What are Xiaomi pop-up notifications and how to manage them

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the screen suddenly lights up with a message that covers up the current task, which can be weather information, a reminder from a calendar or, more annoyingly, a banner ad. Understanding the nature of these messages is the first step to making the device comfortable. MIUI divided into system (useful) and advertising (MSA), And it's important to be able to distinguish them.

The sudden appearance of windows on top of a desktop or games raises questions about the security and performance of the gadget. Many users mistakenly believe that it is a virus, but most often we are talking about the standard, albeit intrusive, features of the Android operating system performed by the Chinese manufacturer.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how floating windows work, how to lock them, and how to customize personalization, how to manage application permissions and system services to make your Redmi or Poco behave predictably, and how to control notifications is a basic skill for any modern user.

Nature and types of pop-up windows in MIUI

MIUI has a complex notification architecture that differs from stock Android. There are several levels of alerts: standard (in the curtain), lock (on the lock screen) and floating (Pop-up), the latter can appear even when the screen is turned off, if the corresponding function of “Pocket mode” or “Notifications on the off screen” is enabled.

Special attention should be paid to the msa service (MIUI System Ads: This system process is responsible for displaying advertising content in standard applications, such as Music, Themes, or Explorer. When you see a pop-up offering to install a game or buy a product, it's likely that it's the service's job. Advertising IDs are collected separately from the user’s basic data, but their availability requires manual deactivation for complete comfort.

There are also floating application windows, a useful multitasking feature that allows you to run a messenger or calculator on top of another application, but sometimes applications abuse this right by displaying their notifications as floating windows without the user's knowledge, and distinguishing between system and third-party windows is a key point in the setup.

How to Turn Off Advertising and MSA Popups

The most effective way to get rid of intrusive advertising is to deactivate msa. You need to go to your phone settings. Find the Password and Security section, then select Data Access. From the application list, find msa and disable the network access slider. The system will warn you that this may affect some features, but for the average user, the risks are minimal.

When you turn off network access for MSA, you also recommend turning off ad personalization, which is done through the settings menu where you want to find "Get recommendations." Disabling this option breaks the link between your activity on the system and the content you show, and it is important to do this immediately after you first set up your smartphone.

Some system applications have their own ad switches inside their settings, for example, in the Security or Download app, you need to go to the settings (three dots or gear) and find the "Receive recommendations" item. This procedure can take a few minutes, but the result is worth it.

⚠️ Attention: After disabling the msa service, the ad may not disappear instantly. Sometimes you need to wait 10 to 15 seconds after trying to turn off until the countdown timer allows you to confirm the action.

Configure floating windows for specific applications

If you are concerned about pop-up messages from specific programs (such as games or news aggregators), the setting is customized for each application. Android provides a flexible toolkit to manage these permissions. You can prevent the application from displaying windows on top of others, while keeping the usual notifications in the curtain.

To manage these options, go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Select the desired application from the list. Find the Other Permits (or simply “Permissions”) section. Here you are interested in Display over other apps. By disabling this switch, you will prevent the program from drawing any windows on top of the current interface.

In newer versions of MIUI, the path may be slightly different. Sometimes the switch you want is in the Notifications section inside the app card. Look for the Floating Notifications option. If it's active, the message will appear in a small window, not just an icon in the status bar. Disabling this feature will make the notifications less visible, but also less intrusive.

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Tip: Use the Settings search. Type "above others" in the Settings search bar to get straight to the list of apps with the appropriate rights.

Managing notifications on a locked screen

Often users confuse pop-ups with notifications that light up on the off screen (Always On Display or just waking up). In Xiaomi smartphones, a separate mechanism is responsible for this. To set it up, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notifications on the locked screen.

You can choose the format of displaying all notifications, hiding confidential or not showing anything, and if your screen lights up from every email that comes in, it can be a huge battery drain. Optimizing this parameter will help save battery power, especially on models with a high-powered battery. AMOLED-screens where each burning pixel consumes energy.

Also, check the settings of the specific app that wakes up the screen: Go to the app card, select Notifications, and find a category (like "Incoming Messages"). There may be a switch inside the category On the lock screen. Flexible settings allow you to leave important calls visible but hide notifications from social networks.

Solving problems with suspended notifications

Sometimes the pop-up sticks on the screen and doesn't disappear even after you press the buttons. This is a software failure of the System UI interface. In this situation, you don't have to restart the phone right away. Try closing the application that triggered the window through the task menu.

If the window doesn't disappear, you can force the process that controls the interface to stop, which requires you to log in to the developer menu. Activate it by quickly clicking 7 times on the build number in About Phone. Then, in the Developer menu, find Running Services or use it. ADB-team for deeper cleaning.

adb shell am force-stop com.android.systemui

This command will restart the system interface, and the screen will blink, but all the data will remain in place. Using ADB requires a connection to the computer and the presence of drivers installed. For most users, it will be easier to perform a full reboot of the device by holding the power button.

⚠️ Note: Forced shutdown of system processes through ADB This method can cause temporary loss of widgets or wallpaper changes, and only use it if the window is blocking the device and does not disappear after a normal restart.

Optimization and energy saving of notifications

The constant operation of background processes that generate pop-ups negatively affects autonomy. MIUI has an aggressive energy saving mechanism that can conflict with the desire to receive instant notifications. To find a balance, use built-in optimization.

In the "Safety" app, go to the Battery section, check the settings for important applications, make sure that messengers don't have a "No Limits" limit if you want to save charge, or vice versa, put "No Limits" if notifications are lost. Balancing is critical here.

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The main conclusion: Completely shutting down all background processes for the sake of the battery will result in the loss of important messages.

Also worth paying attention to is the Advanced Optimization feature in the developer menu, which can prevent some background services from running, but sometimes it causes the alarm or alarm to fail on time, and it is recommended to keep this feature off if you are not an experienced user.

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