How to set up anti-spam on Xiaomi phone

Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often face intrusive advertising, spam calls and unwanted SMS-messages that can be seriously annoying and distracting from work. MIUI HyperOS offers powerful tools to protect against digital debris, but by default they may not be configured aggressively enough. Competent configuration of these parameters allows you to create a reliable barrier between the user and fraudsters, as well as clean the interface of visual noise.

Setting up anti-spam on a device is not just a notification disablement, but a complex process that affects the operation of system applications, browsers and even third-party software. Xiaomi’s modern algorithms are able to analyze incoming traffic and identify suspicious numbers, but for maximum efficiency, the user must manually activate several hidden or little-known options. In this article, we will discuss in detail each step of protecting your smartphone.

Ignoring these settings can lead not only to time loss, but also to the potential leakage of personal data or accidental installation of malware. Therefore, it is extremely important to pay attention to each item of the instructions to turn your gadget into an impregnable fortress. We will consider both standard blocking methods and advanced traffic filtering techniques.

Use of the built-in Security application

The central element of protection in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the system application Security, which combines antivirus, memory cleanup and anti-spam module. This is where the main levers of managing incoming calls and messages are located. To get started, you need to run the application through the main screen or Tools folder and find the Anti-spam section.

Inside this section, you can hide a database of unwanted numbers that you can update and customize to your needs, create your own blacklists, and connect to cloud databases to automatically detect spam, activated through the settings menu hidden behind the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Special attention should be paid to locking parameters, where you can set rules for unknown numbers or numbers hidden by the identifier. This is critical for those who often receive calls from robot sellers. Once the appropriate switches are turned on, the phone will automatically reset such calls without disturbing the owner.

It is worth noting that database updates are automatic when you have an internet connection, but sometimes manual synchronization is required to get the latest data on new fraud schemes.

Blocking advertising SMS and messages

Spam in the form SMS-Messaging remains one of the most common issues, especially during sales or political campaigns.In Xiaomi’s anti-spam settings, there is a separate subsection for filtering messages that works independently of the call blocker. Here you can activate “Smart lock”, which analyzes the text of the message for the presence of keywords specific to advertising.

In addition, the system allows you to create your own blocking keywords, and if you regularly receive messages from bookmakers or electronics stores, adding the words “bet”, “bet”, “promotional” or “cashback” to the stop list will help weed out a significant amount of garbage, which applies to all incoming messages before they reach the standard message application.

⚠️ Note: When creating stop words, avoid overly general terms so as not to block important notifications from banks or delivery services.

All blocked messages are not permanently deleted, but are placed in a special log that can be viewed at any time, which eliminates the risk of losing important information if the system mistakenly classified the message as spam.

For users who use third-party messaging apps (like Google Messages or Textra), Xiaomi’s system blocker can also intercept notifications if you give permissions in the system settings. However, Xiaomi’s native Messages app works with the filter most stably and deeply integrated into the shell.

Setting up a blacklist and smart rules

The blacklisting feature on Xiaomi smartphones allows you not only to block specific numbers, but also to create complex rules based on number masks or prefixes. This is especially true for combating autocalls, when scammers change the last digits of a number, leaving the operator's code unchanged.

The blacklist settings menu allows you to select the mode of operation: block only calls, only SMS or both types of communication at the same time, and the option “Block all unknown numbers” is also available, which is useful during periods of special spammer activity, but requires caution not to miss an important call from a courier or doctor from an unfamiliar number.

The blocked contacts list can be managed easily through the Security interface, where you can quickly add, edit or delete rules, and periodic revisions of the list help maintain a balance between security and availability.

Fighting advertising in the system and browser

In addition to calls and SMS, users are often annoyed by pop-up ads in system applications and the browser. To minimize this phenomenon, you need to turn off the MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for displaying advertising content in the shell, this is done through the phone’s settings menu in the Password and Security section -> Access to personal data, where you need to find the msa process and turn off the slider.

In the browser, whether you are using a standard Mi Browser or Chrome, it is recommended to install an ad blocker or activate built-in tracking protection. The Mi Browser settings have an option to “Ad Block” that must be enabled manually, as it may be inactive by default. This greatly speeds up page loading and removes banners.

It’s also worth checking the permissions for installed applications. Many programs request access to the display over other windows, which is used to show full-screen advertising at unexpected moments. Go through the list of installed applications in the Apps section -> Permissions -> On top of other applications and disable this access for any suspicious or unnecessary programs.

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After you turn off the MSA service, wait 10 seconds until the countdown timer appears and confirm the action. Sometimes you need to repeat the procedure several times, as the system may try to automatically return the default settings.

Cleaning up the ad ID cache also helps reduce targeted ads, by resetting the ad ID in Google’s settings (not the phone, but the Google account) to “nullify” the interest profile for advertisers, which will not eliminate the ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and personalized.

Protection against phishing and malicious sites

Modern spam often contains links to phishing resources that are disguised as websites of banks, email services or government agencies. MIUI and HyperOS security scanner checks links in messages and browser in real time. Make sure that the security settings include the option "Check out" URL-Addresses or Real-time Protection».

When you try to navigate to a suspicious site, the system will issue a red warning with a recommendation to refuse to visit, such warnings should not be ignored, since they are based on current threat databases, and the browser can block the download of mining scripts or attempts to install hidden applications.

For additional protection, it is recommended to use DNS-filtering. In connection settings (Private) DNS) You can write a server address that automatically sifts out domains known for malware and phishing, and that's a layer of protection that works even before the page loads, saving traffic and increasing security.

⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-servers may affect the speed of some local services. If after turning on you notice problems with access to sites, return settings to automatic mode.

Regularly scanning your phone with built-in antivirus (Avast or AVL engine, depending on the region and firmware version) helps you identify threats that have already hit your device. Run a full check at least once a month, especially if you are actively installing apps from unknown sources.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Comprehensive anti-spam settings on Xiaomi require not only standard filters, but also manually configuring rules, disabling system advertising, and carefully managing application permissions.