Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive pre-installed apps, among which YouTube occupies a special place. The standard procedure for deleting the settings menu for this service is often not available, because the system considers it a critical component of the Google ecosystem, which creates the illusion of being unable to get rid of excess software that takes up space and consumes resources.
However, there are proven methods to bypass the systemic limitations of the shell. MIUI In this article, we will look at safe ways to deactivate and completely remove the application without obtaining root rights, which preserves the warranty on the device. USB deep-clean.
Before taking action, you need to clearly understand the difference between a routine deletion and a system forced uninstallation. ADB-The standard "Delete" menu is blocked by the manufacturer, and we'll go through each step in detail so you can take back control of your gadget.
Why remove YouTube from Xiaomi device
Many users underestimate the impact of Google Services' background processes on smartphone autonomy. The video service app constantly updates the recommendation feed even when the screen is off, resulting in an imperceptible but substantial battery drain. For budget models with a battery capacity of up to 4,000 mAh, this can be a critical factor.
The second important aspect is privacy and data collection: constant tracking of geolocation, browsing history and interests forms a digital user profile that is used for targeted advertising, and deleting or deep freezing of an application can significantly reduce the amount of information transmitted to the servers of the corporation.
In addition, RAM is freed, which is especially important for devices with 4 GB of RAM or less, the system begins to work more responsive, disappears micro-freeze interface caused by background activity of heavy services Google Play Services associated with the video platform.
- 📉 Reduced power consumption and increased operating time from one charge.
- 🔒 Increased privacy and reduced collection of user data.
- ⚡ Freeing RAM for more important tasks and games.
- 🧹 Reducing the number of background processes that load the processor.
Preparing a smartphone to remove system applications
To perform the operation to remove system components, you need to activate the hidden developer mode. Without this step, access to debugging via USB will be closed, and the computer will not be able to send commands to the phone. The process is simple, but requires careful execution of the sequence of actions.
First, go to the Settings menu. → Find the line "Version." MIUI" (or "Version". OS") And press it fast. 7-10 And then you'll see a notification that says, "You've become a developer." And now, in the main settings menu, "More," you'll see a new "Developers" option".
Inside this menu, you need to find and activate the debugging switch USB. The system will give you a warning about potential risks - confirm the action "USB-debugging (security settings)" if present in your firmware version to allow emulation of computer input.
☑️ Checklist of preparations
It is important to use an original or quality cable, as cheap analogues can only work in charging mode without transmitting data, a common reason why a computer cannot see the connected device.
Installation and configuration of ADB tools on PC
The main tool for removing system applications is Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a console utility that allows you to control the device from a computer. To start, you need to download platform tools from the official Android developer site.
Once you download the archive, unpack it into a root folder on the disk, such as C:\platform-tools. To avoid typing long paths every time, add this folder to the Windows environment variables. Open System Properties → Additional → Environment Variables, find the Path option, and add a path to the tool folder there.
Connect your smartphone to your computer with a cable. You'll see a request on your phone screen for debugging permission from that computer -- make sure you tick "Always Allow" and press "OK." If the device isn't identified, check the installed drivers in Device Manager.
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Use the PowerShell command line or CMD, launched on behalf of the administrator to avoid problems with access rights to the USB-port.
You can check the connection by typing the command adb devices into the console. If a device with a serial number and device status appears in the list, then the connection is established successfully and you can proceed to deletion.
Finding the exact name of the packet to remove
Android does not identify apps by the names we see on the screen, but by unique identifiers — packages. For YouTube, the standard system package is com.google.android.youtube. However, on Xiaomi smartphones, additional versions or modifications from partners can be preinstalled.
To get a complete list of installed packages and filter only those related to YouTube, use the listing command. Enter in the terminal:
adb shell pm list packages | grep youtubeThis command will display all the lines that contain the word "youtube." 99% of the time, you'll see com.google.android.youtube. If you're planning to remove other system applications, it's helpful to keep this list so you don't accidentally delete a critical system component like SystemUI or Phone.
| Title of the annex | Package Name (Package Name) | Status of removal |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube (Main) | com.google.android.youtube | Safe. |
| YouTube Music | com.google.android.apps.youtube.music | Safe. |
| YouTube Kids | com.google.android.apps.youtube.kids | Safe. |
| Google Play Services | com.google.android.gms | Dangerous. |
Note the deletion status. Packets marked "Secure" can be removed without the risk of operating system disruption. Deletion of Google Play services will render most third-party applications inoperable.
Removal process through the command line
Once the packet name is identified, you can proceed to delete it directly. The command to uninstall the application for the current user (user 0) is as follows: It does not physically erase the file from the partition of the system, but makes it inaccessible for startup and use, which is equivalent to deleting for the average user.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.youtubeParameter -k saves the data and cache of the application in case you want to restore it back, although when deleted for the user 0 It's not often required. --user 0 indicates that the deletion is for the main profile of the device owner.
If the command is successful, the terminal will give a message Success. Immediately after that, the application icon will disappear from the desktop and from the menu.Rebooting the device is not necessary, but desirable for the application of all changes in the registry of running processes.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to delete packets that you do not know what they are intended for. Removing system components such as com.android.systemui or com.miui.home can lead to endless restarts (bootloop) and the need to flash the device.
Alternative methods and graphical shells
For those who don’t want to work with console commands, there are graphical shell utilities for ADB, such as Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools or Universal Android Debloater. These programs automatically scan the device, define the model and offer a list of applications to remove with explanations.
Using these tools makes it much easier: you don't have to memorize packet names or type commands manually, just tick YouTube and click Uninstall, but they do require Java installed on your computer.
Another option is to use root-enabled file managers, like Root Explorer or Solid Explorer, but this method requires unlocking the bootloader and obtaining full superuser rights, which is more difficult and risky for inexperienced users, and we recommend using the root-free ADB method as the most secure.
What happens if you just turn off the app in the settings?
Recovery of Remote YouTube
Since we only used the uninstall command for the current user, rather than a full physical partition cleanup, it takes a few seconds to restore the application, and it just takes a few seconds to reconnect the phone to the PC, enable debugging, and type in the reinstall command.
adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.youtubeThis command forces the Android package manager to re-register the system package and restore it to the user. All data, if it has not been forcibly erased, can be returned, or the application will run as new, which is a great insurance in case the removal of YouTube disrupted the work of other services.
If the standard recovery command doesn't work, you can simply reset your phone to factory settings, which will return all system applications to their original state, just like when you buy a device in a store.
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ADB-Deletion is reversible: you can restore the system application at any time by install-existing without losing data or resetting the system application.