Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear in system apps, folders, and even on the desktop — not a bug in the MIUI or HyperOS operating system, but a clever marketing strategy that allows them to sell at a lower price. However, it is not necessary to put up with constant visual noise, because all these features can be deactivated manually.
The process of disabling advertising does not require root rights or installing third-party software, although in difficult cases, additional tools such as ADB may be needed. The main task of the user is to consistently go through all system sections and disable personalization of recommendations. This will take a few minutes, but will significantly increase the comfort of using the gadget.
In this article, we will discuss all the current methods for combating intrusive content for 2026, we will touch on Mi Account settings, msa system services and miui daemon, and also pay attention to built-in applications like Music, Video and Explorer. Completely disabling all services can lead to the failure of some functions of the smart home and widgets, so act selectively.
Basic Mi Account Setup and Personalization
The first step in the fight for a clean interface is to disable personalized recommendations at the account level, which allows the system to collect data about your actions to select targeted ads, and without disabling this item, all further manipulation may not be effective, as the server will continue to believe that you agree to display content.
First, you need to open the standard Security app, which is pre-installed on each device, and in the upper right corner is the gear icon that opens the settings menu, and you should find the About or Get Recommendations section and put the slider inactive, and the system may require confirmation of action, warning you about the deterioration of the user experience, but you can safely agree to this.
Next, check the global personalization settings. They are in the Settings menu → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Special Permissions → Ad personalization. Here you also need to turn off all sliders. This action will not remove the ads completely, but will make them less relevant and, as practice shows, reduce the number of pop-ups in the interface.
It's important to understand that settings can fly off after major firmware updates or factory resets. So if you notice banners returning in folders or when you unlock the screen, check this section first. Often users forget that Mi accounts sync some settings, and re-authorizing can bring back old privacy settings.
Disabling the MSA (MIUI System Ads)
The MSA (MIUI System Ads) service is the main tool for delivering advertising content to your device, and it is this process that is responsible for the appearance of banners in standard utilities and on the lock screen, and disabling this service is a critical step that must be done correctly to avoid cyclical reboots or interface freezes.
The process of disabling requires a certain sequence of actions, as the system tries to keep the user in the advertising ecosystem. You need to go to the Settings menu → Passwords and security → Access to data. In the list that opens, find the msa application and disable access to the Wi-Fi network and mobile data. After that, go back and select “Revocation of consent” (Revoke).
- 📱 Click “Consent withdrawal” and wait for the countdown to 10 seconds.
- ✅ Confirm the action by pressing the “Revoke” button in the pop-up window.
- 🔄 If you have a “Couldn’t revoke” error, try again. 3-4 once, that's okay.
- 🚫 Do not remove the application forcefully, it is enough to revoke the rights.
Often, the first time to withdraw consent is not possible due to server timeouts.
⚠️ Warning: If the error persists after trying, try turning off Wi-Fi and using mobile internet (or vice versa), and then repeat the procedure. DNS.
After successful revocation, the system will stop receiving advertising data packets. However, the service may try to activate again the next time it restarts. To consolidate the result, it is also recommended to disable the miui daemon service in a similar way, although it is more responsible for collecting statistics than for advertising itself, their work is often interconnected.
☑️ Shutdown checklist MSA
Configuring built-in applications: Music, Video, Explorer
Even after disabling the msa system service, individual applications can continue to display banners because they have their own recommendation settings, especially for media players and file manager, which are often used as entry points to promote the company’s services.
In the Mi Music app, you need to go to the user profile (human icon), then to the settings (cogwheel), and then you should find the "Get recommendations" item and turn it off, and check the "Online Services" section and remove the tick from the display of popular content, which will remove banners from the main tab and side menu.
The Mi Video app often has pop-up ads when it launches. To eliminate it, open your profile, go to settings and find the General section. You need to turn off the Online Recommendations and Auto Launch Video options. The same action is required in Explorer: the settings menu is hidden behind three points where you need to find About and turn off Receive Recommendations.
Hidden settings of the Mi browser
Don't forget the Themes app. It's the main source of visual debris on your desktop. In the app settings (profile → settings), turn off "Show ads" and "Personalized recommendations." This will clear the "Main" tab and remove banners from categories.
Managing Notifications and System Folders
One of the most annoying forms of advertising on Xiaomi is pop-ups in folders on your desktop. When you open the app folder, the Recommended Apps block may appear at the bottom, which you can remove by clicking on the folder itself, and then you will open the folder settings where you need to uncheck the "Recommendations" item.
In addition, many users confuse ads with system notifications from the Security or Downloads app, often messages that “the phone is slowing down” or “memory needs to be cleared,” which are actually disguised ads or promotions of internal services. To turn them off, go to the settings. → Notifications and status bar → Management of notifications.
| Annex | Type of notification | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Memory Cleansing/Viruses | Leave only the critical ones. |
| Downloads. | Completed downloads | Turn it off completely. |
| GetApps | Game recommendations | Shut it down. |
| Mi Credit | Financial proposals | Remove or prohibit |
In the same menu, you should go through the list of all installed applications and turn off notifications for those utilities that you rarely use, this will not only remove advertising, but also save battery power, preventing background activity of unnecessary processes.
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Use the Do Not Disturb feature at night to ensure you avoid any pop-ups and sound notifications, even if some ad settings have been missed.
Advertising Blocking Through DNS and Additional Methods
If standard methods don’t give 100% of the result, or you want to block ads in third-party apps and browsers, the (most effective) solution is to use a private DNS. This method redirects requests to ad servers to nowhere without overloading the phone’s processor with unnecessary calculations.
To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the DNS Host Name mode and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. After saving the phone may lose the Internet for a second, but then the connection will be restored with built-in protection from advertising.
- 🛡️ AdGuard DNS — Blocks trackers and ads in apps.
- 🚀 DNS 1.1.1.1 – speeds up the Internet, but does not cut advertising.
- 🔒 Intra – an application for protection from censorship and advertising.
Use of the DNS-Filtering is especially important for owners of older devices where hardware resources are limited. Network-level locking reduces the workload on the processor, since advertising scripts simply do not load.
⚠️ Attention: When using private DNS Some applications (such as carrier or banking) may not work properly. DNS auto-mode».
Removing System Applications via ADB (For Advanced)
For those who want to go further and completely remove undeleteable system applications like GetApps, Mi Video or Mi Music, there is a method using USB debugging and a computer, which is the most radical way, requiring caution, but giving absolute purity of the system.
First, activate the developer mode. To do this, quickly click on the MIUI version number 7 times in the About Phone section. Then, in the Developer menu, turn on USB Debugging. Connect the phone to your PC, install the ADB drivers and tools.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misystem
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browserExecuting these commands will remove system advertising, browser and analytics services for the current user. Applications will not disappear from memory completely (so that you can reset), but will stop running and disturbing notifications. Be extremely careful: removing critical system components can lead to a “brick” of the device.
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The comprehensive approach, combining MSA disabling, DNS setup and manual notification cleaning, allows you to remove 99% of all advertising without losing warranty.