What apps in Xiaomi smartphone: full review and safe removal

Buying a new gadget from a Chinese manufacturer, many users are faced with surprise: after the first turn on, the screen is filled with dozens of icons, icons and widgets, the purpose of which is not always clear. System applications take up space, consume processor resources and can annoy with intrusive notifications. The question of which applications in a Xiaomi smartphone can be removed without harming the system becomes one of the most popular among brand owners.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the structure of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, classify the software by importance, and provide safe methods for cleaning your device from digital debris.

It is worth noting that the Xiaomi ecosystem is built on deep integration of services, so mindless removal can lead to unstable phone operation. However, a competent approach will allow you to free up gigabytes of memory and speed up the interface, making the use of your smartphone more comfortable and personalized for your needs.

Structure of pre-installed software in MIUI and HyperOS

All the software installed on your device out of the box can be divided into three main categories, and understanding this classification is the first step to managing your device properly. System components provide basic functionality: calls, SMS, networking and hardware management. Touching them is extremely dangerous.

The second group is Xiaomi's proprietary utilities, which are optimization tools, cleaning tools, screen recording tools, scanners. QR-They're useful, but often have more functional counterparts in Google Play, and this is where you can find the balance between convenience and freedom of choice.

The third category is Bloatware or adware, which includes games, hotel reservation apps, news aggregators and services promoted by partners, and is often the one that most annoys users by consuming traffic and battery in the background.

• 📱 System: Phone, Messages, Contacts, Settings, Explorer.
• 🛠 Xiaomi Utilities: Security, Files, Screen Recording, Scanner, Mi Credit.
• 🎮 Third-party and advertising: GetApps, Mi Video, Mi Music, Affiliate Games, News.

⚠️ Note: Before removing any application that has the word "System", "Framework" or "Services" in its name, make sure 100% of its purpose).

Critical Components: What Not to Touch

There's a list of programs that you can delete that will cause your smartphone to fail or lose important functions. The system framework is the skeleton of the operating system. Even if you don't think you're using a service, it may be necessary for other, more important modules to work.

Special attention should be paid to services Google Play and Xiaomi Account. Without a Google account, maps, app store, contact synchronization and many third-party programs will cease to work, Mi Account is necessary for cloud operation, device search and synchronization of notes.

You can also not remove components associated with basic communication and software updates. Even if you do not use a standard browser or email client, their system libraries can be used by other applications to open links or attachments.

Safe removal: Standard methods

For most users wondering which apps in Xiaomi’s smartphone are redundant, the standard system features are enough: the MIUI shell allows you to remove many pre-installed programs without obtaining superuser rights (Root), which is the safest way to ensure that you maintain security and stability.

To remove unnecessary software, look for an icon on your desktop or menu, press it with your finger before the context menu appears. If there is a Remove button in the action list, then the application can be uninstalled in a regular way, and if there is no such button, the system considers this component important.

The alternative is through the Settings menu → Apps → All apps. You can see the full list of installed software here. If you select an unnecessary program, you will see the "Delete" button. If it is inactive (gray), then you need to use ADB or third-party tools.

Remember that some system applications can be turned off, not deleted, and often have a "Disable" button on the app information menu, which will hide the icon and prevent the program from running, but the files will remain in memory, a compromise for those who are afraid to delete system files.

Advanced removal through ADB (for experienced)

If standard methods don’t help get rid of intrusive software (like GetApps or system video players), the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool comes to the rescue, which allows you to delete almost any packets except those that are locked at the bootloader level.

You will need a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux) to work), USB-cable and the option "Debugging by" USB" The developer menu is activated by seven clicks on the build number in the About Phone section".

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

This command will remove the standard Xiaomi video player for the current user without affecting the system partition. This means that when you reset the settings to the factory, the application will return. This is a safe cleaning method that does not require Root rights.

• 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC in file transfer mode.
• 💻 Run the command line in the folder with ADB.
• 📝 Enter the adb device command to check the connection.
• 🗑 Use the removal command for specific packages.

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Before removing the system packets via ADB, write down their package name. If the phone starts to behave strangely, you can restore the remote by command: adb shell cmd package install-existing com.package.name

Review of popular Xiaomi apps: leave or remove?

Let's take a look at the specific apps that are most likely to raise questions among users. GetApps is the equivalent of Xiaomi's Google Play. If you're not using Chinese apps, you can take it down. It sends advertising notifications often.

Mi Browser is a fast but overloaded news feed browser. If you are used to Chrome or Yandex.Browser, the standard can be removed or simply not used by assigning another browser by default through settings.

Mi Credit and financial services in CIS regions are usually not fully functional, but they continue to hang in the system, removing them safely and frees up space, similar to the case with Mi Video and Mi Music, standard players are often inferior in functionality to VLC or PowerAmp.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi’s File Manager app has easy access to the cloud and hidden files. Before you delete, make sure your alternative file manager has all the necessary permissions.

The Mi AI and voice assistant are also worth noting, and in global versions it's often replaced by Google Assistant, but there may be remnants of code, and if you don't use voice control, these components can be deaktivated.

Optimizing the remaining services

Once you've decided which apps in Xiaomi's smartphone to remove, it's important to set up the rest correctly. HyperOS and MIUI aggressively manage background processes, which can interfere with the work of instant messengers. You need to add important applications to autorun.

Go to Security → Permissions → Autostart, where you manually turn on Telegram, WhatsApp, mail and other services, notifications from which must come instantly, without this step, the system will “kill” processes to save battery.

You should also turn off ad personalization. Take the Settings path → Passwords and security → Access to personal data → Advertising services and disable Ad Personalization. This will not remove ads completely, but will make them less intrusive.

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The main goal of optimization is not just to remove the excess, but to configure the remaining applications so that they work in the background without the limitations of the energy saving system.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

App management is key to your Xiaomi running long and fast. Don’t be afraid to experiment with removing obviously excess software, but always be careful with system components. A clean system is faster, uses less power, and is pleasing with no unnecessary visual noise.