Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which are powered by MIUI or HyperOS, collect vast amounts of user data to personalize ads and improve system performance, but often cause concern among privacy-conscious users, and many owners notice that ads in their browsers or apps are suspiciously accurate with their recent conversations or searches.
You can't stop telemetry collection completely without deep flashing, but standard methods can significantly reduce listening and tracking, and you have to turn off multiple system services, limit app access to the microphone, and remove personalized advertising, a complex process that requires attention to customization details.
In this article, we will discuss all available privacy controls. We will not use third-party programs that can disrupt the system. All actions are performed through the standard settings menu, which is safe for Xiaomi’s guarantee and stability. Be prepared for the fact that some menu items may differ depending on the version of MIUI.
Managing permissions for microphone
The first step to protecting against listening is tight control over which apps have access to the microphone. By default, many programs, including browsers and instant messengers, request this access for voice input, but often use its background to collect data. You need to manually check the list and revoke unnecessary rights.
Go to Settings → Security and Privacy → Permissions Manager → Microphone. Here you will see a full list of applications. Study it carefully: a navigator or voice recorder needs access, but why does it need a calculator or flashlight?
- 🎙️ Find the Google app in the list and restrict access to it, leaving only "Only during use».
- 🔒 Turn off the microphone for system services that are not voice-controlled, such as for Mi Credit or Mi Pay».
- 👁️ Pay attention to the item “Sound recording” in the permissions manager is a separate parameter, which should also be limited.
⚠️ Warning: Do not disable microphone access for the Phone or Recorder system application, otherwise you will not be able to make hands-free calls or record audio.
It's also worth checking the microphone settings in the security section, and newer versions of the firmware have an indicator that signals the microphone to work, and make sure that this is active to visually monitor the invasion of your privacy, and if you see an orange dot in the corner of the screen, it means that right now, an app is listening to you.
Disabling MSA Advertising Personalization
The most intrusive element of the Xiaomi ecosystem is MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for displaying ads in system applications and collecting data about your interests for targeting, and disabling this service is a critical step to increase privacy.
To start, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to Personal Data. Find the msa service in the list and turn off the switch. The system will insist that you leave everything as it is, claiming that this will improve the service, you will have to wait 10 seconds and click “Cancel” again.
When you disable the MSA, you need to remove the personalization of specific applications. Advertising algorithms are often duplicated in the settings of each system module.
- 📂 Conductor: Settings → About the programme → Disable “Receive recommendations».
- 🧹 Cleaning: Settings (cogs) → Disable “Receive recommendations».
- 🎵 Music: Profile → Settings → Advanced settings → Disable "Showing Advertising».
Remember that the changes don't take effect immediately, and once the MSA service is disabled, it's recommended that you restart the device, which will allow the system to completely rewire the background synchronization processes and stop sending analytics to the manufacturer's servers.
☑️ Checklist for disabling ads
Setting up a voice assistant and search
Voice assistants are the main channel through which a phone can eavesdrop on activation commands. On Xiaomi smartphones, Google Assistant and its own voice assistant are responsible for this, and if you don't use them, you better turn them off completely.
To turn off Google Assistant, open the Google app, go to the assistant settings, and find Google Assent, where you can turn off the phrases "OK, Google" and "Hey Google." Without the active activation phrase, the microphone will not constantly scan the surrounding space for a trigger.
In the settings of the smartphone itself, go to the section Additional settings → Language and input → Voice input. Select Google and turn off the “OK, Google” feature. Similar actions should be done for the Chinese voice assistant, if it is active in your version of firmware.
| Service | Where to turn off | Risk of shutdown |
|---|---|---|
| Google Assistant | Google Appendix → Settings | The inability to voice search |
| Xiao AI | Settings → Additional settings | Lack of Chinese functions |
| Google Search Search | Settings → Applications | Reducing the relevance of extradition |
Limitation of Analytics and Telemetry
MIUI collects usage statistics to “improve user experience,” which hides the transfer of data about running apps, usage times, and even geolocation, and disabling these features makes the phone less “smart” in predicting your actions, but more.
Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → User Experience Improvement Program. You must uncheck the box for “Automatically Send Diagnostic Data” and stop regular error and usage reports from being sent to the company’s servers.
Also, look at the ad settings. In the Settings section → Privacy → Advertising (the path may differ in different versions of MIUI), find the Personalized Advertising switch. Disabling it won’t take away the ads completely, but will make it less relevant to your interests, as algorithms will stop using your data to match banners.
Some users recommend disabling the service "Mi Analytics" or "Analytics Core", you can find it in the list of applications by enabling the display of system processes. However, a complete disabling of system analytical services through ADB can lead to unstable operation of the GetApps store and so on. Be careful with deep interference with system processes.
Security in the Mi Browser browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser is known for aggressive data collection, and if you continue to use it, you need to carefully configure it, otherwise you’d better install an alternative browser that focuses on privacy, like Firefox or Brave.
Open Mi Browser, click on three menu bars and go to Settings → Privacy & Security. You need to disable all items related to improving the browsing experience, secure browsing (which checks the URL on the servers), and personalizing news.
- 🌐 Disable Safe Browsing so that the addresses of the pages visited are not sent for verification.
- 📰 Remove the “Get News and Updates” box to stop background content loading.
- 🔍 In the Search section, change the search engine to DuckDuckGo or StartPage for greater anonymity.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling Safe Browsing reduces protection against phishing sites. Visit only verified resources if you decide to deactivate this feature.
It is also recommended to clean your browsing data regularly. In your browser settings, find the option “Clear Data” and select deletion of cache, cookies and history. Do this regularly to minimize the digital footprint left on your device.
Additional System Protection Measures
There are other security aspects besides software settings, such as using public Wi-Fi networks without a VPN can nullify your privacy efforts, and data transmitted in the open can be easily intercepted.
It is recommended to establish a reliable VPN-If you're a frequent user, it'll encrypt traffic and hide the real thing. IP-Also, keep an eye out for Android security updates. Google regularly releases patches that close vulnerabilities that hackers could use to access the microphone.
Check the list of device administrators. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Special Permissions → Administrator Apps. This should only be system services and antivirus. If you see an unknown application with such rights, delete it immediately.
The final touch may be to stop using Mi Cloud cloud services to store sensitive data if you don’t trust the company’s privacy policies. Local storage or use of third-party clouds (such as pCloud or MEGA) will give more guarantees.