How to completely disable Google ads on Xiaomi smartphones: a step-by-step guide

Advertising on Xiaomi smartphones has become a real problem for many users. Even after buying a device with a clean MIUI without preinstalled apps, Google’s banner ads continue to appear in search, YouTube, Play Store and other services. Unlike Xiaomi’s system advertising, which can be disabled through settings, Google’s ads are integrated deeper — it’s tied to an account, services and even the Android operating system.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to remove Google ads on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, from basic settings to hidden developer settings, how to disable personalized ads, block activity tracking, and even restrict Google’s access to your data. All of the methods have been tested on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 and Android 13/14, but most of them work on older devices as well.

Before you start, consider that some methods require you to disable sync with your Google account, which can affect the performance of services like Gmail, Google Drive or Google Photos. We will indicate which features may be affected so you can weigh the pros and cons.

1. Disable personalized advertising in your Google account

The easiest and safest way to reduce the amount of advertising is to disable personalization in your Google account settings, which won't take away the ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and less targeted.

How to do this:

• 📱 Open the Settings app on your Xiaomi.
• 👤 Go to the Google section → Managing a Google Account (could be called a Google Account).
• 🔍 Select the Data and Personalization tab.
• 📵 Scroll down to the Advertising Settings block and click on it.
• 🔘 Turn off the switch Personalized Advertising.

After that, the system will suggest confirming the action — agree. The effect will not come immediately: Google can continue to show old ads for 24 to 48 hours until the cache is updated, this method does not require root rights and does not affect the basic functions of the smartphone.

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If after disabling personalization, advertising still shows, try clearing the cache of the Google Play Services and Google Play Store apps in the application settings.

2. Blocking advertising through MIUI settings (hidden settings)

Xiaomi has built in MIUI hidden settings that limit data collection and advertising, which are not advertised, but are available through special menus, and one of the most effective ways is to disable the msa service (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for displaying ads in system applications.

Instructions:

1. Open the phone app and enter the combination: ##7378423####
2. In the menu that appears, select Service Tests → MSA Test.
3. Press Disable MSA (disable msa).
4. Reboot your smartphone.

This method works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, but on some models (such as Xiaomi 13 Pro or POCO F5), the MSA test menu may not be available.

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → The phone.
• 👆 Press 7 times on the version MIUI, activate the developer mode.
• 🔍 Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• 🔘 Find the option to disable personalized ads and activate it.

3. Restricting Google's access to activity data

Google displays ads based on your activity: search queries, visited sites, location, and even purchase history. To reduce the amount of targeted ads, you can manually delete your activity history and disable its collection.

Step-by-step:

• 🌐 Open your browser and click on myactivity.google.com (sign up to your account).
• 🗑️ Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Remove Activity by.
• ⏳ Select the period For all time and confirm the deletion.
• ⚙️ Return to the homepage and click Activity Management.
• 🔘 Turn off all switches: Web and Apps, Location History, YouTube History.

This won't remove the ads completely, but it will make them less relevant. For example, if you've often searched for "buy a smartphone," electronics ads will show less frequently after cleaning up your history. However, note that disabling YouTube history will reset your recommendations, and disabling Location History can make Google Maps worse.

4.Use of alternative DNS to block ads

One of the most radical but effective ways to change DNS-It's a server on a smartphone. DNS They automatically filter ad domains, blocking them at the network level, and this works not only for Google ads, but also for banners in apps and browsers.

The best DNS for blocking ads:

How to change DNS to Xiaomi:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS.
2. Select the host name of the private DNS provider.
3. Enter the address: dns.adguard.com (for AdGuard DNS).
4. Save and restart your smartphone.

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Change of change DNS It does not require root rights and does not affect performance, but it can slow down the loading of some sites if selected. DNS-The server is located far away from your area.

5. Removing or disabling Google apps (for advanced users)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, you can disable or remove some of Google's system apps that are responsible for displaying ads, a method that requires caution: wrong actions can cause smartphone malfunctions.

What applications can be disabled:

• 📦 Google Play Services is the main service for displaying ads (disabling will lead to errors in some applications).
• 🛒 Google Play Store – contains banner ads in recommendations.
• 🔍 Google (Search App) – Shows Ads in Results and Widgets.
• 📺 YouTube – if you don’t use it, you can disable or install an alternative client (NewPipe).

How to disable system applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the right app (like Google Play Services).
3. Click Disable (if the button is inactive, the application is protected).
4. Confirm the action.

Make a backup copy of the data|Make sure you have alternative apps (e.g. F-Droid instead of Play Store)|Check if important services are linked to a Google account (such as Gmail or Google Authenticator)|Be prepared for some features to crash (e.g. Google Pay will stop working)

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Note: Google Play Services cannot be completely removed without root rights, the system will return the application after the reboot, and disabling this service may disrupt Push notifications, Google Pay and other functions dependent on Google Mobile Services (GMS).

6. Installation of custom firmware (for experienced users)

If none of the above methods worked, the last option is to install custom firmware without Google services (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience without GApps).

• 🔓 Unlock the bootloader (bootloader).
• 🛠️ Installations of custom recaveri (TWRP).
• 📥 Firmware of alternative OS.

Advantages:

• ✅ The complete absence of Google advertising and MIUI.
• ✅ Greater control over the system.
• ✅ The ability to use open alternatives (F-Droid, MicroG).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Loss of warranty if the device is new).
• ❌ Risk of “bricking” of the smartphone in case of an error.
• ❌ Some features (Google Pay, Widevine) L1 for Netflix HD) They may stop working.

If you decide to take this step, you must:

1. Make a full backup of the data.
2. Learn the instructions for your model in the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums.
3. Make sure the firmware you choose supports your device.

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Before you run the firmware, check if your Xiaomi model supports LineageOS without GApps. The list of compatible devices is available at wiki.lineageos.org.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to disable Google ads, users often encounter typical problems, including the most common mistakes and ways to address them:

⚠️ Note: If notifications from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) have stopped coming after Google Play Services is turned off, check the settings of the Push notifications in the Settings menu. → Annexes → Application management → Three points. → Special access → Push notifications may need to be manually allowed for each application.

Mistake 1: Ads continue to show after personalization is turned off.

Solution: Clear the cache and data of Google, Google Play Services and Google Play Store.

1. Go to Settings → Applications.
2. Find the right application and click Storage.
3. Choose Clear cache and Clear data.

Error 2: After the DNS change, some sites stopped opening.

Solution: Try another one DNS-server (e.g. 8.8.8.8 from Google or 1.1.1.1 from Cloudflare) If the problem persists, return the standard settings DNS.

Error 3: Unable to disable the MSA through the Engineering Menu

Solution: On new Xiaomi devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13), the MSA test menu can be removed, in which case use alternative methods: disabling personalization in your Google account or installing an ad blocker (Blokada, AdGuard).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions