alt Hacker NewsHow to debloat your Xiaomi 15 Ultra without root access
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It says they're freezing at Android 16 because Android 17 has more tracking and that kind of stuff, but then they go on to recommend Nova Launcher which sold out and has ads and who knows what else?
Xiaomi openly violates GPL too. If you email them for source code they won't provide it and if you press it they will just say haha sue us, or ghost you.
the trick I use is that `adb disable-user` still works without root and it works on anything, including even the most privileged system-level apps. some phones detect this and actually brick themselves (looking at you Samsung Knox), but a lot of phones don't notice at all.
Downside of course is that if you use multiple users, you'll have to repeat it for each user.
I hate that this is still a reality in 2026.
Comprehensive de-bloat guide
If you don't like the Xiaomi experience, don't buy a Xiaomi phone. Xiaomi ships an intentional set of features and apps that deliver what they believe is a best-in-class smartphone experience.
Yeah but does all this stick after the next major OS update?
THat's why I avoid all these top bang for the buck Chinese phones with amazing HW. Fighting the bloatware and spyware is too much hassle.