How to permanently remove Google Play Movies from Xiaomi phone: from shutdown to uninstallation

Google Play Movies (or Google TV in the newer versions) is pre-installed on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones as part of Google’s service package. For many users, it becomes an unnecessary ballast: it takes up space in memory, consumes battery power in the background and is regularly updated through the Play Market. However, simply clicking “Delete” in the app menu often doesn’t work – the system gives a message “App is disabled for this user” or ignores the command altogether.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods to get rid of Google Play Movies on Xiaomi – from temporary shutdown to complete deletion of system files (including methods for devices with unlocked bootloader). All instructions are tested on MIUI 12-14 and are relevant for models from 2019-2026. Importantly, some methods require superuser rights (root) or work with ADB – we will highlight them separately with risk warnings.

Why Google Play Movies Cannot Be Deleted 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 Mobile Services (GMS).

• 🔹 The annex is set out in the section /system, Not in the user's memory (/data).
• 🔹 It has the status of “protected” – it cannot be removed without special rights.
• 🔹 Even after disconnecting through settings MIUI The application continues to occupy disk space (up to 150-200 MB).
• 🔹 Automatic updates through Play Market restore deleted files.

Moreover, in the latest versions of MIUI 13/14, Xiaomi added additional protection against removing system applications through ADB – now it requires pre-unlocking the bootloader.

⚠️ Note: Deleting system applications may cause other Google services to crash (e.g. YouTube or Google Play Games). → The phone. → Backup.

Method 1: Disable the application via MIUI settings (without root)

The safest method that doesn’t require technical skills is to disable (not remove) Google Play Movies.The app will stay on the system, but will stop expending resources and updating. POCO any version MIUI.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, type “Movies” or “Google TV”.
3. Select the Google Play Movies app (the icon with the play button on a red background).
4. Click “Disable” (in some versions of MIUI, the button is called “Delete Updates” → “Disable”).
5. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

After the shutdown:

• 📱 The app icon will disappear from the menu.
• 🔄 Auto Updates to Play Market Will Stop.
• 📉 Battery consumption and background activity will be reduced to zero.

⚠️ Note: The app that is disabled still takes up space in memory (about 50-70 MB). To free up space completely, use the methods below.

Method 2: Remove updates and reset to factory version

If Google Play Movies has previously been updated through the Play Market, it can be rolled back to a factory version that takes up less space and has no unnecessary features, which does not require root rights, but is temporary - the next update through the Play Market will return the application.

How to reset the app:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Google Play Movies
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → “Delete Updates”.
3. Confirm the action. The app will return to the version preinstalled in the firmware.
4. (Optional) Turn off Auto Update in Play Market: Open Google Play → click on profile avatar → Settings. Select Auto Update Applications → Do not update automatically.

Version comparison:

To consolidate the result, add the app to the blacklist of auto updates through the Play Market:

• Go to Google Play Movies in the Play Market.
• Press three points. → «Remove from the Auto Update List».

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If the app updates again after reset, try disabling sync with your Google account: go to Settings → Accounts → Google and temporarily delete your account (no data will be lost).

Method 3: Remove via ADB (without root, but with bootloader unlocked)

To completely remove Google Play Movies without root rights, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method works on most Xiaomi devices, but requires a bootloader to be unlocked beforehand. Without this step, the adb uninstall team will return the error "Failure" [DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR]».

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader (if not done earlier): Go to Mi Unlock and download the utility. Connect your phone to your PC in Fastboot mode (turn off the device, then press Volume Down + Power). Follow the program's instructions to unlock (it may require linking your Mi Account).
2. Install ADB: Download Google’s Platform Tools. Unpack the archive and open the command prompt in the folder (Shift + right button → “Open PowerShell window here”).
3. Connect your phone: Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional settings → For developers. Connect the device to your PC and confirm trust in your computer.

Execute the command

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.google.android.videos

If you have an error, try an alternative command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.videos

After successful implementation:

• 🗑️ The application will be removed for the current user (not completely from the system).
• 🔄 Updates to Play Market will be impossible.
• 📲 Free up to 150-200 MB of memory.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO F3) After restarting, the application can recover, in which case root or modified firmware is required.

Method 4: Complete removal with root rights

If you are ready to root, you can delete Google Play Movies permanently, including all associated files, which is suitable for power users, as it carries risks of system stability disruption.

• 🔓 Unlocked loader.
• 📱 Established custom recaveri (TWRP).
• 🛠️ Superuser rights (Magisk or SuperSU).

Instructions:

1. Install Root Explorer (or any file manager with root support).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/PrebuiltGmsCore or (depending on MIUI version): /system/app/GoogleTV
3. Find the com.google.android.videos folder and delete it.
4. Clear the cache and data through Settings → Apps → Google Play Movies → Storage.
5. Reboot the phone.

Alternative method through TWRP:

1. Boot to TWRP (Put Volume Up + Power on).
2. Select "Advanced» → «File Manager».
3. Go to /system/priv-app/ and delete the PrebuiltGmsCore (or GoogleTV) folder.
4. Wipe your cache (Wipe → Cache) and restart.

Advantages of the method:

• 🧹 Complete removal without possibility of recovery.
• 📉 Free up to 250 MB of memory.
• 🚫 There will be no more updates through the Play Market.

⚠️ Attention: Deleting Google system files may cause Google Play Services to crash, affecting YouTube, Gmail and other services. /system through TWRP.

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Getting root rights voids Xiaomi’s warranty and may result in some features being blocked (e.g. contactless payments via Google Pay).

Method 5: Using debloather scripts (for advanced users)

To remove unnecessary system applications (including Google Play Movies) in bulk, you can use ready-made scripts, which automate the process and reduce the risk of errors.

• 📜 Universal Android Debloater (GUI) — graphical utility for PC.
• 🐧 ADB AppControl – Android app with root support.
• 📱 MIUI Debloater (Xiaomi-specific) - a specialized script for MIUI.

Instructions for Universal Android Debloater:

1. Download the utility from GitHub.
2. Connect your phone to a PC with ADB debugging enabled.
3. Run the program and select your device in the list.
4. In the search box, type “videos” or “Google TV”.
5. Check com.google.android.videos and click Uninstall.
6. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Advantages of scripts:

• 🎯 Accurate deletion without risk of damaging critical files.
• 🔄 Possibility of rollback of changes.
• 📊 Support for batch removal (for example, all Google apps at once).

Example of apps that can be safely removed on Xiaomi (except Google Play Movies):

• 🎵 com.google.android.music (Google Play Music)
• 📚 com.google.android.apps.books (Google Play Books)
• 🎮 com.google.android.play.games (Google Play Games)
• 📰 com.google.android.apps.magazines (Google News)

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Before using the debloather, check the list of safe to remove packages on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums – some system applications can be critical to the MIUI’s performance.

What to do if Google Play Movies are Recovered After Deleting

If the app returned after a reboot or update, it means that:

1. The MIUI protection mechanism was activated, and the system recovered deleted files from the backup in the /system partition.

Decisions:

If none of these methods worked, consider installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that doesn’t have Google services pre-installed, but it requires a deep technical knowledge and may deprive you of some MIUI features (like Mi Cloud or Game Turbo).

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing Google Play Movies with Xiaomi