What Xiaomi Standard Apps Can Be Removed: A Safe List for MIUI 14/15

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones come with a pre-installed set of apps, many of which duplicate features or are not used at all. However, not all of them can be removed without risking system stability. In this article, we will discuss which standard Xiaomi apps are safe to remove and which are better to leave - even if they seem useless.

It is important to understand that removing some system applications can cause MIUI to crash, especially if they are related to Google services or Xiaomi’s own features (such as theme or security).We analyzed the user experience on the 4PDA and XDA Developers forums, as well as official guidelines for MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 firmware to make a relevant list.

If you use a custom firmware smartphone (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the rules may be different. This article focuses on stock versions of MIUI without root rights. Unleashing system applications without consequences will require access to ADB or superuser rights, as we will explain in the corresponding section.

Why are there so many pre-installed apps in Xiaomi?

Smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi, often install additional software for several reasons:

• 📱 Duplicate services: For example, Mi and Google Chrome, or Gallery and Google Photos. This is done for users who do not want to use Google services.
• 💰 Partnering Agreements: Apps like Facebook, Netflix, or LinkedIn are often pre-installed under a developer contract.
• 🔧 System dependencies: Some applications (such as Mi Video or Music) are feature-related MIUI, such as optimizing sound or playing video in the background.
• 🌍 Localization: There may be different sets of apps in different regions, such as in China, where Baidu or Weibo are used instead of Google.

According to Appfigures, on average, Xiaomi smartphones have 20 to 30 apps pre-installed, of which only 40% are actively used by users, the rest are either manually deleted or simply take up space in memory.

⚠️ Note: Deleting applications like MiuiDaemon or Security can result in loss of functionality (such as themes or fingerprint scanners). Always check the name of the package before deleting it!

List of safe applications to remove (no root rights)

These apps can be removed through Xiaomi’s standard settings (Settings → Applications → Delete) or disabled if the delete button is inactive. They do not affect the system operation, but can take up to 1-2 GB of memory:

• 🎵 Music (com.miui.player) is a standard music player, which can be replaced by Spotify or VLC.
• 🎬 Mi Video (com.miui.videoplayer) - video player: MX Player or YouTube Vanced.
• 📖 Mi Browser (com.android.browser) is a browser from Xiaomi. Better to use Chrome or Firefox.
• 📧 Email (com.android.email) is an email client. Most users prefer Gmail.
• 📅 Calendar (com.android.calendar) — Calendar. You can change it to Google Calendar.
• 📱 Mi Remote (com.duokan.phone.remotecontroller) – remote control is only useful if you control equipment through an IR port.
• 💬 Mi Community (com.xiaomi.channel) – Xiaomi forum, rarely used in Russia.
• 🛒 Mi Pay (com.mipay.wallet) is a payment system that only works in China and India.
• 🎮 Games (com.xiaomi.gamecenter) - a gaming center, often containing ads.
• 📺 Mi TV (com.mitv.tvhome is a Xiaomi TV management app. It's useless if you don't have a TV of this brand.

These applications can be removed even without ADB, as they are not critical to MIUI operation. However, some of them (such as Mi Browser) may be associated with system services, so it is worth rebooting the device after removal.

Applications that can be removed only through ADB

Some system applications don’t have an uninstall button on the menu, but they can be uninstalled via ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This will require a computer and enabled USB debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then return to Additional → For Developers).

List of applications that can be safely removed via ADB (command: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet):

To remove via ADB, follow the following steps:

Enable debugging over USB in the developer settings

Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer

Open the command line and enter adb devices (your device should be displayed)

Execute adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet

Reboot the phone.-->

⚠️ Note: Deleting com.xiaomi.msa.global may cause you to lose push notifications in some applications (e.g. Telegram or Viber).If you notice problems, restore the application via the command adb shell cmd package install-existing the name packet.

What Xiaomi apps can not be removed?

Some system applications are critical to MIUI operation, and their removal may result in:

• 🔄 Cyclical reboot (bootloop).
• 📵 Network loss (mobile internet or Wi-Fi will not work).
• 🔒 Screen lock (face unlock/print will not work).
• 🎨 Failures in design (themes, animations, fonts will disappear).

List of prohibited applications for removal:

• 🚫 Security (com.miui.securitycenter) – Security Center, responsible for permissions and antivirus.
• 🚫 Miui System UI (com.miui.system - system interface.
• 🚫 Settings (com.android.settings) – phone settings.
• 🚫 Framework (com.miui.core) - core MIUI.
• 🚫 Telephony (com.android.phone) - responsible for calls and SMS.
• 🚫 Mi Account (com.xiaomi.account) – Xiaomi account (deletion will result in blocking some features).

If you accidentally deleted one of these apps, the only way to restore your phone is to reset the phone to factory settings or reflash it through Fastboot.

How to free up space without removing applications?

If you don’t want to risk removing system applications, you can make room in other ways:

• 🗑️ Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Annexes → Select the application → Clear cache. For example, the cache of Google Play Services can take up to 1-2 GB.
• 📁 Delete Unnecessary Files: Use the built-in Cleanup app (com.miui.cleanmaster) or Files by Google.
• 🔄 Transfer of applications to SD-Map: Works only for certain applications (setting up in Settings) → Annexes → Warehouse).
• ☁️ Disabling Automatic Backup: C Settings → Accounts. → Mi Cloud can disable synchronization of unnecessary data (for example, notes or notes).

Also worth checking is DCIM/.thumbnails, which stores photo and video thumbnails that can take hundreds of megabytes, and can be safely deleted through any file manager.

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If you often shoot 4K videos, turn on the option “Compress Video” in the Gallery app, which will reduce file size without noticeable loss of quality.

Features of removal on different models Xiaomi

Depending on the smartphone model and the MIUI version, the set of pre-installed applications may differ.

• 📱 POCO F5 / X5 Pro: Often go without Mi Video and Mi Music apps, but may have POCO Launcher that cannot be removed without changing the launcher.
• 📱 Redmi Note 12: Global version preinstalled Facebook, Netflix and LinkedIn, which can be removed as regular apps.
• 📱 Black Shark 5: Gaming smartphones have additional services like Shark Space, which are better not to touch, so as not to lose gaming features.
• 📱 Xiaomi 13T / 14: Flagship models may have Mi AI Mi Share, which are related to artificial intelligence and wireless data transmission.

Before removing applications on the new model, we recommend:

1. Check out reviews on forums (such as 4PDA or XDA).
2. Make a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup.
3. Remove the least critical apps first and test the phone throughout the day.

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On smartphones with a MediaTek processor (such as Redmi 10C or POCO M5), removing system applications can cause more serious crashes than on devices with Snapdragon.

What if there are errors after the application is deleted?

If you have problems after removing system applications, try the following solutions:

If the problem is serious (for example, the phone does not turn on or constantly restarts), you will have to resort to a complete reset or firmware.

1. Download the official firmware for your model from the MIUI Download website.
2. Use the Mi Flash Tool to run in Fastboot mode.
3. If the phone is not computer-defined, try EDL mode (requires an authorized Xiaomi account).

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing apps on Xiaomi