How to remove “Completion of Settings” on Xiaomi: 5 ways to bypass the app installation screen

After resetting to factory settings, updating MIUI or even after buying a new Xiaomi smartphone, many users experience a hung “Complete Settings” screen. The system endlessly “installes apps” and the progress bar does not move. In some cases, the process can take hours, and sometimes it does not end at all, the causes of this problem lie in the failure of Mi Account servers, conflicts with Google services or corrupted data in the /data section.

If you're in this situation, don't rush your phone to the service center. In 90% of cases, you can solve the problem yourself without losing data or complex manipulation. In this article, we'll look at 5 proven ways to bypass the completion screen, including methods for devices with a locked bootloader, and you'll learn why this happens and how to prevent the error from reappearing.

⚠️ Important: If the message “This phone is tied to another Mi Account” appears on the screen, your problem is with blocking Mi Account – this is another situation that requires unlocking through official Xiaomi channels. Our methods below are suitable only for a suspended process of setting up without binding to an account.

Why Xiaomi is hanging on the “Complete Settings” screen

The infinity app install screen is a typical problem for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones based on MIUI 12-14.

🔄 Sync failure with Google servers – especially after resetting via Recovery or when you first turn on.
📱 Damaged data in the section /data — often occurs when interrupted update or incorrect power outage.
🔒 Mi Account conflict – if the phone was previously linked to another account, but the lock didn’t work immediately.
📡 Internet connection problems — MIUI Requires network connection to download system applications.
🛠️ Firmware incompatibility – if you have flashed the device with a custom or ported version MIUI.

The most vulnerable models are Redmi Note 8/9/10, Xiaomi Mi A2/A3 (due to the peculiarities of working with Google services), and devices with a locked bootloader. In the latter case, some methods may not work – you will need to unlock through Fastboot.

🔍 How do you know your situation? If the screen is hanging for longer than 30 minutes and the progress bar is not moving, it's a 100% software failure, not a long installation. Normally, it takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes.

📊 What kind of Xiaomi model do you have?

Redmi Note 8/9/10/11

Xiaomi Mi 10/11/12

POCO F3/F4/F5

Another model

Method 1: Forced reset (the simplest method)

In 30 percent of cases, the problem is solved by a simple reboot, but on the "Complete setting" screen, the power and volume buttons can be blocked. Here's how to get around this:

Press the power button for 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out.
If the device doesn’t respond, try the combination: Power button + Volume up Hold for 20-30 seconds until the Xiaomi logo appears.
After restarting, wait 5-7 minutes – sometimes the system completes the setup itself.

⚠️ Note: If the app installation screen reappears after the reboot, do not repeat the procedure many times, this can damage the system files.

💡

If the smartphone is under 20%, plug it into charging for 10-15 minutes before restarting. Low charge can block normal system operation.

Method 2: Bypassing Recovery Mode (without losing data)

If the forced reboot doesn’t work, the next step is to use Recovery, which works on most Xiaomi devices with official firmware and doesn’t require unlocking the bootloader.

📌 Instructions:

Turn off the phone (hold the power button for 10+ seconds).
Press the combination: The power button + Hold until the Recovery menu appears (usually with a robot image and the inscription No command).
From the menu, select: Wipe data → Wipe All Data Don't be afraid! This reset will only delete temporary setting data, not all user information.
After cleaning, go back to the main menu and select Reboot → Reboot to System.

🔹 What if Recovery doesn't open? on some models (e.g., Recovery, POCO F3) To log in to Recovery, you first need to connect your phone to a PC with the Mi Flash Tool installed. Also check that you are using the original button combination - on some devices this is Power. + Loudness down.

Turn off the phone from charging

Check the battery power (minimum 30%)

Prepare original USB-cable (in case of connection to the PC)

Remember your Mi Account details (if your phone was tied)-->

Method 3: Shutting down the Internet (to bypass Google services)

One of the most common causes of the freeze is problems with syncing Google services, MIUI tries to install apps from Google Play, but the servers don't respond or there's a version conflict, and the solution is to turn off the Internet during the setup phase.

🔧 How to do this:

📶 On the “Complete Settings” screen, don’t connect to Wi-Fi. If you’re already connected, forget the network (click on the network name and select “Delete»).
📴 Turn off mobile data (if used) SIM-map: Put your phone in flight mode or remove it SIM.
⏳ Wait 5-10 minutes – the system should skip the step of installing applications and go to the home screen.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global, this method may not work, the system will insist on connecting to the network, in which case combine it with a reboot (Method 1) or a reset via Recovery (Method 2).

💡 Why does it work? No Internet. MIUI skip the download stage of applications from Google Play and Mi App Store, allowing you to complete the setup in offline mode.Later you can install applications manually.

Method 4: Use ADB-Teams (for advanced users)

If the previous methods do not help, you will have to connect to the phone through ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method requires a PC, USB-Cable and minimal command line knowledge, but gives 100% results on locked devices.

🛠️ Step-by-step instruction:

Download and install Platform Tools (includes adb and fastboot).
Connect your phone to your PC via USB (use the original cable!).
Open the command line (Win + R → cmd) and enter: adb devices If the device is not defined, install Xiaomi USB Drivers.
Execute the command to reset the setup process: adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.MiuiSettings Alternative (for new versions) MIUI): adb shell settings put global device_provisioned 1
Reboot your phone: adb reboot

📌 What to do if ADB can't see the device?

🔌 Check the cable – use the one that came with the kit.
🖥️ Put the debugging on. USB (If the phone is responsive at least a little: go to Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI Press 7 times to activate the developer mode.
🔄 Reinstall drivers via Mi Flash Tool.

What if ADB issues a “no devices/emulators found” error?

So, that means the PC doesn't recognize the phone. Solutions: 1. Check the front connection. USB-port (on the back of the PC, ports may not provide enough power). 2. Disable all other ports USB-Devices (muses, flash drives). 3. In Device Manager (Win), remove all devices called "Xiaomi" or "ADB Interface and reconnect the phone.

Method 5: Fastboot Flashing (extreme case)

If none of these methods work, you'll have to completely reflash through Fastboot, a radical solution that will bring your phone back to "clean" but delete all the data (photos, contacts, messages) you can only use if you:

📵 The phone does not respond to other methods.
🔓 You have the bootloader unlocked (if not, first unlock through the Mi Unlock Tool).
📥 You have the official firmware for your model (download from the official website).

⚠️ Warning: Do not interrogate the device with customized or ported firmware - this can lead to a breeze (complete inoperability) of the phone. MIUI for your model.

🔧 Short instruction:

Download Mi Flash Tool and firmware in.tgz format.
Unpack the firmware in a folder without Cyrillic symbols.
Launch the Mi Flash Tool, connect the phone in Fastboot mode (clip Power + Volume down).
In the program, select the firmware folder and press Refresh → Flash.
Wait until the end (usually 5-10 minutes).

💡 Tip: After you've run the firmware, don't restore the data from the backup right away -- check if the phone is working first. Sometimes the backups contain damaged settings that cause you to freeze again.

Table: Comparison of methods of solving the problem

Method	Difficulty	PC required	Loss of data	It works on a locked loader.
Forced reset	⭐	❌ No.	❌ No.	✅ Yes.
Reset via Recovery	⭐⭐	❌ No.	⚠️ Partially (Settings only)	✅ Yes.
Internet shutdown	⭐	❌ No.	❌ No.	✅ Yes.
ADB-team	⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes.	❌ No.	⚠️ Depends on the model.
Fastboot flashing through Fastboot	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅ Yes.	✅ Complete.	❌ No (needs an unlocked bootloader)

How to prevent the recurrence of the problem

To prevent the “Complete Settings” screen from appearing again, follow these guidelines:

🔄 Don't interrupt the updates. MIUI — Wait for the full installation, even if the process takes more than an hour.
📱 Clean the cache regularly in Settings → Memory. → Cleanup (especially after major updates).
🔒 Do not use unofficial firmware without unlocking the bootloader.
📥 Turn off automatic application installation: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Auto-update
🔄 Before resetting, untie Mi Account in Settings → Xiaomi account.

⚠️ Note: If you buy Xiaomi from hand, always check your Mi Account link through Settings → Xiaomi account → Devices: A linked account of a previous owner can lock the phone after a reset!

💡

The most common reason for hanging on the settings screen is a conflict with Google services, and shutting down the Internet at this point solves the problem in 60% of cases.

FAQ: Frequent questions to fix the problem

❓ Phone hangs on the “Complete Settings” screen after the update MIUI. What do you do?

Try Forced Reboot first (Track 1). If it doesn't work, use Recovery reset (Track 2). MIUI updates often damage the data in /data partition, and clearing temporary files solves the problem.

❓ Can I remove the settings screen without losing data?

Yes, in most cases. Methods 1-3 (reboot, Recovery, Internet shutdown) do not affect user data. Only flashing through Fastboot (Method 5) leads to a complete cleanup.

❓ Why Recovery Resets the Settings Screen Again?

It's normal behavior. MIUI — After Wipe Data, the system requires initial setup, but if it freezes, it means that the system files are damaged. ADB-team.

❓ Are these methods working on POCO F3/F4?

Yes, but on POCO devices, you may need to unlock the bootloader to use ADB or Fastboot. Also, these models sometimes don’t work with the standard combination to log into Recovery — try Power + Volume up or plug into a PC.

❓ What to do if your phone says, This phone is linked to another Mi Account»?

This is a Mi Account lock, not a setup problem. You need to: Contact the previous owner for account details. If this is not possible, request to be unlocked through the official website (proof of purchase will be required). ⚠️ Warning: Self-deletion of locks through third-party services can lead to complete loss of functionality of the phone!