The list of Bluetooth devices on your Xiaomi grows over time to dozens of items: old headphones, fitness bracelets of friends, speakers from the office or a car radio that you connected to a year ago. These “dead” connections not only clutter the menu, but can slow down the search for new devices, cause conflicts when automatically connecting, or even increase battery consumption due to background connection attempts.
In this article, we will discuss how to completely remove unnecessary Bluetooth devices from Xiaomi, Redmi and other smartphones. POCO, And also smartwatches, headphones and other gadgets in the ecosystem, and we'll focus on the hidden nuances of why some devices don't get removed in the standard way, how to clean the Bluetooth cache, and what to do if, after removal, the gadget still appears on the list. MIUI 12/13/14 and Android-based devices 10-14.
Why You Should Remove Old Bluetooth Devices
At first glance, putting extra positions on the list of connected devices seems harmless, but in practice, they create a few problems:
- 🔋 Increased battery consumption: The smartphone regularly scans the environment for stored devices, even if they have not been used for a long time.
- 🐢 Slowing down the connection: When Bluetooth is turned on, the system spends time searching for all the saved gadgets before showing new ones.
- 🔄 Conflicts when automatically connecting: if there are several devices with the same name (for example, Mi Band 5), the smartphone may connect to the wrong gadget.
- 🛡️ Security risks: Saved devices can be used for unauthorized connection (for example, through vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth protocol).
According to NordVPN, more than 30 percent of users never clear a Bluetooth device list, making their gadgets vulnerable to BlueBorne attacks, and tests by XDA Developers found that cleaning up a list of connected devices speeds up search for new ones by 15-20 percent.
The standard method of removing through Android settings
The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. The instruction is suitable for all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones based on Android 10 and later:
- Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
- Go to Connections and Sharing → Bluetooth.
- Press the gear. ⚙️ near the name of the unnecessary device.
- In the menu that opens, select Delete or Forget the device (name depends on the version of MIUI).
- Confirm the action in the dialog window.
If the gears ⚙️ No, try to hold your finger on its name for 2-3 seconds – a context menu with the option to delete should appear.
Check that the unnecessary device is turned off.
Make sure your smartphone is not connected to other important gadgets (headphones, watches)
Close applications that use Bluetooth (music players, fitness trackers)
Take a screenshot of the list of devices in case of an error-->
⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or POCO F5) After removal, the device may reappear in the list in a few minutes. MIUI. To avoid this, restart your smartphone immediately after cleaning.
Removing devices from smart watches and fitness bracelets Xiaomi
If you want to remove the Mi Band, Xiaomi Watch or other wearable gadget, the standard way through smartphone settings is not enough. These devices are tied not only to Bluetooth, but also to the Xiaomi account, so require a separate procedure:
- Open the Mi Fitness app (for Mi Band) or Xiaomi Wear (for smartwatches).
- Go to the Profile section → My devices.
- Click on the gadget you want to untie.
- Select Disable Device or Delete (depending on the version of the application).
- Confirm the action and wait for the synchronization to be completed.
After that, the device will disappear from the list of connected in Mi Fitness, but can remain in the Bluetooth settings of the smartphone. In this case, remove it in the standard way (see the previous section).
| Model of the device | Management annex | Features of removal |
|---|---|---|
| Mi Band 3/4/5/6/7 | Mi Fitness | Requires confirmation via SMS or email if the device is linked to an account |
| Xiaomi Watch S1/S2 | Xiaomi Wear | After removal, reset the clock to factory settings via Settings → System → Reset |
| Redmi Watch 2/3 | Xiaomi Wear Lite | Reconnection may be required to confirm removal |
| Xiaomi Smart Band 8 | Zepp Life | Deletion is possible only through the web version of the Zepp account on the site. |
⚠️ Note: If you delete a smartwatch or bracelet through an app but don’t reset it to factory settings, the device may remain in standby mode, resulting in a quick battery drain (up to 20% per day) due to constant attempts to connect to the smartphone.
How to remove devices that are not removed in the standard way
Sometimes Bluetooth devices get stuck in the list of connected devices, and the Remove button is inactive or absent.
- 🎧 Headphones Xiaomi AirDots or Redmi Buds connected in the mode of "dual device" (Dual Mode).
- 🚗 Automotive radios with protocol AVRCP 1.6+.
- 💻 Laptops or PCs to which the smartphone was connected as a modem (Bluetooth Tethering).
In such cases, resetting Bluetooth settings or manually cleaning the cache will help:
Method 1: Resetting Bluetooth settings
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Press three points. ⋮ in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
- Find the Bluetooth list (or com.android.bluetooth) and open it.
- Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
- Reboot your smartphone.
Method 2: Removal via ADB (for power users)
If the reset doesn't work, you can use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer:
adb shell pm clear com.android.bluetooth
adb shell settings delete global bluetooth_devicesAfter the commands are executed, all the stored Bluetooth devices will be deleted and the settings will be reset to the factory.
What if the device still appears after resetting?
Cleaning the Bluetooth list on Xiaomi smart devices (columns, lamps, robot vacuum cleaners)
Xiaomi smart devices (such as the Mi Smart Speaker or Mi Robot Vacuum vacuum cleaner) also store information about connected gadgets. To remove your smartphone from their memory, follow these steps:
For smart speakers (Mi Smart Speaker, Redmi SonikBass)
- Open the Mi Home app.
- Select your column from the list of devices.
- Go to Settings → Bluetooth devices.
- Press the cross. ❌ near-needle.
For robot vacuum cleaners (Mi Robot Vacuum, Xiaomi Mijia)
These devices do not support direct control of Bluetooth connections through the app, and to "forget" the smartphone, you need to:
- On the vacuum cleaner, press the power button and the Home button simultaneously for 5 seconds until the sound of the beep.
- Wait for the reset (the indicator flashes yellow).
- Reconnect the vacuum cleaner through Mi Home.
For Yeelight lamps or Mi Sensor sensors, removing Bluetooth devices is not required - they use the Zigbee or Wi-Fi protocol, not classic Bluetooth.
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If Xiaomi’s smart device doesn’t connect after cleaning Bluetooth, try resetting it via the Mi Home app: Device Settings → General → Reset. This most often solves pairing problems.
How to prevent automatic connection to unnecessary devices
Even after removal, some devices (such as car radios or public speakers) can automatically connect to your smartphone.
- 🚗 For automotive systems: Disable Auto Connection in the radio settings (usually in the Bluetooth menu) → Connection settings).
- 🎵 For Music Devices: In your Bluetooth smartphone settings, turn off Automatic Media Playback (Settings) → Connections → Bluetooth → Additionally).
- 🔒 For public devices: Use Hidden Bluetooth mode (includes in the developer: Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to the Additional Settings → Developer parameters → Network → Hide a Bluetooth device).
You can also limit the visibility of the smartphone for other devices:
- Go to Settings → Bluetooth.
- Press three points. ⋮ top-right.
- Select the Visibility of the device and set Never or Contact Only.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When clearing a Bluetooth list, users often face typical problems. Here's how to solve them:
| Mistake. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The device was removed, but after a while it appeared again. | MIUI caching or background synchronization with Xiaomi account | Clear the Bluetooth cache (see Section 3) and turn off sync in Settings → Accounts → Xiaomi |
| You can not remove headphones Xiaomi AirDots | Dual Mode (connection to two devices) | Turn off the headphones from the second device, then try again. |
| After removal, the device does not connect again. | Reset settings on the gadget itself (for example, on the Mi Watch) | Perform a reset of the device through its own menu or app |
| Remove button is inactive | The device is currently connected or in sync | Turn off Bluetooth, restart your smartphone and try again |
⚠️ Note: If you use a developer profile to manage Bluetooth (e.g., enabled Bluetooth Debugging), some devices may not be removed due to active Bluetooth controls. ADB-Before cleaning, turn off debugging in Developer Settings → Bluetooth debugging.
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Regularly cleaning the list of Bluetooth devices (every 3-6 months) not only frees up the memory of the smartphone, but also reduces the risk of conflicts when connecting new gadgets, especially for users who often connect to different devices (for example, on trips or at work).