6 reasons to hate Xiaomi smartphones

1. Advertising is everywhere

Xiaomi smartphones are just overwhelmed with ads. It is in the Music and Video programs, Downloads and Security, even in system settings and folders on the desktop. This is incredibly annoying.

The ad was even pushed into the system installer. While the new program is being installed, you will almost certainly want to download another taxi app, right?

Xiaomi delicately calls these endless banners “recommendations”. And they do not add beauty or convenience to the system. It would be worth getting rid of them first.

A simple solution:using our guide, disable ads in all system programs that allow you to do this. Banners will still remain in the browser and third-party programs. Programs like DNS66 or Adguard help to get rid of them with varying success. Sometimes blocked ads are left with ugly white spots that spoil the application interface.

Effective solution:you will need to root your smartphone. After that, you can install the AdAway program, which will completely rid you of Xiaomi built-in ads.

2. Annoying notifications

You are sitting, not bothering anyone, and then the phone plays a notification sound and displays it on the screen. Do you think there is something useful in there? No matter how it is.

MIUI constantly bombards you with pop-up messages with offers to buy something, open something, or download something. All the time you are promised some surprises and gifts, they send you emoticons and other dubious things.

When you explain to your wife where these “three unread messages from your lover” come from, you will probably get the idea that you should have bought an iPhone.

Solution:learn how to customize mobile notifications and disable all that you don't need. When you receive another "letter of happiness" from Xiaomi, do not swipe it to the right, as usual. Swipe left and turn off the "Show notifications" toggle so that the app doesn't annoy you in the future.

3. Excess of preinstalled programs

MIUI is a veritable dump of Bloatware applications. "Notes", cloud from Xiaomi, antivirus, games, Xiaomi software store, needed only in China, Xiaomi forum, a cleaner that is constantly trying to "optimize" something. You have to get rid of all this good, otherwise you can just get confused.

A simple solution: unnecessary applications can be disabled in the program settings. Open Settings → All Apps, select a program and click Disable. After that, the program will disappear from the desktop and stop running. But it will still take up space and can easily turn back on with the next update.

More complex but effective solution: use our instructions to remove unnecessary applications permanently. You do not need root rights, but you will need a computer and a USB cable to connect your smartphone to it.

The most efficient solution: get root rights and remove unnecessary programs using some Root Uninstaller or Titanium Backup.

4. Uselessness of available applications

The built-in Xiaomi player, video player and explorer are very mediocre: there are few functions and settings in them, there are a lot of ads, and the interface, as they say, is not for everybody. You just don't need MIUI antivirus. Cleaners and optimizers in the system are useless. Notes isn't great in a world with SimpleNote and Google Keep either.

In general, all these gizmos that Xiaomi carefully supplies to the user are either completely useless, or are of some benefit only to the residents of China.

Solution: uninstall or disable all mentioned programs and install something decent instead - PlayerPro instead of Music, VLC or MX Player instead of Video, Google Drive instead of Mi Cloud, MiXplorer instead of Explorer, Google Keep instead of Notes, and so on Further. All of these analogs have more features and a more convenient interface, and there are no ads.

5. Inconvenient desktop

Xiaomi smartphones have a pretty nice interface with useful gestures and a practical shutter. But there is nothing to praise the built-in launcher for.

There is no application menu in it, so all programs are dumped on the desktop in a bunch, and this jumbled looks very chaotic. It is very difficult to understand the icons as they are presented by default: you will have to spend a lot of time sorting them into folders.

Solution: install any third-party launcher.

6. Difficulties with unlocking and flashing

Let's say you've decided to deal with all of the above problems in one fell swoop. You wanted to get root rights in order to remove all the garbage from the system, or you are going to install a more convenient firmware on your smartphone. But, in addition to the loss of warranty, you will face some more difficulties.

To get full access to your smartphone, you will need to unlock its bootloader. On Samsung, OnePlus or Meizu devices, this is done in a few minutes - if you had straight hands, a computer and a USB cable. With Xiaomi smartphones, everything is more complicated.

First you need to open the engineering menu, activate the unlock option there, connect the smartphone to the computer, install the program and log into your Mi-account, click on the Unlock button … and wait.

You will have to wait a few days or even weeks. Only then will Xiaomi, with a scratch, allow you to reflash your smartphone. The company will go to great lengths to complicate the process and make you give up the thought of changing the firmware - so that you can continue to enjoy great "Recommendations".

Solution: absent. Will have to wait. But when you unlock the bootloader and install yourself a third-party firmware, for example, you will forget about MIUI problems forever. Only then can you finally enjoy using a Xiaomi smartphone.

Do you have any complaints about Xiaomi devices? Let us know in the comments.