How to permanently remove ads at the bottom of the lock screen on Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

You just unlocked your Xiaomi, and at the bottom of the screen, you saw a pesky banner that advertised a game or a promotion? It's no coincidence that this is how the built-in MIUI ad system works, which the manufacturer has integrated even into the basic elements of the interface. Advertising on the lock screen appears on most Redmi, POCO and Mi models (from the budget Redmi Note 10 to the flagship Xiaomi 14), regardless of the firmware region. The good news is that it can be disabled without root rights and third-party applications.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways, from official settings to hidden developer settings, to learn how to remove ads permanently (or at least for a long time), why they come back after updates, and what to do if standard methods don’t work. Importantly, some solutions require disabling personalized recommendations, which can affect the performance of other Xiaomi services (for example, Mi Browser or Mi Video).

Why does Xiaomi have ads on the lock screen?

The banners at the bottom of the lock screen are part of Xiaomi’s coin model, which compensates for the low price of the devices by displaying ads in the MIUI branded shell, which is spelled out in the user agreement you accept when you first turn on your smartphone, and the ads are loaded through the services:

• 📱 Msa (Mi System Ads) is the main advertising engine responsible for banners in system applications;
• 🔄 Personalized Recommendations – a service for analyzing user behavior for targeted advertising;
• 🌍 Region-Specific Services – local affiliate programs (e.g. AliExpress advertising in Russia or Flipkart in India).

Banners appear even on global firmware (EEA, Global), but most often on Chinese (China ROM) and Indian (India ROM) versions. After the MIUI update, the ad settings can be reset, so the problem returns, for example, users of the POCO X3 Pro complained about the resumption of impressions after switching from MIUI 12.5 to MIUI 13.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) Advertising on the lock screen can be part of pre-installed applications (for example, Mi Browser or Cleaner). ADB or shutting down will cause the banners to disappear.

Method 1: Disabling Advertising through MIUI Settings (Official Method)

The easiest and safest way to do this is to use the built-in MIUI options. It works on most devices with MIUI 12-15, but may not be available on Chinese firmware or older models (e.g. Redmi 5).

1. Open the Settings. → Password and security.
2. Scroll down and select the screen lock settings.
3. Find Advertising Recommendations (or Personalized Recommendations in English firmware) and turn off the slider.
4. Reset the device.

If there is no item, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
3. Find the Msa app (or com.miui.systemAdSolution), open it and click Disable.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 13), the item may be called Show recommendations on the lock screen. If after the shutdown the ad remains, clear the cache of system applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Launcher (or com.miui.home) and click Clear Cache.
3. Repeat for Security (com.miui.securitycenter).

Method 2: Disabling personalized recommendations (for all models)

If the first method didn’t work, the problem may be with the personalization service, which collects data about your actions and shows targeted advertising, and disabling it will remove banners not only from the lock screen, but also from other system applications (for example, Mi Music or Mi Video).

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Xiaomi Account (or Mi Account).
2. Select Synchronization Settings (or Privacy in English firmware).
3. Find Personalized Recommendations and turn off all sliders.
4. Return to the main settings menu and open Privacy → Special Permissions → Personalized recommendations.
5. Turn off permission for all applications, especially Msa, Security, and Launcher.

Then restart your phone. Ads should disappear within 24 hours. If not, check if your settings are back on (sometimes MIUI resets them after the update).

⚠️ Note: Disabling personalized recommendations may affect the XiaoAI voice assistant and some Mi Home features (e.g., location automation).If you use Xiaomi smart devices, this can be uncomfortable.

💡

If you have an empty area on your lock screen after you turn off the ad, try changing the lock wallpaper, which sometimes helps remove the interface artifacts.

Method 3: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If standard methods do not help, you will have to resort to ADB-It's a more complex, but more efficient way that works even on Chinese firmware. You'll need a computer with Xiaomi drivers installed and debugging enabled. USB.

Steps:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect the phone to the PC, confirm the debugging permission.
4. Download ADB Tools and unpack into any folder.
5. Open the command prompt in this folder (Shift + right mouse button → Open the PowerShell window here).
6. Enter the commands in turn:

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm hide com.android.browser




adb shell pm hide com.miui.weather2




adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

These teams:

• 🔇 Disable the main advertising module Msa;
• 🌐 Remove the built-in browser that can show banners;
• ☁️ Disable the weather widget (sometimes it loads ads);
• 📡 Blocks checking your internet connection (can be used to download ads).

After you complete the commands, restart your phone. Ads should disappear. If not, check if MIUI has returned the settings after the reboot (this happens on POCO F3 and Xiaomi 11T).

⚠️ Note: Pm hide commands only work on the MIUI 12.5+. On older versions, use pm disable-user instead of pm hide. Also note that disabling system applications can cause some features (such as weather widgets or browsers) to function unstablely).

Method 4: Remove Advertising Modules via TWRP (for Advanced Users)

If you are ready for radical measures and your phone has unlocked the bootloader, you can remove advertising modules through custom TWRP recavers. This method is suitable for devices with Snapdragon processors (for example, POCO X3 Pro, Redmi Note 10 Pro) and requires a backup of data.

Instructions:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (can take up to 7 days).
2. Install TWRP for your model (see instructions in XDA or 4PDA).
3. Download. MIUI Debloater or Method Complexity Risk Efficiency Required PC Settings MIUI ⭐ 60% No No No Personalized Recommendations ⭐⭐ 80% Reset after updates No ADB-team ⭐⭐⭐ 95% can be reset after an update. TWRP + Debloater ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100% loss OTA, Possible bugs Yes