The lock screen on Xiaomi smartphones is the first thing you see when you turn on the device. But instead of a beautiful background and convenient widgets, many users are faced with intrusive advertising that not only spoils the appearance, but also slows down the unlock, consumes traffic, and sometimes even redirects to suspicious sites, especially for low-end models of Redmi and POCO, where advertising is built into the MIUI firmware by default.
In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to remove ads, from standard settings to deep changes to the system, learn how to turn off root-free banners, what settings are hidden in MIUI, and what to do if the ads return after the update, and also why some methods stop working and how to avoid it.
We warn you that not all methods are equally safe, for example, disabling system applications without knowing the consequences can cause a malfunction of the smartphone, so we will describe each method in detail, its pros and cons, and give recommendations for recovery if something goes wrong.
If you're willing to get rid of advertising once and for all, read on. Let's start with the easiest and safest ways.
1. disable personalized advertising in MIUI settings
The first and most obvious way is to use the built-in MIUI settings, where the manufacturer officially allows you to turn off some of the ads, but makes it non-obvious. Here's how to do it right:
Go to Settings → Google → Advertising and turn off Personalized Ads. Then go back to the basic settings and find About Phone → MIUI. Tap the firmware version 5-7 times until the developer mode is notified.
Now go to Settings → Additional → Special Features → Advertising (the path may vary depending on the version of MIUI). Here, turn off all switches associated with recommendations and advertising. Importantly, after these actions, the ads on the lock screen may not disappear immediately, but after 12-24 hours - this is normal, this is how the cache of the system works.
- 📱 Pros: does not require root rights, secure, official method.
- ⚠️ Cons: Does not remove ads completely (remains banners from Xiaomi), may return after the update.
- 🔄 Relevance: working on MIUI 12/13/14, but MIUI 14 The global path to settings has changed.
⚠️ Warning: If you still have ads in your settings after you turn off, check if you have apps like Mi Browser or Mi Video installed, which often restore banner ads. Remove them or restrict your rights.
2. Removal of advertising through lock screen settings
MIUI has hidden options that allow you to control the contents of the lock screen.
- Go to Settings → Lock screen.
- Select Additional Settings (or Lock Screen Style in newer versions).
- Scroll down and find the Recommendations or Show Ads item – turn it off.
- If there is no such item, tap the current wallpaper of the lock screen and select No recommendations.
On some models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or the POCO X3 Pro), these settings are hidden. To see them, you need to reset the lock screen style to the standard:
Settings → Lock screen → Style → ClassicAfter that, additional options should appear. If not, try rebooting your phone.
| Xiaomi model | The Way to Advertising Settings | Does the method work? |
|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 11/12 | Settings → Lock screen → Recommendations | Yes (partially) |
| POCO F4/F5 | Settings → Blocking → Style → No recommendations | Yes. |
| Mi 11 Lite | Settings → Additional → Advertising | No (root required) |
| Redmi 10C | Settings → Lock screen → Additional settings | Yeah (after the style reset) |
⚠️ Note: Some firmware (especially Chinese) may lose weather or calendar on the lock screen after the ad is turned off, and you will have to reset the lock screen style to factory to return the widgets.
3.Use of ADB-commands for deep disabling advertising
If standard methods do not help, you can use them. ADB-It's a more complex but efficient way that doesn't require root rights. You'll need a computer with Xiaomi drivers installed and debugging enabled. USB phone-on.
First, turn on Developer Mode (as described in the first section) and activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For Developers. Then connect your phone to your PC and execute the following commands in the terminal (command line):
adb shell pm hide com.android.browser
adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution
adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop
adb shell pm hide com.miui.analyticsThese commands hide the system applications responsible for displaying ads. Once you reboot your phone, the ads should disappear, but note that some features (such as Mi Drop for transferring files) will also be disabled.
- 🖥️ Required: PC with ADB, USB-cable, 5 minutes.
- 🔧 Removes 90% of ads, including banners on the lock screen.
- ⚠️ Risks: If you enter commands incorrectly, you can turn off important system processes.
Install Xiaomi drivers on PC|
Enable debugging over USB on your phone |
Download ADB Tools (platform-tools) |
Connect the phone with the original cable |
Check the connection of the adb device team-->
If the ad returns after completing the commands, check if the system applications have updated, in which case repeat the procedure or use the root-right method (described below).
4. Removal of advertising with root rights (for advanced)
If you’re willing to take drastic measures, root access will allow you to completely remove the ad modules from the system, which will require an unlocked bootloader and an installed Magisk or other root rights manager.
The most reliable way is to remove or freeze the following system applications (via Root Explorer or Titanium Backup):
/system/priv-app/Analytics/
/system/priv-app/MiuiDaemon/
/system/priv-app/msa/ (Mi Security Add)
/system/app/QuickApps/It is also recommended to edit the /system/build.prop file by adding a line to it:
ro.miui.has_real_bl=trueThis will disable system integrity checks, which sometimes restore remote applications.
- 🛠️ Pros: Removes ads permanently, including hidden trackers.
- ⚠️ Cons: the risk of “bricking” the phone, loss of warranty, possible problems with the OTA-update.
- 🔒 Important: Before removing system files, make a backup through TWRP!
What happens if you delete the wrong system file?
After deleting files, clear the cache and data of the com.miui.home and com.android.systemui applications through Settings → Apps → Show everything. This will help avoid artifacts on the lock screen.
5. Alternative methods: third-party launchers and firmware
If none of the above methods helped, there are two radical options: installing a custom launcher or switching to custom firmware (for example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience).
With launchers, it's easier to install Nova Launcher or Lawnchair from Google Play, and then in the lock screen settings, select Style → Watch only. This won't take away the ads completely, but it will make it less noticeable. You'll have to install custom firmware to completely remove them, but this is the level of advanced users:
- 📲 Launchers: Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, Action Launcher.
- 🔄 Firmware: LineageOS (without ads), Pixel Experience (pure Android), Xiaomi.EU (MIUI publicity).
- ⚠️ Risks: loss of warranty, possible bugs (failure to work) NFC, camera.).
If you decide on custom firmware, choose one that supports your model and has fresh updates. For example, the Pixel Experience 13 is suitable for the Redmi Note 10 Pro, and LineageOS 20 is suitable for the POCO F3.
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Before installing custom firmware, check if it supports Widevine L1 (needed for Netflix in HD) and Google Pay. This information is usually listed in the firmware description on the XDA Developers forum or 4PDA.
6 Why Advertising is Returning and How to Prevent It
Many users complain that after updating MIUI or resetting the adverts appear again.
- System applications are updated via Google Play or MIUI Updater, restoring ad modules.
- Xiaomi services sync settings with the cloud, returning disabled options.
To prevent the return of advertising:
If the advert returned after reset to factory settings, before setting up the phone, turn off the Internet and first follow all the steps to turn off advertising (from the first and second sections), and only then connect to the network.
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The most reliable way to prevent the return of advertising is to use custom firmware without Xiaomi services (for example, Pixel Experience) or regularly check system applications for updates through App Inspector.