Many owners of Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell or HyperOS are faced with an intrusive feature called “Show Offers” (or “Receive Recommendations”).This is a system option that is responsible for collecting data about your actions and subsequent demonstration of personalized advertising, news and offers from brand partners. By default, it is activated immediately after the device is first turned on, which provides the ecosystem with additional revenue, but often annoys users who value a clean interface.
If you notice that standard applications like Explorer, Music, or Security have banners popping up and messages from Mi Credit or GetApps popping up in the notification curtain, then this setting works. Understanding how this mechanism works and where the switches are hidden will allow you to regain full control of your gadget. In this article, we will take a detailed look at what is behind this term and provide step-by-step instructions on how to completely disable the ad modules.
Xiaomi’s recommendation system is based on a dedicated system service that analyzes your smartphone usage habits. Personalized ads can appear in unexpected places, such as when you unlock your screen, in app folders, or even in the settings menu. The main purpose of this feature is to monetize budget and mid-range smartphone models, allowing the company to maintain competitive prices for hardware.
It's important to distinguish between system notifications and user offers. MIUI recommendations are exactly the ones that offer you to download games, apply for a loan or read news. They are not viruses, but are built-in marketing tools. Disabling these features does not disrupt the main systems of the phone, but only removes information noise. In some cases, this also has a positive effect on battery life, as background processes stop loading content.
It's worth noting that data collection algorithms can affect not only browser history, but also the list of installed applications. MSA (MIUI System Ads) is a key component responsible for delivering advertising content. Without it, most pop-ups simply won't be able to appear on the screen. So the fight against intrusive offers begins with finding and configuring this system component in the depth of the menu.
What is hidden behind the function of recommendations
Show Offers is a comprehensive mechanism that combines multiple services of the Android operating system modified by the MIUI shell. When you see this switch active, you allow the phone to transmit anonymized data about your location, search queries and application use to the company’s servers, based on this information, an advertising profile is formed, which is used to target content.
Most often, users are asked to use recommendations when they first set up a phone or after a major firmware update. Personalized recommendations can offer themes, ringtones or third-party apps from the GetApps store. Although formally a “assist” in mastering the device, in practice it is a paid traffic distribution channel.
⚠️ Warning: A complete shutdown of advertising systems may lead to the disappearance of some widgets of the Glance tape, which is also a source of news content and offers.
Technically, it looks like a constant survey of the configuration server. The phone sends a request: "What banners to show the user with such an ID?" If the function is active, the server returns the data packet for display. If you deny Internet access for advertising services or turn them off in settings, this cycle is interrupted. However, it is important to do this correctly so that legitimate system notifications, such as security updates or delivery status, do not interfere with the operation of legitimate system notifications.
Where to find personalization settings in MIUI
Finding the switches that are responsible for advertising may not be obvious, since Xiaomi developers often change the location of the menu in different versions of the firmware. The main path is through the special features section. You need to go to Settings → Passwords and security → Special features. This is where the master switch controls the collection of data for marketing.
Inside this menu, you will see the "Get recommendations" (or "Recommendations") item. Activating this item means consent to data processing. Even if you turn it off, some submenu may still have local settings that require separate attention. For example, the "Security" or "Music" app may have its own "Get recommendations" switches that duplicate the overall setting.
For new HyperOS smartphones, the logic is the same, but the visual design of the menu may have changed. Sometimes the item you want is hidden in the Privacy section. If you don't find the switch on the standard path, search for the settings by entering the word "advertisements" or "recommendations." The system will highlight the section you want, which will greatly speed up the process.
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Use a Settings Search (a magnifier at the top of the Settings screen) to instantly find the “Get recommendations” item without wandering through the menu.
Disabling MSA – a key advertising module
The most effective way to remove ads is to deactivate the system component of MSA (MIUI System Ads), which requires care, as the system will prevent you from opting out of ads by offering to “wait” or “cancel” the action. To begin, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to data.
In the application list, find msa. Click on it and turn off the network access slider (Wi-Fi and mobile data). After turning off, a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds) will appear, after which you need to click "Disable." If the first time failed and there was an error, try again 2-3 times - this is a known feature of the shell that requires persistence.
- 🔍 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
- 📱 Find in the list of "Services" MSA» or just "msa».
- 🚫 Click on “Other Permits” and turn off location and phone access.
- 📡 In the section "Data Use" completely ban access to the Internet.
Once disabled, MSAs are also recommended to limit the rights to the Mi Credit and GetApps app if you don’t use them, often acting as secondary sources of notifications with offers, and restricting their background activity will significantly clear the notification curtain from debris.
☑️ Checking the ad-off
Setup of system applications: Explorer, Music, Security
Even after disabling global settings, individual Xiaomi apps can continue to show ads if they have their own internal switches. This is especially true for the standard Explorer and Security app. In Explorer, you click on the menu (three bars), select Settings → About app (or just Settings), and find Receive recommendations, putting it inactive.
In the Security app (green shield icon), ads often appear as banners when scanning the system. To fix this, open the app, click on the settings gear in the corner and find the "Get recommendations" section. Similar actions should be done in the Music, Video and Themes apps, each with its own independent switch hidden.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Conductor | Menu → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Security | A gear. → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Show recommended files |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Personal recommendations |
Remember that after updating these system applications through the GetApps store, settings may reset. Rechecking the configuration after each major MIUI update is a good practice to keep the interface clean. It will only take a minute, but save you from returning intrusive banners.
Notification management and push advertising blocking
Sometimes ads don't come through system banners, but through regular push notifications, which can be messages from "Mi Store," "Mi Community," or "Services & Feedback." To get rid of them, you don't have to delete apps. Just go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
Find suspicious system services on the list and simply stop them from displaying notifications. Keep only critical services like Google Play Services or System Updates active. This will keep the phone functional but will remove information noise. Pay special attention to the Security app, which likes to send reports about “found problems” that are actually advertising hooks.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t disable notifications from System Updates and Google Play Services, otherwise your phone will stop receiving important security patches and app updates.
There is also a more radical method, which is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to remove or freeze ad packages, but this method requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge. For most users, the software settings described above are sufficient, since they do not require root rights and do not carry the risk of building the device.
Advanced User Packages (ADB)
Frequent questions and problem-solving
Users often experience typical difficulties when disabling ads, such as the Receive Recommends switch can spontaneously turn back on after a reboot, if the MSA service has not been disabled or if the phone has synchronized settings with the Mi Account account where the option was active.
Another common question is the impact on the phone, and many people fear that shutting down system services will lead to instability, and we've shown that turning off ads is safe, and the only thing that can change is that the news feed on the left of the desktop (Google Discover or Mi Vision) will stop working if it's tied to the same recommendation services, so you can just stop using this feed.
- 🔄 Why are settings resetting? – Check sync with Mi Cloud.
- 📉 Will the phone work faster? – Yes, free RAM and processor.
- 🔒 Yes, you are simply disabling marketing modules, not the core of the system.
If you've followed all the steps but the adverts are left, it may be coming from the third-party app you installed, not the system. Check the list of recently installed programs. Often free utilities, flashlights or memory cleaners embed ad modules themselves that masquerade as Xiaomi system notifications.
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A comprehensive shutdown of MSA, system recommendations and notifications is guaranteed to remove 99% of MIUI ads without losing warranty.