Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive software preinstalled by the manufacturer. Standard Android tools do not allow such components to be uninstalled, suggesting only to hide them from the desktop. This creates the illusion of cleanliness of the interface, but background processes continue to consume resources, RAM and battery power.
There is a proven way to completely cut out unnecessary services without obtaining root rights. Using USB debugging in conjunction with a computer gives access to hidden functions of the package manager, this approach is safer than firmware custom assemblies, and retains the warranty on the device, because the bootloader remains locked.
Before you start manipulating, you need to clearly understand the difference between user data and system files. Carelessly removing critical components can lead to a cyclical reboot or “brick” of the smartphone. In this article, we will discuss in detail the preparation of the device, the installation of the necessary tools and make a list of safe packets to remove.
Preparing a smartphone to remove system applications
The first step is to activate the hidden developer menu, without which the computer will not be able to access the phone's file system to execute commands, and on most MIUI and HyperOS shells, this feature is disabled by default for security reasons.
You need to go to the Settings → About phone menu and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. After the “You’ve become a developer” pop-up notification, you can go to the advanced settings. In the “Additional” or “Extended settings” section, the “Developers” option will appear.
⚠️ Attention: Activation of debugging by USB It makes the device more vulnerable to being connected to other people's charging stations in public places.
Inside the developer menu, find the USB Debug Switch and activate it. The system will warn you of the risks - confirm the action. It is also worth checking if the USB Debug (Security Settings) option is enabled, if it is available in your firmware version, as this allows you to simulate computer clicks.
☑️ Pre-launch check
The necessary tools to work with ADB
To interact with a smartphone, you will need a minimum set of software on a PC, the main tool is Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a universal command-line utility that allows you to control an Android device from a computer.
There are two main ways to get tools: the first is to download the full Android package. SDK Platform Tools from the official developer site, which is the most reliable option to ensure compatibility with all versions of Android, and the second way is to use third-party graphical shells, such as Xiaomi. ADB/Fastboot Tools that automate the process of entering commands.
A critical element is the device driver. Without the right driver, the computer will only see the phone as a media device or charger, not as a debugging terminal. Xiaomi devices often require a universal Google USB driver or a specific MiUi driver that installs with the Mi Flash Tool utility.
Where to download Safe ADB?
Once you install the drivers and unpack the tools, open the command line in the utility folder. Connect your smartphone with a high-quality cable. A dialog box should appear on your phone screen asking for debugging permission — be sure to tick “Always Allow” and click “OK.”
Instructions for removal through the command line
The cleanest and most controlled method is using the Windows command line, which requires input accuracy, but gives you complete control over the process. First, make sure that the computer sees the device. Enter the adb device command. If the list shows the serial number of the device with device status, the connection is successfully established.
To remove a specific packet, the command pm uninstall with the --user 0 flag is used. This flag tells the system to remove the application only for the current user, without affecting the system partition. This allows you to restore the application in case of an error by simply resetting the phone settings.
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 name.packetThe name of the package is a unique identifier of the application, for example, com.miui.videoplayer. You can find out the exact name through special analyzer applications on the smartphone itself or in the output of the command adb shell pm list packages. Be careful: an error in one letter will lead to a message about the absence of such a package.
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Use the adb shell pm list packages | grep "miui" command to quickly search for Xiaomi system packages in the installed program list.
If the deletion is successful, the console will return the Success message. The application will disappear from the menu and stop consuming resources. It is important to note that these applications remain in the system, but they are marked as deleted for the main user and are not loaded into memory.
Use of graphical snails and scripts
For users who don’t want to work with the console’s black screen, there are graphical interfaces. Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools (the developer of Szaki) is the gold standard in the community. It automatically determines the device model, offers a list of recommended apps to remove and allows you to remove them in one click.
Another popular tool is Universal Android Debloater, which supports not only Xiaomi, but other brands as well, and has a user-friendly interface with search, package description, and the ability to back up before deleting, which reduces the risk of accidental system damage.
When using graphics tools, it is important to choose proven versions. Older versions of programs may not work correctly with new versions of HyperOS or MIUI 14. Always check the release date of the utility and user reviews on profile forums.
The advantage of such programs is that they have ready profiles. You can choose the Safe Delete profile, and the program itself will filter out critical system services, leaving only advertising debris and unused services of Google or Xiaomi.
List of safe for removing system applications
Not all system applications can be removed without consequences. Below is a table of packages that are usually safe to uninstall on global and Chinese firmware versions. However, remember that the context of use is different for everyone: if you do not use a video player, you can remove it, but if you need one, leave it.
| Package name | Description of the component | Risk of removal |
|---|---|---|
| com.miui.videoplayer | Standard video player Mi Video | Low (replaced by third-party) |
| com.miui.player | Standard music player | Low (replaced by third-party) |
| com.miui.miservice | Application "Services and feedback" | Medium (telemetry collection) |
| com.miui.analytics | System of Analytics Mi Analytics | Safe (advertising tracker) |
| com.facebook.katana | Facebook pre-installed | Safe (if not used) |
Special attention should be paid to advertising-related packages: the removal of com.miui.msa (advertising system) and com.miui.daemon (statistics collection) significantly reduces the amount of intrusive advertising in standard applications.
It is strongly recommended not to delete packets containing the words security, framework, settings or systemui in the title, and be careful with the components of com.android.providers responsible for contacts, messages and phone calls, their removal will cause the main communication functions to fail.
⚠️ Warning: Deleting the com.miui.securitycenter system application may disrupt permissions, memory cleanups, and call blockers, only if you know exactly what to replace it with.
Recovery of Remote System Components
Since we used the removal method for the current user (--user 0), The physical files of the application remain in the system partition, which means that they can be easily restored without flashing the smartphone.
adb shell cmd package install-existing name.packetInsert the name of the previously deleted package instead of the name.packet option. Once the command is executed, the application will appear on the menu and start working as if nothing had happened, which is the main advantage of the ADB method before completely cutting out the firmware.
In some cases, if the standard recovery command fails due to changes in the Android structure, you can perform a full reset of the phone's settings (Wipe Data).This will return all system applications to their original state, but delete your personal data, so make a backup beforehand.
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The ADB method allows you to remove system software reversibly, files are not physically erased, but only hidden to the user, making it easy to roll back changes.