Xiaomi Redmi 4 is one of the most popular budget smartphones of 2017, but even years later, its owners are faced with the problem of congested memory. built-in MIUI applications, duplicate Google services and accumulated digital debris take up precious gigabytes. Unlike the new models, there is no feature of “easy removal” of system programs – you will have to use workarounds.
This article will not just list the ways to uninstall, but will look at which applications can be removed without consequences, and which can be touched dangerously, how to circumvent restrictions. MIUI, And what to do if, after removal, the smartphone starts to glittle. 4: section /system It is protected from records without superuser rights, but there are legal loopholes through the ADB.
Preparation: What to Know Before Removal
Before you clean your smartphone, answer three questions:
- 🔍 What is your goal? Free up memory, speed up work, or get rid of intrusive advertising in system applications?
- 🛡️ Is there a backup? Deleting system applications can cause crashes - save important data on a PC or to the cloud.
- 🔧 Are you ready for technical manipulation? Some techniques require you to connect to a PC and work with the command line.
Redmi 4 (models with Snapdragon 430/435) has strict MIUI restrictions on removing pre-installed applications, such as you can't just erase Mi Video or Mi Music through a standard menu, the system will block the action, but there are workarounds:
Critical warning: Deleting some system components (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.securitycenter) will lead to a bootloop, and you can only recover the smartphone through the firmware in Fastboot mode.
⚠️ If your Redmi 4 is working on the MIUI Global version (e.g., global version, MIUI Global 12.5), removing Google services could disrupt Play Market and push notifications. GMS) This risk is absent.
Method 1: Standard removal via MIUI settings
This method is only suitable for user applications installed by you manually (for example, games, instant messengers, social networks). MIUI-applications so as not to remove.
Instructions:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Select the app you want from the list (like Facebook or AliExpress).
- Click Remove → Confirm the action.
If the Remove button is inactive (grey), it means:
- 📱 The application is system-based (e.g. Mi Browser).
- 🔒 It is protected by the device administrator (check in Settings). → Passwords and security → Device administrators).
- 🔄 It was updated through the Play Market (first roll back to the factory version).
☑️ Pre-deletion check
For rollback updates:
- In the app menu, click ⋮ (three-point) → Remove updates.
- After rolling back, the Remove button can become active.
Method 2: Disabling (not removing) unnecessary applications
If you can't delete an application, you can turn it off, which hides it from the menu and stops the background, but doesn't free up the memory completely.
How to turn it off:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Select an app (such as Mi Pay or Mi Drop).
- Click Disconnect → Confirm.
Applications disabled:
- ✅ They won't be on the menu.
- ✅ They won’t be able to start automatically.
- ❌ The space they occupy on the disk will not be vacant.
- ❌ Updates to Play Market will be impossible.
| Annex | Can I remove it? | Can I turn it off? | Effects of consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Video | ❌ (without ADB) | ✅ | No video will be played in the gallery. |
| Google Play Music | ✅ | ✅ | Not critically. |
| Mi Security | ❌ | ❌ | It'll cause system failure. |
| Facebook App Manager | ✅ | ✅ | Improves autonomy |
⚠️ Attention: Redmi 4s MIUI 9 and below, disabling Mi Security or Google Play Services may make it impossible to connect to mobile networks!
Method 3: Remove via ADB (without root rights)
This is the most effective method for removing pre-installed MIUI-Apps without root rights. You will need a computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and tools ADB.
Steps:
- Enable USB Debugging on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB
- Connect Redmi 4 to your PC via USB-cable (original!).
- Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Mac/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
- Enter the commands in turn: adb devices adb shell pm list packages | grep 'miui' # list MIUI-applications pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.videoplayer #example of removal
Popular removal packages:
- 🎵 com.miui.player — Mi Music
- 📺 com.xiaomi.videoplayer — Mi Video
- 🌐 com.android.browser — Mi Browser
- 📦 com.miui.cleanmaster – Cleaning (duplicates functions) MIUI)
- 💰 com.miui.mipay – Mi Pay (unusual in Russia)
💡
Before deleting each packet, check its name with pm list packages | grep 'name'. A typo in the name can result in the removal of the critical component!
Important: pm uninstall -k --user 0 removes the application only for the current user. The files themselves remain in the system, but do not occupy space in the user partition.
Method 4: Removal with TWRP and Magisk (for advanced)
If you are willing to take risks and want to completely erase system applications, you will need to:
- 🔓 Unlocked bootloader (bootloader).
- 🛠️ Established custom recovery TWRP.
- 🌟 Superuser Rights (Magisk).
Instructions:
- Download System App Remover or use Titanium Backup.
- Launch the application, provide root access.
- Check the boxes for unnecessary applications (for example, com.miui.weather2 – weather).
- Press Uninstall → restart the smartphone.
Warnings:
- 🚨 Deleting com.qualcomm.qti.telephonyservice or similar will result in the loss of the network.
- 🔄 After removal of the system APK function MIUI They may disappear (for example, themes or gestures).
- 🔄⃣ Before experimenting, make a backup section /system into TWRP!
What to do if the Play Market is lost after the removal?
Method 5: Reset to factory settings (extreme case)
If you delete critical components and your smartphone becomes unstable, hard reset will help, and it will return all system applications, but delete your data.
How to reset:
- Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset → Resetting.
- Choose to erase everything (including internal memory if necessary).
- Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
Alternative method (if the smartphone is not turned on):
- Turn off the device.
- Hold the volume.+ + Food before the appearance of the Mi logo.
- Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (Change Volume Buttons).
⚠️ Note: On Redmi 4 with the bootloader unlocked, a reset may result in a Mi Account being blocked (requires login/password entry after rebooting!
Frequent mistakes and their solutions
When you uninstall applications on Redmi 4, users face typical problems:
| Mistake. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Failure [DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR] into ADB | Application protected by MIUI | Use pm uninstall-k --user 0 instead of pm uninstall |
| After the removal of the Internet disappeared | Deleted com.android.phone or Google services | Restore through firmware or reset |
| There is not enough room for the MIUI update. | Memory is clogged due to cache and debris | Clean Settings → Memory → Cleanup |
| ADB does not see the device | No drivers or debugging not included | Set up Mi. PC Suite and check it out USB-cable |
Optimization tip: instead of mass removal, try migrating apps to SD-The card (if it is installed as an internal memory:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Select the application → Warehouse → Change. → SD-map.
💡
On Redmi 4 with 16GB of memory, removing 3-5 system applications (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Music, Mi Browser) frees up to 500MB of space. But the risks of failure are higher than the potential benefit - weigh the need!