Allow Install Unknown Apps on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO Phones

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones share the same software: HyperOS on newer models and MIUI on older ones. Both block installs from outside the app stores until you give a specific app permission to install APK files. Both also add their own security prompts on top of Android's, which can look alarming the first time you see them.

This guide covers the usual steps and what those prompts mean. Xiaomi changes menu names between versions and regions, so if your phone uses a slightly different label, look for the closest match or use the search bar at the top of Settings.

Before you start

On current Android versions, the install permission is granted to one app at a time, such as your file manager or browser. It is not a single switch for the whole phone. Decide which app you will open the APK with, and allow only that one.

It also helps to know which system you run. Open Settings → About phone and look for the HyperOS version or MIUI version.

Method 1: Allow it from the install prompt

1. Open the File Manager (or the browser you downloaded with) and tap the APK file.
2. If a message says installs from this source are not allowed, tap Settings.
3. Switch on Allow from this source.
4. Some versions show a risk warning here, sometimes with a short countdown before you can confirm. Read it, then confirm only if you trust the file.
5. Go back and tap Install.

Method 2: Allow it from Settings

On most HyperOS phones:

1. Open Settings → Apps.
2. Tap Special app access (on some versions, Special permissions).
3. Tap Install unknown apps.
4. Choose your file manager or browser and switch on Allow from this source.

On many MIUI versions, the same list sits under Settings → Privacy protection → Special permissions → Install unknown apps, or under Settings → Apps → Manage apps, via the menu in the top corner. If you cannot find it, type "unknown apps" into the Settings search bar.

Understanding Xiaomi's security prompts

Depending on your region and version, you may see one or more of these during installation:

• A security scan of the app before it installs, run by Xiaomi's built-in Security app. It checks the file and shows a result.
• A risk rating or warning if the scan finds something it considers risky, or if the app is unfamiliar.
• A Play Protect prompt from Google on phones with Google services, offering to scan the app.
• A request to sign in to a Xiaomi account on some versions before allowing certain installs.

These checks are there to protect you. Read what each one actually says. An "unverified" or "unfamiliar" notice is different from a finding that the app is harmful. If a scan reports a real threat, cancel the install and delete the file rather than looking for a way around the warning.

Quick checks before you tap Install

• Make sure the file came from a source that names the app, its version and its size.
• Check that the app matches your phone's Android version and processor type.
• Once installed, review the permissions it asks for and deny anything that does not fit its purpose.

Turn the permission off afterwards

The source app only needs the permission for the moment of installation. Leaving it on means any APK that browser or file manager opens later could reach an install screen.

1. Return to Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps (or the equivalent path on your version).
2. Tap the app you allowed.
3. Switch Allow from this source off.

Your installed app keeps working normally. You only need to allow the source again when you install a newer APK by hand.

Key takeaways

• HyperOS and MIUI grant "install unknown apps" per app. Allow only the app you install from.
• The usual path on HyperOS is Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps. On MIUI it may sit under Privacy protection.
• Xiaomi's security scan and warnings are protections; read them, and cancel if a real threat is reported.
• Switch the permission off after installing.