Budget smartphone owners often encounter intrusive marketing content that is embedded in the MIUI shell. Ads on Redmi 9 can appear in system applications, when unlocking the screen or even on top of the interface of other programs.
Fortunately, Xiaomi has provided official ways to limit the display of commercial offers, although they are hidden in the depth of the settings. Complete removal of banners requires sequential execution of several steps, since there is no single “Disconnect Everything” button. Below we will discuss all the effective methods that will help to clean the interface of your device.
It's worth noting that some steps may require an Internet connection to check service statuses, but once you've done all the settings, you don't need a permanent network connection to lock you down. Let's start tweaking your gadget in detail.
Disabling System Advertising through MSA
The first and most important step is to disable MIUI System Ads (msa), which is the system process responsible for collecting data on user behavior and loading banner ads in the interface, and without deactivating it, other settings may not be effective.
To start, you need to go to the phone's settings menu. Find the Password and Security section and select Data Access. In the app list that opens, find msa and switch the slider to an inactive position.
The system will warn you that turning off this service may affect the operation of certain functions. Ignore the warning, this is standard procedure. Press the Disable button and wait 10 seconds until the countdown timer is active. Then confirm the action.
⚠️ Note: If you failed to turn off the service from the first time and the timer did not appear, just repeat the procedure 3-5 Xiaomi servers are sometimes overloaded and the request may not pass on the first try.
After successful disabling, msa is also recommended to restrict access to data for the Mi Video and Mi Music app if you do not use them, which will prevent recommendations from appearing in these sections.
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Without disabling the msa service, full blocking of ads in MIUI is impossible, since it is the main agent of the advertising network.
Set up personalized recommendations
The second layer of protection is disabling personalization, and even if the ads service is turned off, the system can offer "recommended" apps and news that are essentially disguised ads, and these settings are scattered across different menu items.
In the same section, find Privacy and Security, scroll to the bottom and find Advertising Services, where you need to turn off the Personalized Advertising switch, and this will prevent the system from using your data to match commercial offers.
Next, clear the ad ID. In the same menu, click Reset the ad ID. This action generates a new random ID, breaking the link to the previously collected user profile.
- 🔒 Turn off the transmission of diagnostic data in the section "Privacy».
- 📉 Reset the advertising ID to break the link with the profile.
- 🚫 Stop Auto-Running Suspicious Apps.
Also worth checking is the Security app settings. Open it, click on the gear in the top right corner, and find Receive recommendations. Make sure the slider is off. This will remove banners from the antivirus home screen.
Elimination of Advertising in Mi Browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser is often a source of pop-ups and news feeds, and if you use this particular surfing app, you’ll need to carefully configure it or replace it with an alternative, like Chrome or Firefox.
Open your browser and go to settings via the menu (three bars). Find Settings -> Privacy and Security. Here you need to activate the ad blocker if it is available in your version and disable the option to Receive news and notifications.
In newer versions, the shell settings may be in General. Look for the option "Ad-free Mode" or "Block pop-ups." Activating these features will significantly clear pages of intrusive banners.
If the standard browser continues to show content, it is better to remove updates to this application or completely disable it if the model allows. To do this, go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps, find a browser and select Remove Updates.
Cleaning the Downloads and Conductor application
The two systems apps that most often surprise users with pop-ups are Downloads and Explorer, which can show recommendations for installing games or news immediately after downloading files.
To remove ads from Downloads, open the app, click three dots in the corner and select Settings. Find Show recommended content and turn it off. In some versions of MIUI, this item is called Recommendations.
It's the same with Explorer. Go to the app settings, look for the About section, or just Settings in the menu. Turn off the Receive Recommendations option. This action will instantly clear the interface of unnecessary banners.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Downloads. | Menu (3 points) → Settings | Show recommended content |
| Conductor | Menu → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Music. | Settings → Additional | Showing ads |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Auto-update and recommendations |
After making changes to these system utilities, it is recommended to close them completely through the menu of running applications so that the settings take effect immediately.
Blocking Advertising in Apps and Games
Advertising inside third-party apps and games is a separate category of problems, and MIUI system settings are not helpful here, because the content is loaded by the apps themselves, but there are effective ways to combat this phenomenon.
One of the most powerful ways is to use Private DNS, which redirects requests to known ad servers to nowhere, blocking them from loading at the network level, and does not require the installation of additional programs.
To set up, go to Settings -> Connection and Sharing -> Private DNS (or Private DNS). Select DNS Host Name Mode and enter the address:
dns.adguard.comSave the settings. Now, all applications that try to download ads from known servers will get an empty response, which will significantly speed up the program and save traffic.
⚠️ Note: When using Private DNS Some apps or games may stop working or loading correctly. If you encounter problems in a particular game, temporarily return your settings. DNS in the position of “Auto».
What if the internet is running slower?
Resetting the advertising ID and cleaning the cache
After all the above manipulations, it is useful to perform a complete cleaning of the ad cache, which will delete the accumulated data that could have been stored before the service was turned off.
Go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps. Find MSA, Mi Video, Music and Security. For each, go to Memory and click Clear Cache and Clear Everything (for MSA).
Also remember to restart the device, which is necessary to make sure that all background processes restart with new security settings. Without a reboot, some changes may not take effect until the next shutdown.
- 🔄 Perform a full smartphone reboot after all settings.
- 🗑️ Clear the browser cache and system services.
- 📲 Check system updates for new security patches.
Verifying MIUI updates is important because in newer versions of firmware, the company sometimes changes the location of the switches or adds new monetization methods that need to be separately disabled.