How to disable MSA on Xiaomi MIUI 11

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising that appears in system applications, a phenomenon that has become the hallmark of the MIUI shell, especially in version 11, which was based on Android 9 and Android 10. The main reason for this behavior is the system process of MSA, which is responsible for collecting statistics and displaying ad units.

Disabling this service will not only save you from pop-ups, but also significantly reduce the consumption of CPU resources. Many users note that after deactivating the ad, the device starts to work faster. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to permanently remove MSA from your gadget.

It is worth noting that the process of disconnection requires care, as the settings menu can vary depending on the regional firmware. However, the basic algorithm of actions remains the same for all devices in the Redmi and Mi line. Before starting manipulation, make sure that you have a stable Internet connection.

What is MSA and why is it important?

MSA stands for MIUI System Ads, a system application embedded deep within the manufacturer’s shell, whose primary job is to analyze your actions and match relevant ads, and for a company, it’s a way to monetize cheap smartphones by selling them at cost.

But for the user, having this process means a constant flow of traffic and battery life, MSA runs in the background even when the screen is off, and it collects data about apps and sites it visits, raising privacy concerns.

• 📢 Shows ads in standard applications such as “Conductor”, “Music” and “Themes».
• 🔋 Consumes battery power in the background, reducing battery life.
• 📡 Uses Internet traffic to download banner ads without the user’s knowledge.
• 🔒 Collects data on the use of the device for the formation of an advertising profile.

⚠️ Note: Complete removal of system files MSA root rights can cause unstable operation of the system.We recommend using standard shutdown methods described below.

Understanding the nature of this process helps us understand why it can't just be "deleted" like a regular application. It's part of the system, and it takes the settings menu to stop it, and ignoring this service causes the ads to come back even after cleaning the cache.

Preparing for the Advertising Disconnection

Before you start settings, you need to follow a few preparatory steps, which will help you avoid situations where options become unavailable or the process is interrupted due to a timeout, first make sure that your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network or mobile Internet.

The second important thing is to disable automatic app updates in the GetApps store (formerly Mi Market).Sometimes after updating the system components, the ad settings may reset, and it is also recommended to back up important data, although the risk of loss of information is minimal.

Some users prefer to use third-party utilities to block, but in the case of MIUI 11, it is better to rely on built-in mechanisms, which ensures compatibility and avoid conflicts with other services. If you have previously installed ad blockers, it is better to temporarily disable them.

Disabling Advertising in Security Settings

The main switch that runs the MSA is in the security menu, and that's where the primary authorization for the ad service is, so to get to the right place, open Settings and find the Password and Security section.

In the menu that opens, scroll down to Access to Personal Data (or Privacy) and here you will see a list of all system processes that have access to your data, search the msa list and turn the switch to the off position.

The system will warn you that a shutdown may affect some functions. Ignore this warning and press Stop for 10 seconds. You will need to hold your finger on the countdown button until the timer reaches zero.

• 🔍 Go to Settings. → Password and security → Access to personal data.
• 🛑 Find the msa process in the list and click on it.
• ⏳ Press the Stop button and hold your finger for 10 seconds.
• ✅ Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

It is important to perform this procedure quickly and accurately. If the timer expires, the process will not stop and you will have to start again. In some cases, you need to repeat the action 2-3 times, as Xiaomi servers may try to resume the connection.

Setup of system applications

Once you disable the main MSA module, you need to remove ads in each system application separately. This will take a few minutes, but will provide maximum comfort. Start with the Explorer application: open it, click on the menu (three bars), and select Settings.

In the settings menu, find About Service or Recommendations and turn it off. Similar actions should be repeated for the Topic app. Go to the user profile, click on the settings gear and turn off "Show Ads" and "Personal Recommendations."

Don't forget to check the Download and Music app. In MIUI 11, these programs also often contain built-in banners. In the Music app, you need to go to the settings, select "Additional" and uncheck "Show Ads."

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After disabling the ads in the apps, restart the smartphone, which will allow the system to fully update the configuration files and apply changes.

Disabling personalization and recommendations

MIUI uses machine learning algorithms to match content. To completely de-identify your device, you need to turn off the personalization service. Go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to personal data and find Msa (if you haven't already disabled) and MiuiDaemon.

Also, look at the desktop settings themselves: Press and hold your finger on the blank spot of the screen, select Settings, and find the Recommendations section. Turn off the display of recommended apps and news in Glance feed (if installed).

• 📱 Turn off Personal Recommendations in your Mi Account settings.
• 🌐 In the Mi Browser browser, turn off_push_notices and newsfeed.
• 🔒 In the security settings, disable "Receive recommendations».

These actions will make the interface cleaner and more rigorous, and you will stop seeing suggestions to install games or read news on the lock screen, which for many users is a key factor in the comfort of using a smartphone.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the personalization service can make file and application search less accurate as the system stops analyzing your usage habits.

Verification of the result and additional measures

After doing all the above steps, it is recommended to restart the device, this will fix the changes, to check the effectiveness, you can run a "heavy" application, such as Themes or Explorer, and see if the ads appear again.

If the ad is still popping up, it may be coming from a specific third-party app you installed recently. Check the list of recently installed programs. You can also use the Battery feature to see which apps are active in the background.

As an additional measure, you can change the DNS in your connection settings. Using an ad-blocked DNS (like AdGuard DNS) adds another layer of protection. Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → DNS settings and write down the server address.

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The comprehensive approach (disabling MSA + setting up applications + DNS) gives a 100% guarantee of no advertising in the system.

Possible problems and solutions

Sometimes users find that the MSA switch turns on itself again after a while, this can happen after a system update or synchronization with the Mi Cloud, in which case the shutdown procedure must be repeated.

Another common problem is that you can't press the shutdown button because of a network error, in which case you can try to put your smartphone in flight mode, turn off the option, and then turn the Internet back on, and clean up the data from the Security app also helps.

If nothing helps, consider installing global firmware, where the ad levels are initially lower than in the Chinese versions, but for MIUI 11, this can be difficult due to the bootloader lock.