Owners of budget and mid-budget devices often face intrusive advertising and intrusive information gathering, which leads to a desire to learn how to turn off surveillance on the phone shaomi. the operating shell MIUI, and now HyperOS, is built on aggressive marketing of its own services, which annoys many users accustomed to pure Android.
Privacy is becoming a luxury in the digital age, but Xiaomi developers provide enough tools to minimize the digital footprint. You don’t have to be a hacker to limit the system’s appetites, you just need to consistently go through key settings and disable unnecessary services.
In this guide, we’ll look at all the steps of privacy settings, from basic disabling personalized ads to deep cleaning of system analytics services. Competent customization will not only remove annoying banners, but also potentially speed up the interface by saving battery life.
Basic privacy settings in MIUI and HyperOS
The first step to protecting your data is centralized permissions management. Xiaomi has developed a special section where you can turn off most tracking functions in one fell swoop. Go to the Settings menu → Password and Security → Privacy.
Here you will find the Use Secure Transfer switch and other options that you should deactivate if you are not actively using the manufacturer’s cloud services. Also, look at the Special Permits section, where you can prevent applications from accessing location data in the background.
It is important to understand that completely disabling all services may disrupt some system functions, such as Find Device or automatic contact synchronization, but if maximum anonymity is a priority, these victims are justified.
Don't ignore the permissions tab. Go through the list of installed applications and check which ones have access to the microphone, camera, and contacts. Often junk apps require redundant rights that are used to collect telemetry.
Disabling MSA Advertising and Services
The most annoying element of the ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for displaying banners in standard applications such as Explorer, Music and Security. To get rid of this, look for the msa service in your settings or in your application list.
Enter the app information and press the "Disable" button. The system will insist that you wait 10 seconds and not do it, trying to convince that the phone will be broken. It's not true - just ignore the timer and confirm the disconnect.
⚠️ Note: If the "Disable" button is inactive or an error occurs, try to turn off the Internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) before performing the procedure.
After disabling MSA, ads in system applications should disappear, however, you should also disable the getApps service if you do not use this store, since it is also a source of push alerts and background activity.
📊 How much you are annoyed by advertising in MIUI?
It's so bad, it's so bad every day.
I'm fine, I'm used to it.
Weakly, hardly noticed.
I've already turned it off.
Additionally, it is recommended to disable the "Receive recommendations" function in each system application separately. For example, in the "Security" application, go to the settings (cogs) and uncheck the "Receive recommendations" box. Similar settings are available in "Conductor" and "Temas".
Management of System Analytics and Telemetry
Even after the ad has been turned off, the phone continues to collect anonymized usage data, and the User Experience Program is responsible for sending this information to the servers. You can find it by Settings → Password and Security → Privacy → Quality Improvement Program.
You need to turn off all switches, including Automatic Diagnostic Data Sending, and that will stop transmitting crash reports and usage statistics to developers' servers.
Why Xiaomi is collecting telemetry?
Xiaomi collects data to improve MIUI performance and feature usage. However, from a privacy perspective, this data can be used to build a user's digital profile, including geolocation and smartphone usage habits.> It's also worth checking Google's settings. Although it's a third-party service, it's deeply integrated into Android. Go to Settings → Google → Account Management → Data and personalization. Disable location history and application history if you don't need it for maps or search. It's worth remembering that some system components, such as AnalyticsCore, can covertly run data collection processes. Periodic checks of running processes through third-based monitoring processes will help to identify hidden processes. Advertising ID is a unique number assigned to your device for targeted advertising. Regularly resetting or deleting it makes profiling much more difficult. You can find this setting in Settings → Password and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services → In this menu, activate the option “Disable Advertising Personalization.” In addition, it is strongly recommended to click “Reset Advertising ID.” This action equates to issuing a new passport for advertising networks – old data about your interests becomes irrelevant. Parameter Recommended value Impact on the system Advertising Personalization Off Fewer targeted offers Advertising ID Reset Interest Profile Service MSA Disabled Disappearance of system advertising Improvement program (User Experience) Disabled Stop sending telemetry Regular reset of the ID is a good habit that is worth developing. Do this once a month to prevent ad algorithms from building a sustainable pattern of behavior. Background activity and access restriction Many apps continue to run in the background, collecting data even when you're not using it. To limit this behavior, go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management. Select a suspicious app, go to Battery and set No Limits mode only if it is really necessary (e.g. messengers). For others, choose Saving Batteries or Limit Background Activity. Pay special attention to location permissions. Many applications, like a flashlight or a calculator, don't need access to the location. GPS. Set a “Request” or “Only in Use” permit to prevent hidden tracking of movements. ⚠️ Warning: Disabling background activity for system services (e.g., Google Play Services or Mi Cloud) may cause notifications and syncs to work incorrectly. Be selective. Use the Permissions Manager feature to quickly view which apps have access to the camera, microphone, and contacts. If you see an application that clearly should not have such rights, immediately withdraw the permission. 💡Use the Virtual Location feature in the developer settings if you want to run an application that requires GPS, but you don't want to be exposed to the real location. DNS-For advanced users, a great way to block trackers at the network level is to use private DNS. This allows you to filter out requests to known ad and analytics servers before they leave your device. → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. Select "Host Name of the Provider" DNS" and enter a trusted service address, such as dns.adguard.com, this step will block ads and trackers in all applications and browsers without installing additional software. Another measure is to drop the standard Mi Browser browser, which is known for aggressive data collection. Replace it with Firefox, Brave or DuckDuckGo, which are focused on privacy by default. Remember to update the operating system regularly. While updates sometimes carry new ads, they also contain security patches that close vulnerabilities through which attackers could access your data.A comprehensive approach that includes disabling services, setting permissions and using DNS-Filtering allows you to turn your Xiaomi smartphone into a device that respects your privacy. Don't be afraid to experiment with settings, but always have a rollback plan. Is it safe to turn off the service completely? MSA? Yes, outage MSA Safely stable phone operation. The only consequence is that banner ads disappear in system applications. Some features that are tied to recommendations for content in the theme or music may stop working, but the basic functionality of the phone will not suffer. Will the telemetry shutdown affect the warranty? No, changing the privacy settings and disabling user programs is not a violation of warranty obligations. You have every right to dispose of your personal data and how to process it. How to return the ads if you suddenly need it? To return the ads, it is enough to re-incorporate the msa service in the application menu and activate the personalization of advertising in the privacy settings. Any changes to the reset of the service will return to the factory, will return to the state of the surveillance of the service? After resetting, you will have to re-go through the procedure of disabling advertising and telemetry described in this article.