How to completely clean your Xiaomi phone from advertising: 7 proven ways

Advertising in Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware, which the manufacturer has integrated into the system at the kernel level. Even after buying a new device, users encounter banners in the settings menu, push notifications from Mi Browser, and advertising blocks in standard applications like Security or Themes, and the problem is relevant for all brands, from the budget Redmi to the flagship Xiaomi 14.

In this article, we will look at all possible ways to remove ads, from basic MIUI settings to radical methods such as changing firmware or using ADB. It is important to understand that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, which can affect the warranty and security of the device, we will specify the risks for each method and give recommendations for minimizing them.

If you’re willing to spend 10-15 minutes setting up, you can get rid of 90 to 95 percent of ads without installing third-party programs. Deleting all ad inserts (including hidden MSA and Miui Analytics services) will require deeper system tweaks.

1. disable personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest way to do this is to deactivate options that allow Xiaomi to collect data about your activity and display targeted ads, a method that does not require root rights and is suitable for all MIUI 12-14 devices (including POCO and Redmi).

Go to:

  • πŸ“± Settings β†’ Google β†’ Advertising β†’ Turn off Personalized Ads and reset the Ad ID.
  • πŸ”§ Settings β†’ Memory. β†’ Cleanup β†’ Click on the gear in the upper right corner and turn off "Recommendations".
  • 🌐 Settings β†’ Annexes β†’ Application management β†’ browser β†’ Turn off β€œPersonalized News” and β€œRecommended Content".

These actions will reduce the amount of ads in Mi Browser, Weather and some system notifications, but they will not remove banners in the settings menu or ads in the Themes app – additional steps are needed to do this.

⚠️ Note: After resetting the ad ID in Google Settings, some apps (such as YouTube or Google Play Store) may temporarily display irrelevant ads for 1-2 days.

πŸ“Š What Xiaomi Ads Are The Most Irritating To You?
Banners in settings
Push notifications
Advertising at Mi Browser
Advertising blocks in applications
All of the above.

2. Manual disabling of advertising in system applications

Many of Xiaomi’s standard apps have hidden settings to disable ad units, below is a list of key apps and a path to customize them. Importantly, some items may be missing depending on the MIUI version and firmware region.

AnnexThe path to settingsWhat to turn off
SecuritySettings (βš™) β†’ RecommendationsDisable "Show recommendations" and "Personalized services"
TopicsProfile β†’ Settings (βš™) β†’ AdvertisingDisable "Personalized Advertising" and "Show Advertising"
Mi VideoSettings (βš™) β†’ Personal recommendationsDisable "Personalized Content" and "Advertising Clips"
Mi BrowserSettings (βš™) β†’ ConfidentialityDisable "Personalized News" and "Recommended Content"
Weather.Settings (βš™) β†’ NotificationsDisable "Advertising Notices" and "News Alerts"

Once you turn off these options, restart your phone. Ads in the apps listed should disappear, but banners in the settings menu (such as the About Phone section) will remain.

Open each system application from the table|Check for the availability of advertising blocks|Reboot the phone|Repeat the check after 24 hours (some settings do not apply immediately)-->

3.Use ADB for deep disabling of ads (no root)

If manual settings don’t work, the next step is to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method allows you to disable the system services responsible for displaying ads without obtaining root rights. POCO on MIUI 12–14.

You will need to:

  • πŸ’» Computer with installed ADB-driver.
  • πŸ“± Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) β†’ The phone. β†’ Version. MIUI β†’ press 7 times, then Settings β†’ Additionally. β†’ For developers β†’ Debugging by USB).
  • πŸ”Œ USB-cable (preferably original).

Connect your phone to your PC and execute the following commands in the command line (or Terminal on Mac/Linux):

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop




adb shell pm hide com.miui.analytics




adb shell pm hide com.miui.player




adb shell pm hide com.miui.video




adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.joyose

These commands will hide (not delete!) the system applications responsible for displaying ads. After execution, restart the phone. If any of the packages are missing, skip the corresponding command (Operation not allowed error will appear).

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (especially Chinese) the pm hide commands may not work. In this case, use an alternative method with appops: adb shell cmd appops set com.miui.systemAdSolution RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND This team will block background activity of the advertising service.

πŸ’‘

If, after the execution, ADB-Advertising will return after the update MIUI, To avoid this, create a batch file with commands and run it after each update.

4. Removal of ads through editing the hosts file (requires root)

If you have root rights, the most effective way to block ads is to edit the hosts file, which completely blocks access to Xiaomi, Google and third-party ad servers, and is suitable for all versions of MIUI, but requires caution.

For editing hosts:

  1. Install any file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
  2. Go to /system/etc/hosts and back up the file.
  3. Open the file in the text editor and add the following lines at the end:
127.0.0.1 ad.xiaomi.com


127.0.0.1 track.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com




127.0.0.1 globalapi.ad.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 de.pandora.xiaomi.com

Save the file, set permissions 644 (rw-r--r--), and restart the phone.This method blocks all network advertising, including banners in settings and push notifications, but it can disrupt some system services, such as MIUI updates or Xiaomi account sync.

What to do if the hosts updates stop working after editing MIUI?
If you have added update.miui.com or api.io.mi.com to hosts, delete this line. Use a VPN with LAN Exceptions enabled for updates, or turn off hosts temporarily.

5. Installation of custom firmware (radical method)

If none of the previous methods worked, the most extreme option is to install custom firmware, which will completely remove all Xiaomi advertising modules, but require:

  • πŸ”“ Unlocking the bootloader (will result in a phone reset and warranty cancellation).
  • πŸ“₯ Installations TWRP or other custom recovery.
  • πŸ› οΈ Select firmware: LineageOS, Pixel Experience, or MIUI without advertising (for example, MIUI EU).

The process of installing custom firmware is different for each model.

  1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires an account binding Mi).
  2. Install TWRP via fastboot:
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img


fastboot boot twrp.img

  1. In TWRP, make a backup of the current firmware (Backup).
  2. Select the custom firmware (Install).
  3. Clean Dalvik/ART Cache and reboot.

Advantages: no advertising, the ability to fine-tune Android, regular security updates. disadvantages: loss of warranty, risk of "bricking" the device, possible bugs (for example, a broken NFC or camera on some firmware).

⚠️ Note: On phones with MediaTek processors (e.g. Redmi Note 12 or POCO M5) Unlocking the bootloader can lead to loss IMEI Before the procedure, check the compatibility of your model in the forums. XDA Developers or 4PDA.

6.Alternative methods: VPNs and third-party blockers

If you don't want to interfere with system files, you can use ad-blocking VPNs or specialized apps, which are less effective than ADB or hosts editing, but do not require root rights and are safe to guarantee.

VPN with traffic filtering

Install one of these apps and activate ad blocking:

  • πŸ›‘οΈ AdGuard (there is a free version with restrictions).
  • 🌍 Blokada (blocks advertising at the level) DNS).
  • πŸ”’ 1.1.1.1: Faster & Safer Internet (from Cloudflare, blocking trackers).

Third-party ad blockers

To block ads in the browser and some applications:

  • 🌐 Brave Browser (built-in ad blocker and trackers).
  • πŸ“± AppBrain Ad Detector (shows which apps show ads).

These methods will not remove banners in MIUI settings, but will significantly reduce the amount of ads in the browser, games and social networks. For maximum effect, combine them with manually disabling ads (section 2).

πŸ’‘

VPNs and ad blockers do not affect MIUI system banners, but effectively remove web ads and trackers in third-party applications.

7 How to prevent the return of advertising after the MIUI update

After updating the MIUI firmware, all ad settings are reset, and some system applications (com.miui.systemAdSolution) can be activated again.

  1. Turn off automatic updates: Go to Settings β†’ The phone. β†’ Updating the system β†’ βš™ β†’ Auto Update and select "Never".
  2. Use the script for ADB: Create a batch file on a PC (for example, noads_xiaomi.bat) with all the teams in the section 3 and start it after each update.
  3. Install Magisk Module: If you have root, install Xiaomi Debloater module via Magisk.It automatically blocks ad services after rebooting.

If you do decide to upgrade, don’t do it through OTA (over the air). Better download the full firmware package (.zip) from the Xiaomi Firmware Updater site and run it through TWRP with a Dalvik/ART Cache pre-wipe, which will reduce the chance of ad return.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi

❓ Why did the advertisement reappear after the reset?
When reset to factory settings, all system applications (com.miui.systemAdSolution, com.xiaomi.midrop) return to their original state. To avoid this, before reset: Backup the list of disabled packets via ADB: adb shell pm list packages -d > disabled_packages.txt After reset, restore the settings: adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution (repeat for all packets from the file). disabled_packages.txt).
❓ Can you remove advertising without rooting and ADB?
Yes, but not completely. The combination of the following actions will remove ~70% of ads: Turn off personalized ads in Google Settings; Manually disable ads in system applications (section 2); Use AdGuard or Blokada to block network advertising; Banners in the settings menu (for example, in About Phone) will remain β€” you need ADB or root to remove them.
❓ Why not? POCO There are fewer ads than Redmi?
POCO devices (e.g., POCO F5 or POCO X5 Pro) use a lightweight version of MIUI, POCO Launcher, and a minimum set of system applications. These initially disabled: com.miui.systemAdSolution Advertising Services. com.miui.analytics. push notifications from Mi Browser. However, even POCO can display ads in Topics or Security – it must be disabled manually (see section 2).
❓ How to Check Which Apps Show Ads?
Install AppBrain Ad Detector or Network Connections (requires Android 10)+). These apps show: πŸ“Š List of apps with advertising SDK (For example, Google AdMob or Xiaomi Ad SDK). 🌐 Domains that applications access to download ads. πŸ“ˆ Real-time banner display statistics. Use the system process analysis ADB: adb shell dumpsys package | grep "com.xiaomi" This team will display a list of all Xiaomi applications, among which you can find advertising services.
❓Legal: Does the removal of ads violate Xiaomi’s user agreement?
Technically, disabling advertising through settings or ADB does not violate the terms of use MIUI, Because you're not modifying the system files: πŸ”“ Unlocking the bootloader and installing custom firmware will void the warranty (on Xiaomi policy). πŸ“œ Editing hosts or removing system applications through root may be considered a violation of the license agreement (although there is no precedent for lawsuits in practice). πŸ›‘οΈ In some regions (e.g. the EU), users have the right to disable tracking by law. GDPR, But this doesn't apply to embedded advertising. If you're planning to sell your phone, you should bring it back to the factory to avoid problems with the new owner.