How to Remove Google Play Movies on Xiaomi: From Disconnection to Uninstallation

Google Play Movies is preinstalled on most Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI firmware, even if you've never used Google's video rental service. For many users, this app becomes a useless ballast: it takes up space in memory, displays in the menu and periodically receives updates through the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, standard deletion through system settings is often not available - the "Delete" button is simply absent or inactive.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to get rid of Google Play Movies on Xiaomi, including official methods (disable, hide icons) and radical ones (delete system files for advanced users). It is important to understand that completely removing the system application can affect the stability of MIUI, so we will indicate the risks and alternative solutions for each instruction. If you are not sure about your actions, start with safe ways from the first sections.

Why can’t Google Play Movies be removed in the standard way?

The Google Play Movies app (com.google.android.videos package) is a Google system service that Xiaomi integrates into firmware under an agreement with Google.

• 🔒 Protection against removal: MIUI Blocks the ability to uninstall critical services (even if they are not in use).
• 🔄 Auto Update: The app is updated through the Google Play Store regardless of your desire.
• 📦 Impact on other services: Deletion may disrupt the Google Play Store, Google Assistant, or account sync.

On devices with the Global MIUI version (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G or POCO X5 Pro), the app is installed as a system, while on the Chinese version it may not be at all. Check your firmware version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – if the name has the word “Global”, chances are that Google Play Movies can not be removed without root rights.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T Pro or Redmi K60) The app could be part of Google Play Services, and if it were removed, it would crash, leaving only options to disable or hide.

Method 1: Disabling the application (without root rights)

The safest method is to disable Google Play Movies through your Android settings. This won't delete the application files, but will stop it from working, hide it from the menu and prevent auto-start. MIUI 12–15:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, type “Movies” or “Google Play Films”.
3. Select the app from the list and tap it.
4. Press the “Disable” button (if the button is inactive, proceed to method 2).
5. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After the shutdown:

• 📱 The icon will disappear from the app menu.
• 🚫 The application will not start automatically.
• 🔄 Updates to Google Play Store will stop (but files will remain in memory).

⚠️ Note: On certain devices (e.g, POCO F5) After the shutdown, you may lose access to other Google services, such as Google Pay or Google Photos. Check the functionality of these applications after following the instructions.

Method 2: Remove updates and return to the factory version

If the Disable button is inactive, try removing the app updates by returning to the factory version.This won't delete the app itself, but will reduce its size and reset the settings:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Google Play Movies
2. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Delete Updates".
3. Confirm the action.
4. Return to the app menu and try to click “Disable” again.

If the "Disable" button is active after that, follow the steps from Method 1. If not, proceed to the next method.

To prevent a re-update:

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Find Google Play Movies in search.
3. Slip on three points on the application page and uncheck the checkmark from “Auto Update”.

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If you don’t plan to use Google services, you can turn off auto-update for all apps. Go to Google Play Settings → App Auto-Update → Don’t automatically update.

Method 3: Hiding the icon through the launcher (without deleting)

If you can't turn off the app, and the icon gets in the way of the menu, you can hide it with standard MIUI functions or a third-party launcher, which doesn't delete the app itself, but makes it invisible.

Option 1: Hiding through MIUI settings (works on MIUI 13-15):

1. Press your finger on the Google Play Movies icon on the home screen.
2. In the menu that appears, select “Hide the App” (or “Remove from the Screen”, depending on the version).
3. Confirm the action.

Option 2: Use of a third-party launcher (e.g., Nova Launcher or Lawnchair):

• 📲 Install a launcher from the Google Play Store.
• 🔧 Go to the launcher settings and find the Hidden Applications section».
• 🔍 Add Google Play Movies to the Hidden List.

The downside is that the application will stay on the system and consume resources in the background, but it is the only safe option for devices without root rights.

Method 4: Remove via ADB (without root rights but with PC)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can uninstall the app using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for debugging Android through your computer, which doesn’t require root rights, but requires connecting your smartphone to your PC.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🛠️ Installed drivers ADB Android platform SDK (or Minimal utility ADB and Fastboot).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on developer mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer” appears.

USB-debugging

• Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• Turn on the "Debugging by USB" switch.
• Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm your trust in the dialog box.
• Open the command prompt (or terminal) on your PC and type: Adb devices Make sure your device appears in the list.
• Run the command to remove the application: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.videos If the command doesn't work, try: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.videos

Once the command is executed, the application will be deleted for the current user (without deleting system files).

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.videos

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra after use ADB If Google Play Store or Gmail stops working after deletion, reset Google services settings to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Delete your account (no data will be lost, but you will need to log in again).

Method 5: Complete removal with root rights (for advanced)

If your Xiaomi has root rights (for example, after unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk), you can completely remove the system application, including its files.This method is risky - wrong actions can lead to a bootloop ( looped boot).

Conditions required:

• 🔓 Unlocked bootloader (Bootloader Unlocked).
• 🛡️ Installed by Magisk or other root rights manager.
• 📱 Backup of data (in case of failure).

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root rights support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/GooglePlayFilms or /system/app/GooglePlayFilms.
3. Delete the folder with the app (or rename it by adding.bak at the end).
4. Reset the device.

The following is the Titanium Backup:

1. Install Titanium Backup from Google Play.
2. Give the app root rights.
3. Find Google Play Movies in the list of apps.
4. Select “Delete!” and confirm the action.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS, removing system applications completely, can cause com.google.process.gapps to fail the next firmware update. If you're not prepared for any problems, use root-free methods.

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Before removing system applications, always back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. This will restore the device to health in the event of a failure.

What if Google’s other services stopped working after they were deleted?

If you have removed Google Play Movies through ADB or the root method and then stopped working Google Play Store, Gmail or YouTube, follow these steps:

1. Restart the device – sometimes services are restored after a reboot.
2. Clear the Google cache: Go to Settings → Apps → App Management. Go to Google Play Services and select Clear Cache. Repeat for Google Play Store and Google Services Framework.
3. Delete and add a Google account again: Go to Settings → Accounts → Google. Delete your account (no data will be lost). Add the account back and sync.

Restore the Remote Application

• For ADB: use the adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.videos command.
• For root: restore the folder from the backup or reflash the system.

If the problem is not solved, the critical application may have been removed, in which case only resetting to factory settings or flashing through the Mi Flash Tool will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing Google Play Movies on Xiaomi