How to Remove Xiaomi Gallery Updates: The Complete Guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where, after another automatic update, the standard photo viewing app starts to work incorrectly, instead of the usual interface, the user gets freezes, errors when opening albums or the complete disappearance of editing functions, a common problem of the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem, requiring intervention in system processes.

Many users mistakenly believe that removing a system application is impossible without obtaining superuser rights. In fact, the Android operating system allows you to force the application to roll back to the factory version that was preinstalled at the time of the device's release. This process does not require complex hardware, but requires careful follow-up steps.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods for returning the standard gallery to work, we will look at both the standard operating system tools and more advanced methods through ADB for cases when the interface is blocked, you will learn how to safely clean the cache and data to return functionality without losing personal photos.

Why are there problems with the updates of the Gallery on Xiaomi?

The main reason for the conflicts lies in the aggressive optimization policy that Xiaomi applies to its shells: developers often release updates through GetApps service or built-in updater, which may not be fully tested on all device models, as a result, the new version of the code conflicts with existing system libraries.

Often the problem is manifested after a global firmware update, when the Gallery app version is not synced with the new version of Android or MIUI. Users notice that after installing the security patch, the application stops indexing new images, this occurs due to a violation of access rights or damage to the thumbnail database.

⚠️ Warning: Before any manipulation of system applications, be sure to back up important photos in the cloud or on your computer. rollback of the version may lead to temporary data unavailability.

Also, consider that some features of the Gallery are tightly coupled (closely related) with services Google Photos and the Xiaomi cloud. If the server part is updated, and the client application on the phone remains old (or vice versa), there is a desynchronization, which is why sometimes requires a complete reset of the application state to the original.

The standard method of rollback through Android settings

The safest and easiest way to return a previous version of an app does not require the installation of additional software. Android has a built-in mechanism to remove all user-installed updates for system components, which will return the application to the state it was in immediately after the purchase of the smartphone.

First, you need to get into the application management menu. The navigation may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI 12, 13, 14 shell or the new HyperOS. You need to find the item responsible for managing installed programs and sort them by name or memory.

Once you find the right item on the menu, the system will request confirmation of the action, and it will warn you that all data will be deleted and the application will return to the factory version, which is exactly what we need to fix the bugs caused by the new code, a process that takes a few seconds.

It's important to understand the difference between cleaning up data and removing updates. Cleaning up data removes your settings inside the application, but leaves the APK version of the file you downloaded. Removing updates replaces the executable file itself with an older, stable version from the factory firmware.

Using ADB for forced removal

If the standard interface is locked or the update uninstall button is inactive, you’ll need to use a more powerful tool, Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which allows you to send commands directly to the operating system without going through the GUI, and is effective in situations where the system considers the application critical and blocks it from changing.

To work, you will need a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux) and a cable to connect your smartphone. The first step is to activate the developer mode on your phone. To do this, go to Settings → About phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI version or OS version field.

Once you activate Developer Mode, go to Additional Settings → For Developers and turn on Debugging over USB. Connect your phone to your computer and allow debugging in the pop-up window on your smartphone screen. You can now move on to typing commands.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.gallery

This command does not delete the app completely (which is impossible without root rights), but deletes it for the current user (user 0), that is, for you. In fact, the phone will think that the application is not installed, and return to the system version. If you need to restore the gallery, just reset the phone settings or command cmd package install-existing com.miui.gallery.

Cleaning cache and data as an alternative

In some cases, the problem is not the update code itself, but the accumulated garbage or damaged thumbnail database. Xiaomi Gallery creates a preview for each image, and if this index is damaged, the application can not work correctly even on the old version.

The procedure is done in the same menu as the updates removal. Find the Gallery app, go to the Memory or Storage section. There you will see two buttons: Clear the cache and Clear all data. It is recommended to try cleaning the cache first, as it is safe and will not affect your settings.

If cleaning the cache doesn't work, use the Clean Everything feature, which will reset sorting settings, hidden albums, and app preferences to factory ones, while your photos will remain in place, as they are stored in a separate DCIM directory, but the structure of the albums inside the app may reset.

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Once the gallery data is cleaned, it will take the system 5 to 30 minutes to re-index all the photos, and don't panic if the albums don't come out right away.

Disable automatic updates in GetApps

To prevent the problem from recurring in the future, you need to limit the ability of the application to update itself. In Xiaomi smartphones, the GetApps app store (formerly the Mi Store) is often responsible for this, and it has a habit of updating system components in the background, ignoring user preferences.

Go to GetApps, click on the profile in the top right corner, and select Settings. Find App Auto Update and set Never or Only over Wi-Fi if you want to manually control the process, which will prevent buggy versions from suddenly installing.

Also worth checking is the settings of the Gallery app itself, which may have an "Update Automatically" item inside it, which should also be deactivated, and version control is a key factor in the stability of Android custom shells.

⚠️ Warning: By disabling automatic updates, you take responsibility for security. periodically check for critical security patches manually.

Alternative solutions and application replacement

If Xiaomi’s in-house gallery continues to be a source of criticism even after a rollback, it makes sense to consider alternatives. There are plenty of media viewing apps on the Android market that are faster and more stable than stock solutions. Replacing a standard app is often the only way out for older smartphone models.

Google Photos, Simple Gallery (or its forks) and AGallery are popular solutions that offer user-friendly interfaces, support and support. RAW-formats and cloud sync. Once you install a third-party app, you can assign it by default to open images.

For third-party installation APK-You will need to allow installation from unknown sources. Xiaomi will warn you of potential risks, but if you download a file from a proven resource (for example, APKMirror or F-Droid), there is nothing to worry about.

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Using a third-party gallery is not only a way to avoid MIUI bugs, but also an opportunity to get more advanced functionality of editing and organizing photos.