Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often encounter intrusive banners that appear in system applications. It is especially annoying when you open your photos to quickly find the right shot, and the screen blocks the advertising offer. It is not a bug or a virus, but a regular feature of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, aimed at monetizing free software. Fortunately, the company's engineers have left the opportunity to deactivate these notifications, although sometimes the path to settings is not obvious.
Ad integrations are built deep into system processes, and simply removing an application won’t help here, since the gallery is a critical component of the operating system. However, there is a proven algorithm of actions that allows you to completely clean the interface of unnecessary visual noise. In this article, we will discuss not only standard methods of disabling through account settings, but also more advanced methods, including blocking at the DNS level and disabling system analytics services.
It’s worth noting that some menu items may vary slightly depending on the firmware version and the region you install. Global versions often have less ads by default, but they also come with unpleasant surprises after updates. Careful execution of each step ensures that you can enjoy the library without unnecessary distractions. Let’s break down all available methods sequentially, from simple to more complex.
Disabling personalized advertising through account settings
The first and most logical step is to go to the root setting that controls data collection for targeted advertising, which allows MIUI to analyze your preferences and display the appropriate banners, and finding that switch is the basis for further cleaning the interface, so you need to go to the basic settings of the device and find the partition responsible for security and privacy.
The menu that opens will look for an item related to advertising services. The name may vary, but the essence remains the same: it is the management of the advertising ID. Disabling this feature will not remove the ads completely, but will make it less personalized and reduce the number of impressions in system applications, including the gallery. This is a basic level of protection that should be configured for each user.
⚠️ Note: After disabling personalization, the ad may not disappear instantly.The system may require time to update the ad ID cache, so the changes will take effect within 24 hours.
Next, make sure you are logged in to your Mi Account, as some settings are synced through the cloud. If you have previously agreed to the terms of use of advertising services when you first activate your smartphone, you need to manually revoke them, which breaks the link between your device and the analytics servers responsible for content selection.
Configuring the parameters of the Gallery application
The Gallery app itself in Xiaomi shells has its own built-in settings that are often ignored by users. Inside the app menu, there is a section with recommendations that is responsible for the appearance of banners on the home screen and in the Memories feed. To access it, you need to open a gallery, go to a profile or settings (usually three dots or a gear in the corner) and carefully examine the list of options.
Here you are interested in "Get recommendations" or "Show recommendations." Deactivation of this switch directly affects the content feed. In some versions of the firmware, this item can be disguised as "Improving service" or "Personalized offers." Be careful when reading the feature descriptions, so as not to turn off important synchronization opportunities.
It's also worth checking the display settings for albums. Sometimes the ad units are hidden in the Screenshots or Videos section, which the system tries to promote as separate categories. Turning off automatic sorting or manually cleaning these sections can help remove visual debris. If you have HyperOS installed, the settings interface may have changed, but the logic remains the same: look for anything related to "recommendations."
- 📸 Open the Gallery app and click on the profile icon.
- ⚙️ Go to the settings menu (cogs).
- 🚫 Find and disable the option “Get recommendations».
- 🗑️ Clear the app cache through your phone's settings to apply the changes.
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If the banners are left after disabling the recommendations, try to clear the Gallery app data. This will not delete your photos, but will reset the interface display settings.
Blocking the MSA System Service
The most effective method that works at the deep level of the system is to disable the service. MSA (MIUI System Ads: This process is responsible for loading and displaying advertising modules in all embedded applications, including gallery, conductor and music. MSA Allows the stream of advertising at source without affecting the functionality of other services.
To begin with, you need to find the MSA app in the list of all installed programs. Since it is system-based, it can be hidden or simply called “MSA.” Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps and search. Once you find the process, click on it and select the “Disable Ads” option, or simply disable the application if it is available in your firmware version.
An important caveat: when you try to shut down, the system will persistently discourage you by showing a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds) and telling you to stay. You have to wait until the timer ends and press the confirmation button again, which sometimes you have to repeat several times, because MIUI is known for its tenacity in this matter.
⚠️ Note: In some regions (e.g. Indonesia or India) the switch button MSA This may be blocked or absent, and you may need to use third-party tools or change the region in your phone settings.
After a successful shutdown, it is recommended to restart the device, so that all background processes associated with advertising are completely stopped and unloaded from RAM. If after the reboot you notice that the service is active again, repeat the shutdown procedure - sometimes double confirmation is required.
☑️ Shutdown checklist MSA
Using a Private DNS to Block Advertising
The most radical and powerful way, which works not only in the gallery, but also in the browser and other applications, is to configure a private DNS. This method redirects requests to ad servers to nowhere using special filter addresses.
You need to go to network settings. The path usually looks like: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. In the window that opens, select the DNS Host Name (or Manual) mode and enter the address of a special server. One of the most popular and reliable is dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comOnce you enter the address, save the settings. The system will check the connection, and if the address is entered correctly, a notification will appear. This method blocks ads at the network request level, so the banners will simply stop loading. This can also speed up the Internet and save traffic, since the advertising content will not consume your megabytes.
| Parameter | Meaning/Action | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| Type DNS | Provider host name | Manual activation |
| Server address | dns.adguard.com | Blocking Advertising and Tracking |
| The alternative | dns-family.adguard.com | Ads + content blocking 18+ |
| Reset | Automatic (Automatic) | Return to standard settings |
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Set up a private DNS is the only solution that guarantees that ads will be removed from all apps at once, including those that don’t have internal disable settings.
Disabling Analytics and User Experience
In addition to direct advertising, Xiaomi collects a huge amount of data about how you use your phone through the User Experience Program, a telemetry that is often used to create advertising profiles, and disabling this feature not only increases privacy, but also reduces the workload on the processor, since the phone does not have to constantly send reports.
You can find this setting in Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → User Experience Improvement Program (the path may be slightly different). You need to turn off all switches associated with sending data. It is also worth checking the Diagnostics section, which is often paired with analytics.
Turning off these services is especially true for older smartphone models, where every percentage of performance counts. System-based data collection processes can quietly drain battery power and slow down the interface, and when you remove them, you'll notice that the phone is a little more responsive and the heat on standby has decreased.
- 🔒 Go to the security and privacy settings.
- 📉 Find the section "Experience Improvement Program».
- ❌ Turn off all sliders associated with sending statistics.
- 📂 Check the Diagnostics settings and deactivate them as well.
Solving the problems with the region-lok and changing the region
Sometimes the amount of advertising depends on the region you choose when setting up your phone, and it has been observed that in some regions (for example, Russia or Ukraine), advertising integration may be more aggressive or less noticeable than in global firmware for Europe, and changing the region in settings can help reset some ad settings or open up access to other features.
To change region, go to Settings → Settings → Region. Try to choose another country, like India or the United States, and see if the system behavior changes. However, be careful: changing region can affect the performance of some local services, weather widgets and news feeds.
⚠️ Warning: Changing your region may cause you to reset some system settings or change the list of preinstalled applications, it is recommended to do this only if other methods have not worked, and be sure to back up important data.
If you use a global firmware version, but the region is China, you will see a huge amount of ads that cannot be turned off by standard methods. In this case, changing the region to Russia or Global is a must, and it is worth considering that some features (such as Mi Pay or themes) can be tied to a specific region.