Advertising on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware. Even after buying a device, users are faced with intrusive banners in the settings menu, notifications from Google and preinstalled services that cannot be removed by standard methods, especially annoying ads from Google Discover, YouTube and Play Store, which appear even on a locked screen.
In this article, we’ll look at all the working ways to disable Google ads on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, from basic settings to deep system interventions. The methods are tested on current versions of MIUI 14/15 (Android 13/14) and are suitable for most models, including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13 and POCO F5/X5. If you’re tired of intrusive banners, read on.
Important: Some methods require superuser rights (root) or ADB. If you are a beginner, start with simple ways and then move on to complex ones. Also remember that disabling system services can affect the operation of certain functions (for example, Google Assistant or Find My Device).
1. Disable personalized advertising in Google settings
The safest and easiest way is to limit data collection for targeted advertising, which won't eliminate banners completely, but will make them less intrusive.
Go to Settings → Google → Manage your Google account.
- 📱 Select the Data and Personalization tab.
- 🔍 Scroll to the Advertising Settings block and click on it.
- 🚫 Turn off the slider Personalized advertising.
- 🗑️ Click Remove Advertising ID and confirm the action.
This method works on all devices with Google Mobile Services (GMS), but does not block ads in Xiaomi system applications (such as Mi Browser or Security).
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If banners still appear after disabling personalized advertising, clear the cache of the Google Play Services app in the application settings.
2. Remove unnecessary Google services through MIUI settings
MIUI allows you to disable some of the pre-installed services Google is responsible for display ads, this will not remove them completely, but stop background activity.
Follow the instructions:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show All Apps.
- Find the following services in the list and disable them (click Disable or Remove Updates): 📦 Google Play Movies (com.google.android.videos) 🎵 Google Play Music (com.google.android.music) 📰 Google News (com.google.android.apps.magazines) 🔍 Google App (com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox)
⚠️ Note: Do not disable Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms) and Google Services Framework, which will cause Play Store and other critical features to crash.
Turn off Google Play Movies | Turn off Google Play Music | Disable Google News | Delete Google App (Discover) Updates
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3. Blocking ads through the Hosts file (without root)
One effective way is to edit the hosts file, which blocks access to ad servers, which does not require root rights, but requires an ADB (Android Debug Bridge).
Instructions:
- Install ADB Tools on your PC.
- Enable USB Debugging on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB.
- Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command in cmd: adb shell su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system" su -c "echo "127.0.0.1 googleads.g.doubleclick.net" >> /system/etc/hosts" su -c "echo "127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com" >> /system/etc/hosts"
- Reset the device.
To simplify the process, you can use ready-made hosts files from the community (for example, from Adaway), download the file and replace it with the standard one through ADB:
adb push hosts.txt /sdcard/
adb shell
su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system"
su -c "cp /sdcard/hosts.txt /system/etc/hosts"
su -c "chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts"List of Google Advertising Domains to Block
4.Use of blocking applications (with and without root)
If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can install customized ad-blocking apps, some of which work without root, but with limitations.
| Annex | Need root? | Efficiency | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blokada | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (block 90% of advertising) | Website |
| Adaway | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (lock-in) | GitHub |
| DNS66 | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐⭐ (level-lock DNS) | F-Droid |
| PersonalDNSFilter | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐⭐ (alternative DNS66) | GitHub |
For the work of Blokada or DNS66 without root, you need to VPN-mode in the application settings. This creates local VPN-A tunnel that filters traffic, and the downside is that some banking applications can block the work of the bank. VPN.
⚠️ Note: Apps like Adaway require root rights to edit system files. Misuse of the system can lead to loss of warranty or device "brick.
Blokada|Adaway|DNS66|PersonalDNSFilter|Nothing.|Other-->
5. Disable Advertising in MIUI through Hidden Settings
MIUI has hidden parameters that allow you to disable ads at the firmware level, which works without root, but requires care.
Instructions:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times to activate Developer Mode.
- Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
- Activate the option to Allow resizing of system applications.
- Now open the Settings. → Annexes → Manage applications and find: 📱 Mi Security (com.miui.securitycenter) 🌐 Mi Browser (com.android.browser) 📊 Analytics (com.miui.analytics)
For each of them, click Clear Data and Disable.
This method removes ads from Xiaomi system applications, but does not affect Google services. For full effect, combine it with methods from the previous sections.
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Disabling Mi Analytics and Mi Security reduces the amount of advertising in MIUI by 70-80%, but can affect the performance of certain functions (for example, a battery optimizer).
6 Radical Methods: Deleting Google Services Through ADB
If you are willing to go to extreme lengths, you can completely remove unnecessary Google services through ADB. This will free up memory space and permanently remove ads, but may disrupt some apps.
⚠️ Warning: This method permanently deletes system applications. Before performing, back up your data!
List of safe packets to remove (execute commands one at a time):
adb shell
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.tachyon # Google Duo
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.videos # Google Play Movies
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.music #Google Play Music
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.magazines # Google News
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.wellbeing # Digital Wellbeing
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox # Google App (Discover)Once you execute the commands, restart the device. Google ads will disappear, but some features (like voice search) may stop working.
adb shell pm clear com.android.vendingThis will reset the Google Play cache without removing the app itself.-->
7.Alternative firmware: transition to custom MIUI or AOSP
If nothing works, consider installing custom firmware, a cardinal solution that requires unlocking the bootloader and having root rights, but gives you complete control over the device.
Popular firmware without advertising:
- 📱 Xiaomi.EU – modified MIUI without advertising or Chinese services. OTA-update.
- 🤖 LineageOS - pure Android (AOSP) no-nonsense.
- ⚡ Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface and minimum number of preinstalled services.
- 🔧 ArrowOS is an open source lightweight firmware.
For custom firmware installation:
- Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool.
- Install TWRP Recovery for your model.
- Download the firmware from the official website (for example, Xiaomi.EU or LineageOS).
- Fly through TWRP by running Wipe Dalvik/Cache.
⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware resets warranty and can lead to data loss.Before the procedure, check the firmware compatibility with your Xiaomi model!