How to remove Family Link from Xiaomi without a parent: complete removal of the app

Google Family Link allows parents to control their child’s smartphone usage, but sometimes teens want full access to their device. If you’re a Xiaomi owner (like the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, or Mi 11) and you’re looking for a way to completely remove Family Link without a parent, this article will help you understand the methods available, from standard reset to circumventing restrictions through an engineering menu.

It's important to understand that deleting Family Link without parental consent may violate Google's policies, and some methods lead to data loss or account locking. We'll look at legal and technical ways, but the consequences are on the user. If the phone belongs to a child under 13, it's best to discuss the issue with the parents, which will save you from having trouble restoring access to Google services.

In this article you will find:

• 🔹 Official ways to delete Family Link (if you have access to your parent account).
• 🔹 Alternative methods to bypass restrictions on Xiaomi (including reset via Fastboot and Recovery).
• 🔹 Risks and consequences of each method – from data loss to device locking.
• 🔹 Instructions for restoring Google services after deletion.

1.Why Family Link is blocking the phone and whether it can be simply deleted

The Family Link app is integrated into Android at the Google service level, so it cannot be removed as a regular app through Settings → Apps. If you try to uninstall, the system will give an error: “Delete is impossible – the application is the administrator of the device.”

The main restrictions that Family Link imposes on Xiaomi:

• 🔒 Blocking the installation of apps from Google Play without parental permission.
• ⏰ Time limit for use of the device (including forced locking on schedule).
• 📱 Control over settings (for example, it is impossible to turn off geolocation or change the Wi-Fi password).
• 🔍 Viewing the history of the browser, SMS and calls (if appropriate permissions are included).

On Xiaomi devices with MIUI firmware (versions 12–14), Family Link interacts with system services, making it harder to remove it, for example, even after resetting your settings through Recovery, you may need to re-authorize your parent account.

⚠️ Note: If the phone is linked to a parent’s account through Google Family Group, deleting it completely without access to that record may result in the device being locked after reset (requiring the parent’s login/password input when first set up).

2.Official method: deletion of Family Link with parental consent

If you have access to your parent account (for example, you know your username and password), it is legal to remove the restrictions, which does not cause data loss or violate Google’s policies.

Steps for a parent:

1. Open the Family Link app on your device.
2. Select your child’s profile → Settings Management → Account and data.
3. Click Delete Account and Data → Confirm the action.
4. On your child’s phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and delete your linked account.

If your parent account is unavailable but you know their email, you can try to restore access through Google's recovery page, which requires a linked phone number or backup email.

3. Resetting settings via Recovery: Does Xiaomi work?

The most common way to bypass Family Link is by hard resetting through the Recovery menu, which is called by a combination of buttons on Xiaomi devices, but there are nuances:

Instructions for discharge:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up for 10-15 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. In the Recovery menu, select the language (if required) then:
4. Go to Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (use volume buttons for navigation, power for selection).
5. Confirm the reset and wait for the reset.

After reset, the device will start as new, but:

• ✅ Family Link will be deleted (unless linked to a Google account).
• ❌ All data (photos, messages, applications) will be erased.
• ⚠️ The first setup may require input of your parent account data if Factory Reset Protection was previously activated (FRP).

4. bypass FRP and Family Link via Fastboot (for advanced)

If after resetting the phone requires the data of the parent account (FRP-locking, you can try to bypass the protection through the Fastboot mode. This method is suitable for Xiaomi models on Qualcomm processors (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro).

Tools required:

• 💻 Computer with drivers installed ADB/Fastboot.
• 🔌 USB-cable (original, for stable connection).
• 📱 Unlocked loader (OEM Unlock must be enabled in the developer settings).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC in Fastboot mode (press Power + Volume down when the device is off).
2. Open the command line on your PC and execute: fastboot oem unlock fastboot flashing unlock (if the bootloader is locked, you will need to be linked to your Mi Account).
3. Download the firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware website.
4. Squeeze the device command: fastboot flash all [name file firmware].zip
5. After the reboot, set the phone as new (FRP will be reset).

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect firmware through Fastboot can turn your phone into a brick. If you are not sure about your actions, you should contact the service center.

💡

Before you run your firmware, check the phone model in Settings → About Phone → Model. For example, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G and Redmi Note 11 Pro (4G) have different firmware!

5. Alternative methods: Disconnection via ADB and engineering menu

If the reset didn’t help or you don’t want to lose data, you can try disabling Family Link via the link. ADB (Android Debug Bridge, or engineering menus, these methods require that you turn on the device. USB-debugging.

Method 1: Disconnecting through ADB

1. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on Build Number in Settings → About Phone).
2. Activate. USB-debugging → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell pm uninstall-k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.kids.familylink (if the command doesn't work, try pm disable instead of uninstall).

Method 2: Engineering menu (only for the MIUI)

• Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##4636##.
• Go to Phone Information → find the item Disable device administrators.
• Uncheck the Family Link and reboot the phone.

These methods do not work on all versions of MIUI and may require root rights.If Family Link continues to work after completing commands, try the reset + ADB combination.

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ADB-commands and engineering menus, temporary solution. MIUI Family Link restrictions may return as the application is restored from the system partition.

6.What to do after deleting Family Link: Restoring Google Services

After successfully removing Family Link, you will need to:

1. Create a new Google account (if the old one has been deleted) and use a different email that is not linked to the family group.
2. Update MIUI to the latest version (via Settings → System Update) to avoid conflicts with Google services.
3. Restore data from backup (if you did backup via Mi Cloud or Google Drive).
4. Check security settings: Disable Find the device in Google settings (if not necessary). Make sure OEM Unlock is enabled (if you plan to run firmware).

If some Google features (such as YouTube or Play Market) are not working properly after Family Link is removed, do:

adb shell pm clear com.google.android.gms


adb shell pm clear com.google.android.gsf

7 Risks and Consequences: What to Expect After Removal

Removing Family Link without parental consent can lead to the following problems:

• 🚫 Blocking a Google account – if a parent complains about a violation of the rules, the child’s account can be blocked.
• 🔄 Restoration of restrictions – after updating MIUI The Family Link Reset Could Return.
• 📵 Loss of warranty – unlocking the bootloader or firmware via Fastboot voids Xiaomi warranty.
• 🔒 FRP-Locking – if you don’t bypass Google’s security, your phone may remain locked.

If the phone belongs to a child under 13, Google can restore the restrictions one day after deleting (under COPPA rules), in which case the only way out is to coordinate with the parents or use the device without a Google account (which will limit functionality).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) When Family Link is deleted, the encryption stops working, which means that the files on the phone are vulnerable to theft, so to get back the encryption, reset and set up the phone without linking to the family account.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing Family Link on Xiaomi