Xiaomi’s Security App Is Making a Mistake – What to Do?

The Security app on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is responsible for virus protection, performance optimization and permission control. But what if it suddenly stops working, producing errors like “App is stopped,” “No server connection,” or “Critical security bug”?

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes of Security app errors, from bugs after a MIUI update to conflicts with third-party antiviruses. You’ll get step-by-step instructions to diagnose and fix the problem, including hidden settings that aren’t described in the official documentation. And if standard methods don’t work, you’ll learn how to get back up to speed with ADB or reset to factory settings without losing data.

Why does the Security app give you an error?

Security errors rarely occur by themselves, usually triggered by changes in a system or user's actions. Here are 5 common causes:

• 🔄 Update MIUI. New firmware versions may contain bugs, especially in the early days after release. Security is tightly integrated with the system, so failures often signal problems with the software itself. MIUI.
• 📱 Conflict with other antiviruses: Installing third-party defenders (e.g. Avast, Kaspersky) can block the built-in security module from operating.
• 🗃️ Cache or data damage: Application files may have been damaged due to a sudden power outage or incorrect update.
• 🔧 Change of system permissions: If you have manually disabled Security permissions (e.g., through the ADB App Ops, it will stop working.
• 🛠️ System modifications. Root rights, custom firmware, or removal of system applications often break the Security job.

Interesting fact: in MIUI 14 and later, the Security application is divided into two modules - com.miui.securitycenter (main) and com.miui.guardprovider (data protection), if the error occurs in only one of them, it narrows the range of possible causes.

Method 1: Reboot and check for updates

Start with the simplest thing, reboot your device, which clears RAM and temporary files that may have caused the failure, and if the error occurred after the MIUI update, check for new patches:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click Check Updates and wait for the search to be completed.
3. If you have a new version, install it. After you restart, check Security.

If there are no updates or problems, move on to the next step. Note that sometimes Security bugs are due to incompatibility with MIUI betas. If you are part of a beta program, try rolling back to stable firmware.

💡

If the Security app gives an error “No server connection” after the MIUI update, try changing the region to India or Russia – sometimes this helps restore access to Xiaomi servers.

Method 2: Cleaning the cache and application data

A damaged cache is one of the most common causes of failure, to clean it up.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find “Security” and tap it.

Once the data is cleared, you may need to reconfigure the Security permissions. Go to the app and check if it requests access to storage, camera or SMS.

Method 3: Verification of resolutions and conflicts with antiviruses

Security requires a wide range of permissions to work properly, and if they're disabled, errors will appear to check:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Security → Permissions.
2. Make sure all critical permissions are included: 📁 Storage (for scanning files) 📡 Internet (to update virus databases) 🔍 Overlay on other applications (for real-time protection) 📱 Administrative rights (to block threats)

Also disable third-party antiviruses - they can block Security. For example, Avast and 360 Security are known for conflicts with built-in MIUI protection. Try removing them or adding Security to exceptions.

⚠️ Note: If you have previously disabled permissions through ADB (using the adb shell pm revoke command, they will have to be manually repaired. android.permission.REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES (substitute REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES permit).

Method 4: Reset the settings of the Security app

If cleaning the cache didn't work, try resetting the app completely, which will bring it back to factory status, but won't affect the scanned files or the threat history.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Security and select Reset Settings (or Remove Updates if the button is available).
3. Confirm the action and restart the device.

Method 5: Recovery through Safe Mode and ADB

If the error persists, it may be caused by a third-party application or system modification to check for it:

1. Boot in Safe Mode: Turn off the phone. Press the power button until the MI logo appears. Release the power button and immediately press the volume button, holding it until the system boots.

Safe Mode

Security

If the problem persists, try to restore the application rights through ADB:

adb shell cmd package repair com.miui.securitycenter


adb shell pm clear com.miui.securitycenter

These commands will reinstall the application without deleting, which often helps when system files are corrupted.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB requires on-set debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — slip 7 once, then settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB). Wrong commands can damage the system! 6: Removal of updates and rollback of version MIUI If the error occurred after the update MIUI, Try to delete the Security app updates**: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Security. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates. Confirm action and restart the phone. If that didn't work, consider rolling back on the previous version. MIUI. For this purpose: Download the full firmware package (not OTA!) For your model from the official Xiaomi website (e.g. miuidownload.com). update.zip And put it in the root folder of the vault. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update the system, click on three dots and select Select firmware file. update.zip And wait until the installation is complete. Xiaomi's latest stable model MIUI (2026) Link to Xiaomi firmware 13/13 Pro MIUI 15.0.4.0 Download Redmi Note 12 Pro+ MIUI 14.0.9.0 Download POCO X5 Pro MIUI 14.0.6.0 Download Important: Firmware rollback erases all data on the device. Pre-backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset. Method 7: Extreme measures -- factory resets -- if none of these methods work, you're going to have to completely reset the device, and that's going to delete all the data, but it's going to put the phone back in working order before it's reset: 📱 Save important files (photos, contacts, messages) to your computer or cloud. 🔐 Remember the Mi Account details – after the reset, authorization will be required. 📋 Take a picture of settings (e.g. network settings, application permissions). To reset: Go to Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Reset. Select Erase all data and confirm the action. After rebooting, set your phone as new and check Security. ⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi) 12T, Redmi K50) After the reset, you may need to unlock the bootloader to re-activate Security.Make sure you have access to the Mi Account associated with the device. 💡If a security bug appears after installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the only reliable way to fix it is to return the official firmware. MIUI. Third-party firmware often does not support built-in Xiaomi services. FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi's 'Security' bugs ❓ Why After Updating MIUI The security app doesn't open? That's a typical problem when you upgrade to a new version. MIUI, especially if the update has been interrupted or installed on top of the modified firmware.Try: Clear the cache and application data (see Method) 2). Remove Security Updates (see Method) 6). If it doesn’t help, go back to the previous version. MIUI. ❓ Can you delete the Security app without root permission? No, Security is a system application, and you can't delete it without root access. → Annexes → Application management → Security → Disable (but this will reduce the protection of the device) Limit its activity by using the ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.securitycenter (to return back, use enable instead of disable). Warning: Disabling Security will deprive you of virus protection, memory optimization and permission control. ❓ The error "No connection to the server" - how to fix? This error is usually associated with problems of the network or servers Xiaomi. Try: Switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data (or vice versa). Change the region in the settings to India or Russia (Settings) → Additionally. → Manually update date and time (Settings) → System system → Date and time, if you use VPN — If the problem persists, wait for fixes on the Xiaomi side (usually takes up a fix). 1–2 day-day). ❓ After resetting to the factory settings, Security still doesn't work. What do you do? This could indicate a hardware problem or partition damage. /system. Try: Install firmware via Fastboot (instructions on XiaomiUI). Check integrity EMMC/UFS-DiskInfo (available on Google Play) to contact the service center if you suspect a memory malfunction. ❓ Could the security bug be virus-related? It's unlikely, but it's possible. Some viruses, like Triada or Agent Smith, can block system applications to check: Load to Safe Mode and see if the bug has gone away. Scan your device through another antivirus (e.g. Malwarebytes). If a virus is detected, reset to factory settings. Please note: Security alone cannot be a source of viruses, as it is a system application with a digital signature from Xiaomi.