How to completely remove YouTube from Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: from a simple shutdown to a deep cleaning

Are you tired of the intrusive YouTube notifications on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, or want to make room for memory? Deleting a pre-installed app is not as easy as it sounds. Manufacturers often sew Google services into firmware, making them system-friendly, and therefore protected from standard removal. But there is a way out!

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods, from temporary shutdown to complete removal with ADB (no superuser rights!), learn how to prevent YouTube from automatically reinstalling via Google Play, what risks radical methods pose, and what to do if the application “resurrections” after the system update. And also a unique life hack for owners of Redmi Note 7 on MIUI 12+, which allows you to hide YouTube from the menu without a trace.

Why can’t YouTube be removed in the standard way?

When you try to uninstall YouTube through Settings → Apps, you will see a gray “Delete” button, which means that the app is built into the firmware. Manufacturers (including Xiaomi) enter into agreements with Google to pre-install their services.

• 📱 System Status: YouTube is part of Google Mobile Services (GMS), The one that runs the Play Market, Gmail and other services, and the removal of those services could disrupt their stability.
• 🔄 Auto Update: Even if you disable the app, Google Play can restore it the next update.
• 🛡️ Protection MIUI: Xiaomi firmware blocks removal of key applications without special tools.

There are workarounds, however, such as the Redmi Note 7 with MIUI 11 and later, which allows you to disable YouTube updates, and the older versions to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) for soft removal, and the key is to understand the implications of each method.

⚠️ Note: Deleting YouTube completely can cause Google Play Services to crash.If you are not using alternative app stores (such as APKMirror), it is best to limit yourself to shutting down.

Method 1: Turn off YouTube without deleting (the safest)

If you just have to hide an application and shut it down, this is the best way to do it, and it doesn't require superuser rights, and we'll revert:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find YouTube in the list (use search if necessary).
3. Slip it and select Disable it.
4. Confirm the action in the window that appears.

After that:

• 🔕 YouTube icon will disappear from the menu.
• 🚫 The app will stop sending notifications.
• 📥 You can reinstall it through Google Play.

The downside of the method: YouTube will remain in the memory of the device, occupying about 50-70 MB. But this is the only way that is guaranteed not to cause problems with other services of Google.

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If YouTube continues to appear in search results by device after disabling, clear the cache in Settings → Apps → Google

Method 2: Remove updates and roll back to factory version

YouTube on Redmi Note 7 consists of two parts:

1. System kernel (unremovable).
2. Updates (installed via Google Play)

You can only remove updates by returning the app to factory status, which will free up up to 30 to 40 MB of memory and remove unnecessary functions:

• 📉 Go to Settings. → Annexes → YouTube → Warehouse.
• 🗑️ Click Clear Data and Remove Updates.
• 🔒 Return to the main YouTube menu and select Disable (as in Method 1).

The app will no longer be updated automatically to prevent the updates from being re-installed:

1. Open Google Play.
2. Find YouTube, but don’t click “Update.”
3. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and uncheck Auto Update.

⚠️ Warning: After resetting your phone to factory settings, YouTube auto-update may turn on again.To avoid this, repeat the steps from this section immediately after resetting.

Method 3: Removal via ADB (without root rights)

If you need to completely delete YouTube but don't want root access, use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works on the Redmi Note 7 with any version of MIUI, but requires a computer connection.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).li>
• 📥 ADB Tools (download and unpack in a separate folder).
• 🔧 Included Debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap the version number → Go back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers).

Instructions:

1. Connect Redmi Note 7 to your computer and select File Transfer mode.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Follow the command to delete YouTube: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.youtube
5. Reboot the phone.

After that, YouTube will disappear from the system, but will remain in the firmware (it can be restored via ADB by the adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.youtube command).

USB | Installed drivers Xiaomi|Scanned ADB Tools|Phone connected in file transfer mode |Command line opened on behalf of administrator-->

Method 4: Hide YouTube with Launcher (Visual Deletion)

If you just need to remove the YouTube icon from the home screen but leave the app running (for example, for rare use), take advantage of the launcher features. The Redmi Note 7 has MIUI Launcher installed by default, but you can also use third-party ones (for example, Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher).

Instructions for MIUI Launcher:

1. Hold your finger on the YouTube icon.
2. Drag it up to the inscription Delete (or Hide, depending on the version of MIUI).
3. Confirm the action.

For Nova Launcher:

1. Press the YouTube icon.
2. In the menu that appears, select Hide.
3. The app will remain in the system, but will disappear from the menu.

Advantages of the method:

• 🎨 Does not require technical skills.
• 🔄 Two clicks, please.
• 📱 Does not affect the operation of other Google services.

⚠️ Warning: Hiding the icon doesn't cancel YouTube's background processes.The app can still consume battery and traffic if not disabled in the settings.

Method 5: Complete removal with root rights (for power users)

If you are willing to take drastic measures and have root access (for example, through Magisk), you can delete YouTube permanently, which is only suitable for advanced users, since the wrong actions can bring the phone down.

What you need:

• 🔓 Installed by Magisk or other root rights manager.
• 📱 Backup of data (in case of failure).
• 🛠️ File Manager with support for root (for example, Root Explorer or Root Explorer) FX File Explorer).

Instructions:

1. Open the file manager and go to /system/priv-app/YouTube or /system/app/YouTube.
2. Delete the YouTube folder (or rename it to YouTube.bak in case of recovery).
3. Go to /data/app/ and delete the folders that contain com.google.android.youtube in the title.
4. Clear the cache and data in Settings → Apps → Google Play Services.
5. Reboot the phone.

Risks of the method:

• ⚠️ Google Play Services malfunction (may cause errors in other apps).
• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (if the phone is warranty, Xiaomi may refuse repairs).
• ⚠️ Impossibility of updating MIUI «airborne» (OTA).

If you have problems after deleting, restore the YouTube folder from the backup or reflash the phone.

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Before removing YouTube with root rights, make sure to check if it is used by other services (such as Google Assistant or Smart Lock).

How to prevent the automatic reinstallation of YouTube?

Even after deletion, YouTube may return after updating Google Play Services or resetting settings.

1. Turn off auto-update in Google Play: Open Google Play → find YouTube → three dots → uncheck Auto Update.
2. Block installation via ADB: adb shell pm block com.google.android.youtube This command will prevent the app from being installed even if it is included in the system update.
3. Use alternative stores: Install Aurora Store or APKMirror and disable Google Play as a source of updates.
4. Turn off Google Play Services (radical method): Go to Settings → Annexes → Google Play Services → Shut down. ⚠️ This will disrupt most Google apps, but will completely stop the automatic installation of YouTube.

If YouTube is back, repeat the deletion process (depending on the method you choose) and check if auto-update is enabled in your Google account settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing YouTube from Xiaomi Redmi Note 7