completely clearing traces of the program from the device memory.
It is important to understand that MIUI 12 has its own permission management features, and before you start taking drastic measures, it is worth trying to disable the keyboard with regular means, which will avoid potential system conflicts and ensure that you are not left without the ability to enter text at a critical time.
Why Facemoji can interfere with the smartphone
Many users install Facemoji for bright emojis and themes, but over time they notice strange behavior of the device. The application can consume a significant amount of RAM, even in the background. This leads to faster battery drain and periodic slowdowns of the Xiaomi interface.
In addition, third-party keyboards often request excessive permissions, may require access to contacts, location, or microphone, which poses a risk to data privacy. If you don't use specific sticker features on a daily basis, having such software becomes an unnecessary burden on the system.
Another reason to remove is intrusive advertising, which in the free versions of Facemoji, banner ads can appear in unexpected places, blocking the usable area of the screen, which is especially annoying when typing in messengers or when working with documents.
⚠️ Warning: Before removing, make sure you have another keyboard installed and activated (such as Gboard or standard keyboard). MIUI), Otherwise, you won’t be able to enter text to search for Wi-Fi settings or passwords.
Checking active input methods before removal
The first step in the uninstallation process is to check the current language and input settings. Android will not allow you to remove the application, which is currently the main way to enter data.
To do this, go to the settings menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the security patch, but the overall logic remains the same. Find the section responsible for additional settings or advanced system functions.
- 📱 Open the settings of your smartphone.
- 🔍 Go to the Additional or Advanced Settings section.
- ⌨️ Select the language and input.
- ✅ Find the option Current keyboard or Keyboard management.
In the list that opens, you'll see all the input apps installed. If Facemoji is ticked off or the switch is active, the system prioritizes it. Your job is to deactivate that switch. After that, the system can issue a warning about the risks of using third-party keyboards -- confirm the action, because we're just going to get rid of it.
After switching to another keyboard, like Gboard, try to open any text editor, and if you click on the screen, you're successful, and you can now move on to deleting the application file completely.
Standard Removal Procedure Through Settings
The most reliable way to get rid of unwanted software is to use the built-in MIUI 12 application manager, which ensures that all data and cache associated with the application are deleted, which is important to free up space.
Go back to the main settings menu and find the App section, which shows the full list of installed software, and for convenience, you can sort the list by size or installation date to find the Facemoji Keyboard faster.
☑️ Checklist before removal
Search the Facemoji list and click on it. The application information page will open with the control buttons available. Press the Remove button. The system will request confirmation, agree. If the removal button is inactive (gray), this means that the application has device administrator rights or is system (which is unlikely for Facemoji if you have installed it yourself).
| Parameter | Description of action | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Clear the data | Resets keyboard settings | Deletion of the dictionary and so on |
| Clear the cache | Deletes temporary files | Freeing up space in memory |
| Stop it. | Forcedly closes the trial | Termination of work in the background |
| Delete | Complete uninstallation | The application disappears from the system |
After successful removal, it is recommended to restart the device, which is necessary for the operating system to completely clean the registry of running processes and reallocate resources.
Remove from Google Play Store
An alternative and often faster way is to use the Google Play Store, which is convenient because it allows you to manage applications in a single interface, especially if you installed Facemoji through this channel.
Open the Play Market app on your Xiaomi. In the search bar, type the keyboard name. If the app is installed, instead of the "Install" or "Update" button, you will see the "Delete" button.
Click on it and confirm the action in the pop-up window, and the good thing about this is that it automatically revokes all permissions that the app has given before, and you don't have to manually check every item in the privacy settings.
It's worth noting that after you've removed it from the marketplace, the system might suggest you rate the app or recommend similar keyboards. Just ignore those suggestions if your goal is minimalism.
Forced removal and cleaning of residues
Sometimes standard methods don't work, or you have tails in the memory, like folders with themes and audio packages, and you can use a MIUI file manager or a third-party conductor, like Total Commander, to clean it up.
Go to the root folder of internal memory and find the Android/data directory, which can save folders with names containing facemoji or the developer domain (often com.facemoji...).
⚠️ Be extremely careful when manually deleting files in a folder Android/data. Deleting system files can cause other applications to work in an unstable way. 100%.
Also check the Download folder. It's often left there. APK-If you downloaded the keyboard from your browser, the installer file might have stayed.
For advanced users who are faced with an undeleteable application, there is a method through ADB (Android Debug Bridge.This requires connecting your smartphone to your computer via USB-cable USB on the Developer Menu.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.facemoji.liteThis command will force the application to be removed for the current user, even if it was embedded in the system as a pre-installed (bloatware), however, use this method only if you are fully confident in the name of the package.
Alternatives and setting up a new keyboard
When you delete Facemoji, you’ll be asked to choose a new keyboard, and the standard MIUI keyboard is quite functional, but many users prefer Google’s Gboard for its predictive input and integration with search engine services.
When a new keyboard is first activated, MIUI 12 can display a security warning screen. This is standard procedure. You will need to go back to Settings → Language and input and allow the new application to be used.
- 🎨 Gboard: excellent voice input, built-in translator and GIF-animation.
- ⚡ SwiftKey: powerful text prediction and flexible layout setting.
- 🛡️ OpenBoard: Open-source keyboard that focuses on privacy.
Also check your auto-replacement and vocabulary settings in the new app, which will help you avoid embarrassing situations with word correction in the future.