Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising that appears in standard applications and system interfaces, a process that is managed by the system component msa (MIUI System Ads), which is activated by default on all devices with the shell MIUI 12. The presence of advertising is not only annoying, but also consumes traffic and battery resources of your gadget.
Fortunately, Xiaomi allows users to manage this process themselves. Disabling MIUI System Ads does not require super-user rights or flashing the device; it is enough to perform a sequence of actions in the settings menu to permanently get rid of pop-up banners and offers.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm for disabling the advertising module, as well as additional privacy settings that will help make smartphone use more comfortable. The msa disabling process is the only official way to remove ads in MIUI 12 without third-party launchers. Follow the instructions carefully so that you do not miss important nuances.
What is MSA and why is it needed?
MSA (MIUI System Ads) is a system service built into the MIUI shell that collects user preferences and delivers targeted ads, which runs in the background, analyzing your actions in standard applications such as Explorer, Music or Security, and the main purpose of this service is to monetize budget devices through advertising integrations.
While advertising is a bit of an annoyance to many users, from a technical point of view, msa consumes RAM and battery power. Constant connection to servers to get up-to-date ad units can slightly reduce overall system performance, especially on models with a small amount of RAM.
⚠️ Note: Disabling system processes may affect some of the built-in features related to content personalization in Xiaomi apps.
It is worth noting that the complete removal of msa is impossible without deep intervention in the system, but its deactivation completely stops the display of advertising. The service stops downloading new data and displaying banners, remaining in the list of applications as a reserved component.
Preparing for the Advertising Disconnection
Before you start changing system settings, you need to ensure a stable Internet connection. The MIUI System Ads deactivation process requires communication with Xiaomi servers to confirm actions. If the connection is interrupted during the switching of the switch, the setting may not apply, and the process will continue.
It is also recommended to check the MIUI shell version. The instruction is relevant for MIUI 12, but may differ in newer or older firmware versions. Go to the About Phone menu and make sure your system is updated to the latest available version, as security patches often change paths to ad settings.
☑️ Preparation for shutdown MSA
It is important to understand that Xiaomi servers can be congested, especially during peak hours.If you try to turn off an error or countdown timer does not end, do not panic. System constraints sometimes require several attempts to successfully execute the command.
Main method: disabling through advertising settings
The most effective and safe way to remove ads is to use a built-in mechanism for managing advertising preferences, which requires no third-party software installation and is accessible to everyone, and the algorithm is simple enough, but requires careful search for the right menu items.
To start, open the Security app (green lightning icon), which is standard for all Xiaomi devices. In the upper right corner, click on the gear icon to set up. Find a section called Advertising or Get Recommendations. That's where the master switch that blocks msa is.
Once you activate the "Disable Receiving Recommendations" switch, the system will start a countdown for 10 seconds, so that the user does not accidentally turn off the service. After the time expires, click "Disable." If the first time failed, try repeating the procedure 3-5 times - this is a common situation.
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If the “Disable” button is inactive or the timer is reset, try switching the system language to English, perform the action, and then return the Russian language.
After a successful shutdown, an additional item, "Get Ads in MIUI," may appear in the same menu. Make sure it's also turned off. This ensures that MIUI System Ads won't bother you in system folders and on the lock screen.
Additional privacy settings
Disabling the main ad module is only the first step. To maximize your data security and remove personalized offers, you need to adjust your privacy settings. Xiaomi collects usage statistics to improve services, but this feature can be limited.
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to Personal Data. Here you will see a list of apps that request access to your information. Search msa and MIUI Daemon (if present) in the list and deny them access to personal data, which will prevent them from collecting analytics about your activities.
You should also disable the personalization of ads in your Mi Account. Go to the Mi Account settings, select “Mi Cloud” or “Mi Services”, find the Ads section and disable personalized recommendations. This action will break the link between your ID and your advertising profiles.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Action. | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendations | Security → Settings | Turn it off. | Blocking MSA |
| Access to data | Passwords. → Access to data | Banned | Termination of statistics collection |
| Personalization | Settings → Passwords → Privacy | Shut down. | Removes targeted advertising |
| Auto-update | Applications → Settings | Only through Wi-Fi. | Saving traffic |
Remember to check these settings periodically after major system updates, and sometimes after a MIUI update, privacy settings can be reset to factory values, requiring repeated user intervention.
Setup of system applications
Even after disabling msa, some standard apps may continue to show ad units or “recommended content” because each application (Conductor, Downloads, Music) has its own display settings.
Consider the main applications where advertising is most common, and ways to eliminate it:
- 📂 Explorer: Open the app, click on the menu (three bars), select Settings» → «Find the "Get References" switch and turn it off. This will remove banners on the file manager's home page.
- 🎵 Music: Go to profile, click on settings, find "Show ads" or "Recommendations" and deactivate it. the interface will become cleaner and the loading of the track list will accelerate.
- 📥 Downloads: In the Downloads app, click three dots in the corner, select settings, and remove the tick from Get Recommendations. This will prevent suggestions for installing games and apps from appearing.
- 🧹 Cleaning: The Safety app in the Cleanup section can also have recommendations settings. check the gear in the corner of the cleaner screen.
⚠️ Note: Application interfaces may vary depending on the regional firmware version (Global, China, EU). The names of items may vary, but the logic remains the same: look for the words “Recommendations”, “Ads”, “Promotion».
It takes time to thoroughly check each system application, but the result is worth it: you get a sterile system that works solely for your purposes, not for the display of other people's content. In MIUI 12, this procedure is especially relevant due to the aggressive policy of monetization.
Frequent problems and their solution
When you turn off MIUI System Ads, you may encounter a variety of technical difficulties, and most often, the problem is that the Ads switch doesn't switch or returns to its original position after a few seconds, and it's not a phone breakage, but a server check feature.
If the button is not pressed, try the following algorithm:
- Turn off Wi-Fi and use mobile internet (or vice versa).
- Change the language of the system to English, try to disable, then return Russian.
- Wait 24 hours and try again – servers can block frequent requests.
What to do if the advertisement appears again?
Another problem may be the presence of third-party antivirus or optimizers that block access to system settings. temporarily disable them before making changes. Also make sure that the device does not have modified versions of system applications that may conflict with the original Xiaomi settings.
Safety outcomes and recommendations
Disabling the msa process on the Xiaomi MIUI 12 is an important step to improve the comfort of using your smartphone.You not only get rid of visual noise, but also save the device resources. However, it is worth remembering that you can not completely remove this component without root rights, and attempts to do this with third-party utilities can lead to unstable system operation.
Check system updates regularly. Xiaomi periodically changes the mechanisms of advertising, and in new versions of MIUI, the paths to settings may change.
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Complete disabling of advertising requires a comprehensive approach: deactivation of MSA, setting the privacy of the account and individual configuration of each system application.
Digital hygiene and the right use of privacy settings will allow you to enjoy the functionality of your smartphone without intrusive interference. Remember that your smartphone is your personal tool and you have every right to control what content is displayed on it.