How to make the default application on Xiaomi Redmi: all the ways and nuances of MIUI

What does it mean to make an app by default and why you need it on Xiaomi Redmi?

When you install a new app on Xiaomi Redmi — whether it’s a browser, messenger or music player — the system automatically asks if you want to make it the main one for certain actions. For example, when you first open a link, a window pops up with a choice: open in Google Chrome, Mi Browser or another installed browser. But what if you accidentally clicked “Always” for the wrong application or want to change the settings later?

On Xiaomi’s MIUI-enabled smartphones, the default application assignment process has its own features. Unlike pure Android, there are additional limitations and hidden menus that many users are unaware of. For example, some system applications (such as Mi Browser or Mi Music) cannot be completely disabled without superuser rights, but they can be replaced with third-party counterparts for specific actions. In this article, we will examine all possible scenarios, from basic settings to circumventing the limitations of MIUI.

It is important to understand that default settings fall into several categories:

• 🌐 Browser – Opening links from other applications;
• 📞 Phone – processing of outgoing calls;
• 💬 SMS — message-reading;
• 🎵 Music/video – playback of media files;
• 📷 Gallery - viewing photos and videos;
• 📍 Maps – Navigation and Address Opening.

Each of these categories can be customized separately, but in MIUI, some options are hidden deeper than in standard Android.

Where to find the default application settings on Xiaomi Redmi

The main menu for managing applications by default in MIUI is hidden in the Settings → Applications → Application Management section, but not everyone knows that there are two key sub-items:

1. Default apps – here you can see the current settings for the browser, phone calls and SMS.
2. Application permissions → Other permissions → Opening by default – more detailed settings for media files, links, and other types of content.

The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI (for example, in MIUI 14 the path has changed slightly compared to MIUI 12), but the general logic remains the same. If you do not see the desired item, try searching by settings (the magnifying icon in the upper right corner).

Note that some system applications (such as Mi Browser) can automatically reset default settings after system updates. This is not a bug, but a feature of MIUI that often annoys users. To avoid this, check the settings again after each major update.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Redmi with global firmware (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ 5G Global, some options may be blocked due to Xiaomi's policy for the European market, in which case a change in the firmware region or use of the new software will help. ADB-Teams (we will talk about it below).

How to change the default browser on Xiaomi Redmi

The browser is one of the most “problematic” applications in MIUI, as the system stubbornly tries to bring the user back to Mi Browser, even if you chose Google Chrome or Firefox.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → Default Apps.
2. Click on the Browser item and select the desired application from the list.
3. Return to the main settings menu and go to Apps → Application Permissions → Other permissions → Open by default.
4. Find your browser (like Chrome) and enable all the switches for link types (http, https, web pages).

If Mi Browser still opens links after these actions, try the following:

• 🔧 Turn off Mi Browser via Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Browser → Disable (if the button is active).
• 📱 Remove updates for Mi Browser (if it is a system application, the Remove button will be replaced with Remove Updates»).
• 🔄 Restart your phone - sometimes MIUI Changes are only applied after rebuttal.

Is the browser assigned to "Default Apps"? |

All types of links are activated in the "Discovery by Default"?|

Is the Mi Browser disabled (if not needed)?|

Reload your phone after the changes?-->

In MIUI 14 and later, App Protection has been introduced, which can block default setting changes for some system utilities. To turn it off, go to Settings → Password and Security → Application Protection and uncheck the Mi Browser box.

Configure applications for calls and SMS by default

Phone calls and SMS are easier than browsers, but there are nuances here too: By default, Xiaomi Redmi uses the standard Phone and Messages app, but they can be replaced with Google Messages, Truecaller or other alternatives.

To change the call app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Default Apps.
2. Click on Phone and select the app you want (like Truecaller or Google Phone).

For SMS, repeat the same steps, but select SMS.

Important point: if you use Dual Apps (app cloning function in the app) MIUI), You'll have to set the default settings for the cloned app separately, for example, if you have two WhatsApps (main and cloned), then calls from each will be handled differently.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Messages as an app for SMS default, but the messages are duplicated in the standard Messages app, disable notifications for the system application in its settings. Otherwise, you will receive double alerts.

How to assign an application to open media files (photos, videos, music)

Media files in MIUI are more flexible than browsers or calls, and it allows you to select apps to open photos, videos and music separately, but there are pitfalls. For example, if you choose Google Photos to view images, Mi Gallery will still be displayed in the Share menu and some system dialogs.

To change the application for media files:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (like VLC for video or Poweramp for music).
3. Scroll down to the Default Open section and click Clear Default Settings (if they were set earlier).
4. Now open any media file from the file manager – the system will suggest selecting the application and ticking the “Always”.

There's an additional nuance to music: if you're using Mi Music, but you want to switch to Spotify or YouTube Music, the standard app can still appear in the notification bar when you plug in your headphones.

• 🎧 Open the Settings. → Connected devices → Headphones.
• 🔊 Turn off the “Automatic Music Playback” option or select the desired application manually.
• 📵 If the option is inactive, try disabling Mi Music via Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Mi Music → Shut down.

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If you often listen to music through Bluetooth headphones, add the widget of your favorite player to the home screen, which will help you avoid automatically starting Mi Music when you connect the device.

Problems and Errors When Changing Default Applications in MIUI

Even after setting up correctly, Xiaomi Redmi users often find that the system ignores their choices, and consider the most common problems and ways to solve them:

1.Settings reset after MIUI update

This is one of the most annoying features of MIUI. After major updates (for example, from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14), the system can reset the default applications to the standard ones.

• 🔄 Reassign the desired applications through Settings → Annexes → Default applications.
• 📥 Before updating, back up the settings through Settings → The phone. → Backup (although it doesn’t always help).
• 🔧 Use it. ADB-Compulsory appointments (instruction below).

2 System applications do not appear in the selection list

Sometimes MIUI hides system applications (such as Mi Browser) from the list of alternatives, even if they are installed, to return them:

• 🔍 Check if the application is disabled in Settings → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone – sometimes it helps to get the app back on the list.
• 📦 If the application has been removed (for example, through ADB), Restore it through Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Show all applications → Three dots (menu) → Show system-based.

3. the application is not saved by default for certain file types

For example, you chose VLC to play video, but some formats still open in Mi Video, which is because MIUI separates file types by extension.

• 📁 Open the file format you want (e.g..mkv) through the file manager and manually select the application with the “Always” tick».
• 🔧 Use third-party file managers (such as Solid Explorer) that allow you to flexibly configure file associations.

Advanced methods: ADB and Magisk for forced prescribing

If the standard methods don't work, you can use power users' tools, both of which require an unlocked bootloader and USB debugging enabled.

Method 1: Use of ADB (without root)

With Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can force the default app to be assigned to certain actions, such as making Google Chrome the default browser:

adb shell cmd package set-home-activity com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main


adb shell cmd package add-replace-intent-filter com.android.chrome android.intent.action.VIEW android.intent.category.BROWSABLE android.intent.category.DEFAULT data scheme="http"




adb shell cmd package add-replace-intent-filter com.android.chrome android.intent.action.VIEW android.intent.category.BROWSABLE android.intent.category.DEFAULT data scheme="https"

Replace com.android.chrome with your application package ID (you can find out through App Inspector or the adb shell pm list packages command).

Method 2: Magisk modules (root required)

If you have Magisk installed, you can use modules for deep customization:

• 🔧 Disable MIUI Optimization – disables background services that reset settings.
• 🔄 App Systemizer – allows you to convert a user application to a system application (for example, make Chrome a system browser).
• 📱 Default App Manager – Advanced Application Manager by Default.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Or Magisk can cause the system to run in an unstable way, especially if you make a mistake in the commands. → The phone. → Backup or TWRP (if established).

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ADB and Magisk are powerful tools, but they are only for power users, and if you're not sure what you're doing, you'd better limit yourself to standard MIUI settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up default apps on Xiaomi Redmi