How to remove ads on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners, including sub-brands Redmi and POCO, often face intrusive content that appears in system interfaces. These are not viruses or bugs, but a built-in monetization mechanism that allows the company to sell devices at a competitive price. However, for many users, constant pop-ups become a serious irritant that reduces the comfort of the gadget.

Fortunately, the modern MIUI shell and the new HyperOS provide enough tools to minimize or eliminate this visual noise completely.You don't need superuser rights or complex code manipulation, just go through a few items in the settings menu sequentially. In this guide, we'll take each step apart to make your screen clean.

The process of disabling can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on your attention, and we'll look at disabling the MSA system service, setting up your browser, cleaning folders, and disabling personalized recommendations, and by following these steps, you'll take back full control of your device.

Disabling the MSA system service

The centerpiece of Xiaomi’s smartphone advertising system is a service called MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting your preferences and displaying relevant ads across different parts of the interface, and in order to effectively combat advertising, it must first be stripped of the right to work.

To start, look for password and security in your settings and go to Access to Data, where you need to find the msa app in the list and just turn off the network access slider, and the system will alert you to the consequences, but for the average user, they are not critical — just stop receiving advertising notifications.

⚠️ Warning: After the slider is turned off, the system can count down for 10 seconds, trying to persuade you to leave access. Don't give in and wait for the timer to end, then confirm the action with the Cancel button».

It is important to understand that a single shutdown may not be enough. MSA has the property of automatically reactivating after a while, so this operation should be repeated in a day to consolidate the result.

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If the gray-colored shutdown slider doesn’t click, try first to turn off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data), turn off the option, and then turn the network back on.

After these steps are completed, the background activity of the advertising module will be significantly reduced, a basic step without which further fine-tuning may not bring the desired effect.

Customization of personalization and recommendations

Even after the main ad module is disabled, the system continues to collect anonymous data to generate so-called “recommendations” that are used in standard applications such as Music, Video and Explorer, and to stop this process, you need to refer to the privacy section.

Go to the Settings menu and find the Password and Security section, and you're interested in the Access to Personal Data or Authorization and Security section, and you'll find the Receive References switch and put it inactive, and the system will try to convince you to keep it as it is, but you need to be firm.

• 📱 Open “Settings” and select “Password and Security».
• 🔒 Go to “Privacy” or “Access to Personal Data».
• ❌ Find the “Get recommendations” item and turn it off.
• ✅ Confirm the action by ignoring the warnings of the system.

Disabling this feature does not affect the performance of the main services, but only stops analyzing your behavior for content selection. In some versions of the firmware, this paragraph may be called “Get interest-based recommendations.” The essence remains the same – to prohibit Xiaomi algorithms from using your data for targeting.

Cleaning folders and desktop

One of the most annoying forms of advertising on MIUI is the banners that appear inside the folders on the desktop. When you open the app folder, the Recommended Apps block pops up at the bottom, which is not a system bug, but a regular feature that is easy to turn off.

To do this, open any folder on the home screen that has an ad unit. Click on the folder name to enter edit mode, or simply find the gear icon (depending on the shell version). In the menu that opens, you need to find the Recommended Apps switch and deactivate it.

If the standard method doesn't work or the interface is changed, you can go the other way: go to the general system settings, select Home Screen, and scroll down the list, and there should be a point that displays recommendations in folders, and disabling it will make the interface clean and minimal.

⚠️ Attention: After updating the firmware, the folder display settings may reset. If the ad appears again, just repeat the shutdown procedure, it will take a couple of seconds.

Also worth looking at widgets, some of which, like Cards or Glance News Feed, can also stream advertising content, and can be removed from your desktop or set up with a long press by selecting the option “Delete” or “Tune content”.

Mi Browser and embedded applications

Xiaomi’s standard browser is known for its aggressive advertising policy, which can show notifications from affiliate sites and display promo blocks on the homepage, and to turn it into a convenient tool, you need to do a deep setup.

Open your browser and click on the profile icon or three dots in the bottom menu. Go to Settings, then look for Privacy and Security. You need to turn off the "Receive References" and "Personalized Recommendations" option. You should also go to the "Notifications" section and disable promotional material.

The same is true for other system applications, such as Explorer, Downloads, and Security, each with a settings menu (usually hidden behind three dots or a gear icon) that has an About or Settings section where you can find and disable Receive Recommendations, a universal rule for the entire MIUI ecosystem.

Don’t forget that any third-party product from Google Play, such as Chrome or Firefox, can be an alternative to a regular browser, which by default do not contain built-in advertising from the smartphone manufacturer.

Managing Notifications from Applications

Often, the ads don't come from the system, but from apps you installed that have permission to display notifications. On Android, and in particular on Xiaomi, you can flexibly manage this flow without removing the apps themselves, and this is especially true for games, marketplaces and news aggregators.

To block intrusive pop-ups from a particular application, press its desktop icon and select About. Next, go to Notifications. Here you will see a list of all the types of notifications the program can send. Disable those labeled Other, Marketing, or simply unwanted.

There's also a Notification Filter feature available in the notification settings and control panel, which you can automatically hide notifications from apps that the system considers spammy, which is a good additional barrier to junk advertising.

Proper setting of notifications not only removes advertising, but also significantly prolongs battery life, since the screen will light up less often, and the processor is less distracted by processing background tasks.

Using DNS to Block Advertising

The most radical and effective method of combating advertising is the use of private advertising. DNS-This method works at the network level and blocks requests to known ad servers before they reach your screen, and it allows you to remove ads even within certain apps and games.

To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name and type in the address: dns.adguard.com. Once you save the setting, restart your smartphone. Now all traffic will be filtered through AdGuard servers that cut off advertising domains.

dns.adguard.com

This method is the only way to remove ads in free versions of many apps and games where the usual system settings are powerless. DNS-The server will stop working, the Internet on the phone may disappear. DNS auto-mode.

Use of the DNS-filtering does not require the installation of additional applications, which saves battery life and RAM. This is a professional approach to solving the problem recommended by advanced users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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A comprehensive approach that includes disabling MSA, configuring DNS, and managing permissions ensures there is almost no advertising on your Xiaomi.