Owning a device from a Chinese manufacturer often involves not only getting powerful hardware for an affordable price, but also having to put up with intrusive marketing. Owners Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco are well aware that banner ads can appear in the most unexpected places: when you unlock the screen, in standard applications and even in the system menus.
For users who first encountered MIUI or its new version of HyperOS, it may seem impossible to get rid of this information noise. However, the company's engineers left hidden switches that allow you to significantly clean the interface. It is important to understand that the process requires sequential shutdown of several services, since there is no single button "Stop all ads."
In this article, we will take a closer look at each step of cleaning your smartphone, touching on system application settings, working with your Mi Account account, and using advanced methods through DNS. Following these steps will allow you to turn your gadget into a clean and convenient tool for work and entertainment, devoid of unnecessary visual debris.
Disabling MSA Service is the Basis of a Clean System
The central element in charge of displaying advertising content in the MIUI shell is the system service with the acronym MSA (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your preferences and broadcasts targeted ads, the first and most important step is to force the stop and remove updates of this component.
To start, you need to go to the settings menu and find the section responsible for managing installed applications. In the list of all programs, you should find msa. Note that sometimes this application can be hidden or have a system icon. Once you log into the application menu, you will need to turn off notifications and, critically, deny access to the Internet.
⚠️ Attention: When attempting to disconnect the service MSA The system may ask for your confirmation several times, claiming that it will affect the performance of other functions. Ignore these warnings and insist on your decision, the countdown timer will still allow you to complete the action.
Next, you should remove the updates to this component, which will return it to the factory version, where the advertising functionality is minimal or absent. In some versions of the firmware, after removing the updates, the "Disable" button becomes active. If you do everything correctly, the service will stop running automatically when the system starts.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
It is worth noting that the MSA is closely integrated into the system, so after restarting the device, it may try to activate again, it is recommended to periodically check its status during the first week after setting up, and it is also useful to turn off the recommendation from the Security menu, which often acts as a guide for new advertising modules.
Setup of system applications and folders
In addition to the background service, the ad integrations are built directly into standard utilities like Explorer, Music, Video and Downloads, each with its own settings that need to be modified manually to achieve full effect, starting with the home screen and organizing the space.
Device owners often notice promotional offers when they open their app folders, which are called "Recommended Apps," and to remove them, you click on the folder name to open the renaming field, and immediately close the keyboard without changing the name, and on the right or bottom, you'll see a "Recommended Apps" switch that you want to put into an inactive state.
- 📁 Explorer: Go to the settings through the side menu, find the item “About the program” and turn off receiving recommendations.
- 🎵 Music: In the application settings, find the section “Advanced Settings” and uncheck the box from the item “Show Advertising».
- 🎬 Video: This component is the most aggressive. In the settings, you need to disable "Online recommendations" and "Autostart video».
The Download app deserves special attention, and this is where banners often pop up when cleaning cache or installing it. APK-Go to the settings through three dots in the corner, select About, and make sure the Receive References slider is off, which will prevent pop-ups from appearing after downloading files from the Internet.
Why is the ad coming back?
Work with Mi Browser and GetApps
Xiaomi’s standard browser and GetApps app store are the main sources of notifications and news feeds. If you use these apps, you have to set them up. If you prefer Chrome or Firefox, you can simply remove them or disable them so they don’t consume resources.
In Mi Browser, you need to go to the settings, select the Privacy and Security section, and disable all items related to personalization and recommendations. It is also worth clearing the history and site data. In the GetApps store, similar settings are in the user profile: you need to find the Settings section and remove the ticks from the Auto Update and Recommendations.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Mi Browser | Settings → Confidentiality | Personalization, Push Notifications |
| GetApps | Profile → Settings | Auto-update, Recommendations |
| Mi Video | Profile → Settings | Online services, Autoplay |
It is important to understand the difference between system notifications and promotional mailings. Disabling the latter will not lose important messages from messengers or emails. However, if you rarely use native Xiaomi applications, removing them completely through ADB (as discussed below) will be the most radical and effective solution.
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Use alternative browsers. Even after setting up, the Mi Browser can run slower and consume more power than optimized counterparts like Chrome or Samsung Internet.
Cleaning the lock screen and theme
Wallpaper Carousel is a feature that periodically changes the background of the lock screen and displays advertising slides. Many users like variety, but advertising in this mode is often intrusive. You can turn it off in the theme or lock screen settings.
You need to go to Settings → Lock screen and find the item “Wallpaper Carousel”. Inside this menu, you should turn off the “Enable Carousel” function or, if you want to leave a background change, find and turn off the “Receive recommendations” switch. This will remove text blocks and buttons leading to advertising sites.
Also worth checking is the theme settings. Some third-party themes downloaded from Themes may contain built-in ad modules. If you reappear after installing a new theme, try returning a standard Classic or Default theme, which will help identify the source of the problem if it is related to visual design.
- 🔒 Lock screen: Turn off news reception in lock screen widgets.
- 🎨 Topics: Avoid topics marked “Ad” or from unknown authors.
- 📢 Notifications: In notification settings, check the list of applications and disable display for suspicious system services.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the wallpaper carousel completely can cause the lock screen to become static.If you want a slideshow functionality without ads, look for the "Use local images" option in the carousel settings instead of the online feed.
Using DNS to block at the network level
The most effective method that allows you to cut off advertising not only in the system, but also in the browser and some applications is the use of private DNS. This method does not require root rights and works at the network connection level, filtering requests to known advertising servers.
To set up, you need to go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. The default value is Auto. You need to select the option “Host Name of the DNS Provider” and enter the address of a special server. One of the most popular and reliable is AdGuard.
dns.adguard.comOnce you enter the address, you save the settings, the system will check the availability of the server, if it goes well, you will see a notification, which is especially effective for blocking ads in free games and applications where banner ads are built into the interface.
It is worth considering that using a third-party DNS can have a slight impact on the network response rate, although in most cases this is not noticeable. If after turning on this feature, some sites or applications (for example, banking), try temporarily disabling DNS or adding exceptions to the router settings.
Radical measures: ADB and removal of system components
For advanced users who want to achieve perfect system cleanliness, there is a method of removing advertising packages through USB debugging. Using the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge) allows you to remove system applications that are usually not available to the average user.
To start, activate the developer mode. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on MIUI Version. Then, in the advanced settings, turn on “Debugging over USB.” Connect your smartphone to your computer and use the command to delete packets.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.adbdThese commands will remove analytics, system ads, and debuggers for the current user. It is important to be careful: removing critical system components can cause the device to function unstable or "boot" (cyclic reboot).
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Using ADB is the most powerful tool, but it requires technical literacy. A mistake in the name of the package can lead to system failure, so back up important data before starting the procedure.
After performing all the manipulations, it is recommended to restart the device, you will notice that the interface has become more responsive and intrusive sentences have disappeared. Check system updates regularly, as with new versions of HyperOS or MIUI, the names of some services may change.