How to remove Family Link from Xiaomi phone: all the working ways

Google Family Link’s parental controls on Xiaomi devices often cause conflicts between teens and parents, limit the time spent on the app, block installation of programs, and even track location, but there are times when access to the full functionality of the phone is necessary, such as for school, work, or technical problems.

This article does not call for breaking parental rules. We will look at legal ways to disable Family Link (with the consent of the account owner), as well as technical methods for cases where the device was purchased using parental control. All of these actions are performed at your own risk - improper manipulation can lead to blocking Google account or resetting the phone to factory settings.

Important: If you are a parent and want to set up Family Link on your child’s phone, go to our Parental Controls Guide. If you are buying a used Xiaomi smartphone, always check for linked accounts before paying.

Why Family Link is blocking Xiaomi’s phone

Google Family Link is integrated into Google Play services and works at the system level, and on Xiaomi devices (especially on models with MIUI 12+), it interacts with the branded shell, which makes it difficult to disable it.

• 🔒 Blocking the installation of apps from Google Play without parental permission.
• ⏰ Time limit of the device (automatic screen shutdown).
• 📍 Tracking location and activity history.
• 📵 Blocking calls and SMS at certain times (e.g. at night).
• 🔄 Restriction on changing system settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness).

Xiaomi phones with MIUI can also activate additional parental controls via Mi Account, which creates a double lock: if you delete Family Link, but you remain attached to the previous owner’s Mi Account, the phone can lock after resetting.

⚠️ Note: If a Xiaomi phone was purchased with hands and has a Family Link active from a previous owner, the only safe way to do so is to contact the seller and ask them to remove the device from their Google account. Otherwise, after resetting the settings, the phone may require the entry of the old account data.

Method 1: Legally delete Family Link (with parental consent)

If you're a minor and you want to remove the restrictions, the best way to do that is to negotiate with your parents.

1. Parents must open the Family Link app on their phone.
2. Select your profile and go to Settings Management → Account Information.
3. Click Delete Account or Stop Surveillance (depending on the version of the application).
4. Confirm the action via SMS or password from your Google account.

After that, on your Xiaomi:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Google accounts → Family Link.
• 🔄 Click Remove the App or Leave the Family Group.
• 🔁 Reboot the phone.

If there are restrictions after removal (for example, applications are not installed), check:

On some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro) you may need to reset your Google account settings after disabling Family Link:

1. Settings → Google Accounts → Delete your account.
2. Add the same account again.

Method 2: Bypass Family Link through Developer Settings

This method is suitable for Xiaomi devices on Android 10+ and requires access to the phone's settings.It doesn't remove Family Link completely, but allows you to temporarily bypass some restrictions.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the option to Don’t Turn Off the Screen (or USB Debug on some models) and turn it on.
4. Go to Settings → Applications → All Apps → Family Link.
5. Click Stop and Clear Data.

This method may help:

• ⏳ Reset the screen usage timer.
• 📱 Allow installation of applications from APK (But not from Google Play).
• 🔓 Temporarily remove the system settings lock.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi phones with MIUI 13/14 After cleaning up the Family Link data, the application automatically restores the restrictions. 24 To avoid this, turn off the automatic Google Play update in the settings.

Method 3: Resetting the phone to factory settings

If a Xiaomi phone was bought by hand and has a Family Link active from a previous owner, the only radical way is to completely reset, but this can lead to the risk of being blocked due to the Mi Account.

Step-by-step:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Delete all data.
3. Enter your phone password (if required).
4. Confirm the reset.

After the reboot:

• 📱 The phone will prompt you to log into a Google account.Do not use an account that was linked to Family Link!
• 🔑 If you request the previous owner’s Mi Account, the phone is locked, and only contact Xiaomi’s support team with proof of purchase will help.

Xiaomi phones with a MediaTek processor (e.g. Redmi 9A, POCO C31) may need to flash through Fastboot after a reset if the device is locked on the Mi Account screen.

Method 4: Use of alternative Google accounts

If your primary Google account is blocked through Family Link, you can try adding a second account with administrator rights, which doesn’t work on all Xiaomi devices, but sometimes helps you bypass the restrictions.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Google Accounts → Add an account.
2. Create a new Google account or sign in to an existing one (not linked to the Family Link).
3. Make it the main one in your account settings.
4. Delete your old account (linked to Family Link) through Settings → Google Accounts → Delete your account.

Limitations of this method:

• ❌ Not working if the parent has set a block on adding new accounts.
• ❌ Nana MIUI 14 may require confirmation through SMS.
• ✅ Works for Redmi and POCO Android 11 and below.

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If you add a new account, you get an error called "Device is managed by an organization," try connecting to another Wi-Fi network or using mobile Internet. Sometimes Family Link restrictions are tied to a specific network.

Method 5: Flashing the phone (for advanced users)

If all previous methods fail, you can still flash through Fastboot or Recovery, which is an extreme measure that requires technical skills and can lead to a loss of warranty.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with drivers installed ADB/Fastboot.
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (original).
• 📁 Firmware for your model (download from the official Xiaomi website).
• 🛠 Mi Flash Tool or XiaomiTool V2.

Step-by-step instruction (simplified):

1. Unlock Bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires binding to Mi Account).
2. Transfer the phone to Fastboot mode (clamp Power + Volume down).
3. Connect to your PC and run the official firmware through the Mi Flash Tool.
4. After re-flashing, reset the settings.

⚠️ Note: On new Xiaomi models (released after 2022), unlocking Bootloader requires waiting 7-15 days after binding Mi Account.

What to do if nothing helps

If all of the above methods do not work, the following options remain:

1. Contact the previous owner (if the phone is purchased by a used phone) and ask to remove the device from your Google and Mi Account account.
2. Contact Xiaomi support and provide proof of purchase (check, contract) they can help unlock Mi Account.
3. Use your phone without a Google account: Install apps through APK (e.g. APKPure); use alternative stores (Aurora Store, F-Droid); Set up Mi Account without being tied to Google.

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi A1 or POCO C50) you can completely dispense with Google services by installing MIUI without GMS (firmware for China).

• 📱 Google Play, YouTube, Gmail.
• 📍 Google Maps and geolocation in some applications.
• 🔑 Push notifications from many services.

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If the phone is locked on the Mi Account screen after reset, do not try to enter data at random - after 5 wrong attempts, the device will lock for 24 hours.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Family Link on Xiaomi