Owners of Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive marketing that is built right into the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS. This is a fee for the affordable price of the device, but many users do not know that advertising content can be disabled by regular means.
System advertising is broadcast through special service applications that work in the background. If you want to get back to a clean interface and stop seeing banners in folders or after unlocking the screen, you need to act in a comprehensive manner. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods that will help you clean the system of visual noise.
Before you start manipulating, make sure you have a stable Internet connection, as some switches require a license check. Also, look at your firmware version, as the location of menu items may vary slightly depending on the region (Global, China, EEA).
Disabling the MSA system advertising module
The central element in charge of displaying banners in the shell is the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your actions and selects targeted advertising. To completely remove ads on Xiaomi, the first thing you need to do is to disable the ability to authorize this service.
To do this, go to the settings menu and find the password and security section. In some firmware versions, this item may be simply called "Security" or be entered into a separate application with a shield icon. You will need to find the "Access to Personal Data" or "Special Features" subsection.
In the list of system services that opens, look for the msa string. The switch next to it should be active by default. Click on it to turn it off. The system will alert you that some functions may be affected, and will prompt you to wait 10 seconds before confirming. This is the standard security measure.
When the timer runs out, press the "Disable" button. It is important to know that the switch may fail the first time and return to its original position. This is normal for MIUI. Just repeat the shutdown procedure 2-3 times in a row until the system finally deactivates the module.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
After successfully disabling MSA, the number of ads in system interfaces will decrease dramatically, but to achieve full effect, you also need to prohibit advertising personalization, since even without an active MSA module, some applications may try to show content based on your interests.
Configure privacy and personalization parameters
Even after the main module is disabled, the system still has settings that allow apps to use your ad ID to match content, not always pop-ups, but often intrusive offers in the GetApps store or browser, and to limit data collection, you need to change your privacy settings.
Go to Passwords and Security, then select Privacy, and you're interested in Advertising Services or Advertising ID, and you'll need to activate the option to disable Ad Personalization from this menu, which will reset your current advertising ID and prevent apps from creating your interest profile.
⚠️ Note: Disabling personalization does not mean that ads will disappear completely, it will simply become less relevant.
You should also pay attention to the settings of the Mi Account itself. Go to the Mi Account settings, select About or Advertising and Privacy (location may vary), make sure there are no active newsletter subscriptions or recommendations. Often, push notifications of a marketing nature are broadcast through the account.
Keep in mind that modern versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14 have stricter privacy policies but also deeper integration of services, so checking these settings is critical to keeping the interface clean. If you use multiple Xiaomi devices, you need to set up on each one separately.
💡
Use Flight mode when you first turn on your new smartphone for quick initial setup without connecting to ad servers, although this is only a temporary measure.
Cleaning in standard Xiaomi applications
Advertising is built into the system, but also into specific standard utilities such as Explorer, Music, Security and Themes, each of which has its own settings that need to be changed manually, and ignoring this step will leave banners in specific programs.
Start with the Security app, which is a green shield icon, and it's a system control center that often shows news and recommendations. Click on the gear in the top right corner to enter the settings. Find the Receive References switch and turn it off. There may be a News item here, which is also worth deactivating.
Then go to the Themes app. Click on the profile icon, then select Settings. Here you need to find and turn off the options "Show Ads," "Receive References" and "Auto-Update Themes" (if not necessary), which will remove banners from the main screen of the theme store and from the widgets.
The Downloads app (file manager) also has hidden ads. Open the app, click three dots in the corner, select Settings. Find Show Recommended or News and turn it off. This will clear the Explorer's launch page of news feeds and banners.
The Music and Video app also have settings that display recommendations and banner ads, usually in the Settings section -> Advanced Settings or About, and disabling recommendations here makes applications work faster.
Cleaning folders and desktop
One of the most annoying things about MIUI is that you have ad carousels inside your desktop folders, and when you open your app folder, you can see a list of Recommended Apps at the bottom, which is not a system bug, but a regular feature that's easy to remove.
To get rid of this, just open any folder on your desktop. In the upper right corner, you'll see the name of the folder and next to it a little gear. Click on it. In the menu that opens, find the Recommended Apps switch and turn it to the "Off" position.
After this action, the ad tape inside the folders will disappear instantly. However, if you have a third-party launcher theme installed, the settings may differ, in which case it is recommended to temporarily switch to the standard theme "Classic" or "Standard" for cleaning.
Also worth checking is the settings of the Widget Ribbon (left screen of the desktop). Often it broadcasts news from partners. Click the empty space on the desktop, select Settings or Additional, find the Widget Ribbon and turn off news or select the source No.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off | The effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations | Clean scanner interface |
| Topics | Profile -> Settings | Showing ads | No banners in the store. |
| Conductor | Settings -> About the application | Recommendations | Clean start page |
| Music. | Settings -> Advanced | Showing ads | Absence of banners in the player |
Blocking Ads in the Mi and Chrome Browser
If system advertising is disabled, but pop-ups continue to appear when surfing the Internet, then the problem lies in the browser settings or in the installed extensions. The standard Mi Browser browser and Google Chrome have built-in protection mechanisms that need to be activated.
In Mi Browser, click on three menu bars, select Settings. Find Privacy and Security. You need to activate the Ad Block switch, and this will turn on a built-in filter that will hide known banner ads on websites.
For Google Chrome users, the instruction is a little different: Open the menu (three dots), go to Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Safe browsing. Make sure the protection is active. Also, there should be a restriction in the Site Settings -> Pop-ups section.
⚠️ Attention: Built-in browser blockers do not guarantee 100% protection. For full blocking of ads in the browser, it is recommended to use DNS-filtering or specialized applications.
Often, pop-up ads are not caused by websites, but by notifications from dubious resources that you accidentally subscribed to: go to your browser settings, the Notifications section, and check the list of sites, delete any suspicious addresses or prevent them from showing notifications.
How to clear the DNS cache?
Using DNS to block the world
The most effective method, which works in all applications and browsers, is the use of private DNS filtering, which requires no third-party software installation and has little impact on connection speed, while effectively cutting off ad servers.
To set up, go to the "Settings" of the smartphone, then to the "Connection and Sharing" section (or "Wi-Fi and Internet"). DNS" (Private DNS). The default is "Auto" or "Disabled." Select "Private Host Name" DNS" (manually).
In the box that appears, enter the address of the server that filters traffic. One of the most reliable and free options is the AdGuard server.
dns.adguard.comSave the settings. Now all of it. DNS-Your device traffic will pass through AdGuard filters that block requests to known ad domains, which will remove ads in games, free apps and the browser.
It is important to note that if you use public Wi-Fi networks in cafes or hotels that require browser authorization, temporarily disable the private DNS, otherwise the login page may not load.
💡
Using DNS dns.adguard.com is the most powerful way to remove ads in all applications without installing additional software.
Additional recommendations and FAQ
After doing all of the above, your smartphone should be significantly cleaner. However, the Android ecosystem is constantly evolving, and developers can return ad modules in updates.
It is not recommended to install dubious "cleaners" from the Play Market that promise to speed up the phone and remove advertising. Often they themselves are the source of advertising junk and collect user data. Use only the proven methods described in this guide.
If you use specific applications, such as Yandex or third-party launchers, their advertising settings are located inside the programs themselves. For example, in Yandex, you need to go to the settings of the widget on the desktop and turn off "Recommendations".