How to completely remove advertising on the phone Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

Advertising in Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most controversial features of MIUI firmware. Even after buying a new Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5, users are faced with banners in the settings menu, notifications from msa (Mobile Services Analytics) and advertising blocks in standard applications. The manufacturer explains this by the need to monetize budget devices, but for many owners, such a “pay for cheapness” becomes an annoying factor.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable ads on Xiaomi, including hidden MIUI settings, editing configuration files, and using third-party tools. It’s important to understand that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights — we’ll mark them separately so you can assess the risks. Also note that after major updates (for example, switching from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14), some of the settings may reset and you’ll have to repeat the procedure.

If you're using POCO or Black Shark, the instructions below are also good, because these brands run the same firmware. For models older than 2019 (like the Mi 9 or Redmi Note 7), some menu items may be called differently, but the logic remains the same. Let's start with the simplest ways and gradually move on to the advanced ones.

1. disable personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The first step is to deactivate system services that collect data about your activities and show targeted ads, a method that does not require superuser rights and works on all Xiaomi devices, including the latest Xiaomi 14 and Redmi K60 models.

Go to Settings → Google → Advertising and:

• 🔄 Turn off the Personalized Ads option (this will stop impressions based on your activity on Google services).
• 🗑️ Click "Reset advertising" ID" — This will reset your profile for targeting.
• 🚫 Enable "Disable Interest-Based Ads" (if any).

Then go back to the main settings menu and find Settings → Privacy → Special permissions → Show over other windows.

• 📱 MIUI System Ads (or com.xiaomi.msa.global)
• 🛒 GetApps (Xiaomi app store)
• 📊 Analytics (if any) if listed)

⚠️ Note: Once permissions for GetApps are disabled, you will not be able to install apps from the Xiaomi branded store. use Google Play or third-party sources (e.g., APKMirror).

These actions will reduce the amount of ads in the system menus and notifications, but will not eliminate them completely.

2. Removal of Advertising in Standard Xiaomi Apps

Even after the system services are disabled, ads can appear in pre-installed applications: Browser, Music, Videos, Themes and Files. Let's consider how to clean each of them.

MIUI (or Mint Browser)

Open your browser, go to Settings → Additional → Advertising and Notifications and:

• 🚫 Disable "Personalized recommendations".
• 📵 Remove the tick from "Show notifications".
• 🔍 In the Search section, select Google over Bing or Yandex (the latter often embed ads in the results).

Annex "Themes"

This is one of the most "advertising" apps in MIUI, to reduce the number of banners:

1. Open the Topics → Profile → Settings.
2. Turn off "Home Screen Recommended" and "New Topics Notifications".
3. In the "About the program" section, click on the MIUI logo 5 times in a row - a hidden menu will open where you can turn off "Show Advertising" (does not work on all models).

Annex "Files"

Here, the ad appears in the "Recommended" section to remove it:

• 📂 Go to the Files. → Settings → Additionally.
• 🚫 Turn off "Show recommendations" and "Show cloud services".
• 🗑️ Clear the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Files. → Warehouse.

If you still have ads after this, try removing updates for problematic apps.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Select the appropriate application (such as theme).
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Delete Updates".

Recommendations disabled in "Temes" |Removed updates for "Files" |Reset advertising ID in Google |Disable notifications from Mint Browser |Cache cleared for all system applications-->

3. Blocking ads through the hosts file (without root)

One of the most effective ways is to edit the hosts file, which blocks access to Xiaomi’s ad servers, which does not require root rights, but requires additional software installation.

Download the AdAway app from Google Play (or Blokada for a simpler interface).

1. Open AdAway and click "Download Files and Apply".
2. Select the source of the lock: we recommend Adaway Default + Xiaomi Ad Blocklist (there is in the list of preinstalled).
3. Reset the device.

If AdAway doesn’t work, try DNS66, which is an app that blocks ads at the DNS level.

• 🌐 Choose. DNS-server: 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google).
• 📋 Add hosts from this list: 127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com 127.0.0.1 tracking.miui.com 127.0.0.1 api.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com
• 🔄 Activate. VPN-switch.

⚠️ Note: Some banking applications (e.g. SberBank Online or Tinkoff) may block work when active VPN. Turn it off. DNS66 before using financial services.

Once the hosts are blocked, the ads will disappear from the system menus, but may remain in applications that use their own display mechanisms (for example, Facebook or Instagram).

Disabling MIUI services via ADB (advanced method)

If previous methods failed, you can disable MIUI advertising services via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that does not require root, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

Be prepared first:

• 🖥️ Install. ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
• 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on the phone: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 7 times to become a developer, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
• 🔌 Connect your phone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.

Now run the following commands in the command line (or Terminal on macOS/Linux):

adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.msa.global


adb shell pm hide com.miui.analytics




adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution




adb shell pm hide com.miui.bugreport




adb shell pm hide com.miui.hybrid

If the pm hide command does not work (on some versions of MIUI), use an alternative option:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.msa.global


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

⚠️ Note: Disabling com.xiaomi.msa.global may cause Mi Account errors (e.g., call history will not be synchronized or your phone will not be synced). SMS). If you encounter problems, return the service with the command: adb shell pm enable com.xiaomi.msa.global

Once you've completed the commands, restart your phone. Ads should disappear from most system locations.

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If some MIUI features have stopped working after the ADB service is disabled (such as themes or cloud storage), return them one by one to identify the culprit.

5. Removal of ads using Magisk (root required)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, getting root rights through Magisk will open access to deep cleaning, a method that is suitable for power users and requires an unlocked bootloader.

Steps:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (it can take up to 7 days to wait for confirmation).
2. Install Magisk (instructions are available on the official website).
3. In Magisk, install modules: 🛡️ Xiaomi Debloater – Removes unnecessary system applications. 🚫 AdAway (Magisk version) – blocks ads at the system level. 🔧 MIUI Optimizer – Optimizes firmware and removes restrictions.

After installation of modules:

• Open Xiaomi Debloater and select Remove Ads.
• In AdAway, update host lists and apply the changes.
• Reboot the phone.

On devices with MIUI 14 and later after installing Magisk, you may need to disable AVB 2.0 (Android Verified Boot) or the phone will not boot.

fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

⚠️ Attention: Getting root rights resets the warranty and can lead to blocking some features (such as Google Pay or banking applications.

6. Alternative firmware: how to get rid of advertising forever

If none of these methods worked, the last option is custom firmware, which is a radical solution that removes MIUI completely and replaces it with a pure Android or a modified version without ads.

Popular firmware for Xiaomi:

• 🤖 Pixel Experience – pure Android with features from Google Pixel.
• ⚡ LineageOS - stable firmware with minimalist design.
• 🔄 MIUI EU — European MIUI Advertising-free and Chinese-based.
• 🛡️ Havoc-OS or Corvus OS — scaling-up.

Installation process:

1. Unlock the bootloader (as in the Magisk section).
2. Download the firmware for your model from the XDA Developers website.
3. Install it with TWRP Recovery (or OrangeFox).
4. Run Wipe Dalvik/Cache after installation.

⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware erases all data from the device, as well as some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro or other models). POCO F3) have an antirollback - after firmware can not return to the official MIUI older.

If you are a beginner, we recommend starting with MIUI EU – it is as close as possible to standard firmware, but without advertising and Chinese services.

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Custom firmware is the only way to get rid of MIUI advertising completely, but it requires technical skills and can be unwarranted.

7. Additional Advice: How to Avoid Return Advertising

Even after a successful ad disablement, it can return after a MIUI update or reset.

• 🔄 Turn off automatic updates MIUI: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Settings → Disable "Downloading over Wi-Fi"
• 📵 Freeze advertising services with the App Quarantine (application to disable background activity without root).
• 🛡️ Use an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) to avoid home screen advertising.
• 🔍 Periodically check active services through the adb shell dumpsys package (the list of commands is available in GitHub Gist).

If you notice that the ad has returned after the update, repeat the steps from Section 4 (ADB) – it usually helps to re-disable the services com.xiaomi.msa.global and com.miui.analytics.

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for block lists in AdAway or Blokada – the community regularly updates host databases for new Xiaomi ad domains.

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Back up the list of blocked hosts in AdAway (export to file). Once you reset your settings or update your MIUI, you can quickly restore the lock.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi advertising