Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are known for their excellent value for money, but users pay for the affordable price with intrusive marketing. MIUI’s built-in advertising system often features pop-ups, banners in standard apps and, most irritatingly, mobile browser advertising notifications. It’s not just distracting, but also consuming traffic and battery power.
Fortunately, there are many effective ways to block unwanted content without obtaining super-user rights. In this article, we will look at a comprehensive approach: from setting up the browser itself to system changes that will permanently remove advertising. MSA and set up safe DNS-server.
Before we get to the tricky manipulations, we need to understand the nature of these banners. Often, users install apps that generate pop-ups on top of other programs. Android allows these programs to run in the background, creating the illusion of system advertising. We'll look at how to identify and neutralize such sources.
Search and Remove Malware Applications
The first step is to identify the hidden installers of the ad, and often after you install a free flashlight or a game, you notice that the ad appears even on your desktop, which is a sure sign that an adware module has moved into the system, and these programs may be masquerading as system processes or have no icons.
To find the culprit, go to your phone’s settings and open the App → All Apps section. scroll through the list carefully. Look for apps without a name or with a transparent icon that were installed around the same time the problem began. Also look for programs with suspicious permissions, such as overlay access (over other windows).
- 🔍 Open the list of installed applications and sort them by installation time.
- 🚫 Find programs with minimalist or missing icons.
- ⚙️ Check the permissions of suspicious apps, especially access to the lock screen.
- 🗑️ Remove the found garbage through the standard application manager.
⚠️ Note: If you delete the app, the phone screen goes out or you are thrown to the desktop, then you remove the virus that blocks access to the settings.
Once you remove the suspicious software, restart the device, if the ad is missing, it means that the problem was in the particular application, and if the banners are left, you need to move to a deeper system setting, since the source can be the shell itself or the browser settings.
Disabling MIUI System Advertising (MSA)
The main source of intrusive marketing in Xiaomi smartphones is the system process MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is the official service of the company, which is responsible for displaying ads in standard applications such as Explorer, Music or Themes.
To start, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find msa and turn off the switch. The system will warn you that some features may stop working, and will prompt you to wait 10 seconds before confirming. You will need to click the “Cancel” button several times, as this may not work the first time.
In addition to MSA, you should turn off recommendation in other system services. Go to the Security app, click on the settings gear in the corner and find "Get recommendations." Similar settings are found in the Topics, Music and Video apps. Disabling these options does not affect functionality, but makes the interface cleaner.
| Service | The path to shutdown | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Settings → Get recommendations | No ads in the scanner. |
| Conductor | Settings → About the application → Recommendations | Clean file interface |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings → Show the recommended | No banners in downloads |
| Music. | Settings → Advanced settings → Show advertising | Absence of banners in the player |
⚠️ Note: After the withdrawal of permits from the service MSA Full cache updates and banners disappear can take up to 24 hours of active phone use.
Setup of the built-in browser Mi Browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser is often the main source of pop-ups when surfing the Internet. Even if you have disabled system advertising, the browser itself can show notifications from sites you accidentally subscribed to.
Open your browser and go to settings (profile icon or three bars). Find Settings → Notifications. Here you will see a list of sites that are allowed to send push notifications. Ruthlessly delete any suspicious resources or click Clear All. This will remove ads that pop up on any windows.
☑️ Setting up browser protection
Also recommended in the browser settings is to activate the Ad Block feature, which is located in the Privacy and Security section. Although the built-in blocker is not ideal, it cuts off some of the intrusive banners and mining scripts. For maximum protection, it is better to use third-party solutions, which will be discussed below.
Using DNS to Block Advertising
The most efficient and versatile method that works across all apps and browsers at the same time is to configure a private DNS. This method redirects requests to ad servers to nowhere, so banners simply don't load. It doesn't require installing additional apps and doesn't consume battery.
In modern versions of Android (starting with version 9), this feature is built into the system. → Connection and sharing → Private DNS-Select the mode "Host Name of the provider" DNS» (or "Manual") and enter the address: dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comOnce you have set up your settings, check your Internet connection, and if the pages load, it's a successful configuration, and now, when you try to download any application (be it a game, a browser, or a news feed) to download an ad banner, the request will be sent to an AdGuard server, which will return an empty response, which greatly speeds up the loading of the pages.
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If some applications (e.g. banking) have stopped working on the Internet after setting up the DNS, try temporarily disabling the private DNS or using the dns-family.adguard.com address, which also blocks adult content.
It's worth noting that this method blocks ads in most cases, but it doesn't protect against YouTube ads or sponsored blogger integrations, since the content comes from the same domains as the main video.
Installation of specialized browsers
If the built-in Mi Browser browser seems too congested, the best solution is to install a specialized browser with a powerful built-in blocker, which is designed with a focus on privacy and speed, ignoring the default advertising trackers.
One of the best options is Brave or Firefox with the uBlock Origin add-on installed. These browsers allow you to customize filters in detail. For example, Firefox for Android can add filter lists that block not only ads, but also social widgets that track your actions.
- 🦊 Firefox: Requires manual add-ons, but gives maximum control over settings.
- 🦁 Brave: Works out of the box, automatically blocking trackers and ads without setting up.
- 🛡️ DuckDuckGo: Focuses on privacy and has built-in tracking protection.
When using a third-party browser, make sure to make it the default browser. Go to Settings → Applications → Default Applications → Browser and select the installed application. Now all links from the messengers will open in a secure environment.
Additional protection measures and advice
Even after all the settings, you should keep digital hygiene in mind, don't install applications from unknown sources, and read carefully the permissions the program requests when you install them, and if a simple calculator asks for access to contacts and location, that's a wake-up call.
What to do if the advertisement remains?
It is also recommended to clean your browser cache regularly. The accumulated data may contain scripts that blockers try to bypass. In the browser settings, find History or Privacy and select Clear Data. This is secure and will not delete your saved passwords if they are synchronized with your account.
⚠️ Warning: Be careful of accelerator and antivirus apps from unknown developers, often the source of pop-up ads masquerading as useful system utilities.
Integrated use DNS-filtering, shutting down the service MSA And the right app permissions management will allow you to enjoy using Xiaomi smartphone without constant visual noise. Your phone will work faster and the battery will be spent more economically.
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The combination of private DNS (dns.adguard.com) and disabling the MSA system process eliminates 99% of all ads in Xiaomi’s system and browser.