Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are famous for their availability and functionality, but one of the most annoying features of the MIUI or HyperOS shell is the abundance of pre-installed software. Users often face a situation where the standard interface does not allow you to remove unnecessary system utilities that occupy precious space and can reduce the autonomy of the device. This process, known as debloating, allows you to turn a smartphone into a cleaner and faster gadget, getting rid of digital debris.
In this article, we will discuss which embedded applications can be removed without risking damage to the operating system, and which cannot be touched. You will learn how to safely clean the system, what tools to use to do this, and how to return everything back if something goes wrong. Removing system components through ADB does not require root rights, which makes this method available to any advanced user who wants to optimize their gadget.
Before you take action, it’s important to understand the architecture of Android and how Xiaomi’s shell works. Some processes are critical to your phone, calls, or Internet access, while others are just ad add-ons or backups for Google services. A competent approach will free up a few gigabytes of memory and speed up the interface, but requires carefulness and compliance with instructions.
Analysis of pre-installed software: what is in the system
Xiaomi device owners often find many icons on their desktops that they never planned to use, such as games, video services, news aggregators or duplicate apps from the brand’s Chinese partners. The standard operating system means that you can’t remove them — the “Delete” button is either missing or inactive (blackened) — this is done by the manufacturer to ensure that the user does not disrupt the device, but often openly useless programs fall under this protection.
All software can be divided into three main categories: systemically important components, useful manufacturer services, and advertising junk. The first group includes services responsible for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, phone book and interface. The second group includes Mi Browser, Mi Video or GetApps — removing them safely, but deprives you of branded features. The third category is exactly what we will get rid of in the first place.
- 📱 System services: components without which the phone will turn into a brick or stop catching the network.
- 🎮 Pre-installed games and demos: often take up a lot of space and do not bring any benefit.
- 📢 Advertising services and analytics: collect user data and display ads in system menus.
It is important to distinguish between “delete” and “disable.” With standard Android tools, many applications can only be disabled, which will hide their icon and prevent them from running, but the files will remain in memory. Complete deletion is possible only with the use of special tools, which will be discussed below.
How to find out the name of the application package?
Don't be afraid to experiment with unnecessary software if you have a clear understanding of its purpose. However, chaotic deletion of files to free a couple of megabytes can lead to unstable operation of the operating system. Always check the purpose of the process on the Internet before it is forced to end.
Preparation of the smartphone and computer for the procedure
To clean the system safely, you'll need not only the smartphone itself, but also a computer running Windows, macOS or Linux. Mobile applications that promise to remove system debris without root rights are often fake or incorrect. The most reliable and proven method is using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) platform, which allows you to transfer commands from computer to phone with extended access rights.
The first step is to activate the hidden developer menu on your Xiaomi device. To do this, go to Settings → About your phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI Version or OS Version field. Once the “You’ve become a developer” notification appears, you can proceed to configure the debugging options. This is a critical step without which the computer will not see your device.
☑️ Checklist of preparations
Next up, Settings menu → Advanced settings → For developers, you need to find and include the item “Debugging by USB». When you connect the cable to your computer, a request for debugging permission will appear on the smartphone screen - be sure to click "Allow" and select "Always Allow from this computer." You may also need to include "Install via" USB» and “Debugging over Wi-Fi”, although for basic work often enough only USB-debugging.
You need to download and install the minimum set of Platform Tools from the official Android developer site. It only takes a few minutes. Once you unpack the archive, you will get a folder with executable files through which we will send commands. Make sure that your PC has universal Google USB Driver drivers installed if you are using Windows.
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Use the original USB cable or high-quality analogue with data support. Cheap “charging only” cables will not allow the computer to see the smartphone, and the ADB command will not be executed.
You can check the connection by opening the command line in the tool folder and entering the adb device command. If the list shows the serial number of your device with device status, then you have successfully prepared for work. Unauthorized status means you need to look at the phone screen again and confirm the connection.
List of safe to remove Xiaomi apps
There is a wide range of packages that will not cause a malfunction of the phone, primarily for Xiaomi’s branded services, which have full-fledged analogues in the Google Play store. For example, the Mi Browser browser (com.android.browser package) is often replaced with Chrome or Firefox, and the Mi Video video player (com.miui.videoplayer) is often replaced with VLC or MX Player.
Advertising and analytics are important, and packages containing the words analytics, ad or daemon (in the context of advertising services) are often responsible for collecting statistics and displaying ads in system applications, removing them makes smartphone use more comfortable and private, and removing duplicate apps such as Mi Music, Mi Remote (if you don’t use an infrared port) and Yellow Pages.
Below is a table with the most common packages that can be removed:
| Packet name | Description of the annex | Security of removal |
|---|---|---|
| com.miui.analytics | MIUI Analytics Service | Safe. |
| com.android.browser | Standard Mi browser | Safe (if there is another) |
| com.miui.miservice | Application "Services and feedback" | Safe. |
| com.miui.yellowpage | Yellow pages (number determiner) | Safe. |
| com.xiaomi.joyose | Game Notification Service (Joyose) | Safe (can boost FPS) |
The com.xiaomi.joyose package deserves special attention. Many users remove it to improve performance in games, since it is responsible for throttling (artificial understatement of the CPU frequencies for cooling). However, keep in mind that its removal can lead to faster heating of the case at high loads.
You should also consider removing services related to the Mi Cloud if you use a Google account. com.miui.cloudservice packages and related components can be eliminated, but remember that synchronizing contacts and photos through Xiaomi servers will become impossible.
Instructions for removal via ADB and command line
After preparing the hardware and making a list of unnecessary packages, you can proceed to: Open the command line (cmd or PowerShell in Windows, Terminal in macOS) in the folder with the ADB tools. The first command to enter to check the connection is adb devices. Make sure that the device appears in the list.
To remove a particular application, the command adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 packet name is used. The flag -k stores cache and data (in case of recovery), and --user 0 indicates deletion for the main user, which effectively hides the application from the system, making its removal almost complete. For example, to remove analytics, type: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics.
If you want to delete multiple applications at once, you can create a script. Create a text file, call it, for example, clean.bat (for Windows), and write down deletion commands for each package. Run such a file will do all the work in one operation, which is especially useful when setting up a new smartphone or after flashing it.
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The ADB team doesn’t physically remove the application from the system partition forever, it removes it for the current user, allowing it to be reset back by simply resetting the settings or reinstalling the package.
When executing commands, warning pop-ups may appear on the smartphone screen. Android protects itself by warning of potential risks. If you are confident in your actions, simply ignore them or confirm removal. Once the procedures are complete, it is recommended to restart the device with the adb reboot command or through the power menu.
There are also graphical shells for ADB, such as Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools or Universal Android Debloater. They provide a user-friendly interface with checkboxes where you can simply tick off unnecessary apps and click the Uninstall button. For beginners, this can be an easier and safer option than working with a console.
Critical Components: What to Remove Is NOT Removed
Despite the desire to clean up the system, there is a category of applications that will lead to critical errors: at best, the phone will go into an endless restart (bootloop), at worst, communication, sound or touch screen will stop working, such components include basic Android services and key modules MIUI.
Packets associated with Security, Settings, SystemUI and Telephony cannot be deleted. Deleting com.android.phone will prevent you from making calls, and deleting com.miui.securitycenter may disrupt the permissions and antivirus protection built into the shell.
⚠️ Note: Removal of system components such as Settings Provider or System UI, The recovery may cause the smartphone to stop booting to the desktop.Restore will require the device to be flashed over the Fastboot, which is a complex procedure.
Also, be wary of removing Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms). While technically possible, it will make the smartphone almost useless for most users: stop working cards, notifications from instant messengers, synchronization of accounts and many third-party applications. If you do not use Google services fundamentally (for example, using Huawei AppGallery or F-Droid), only then you can consider removing them, but it is better to simply disable them.
Another danger zone is drivers and frameworks: packages with names that contain framework, provider (especially downloadmanager and mediastore) should not be touched, but provide basic OS functionality, allowing applications to save files, display images and work with multimedia.
If you accidentally delete an important component and the phone starts to behave inadequately, don't panic. Since we used the deletion method for user 0, the data often stays in the system. Try to execute the default install command: adb shell cmd package install-existing the name of the package. This will return the application to its rightful place.
Recovering Remote Applications and Resetting Settings
If you find that an important function has been lost after cleaning the system (for example, the alarm clock or gallery has stopped working), the application can be restored. As mentioned earlier, the adb shell cmd package install-existing command is a rescue in such situations. It returns the remote packet to the user state, making it visible and working again.
If the changes are too deep and the phone is unstable, the most reliable way to return everything as it was a full reset to factory settings (Factory Reset).When reset, the system cleans the user data partition and restores all system applications to their original state, ignoring the changes made through ADB for user 0.
⚠️ Warning: Full reset will delete all your personal data, photos, contacts and installed apps. Use this method only as a last resort when other recovery methods have not helped.
To recover without a full reset, you can also try updating your firmware through the Settings → About Phone → System Update menu. If you choose to manually update (Select File), the system can overwrite the modified system files with the original versions, while retaining your personal data (although the risk of losing them is always there, so a backup is mandatory).
Regular maintenance does not require monthly removal of applications.once you have cleaned your smartphone of garbage, it will work consistently for a long time. Periodically check the list of installed applications for new unnecessary services after major updates to MIUI or HyperOS.