Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising and recommendations that appear in the most unexpected places of the system.This can be a pop-up after installing a program or offering "hot" applications in a standard manager. Many users mistakenly believe that this is a virus, but in fact, this is how the company's built-in monetization system works.
The developers of MIUI and the new HyperOS integrate advertising modules deep into system processes to offer content for free. Fortunately, this feature can be completely deactivated without obtaining superuser rights. In this guide, we will discuss all ways to turn off application recommendations and return a clean interface on Xiaomi.
The process of cleaning the system from excessive noise requires several steps to be taken in sequence. You can't just turn off one button, because different services are responsible for different types of notifications. System advertising is governed by one parameters, and recommendations in specific applications by another. Let's start with the most important thing - disabling the main advertising service.
MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising
MSA stands for MIUI System Ads, and it's the system process that collects data about your actions and delivers personalized ads to the interface, and without disabling that service, any other manipulations will only have a temporary effect, and it's in the back of your security settings and passwords.
To get to the menu, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to Personal Data. The list that opens will look for msa and switch the switch to an inactive state. The system will try to dissuade you by running a countdown of 10 seconds. This is a standard security measure that you just have to wait.
When the timer expires, press the "Cancel" button. It is important to perform the action quickly and accurately, since in some versions of the firmware, the timer may increase when you try again. If you accidentally press "Cancel", you will have to wait 24 hours before the next attempt.
⚠️ Note: after the withdrawal of permits, MSA The system takes 5 to 10 minutes to completely stop the background processes.
It's worth noting that in some regions or on global firmware versions, this item may simply be called "Advertising Services," and the way it works is we find it, we wait for the timer, we turn it off, and it's a key step, without which further customization makes no sense.
Setup of system applications: Security and Explorer
Even after the MSA is turned off, standard utilities can continue to show offers, most often the Security app, which, when scanning the phone, suggests speeding up or cooling the processor, while recommending installing games. To remove this, open the Security app, click on the gear in the upper right corner, and find "Receive recommendations."
The same situation is observed in the system Explorer. When you open folders or files, banners can pop up. To resolve them, go to the Explorer settings (three bars in the corner) and uncheck the "Receive recommendations" box. It is also useful to turn off the Popular feature in the news section, if it is present there.
Don't forget to download download it if you use a standard browser or download files through it. It also has a "Get recommendations" switch hidden in its settings, and disabling these options makes working with standard software comfortable and devoid of intrusive offers.
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If you don't use a standard Explorer or Browser, just delete their updates or disable them in the application settings, which will free up space and guarantee that their ads will be removed.
The table below shows the main system applications where the most common hidden settings of advertising recommendations, each of which will take no more than a minute to check, but the result is worth it.
| Annex | Where to look for settings | Name of the switch |
|---|
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations |
| Conductor | Menu → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Showing Recommended Content |
| Music. | Settings → Additional | Receive recommendations |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Personal recommendations |
Cleaning up ads in Mi Video and Mi Music
Xiaomi's multimedia apps are notorious for their aggressive advertising policies. Even if you don't use them to play files, they can run background processes. To turn off ads in Mi Video, open the app, go to profile and then to settings. Here you need to find and turn off the "Receive recommendations" and "Return video" options.
The situation is similar in the Mi Music app, so go to the player settings and find the "Additional Settings" section, where you need to turn off "Receive recommendations" and "Show ads," and then the apps will work as players without distracting the user with unnecessary content.
Alternative method for advanced users
If the standard settings do not help, you can use ADB-commands to freeze advertising packages. --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer will completely disable the video player. Be careful, this may disrupt the gallery in some versions of the OS. It is important to understand that after a major firmware update, the settings may reset. Check these sections periodically, especially if you notice the return of banners. System updates sometimes return default values that include ads.Take away ads on desktop and in folders One of the most annoying features is the appearance of recommended apps in folders on the desktop. You create a Tools folder, you put a calculator in there, and the system adds a game or store icon to it, and to stop that, you have to change the launcher settings. Press the empty space on your desktop and select Settings. In the menu that opens, find Recommended or Wallpaper Carousel (depending on version). MIUI). Turn off all the switches associated with Recommended Content and Horizontal Ribbon, which will clear the desktop of unnecessary visual debris, and it’s also worth checking the wallpaper carousel settings, a feature that changes the wallpaper on the lock screen and often uploads advertising images. You can turn it off through Settings. → Always on screen and lock screen → Wallpaper carousel. Remove the "Enable Wallpaper Carousel" box. Once you clean the desktop, the interface will be much cleaner. You will only see the apps you installed yourself. This is not only aesthetic, but also saves traffic, since the launcher will stop downloading pictures for recommendations. To further clean up, privacy settings need to be addressed. Xiaomi, like other large companies, uses an advertising ID to target. Reset and disable personalization makes ads less accurate and sometimes completely stop showing them on some services. Go to Settings → Passwords and security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Here you need to activate the option “Disable Advertising Personalization.” It is also recommended to click “Reset Advertising ID.” This action generates a new ID, breaking the link with previously collected data about your preferences. In addition, you should use the “Settlements” section on the services to confuse the services with “Speaking” with the options for people’s for access.” In some versions of the firmware there is a clause "Receive recommendations from the MIUI». Make sure it's off. ⚠️ Attention: resetting your ad ID doesn't remove viruses; it's just a privacy tool that resets your digital profile for advertisers. If your phone is behaving strangely, check it with an antivirus. While it is difficult to get rid of analytics data collection entirely, turning off personalization is an important step towards privacy. ID It will no longer be tied to your browsing and installation history.Settings in the new HyperOS shell with the HyperOS shell that replaces the HyperOS shell. MIUI, The menu structure has changed a little, but the principles have remained the same. Xiaomi continues to develop its ecosystem, and the advertising has not gone anywhere, just moved to new sections. In HyperOS, ad settings are often grouped under “Security and Privacy.” The new system has a single ad management center. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Authorization and Review. Here you can take a long swipe to revoke rights from most Xiaomi services, including the cloud, themes and analytics. However, be careful: disabling critical services can disrupt synchronization. Also, HyperOS has changed the wallpaper carousel algorithm. Now it is more closely integrated with widgets. To remove recommendations, you need to press the wallpaper widget widget on the lock screen and select the number of content from the switches. 💡HyperOS requires more careful setting of access rights, as the system more actively requests permissions to use data to “improve the user experience.” Users of new smartphones with HyperOS should immediately after the first turn on go through all the points described in the previous sections. 10-15 It's a little bit of a stretch, but it's going to save you nerves in the future, and it's out of the box, it's set up to maximize data collection and content display. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Is it safe to turn off Msa? Yes, disabling msa is completely safe for a smartphone to work. It's a system process that is solely responsible for displaying ads. Once it's turned off, the phone won't stop calling, texting or running apps. On the contrary, the device can work a little faster, as the resources previously occupied by advertising modules will be freed up. Do you lose your settings after a firmware update? Unfortunately, it often happens that after a major Android or MIUI/HyperOS update, your privacy and data access settings are reset to factory values. This means that the Msa service and recommendations in apps will have to be turned off again. It is recommended to save this instruction or take screenshots of settings. Can you delete Xiaomi system applications completely? Without superuser rights, you can only delete them. However, with the help of the computer and the tool ADB (Android Debug) you can remove this tool from the phone, and take a few critical ads again, and remove them from the browser, and then the system from the store? If the ad returns, check if the standard apps (Security, Explorer, Themes) have updated. After the update, developers can reset your privacy settings. Also make sure you turn off Internet access for the ad services in the traffic consumption settings, if such an option is available in your firmware version.