How to completely remove ads on Xiaomi Redmi 8: from system banners to push notifications

If you’re a Xiaomi Redmi 8 owner and you’re tired of the annoying ads in the settings menu, Mi Browser browser or system notifications, this article is for you. The manufacturer integrates ad modules into MIUI firmware by default, and even after buying a smartphone, users encounter banners in the most unexpected places, from the lock screen to app folders. Unlike most Android devices, where ads only appear in third-party apps, here it’s built-in at the system level.

The main problem is that ads are not only annoying, they also slow down your smartphone, consume traffic and battery power. For example, the background processes of com.xiaomi.midrop or com.miui.systemAdSolution can spend up to 15% of the charge per day just on banner displays. In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways — from standard settings to radical measures like firmware — to clean Redmi 8 from advertising once and for all. Important: some methods require superuser rights (root), so assess the risks in advance.

Why Redmi 8 is getting ads and where they come from

Unlike other brands (such as Samsung or Google Pixel), where advertising is limited to pre-installed apps, Xiaomi embeds advertising mechanisms directly into the shell of MIUI.

• 📱 System Advertising: Banners in Settings → Additionally, on the lock screen, in the off menu. msa (Miui System Ads) responds).
• 🌐 Ads in Xiaomi apps: Mi Browser, Mi Video, Mi Music, Themes. Often masquerading as "recommendations".
• 🔔 Push notifications: come from com.xiaomi.xmsf (cloud messaging) or com.miui.analytics (statistics collection).

According to firmware analysis MIUI 12.5 for Redmi 8, Advertising modules are activated even if you haven't used your smartphone for several days, for example, when you connect to Wi-Fi, the system automatically downloads banners through the background process of DownloadProvider. ID (for example, ad_mob or miui_ads) It is impossible to disable root without root rights.

Interesting fact: European firmware (EEA) versions have fewer ads than global (Global) or Chinese (China), which is due to EU data protection laws, and if your Redmi 8 is bought in Russia or Asia, you probably have the firmware with the maximum number of ad modules installed.

Method 1: Disabling Advertising through the standard MIUI settings

The safest method is to use the built-in MIUI options, which does not require root rights and is suitable for beginners, but note that this method only removes some of the ads (about 40-50%), since some modules are hidden from the user.

Step instructions:

1. Open Settings → About the phone and tap 7 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode.
2. Return to the main settings menu and go to Additional Settings → Special Options → Advertising.
3. Turn off the sliders: 🔘 Personalized recommendations (responsible for banners in settings) 🔘 Showing ads (removes pop-up windows)

Reboot your smartphone.

After this action, the banners in the Settings menu and lock screen will disappear, but the ads in Mi Browser, Mi Video and push notifications will remain, and to remove them, you need to turn off ads in each application separately (for this, in the next section).

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI (for example, MIUI 11 for Redmi 8) the Advertising item may not be on the menu. In this case, use Method 3c ADB-team.

Method 2: Remove Advertising in Xiaomi Apps (Mi Browser, Mi Video, etc.)

Even after the system ad has been turned off, banners continue to show up in pre-installed apps, like in Mi Browser, ads are built into the home page, and in Mi Video, between the ads, and to remove them, you have to manually turn off the impressions in each app.

Here’s how to do it for the most “advertising” apps:

If your app doesn’t have Ads, try resetting it: Settings → Apps → [App Name] → Storage → Clear Data. This will delete the cache and reset personal settings, but it doesn’t guarantee that the ads will disappear completely.

There is a radical way for Mi Browser: install another browser (like Google Chrome or Firefox) and disable Mi Browser through the application settings. However, you can’t completely remove it – it’s system software.

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If banners still appear after disabling ads in Mi Browser, try changing the region in your Mi Account settings to Europe (EEA). To do this, go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Personal Data → Region and select Ireland or Germany.

Method 3: Use ADB-commands for deep disabling advertising

If standard settings don't work, the next step is to disable the ad modules via the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a technique that requires connecting a smartphone to a computer, but doesn't need root rights. It blocks system-level advertising services, including those that aren't available in the GUI.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original)
• 🔧 Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB Tools (download here)

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Redmi 8 USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 taps → Developer Settings → USB Debugging).
2. Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux) and type: adb devices Make sure the device is identified (its serial number should appear).
4. Follow the commands in turn: adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop adb shell pm hide com.android.browser adb shell settings put global shell settings private_dns_mode 2 adb shell settings put global private_dns_specifier "dns.adguard.com"
5. Reboot your smartphone.

These teams:

• 🚫 Disable the main advertising services (systemAdSolution, midrop)
• 🌍 Replace. DNS AdGuard, which blocks advertising domains
• 🔒 They hide the Mi Browser (if you don’t use it)

⚠️ Note: Pm hide commands only work on the MIUI 12.5+. For older versions, use pm disable-user instead of pm hide. Also, after updating the firmware, all changes will reset — they will have to be used again.

Method 4: Install custom firmware (without advertising)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) will solve the problem of advertising once and for all. These firmware are based on pure Android without Xiaomi ad modules. However, the process requires unlocking the bootloader and root rights, which voids the warranty and carries the risk of "bricking" the device.

The advantages of custom firmware:

• ✅ No system advertising and banners in the settings
• ✅ Higher productivity (no background processes) MIUI)
• ✅ Regular security updates from the community

Cons:

• ❌ Loss of warranty (if you don't return the stock firmware)
• ❌ Risk of errors in installation (may be required) EDL-regime)
• ❌ Certain functions (e.g, IR-Game Turbo or Blaster may not work

If you do, follow this algorithm:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7 days).
2. Install TWRP Recovery for Redmi 8 (you can download it on the official website).
3. Download custom firmware (we recommend Pixel Experience for stability) and GApps (if you need Google services).
4. Download to TWRP (hold Power + Vol Up when enabled) and run Wipe → Advanced Wipe (check Dalvik, Cache, System, Data).
5. Install firmware and GApps, then restart.

Once installed, you will have a clean Android without traces of MIUI. However, remember: this method is only suitable for power users. If you have never flashed a smartphone, you should refer to Method 5 (using Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools).

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Custom firmware is the most reliable way to remove ads, but it requires technical skills. If you're not sure about yourself, use methods without unlocking the bootloader.

Method 5: Automated ad removal with Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools

For those who do not want to manually enter ADB-Teams, there is a convenient tool – Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools. It's a graphical interface PC app that automatically finds and disables ad modules. Suitable for Redmi. 8 any version MIUI (including MIUI 14).

How to use:

1. Download the utility from GitHub and unpack the archive.
2. Connect Redmi 8 to your computer with USB debugging enabled.
3. Run the XiaomiADBFastbootTools.exe file (for Windows) or the script for Linux/macOS.
4. In the main menu, select ADB Functions → Debloat Menu.
5. Check the following points with ticks: 🔲 Disable MIUI Ads (disables all system advertising) 🔲 Disable Mi Browser (Hides the Browser) 🔲 Disable Analytics (blocks statistics collection) 🔲 Disable MSA (Miui System Ads)

Execute

The advantage of this method is that you don't have to manually search for ad packages. The utility itself detects malicious services and disables them. In addition, there is an option UnDebloat, which removes unnecessary system applications (for example, Mi Pay or Mi Community), freeing up space.

After using the tool, we recommend checking your smartphone: sometimes disabling analytics can disrupt Mi Account or Cloud Backup. If you have problems, return your settings via Revert Changes to the utility menu.

Method 6: Blocking ads through hosts file (without root)

Another effective method is editing the hosts file, which blocks access to ad servers, which doesn't require root rights, but you need an ADB utility or an application like DNS66.

Instructions for ADB:

1. Download the ready-made hosts file with ad blocking (for example, from here).
2. Connect Redmi 8 to your PC and execute commands: adb push hosts /sdcard/adb shell su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system" adb shell su -c "cp /sdcard/hosts /system/etc/hosts" adb shell su -c "chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts" adb shell su -c "mount -o ro,remount /system"
3. Reset the device.

If you don’t have root permissions, use the DNS66 app:

1. Install DNS66 from F-Droid.
2. In the app settings, select Hosts Sources and add Steven Black.
3. Activate. VPN-regime DNS66 (This is necessary to block traffic).

This method blocks ads at the DNS level, so banners won’t load even in third-party apps, but it won’t remove built-in system notifications (e.g. from com.xiaomi.xmsf).

Method 7: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If none of these methods worked, the last option is a complete reset, which will delete all the data from the device, but also reset the MIUI ad settings to the "out of the box" state, and in some cases, after the reset, the ad disappears as the system stops using the stored ad profiles.

How to perform the reset:

1. Back up important data (Settings → Additional → Backup).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Delete all data.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
4. When you first set up, do not log into your Xiaomi account and do not connect to Wi-Fi – this will prevent the download of advertising modules.

After the reset, immediately disable personalized recommendations (see Method 1) and do not install MIUI updates through Settings → System Update – they can return ads.

⚠️ Note: Resetting does not guarantee 100% remove the ads because they're embedded in the firmware. If the banners reappear after reset, use the ADB-team or Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi Redmi 8