How to permanently disable advertising on Xiaomi wallpaper: 5 proven ways

Advertising on the Xiaomi desktop is one of the most annoying features of the branded shell MIUI and the new HyperOS. Even after buying a smartphone, users are faced with intrusive banners in the weather widget, app recommendations and “smart” hints that interfere with the comfortable use of the device. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to completely remove advertising on wallpaper – from standard settings to advanced methods using ADB and modified firmware.

It is important to understand that Xiaomi integrates ad modules at the system level, so some methods require superuser rights or deep changes in configuration files. We will look at options for users with different levels of training, from beginners to experienced enthusiasts.

Why is there an advertisement on Xiaomi?

MIUI’s branded shell (and its successor HyperOS) is monetized by displaying ads in system applications, with the main sources of desktop banner ads:

• 📱 Weather widget (com.miui.weather2) — displays ads at the bottom of the screen or in pop-up prompts.
• 🔍 Search bar (com.miui.search) – shows “recommended” applications and services.
• 🎨 Themes and wallpapers (com.android.themes) – imposes “popular” themes with banner ads.
• 📊 System notifications – pop-ups with offers from Xiaomi and partners (e.g. AliExpress, Mi Credit).

In recent versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS, ads have become more aggressive, with banners that can appear even when you unlock the screen or swipe down to call the notification panel, while Xiaomi does not provide a direct option to completely disable ads in standard settings - only the ability to hide individual elements.

⚠️ Note: Disabling ads through system settings may cause weather and calendar widgets to malfunction.If you use these features, consider alternative methods (e.g. installing a third-party launcher).

Method 1: Disabling Advertising through Standard Settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI/HyperOS options, which are suitable for users who do not want to go into technical details, and the instructions are relevant for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models based on MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS 1.0+.

Steps to shut down:

1. Open the settings → Wallpaper and themes.
2. Go to the theme settings section (the gear icon in the upper right corner).
3. Turn off the Recommended Themes and Show Ads option (if such items are available).
4. Go back to the basic settings and select Applications → Application Management.
5. Find the apps: Weather (com.miui.weather2) Search (com.miui.search) Browser (com.android.browser)

For each of them, turn off Show notifications and Auto Start.

This method will remove most of the ads, but does not guarantee 100% results, for example, banners in the weather widget may continue to appear as they are downloaded through system services.

Are notifications in the Weather app disabled | Are recommendations hidden in Wallpaper and Themes | Is auto-start disabled for Search and Browser | Is the smartphone rebooted to apply the changes-->

Method 2: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If standard settings don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to disable system applications and services, which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and basic command line knowledge.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔧 Complete disabling of advertising modules at the system level.
• 🚀 Doesn't require root rights.
• 🔄 The ability to return it when necessary.

Instructions:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode). Then go back to Settings → Additional → Developer Tools and turn on USB Debugging.
2. Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.
3. Download ADB Tools and unpack the archive.
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB and execute the commands in turn: adb shell pm hide com.miui.weather2 adb shell pm hide com.miui.search adb shell pm hide com.android.browser adb shell pm com.miui.msa.global
5. Reboot your smartphone.

After these commands are executed, the ad modules will be disabled, but some system functions (such as the weather widget) will stop working.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet

(Replace the name of the package with one of the above).

Method 3: Installation of a third-party launcher

If you don't want to mess with settings or ADB, you can just replace the standard MIUI launcher with an alternative one, which will completely remove ads on the desktop, but will not affect system notifications.

Best launchers for Xiaomi without advertising:

To set up the launcher:

1. Download the selected application from Google Play.
2. Open it and click Set as default launcher.
3. Set up your desktop for yourself (you can hide the search bar, remove widgets, etc.).

⚠️ Note: When using a third-party launcher, some functions MIUI (For example, quick notes or global search may not work properly.

💡

If after installing the launcher wallpaper reset, return them through Settings → Wallpaper or use the WallpapersCraft app to automatically change backgrounds.

Method 4: Blocking ads via hosts file (requires root)

For root-right users, there is a radical method of editing the hosts file, which blocks access to Xiaomi ad servers, which is effective but requires caution: improper changes can lead to loss of Internet access.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts and back up the file.
3. Open the file in the text editor and add the following lines at the end: 127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com 127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 tracking.miui.com 127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com
4. Save the file and restart the smartphone.

This method blocks most ad requests, but can affect some services (such as Mi Cloud or Find Device) and if problems arise, restore the original hosts file from a backup.

Standard settings |ADB-commands |Third-party launcher |Root-methods |I haven't tried anything-->

Method 5: Firmware with remote advertising (for experienced)

The most dramatic option is to install custom firmware, which has removed all advertising modules.

• 📱 Xiaomi.eu – unofficial firmware MIUI Advertising-free and Chinese-based.
• 🔄 LineageOS – pure Android without branded Xiaomi apps.
• 🛡️ Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel style and minimalist interface.

Warnings before firmware:

• ⚠️ The warranty on the device will be cancelled.
• ⚠️ Risk of “bricking” of the smartphone in case of an error.
• ⚠️ Certain functions (e.g, IR Blaster or NFC) They may not work properly.

If you decide to do this, follow the official instructions on the XDA Developers or xiaomi.eu forums. Most Xiaomi models require:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi website.
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP).
3. Switch the selected firmware and GApps (if you need Google services).

💡

Installing custom firmware is the only way to get rid of advertising forever, but it is only suitable for power users. For most, Methods 1–3 are enough.

What if the advertisements returned after the update?

Xiaomi regularly releases MIUI and HyperOS updates that can restore ad modules. If banners reappear after the update, try:

1. Repeat steps from Method 1 or 2 – sometimes it is enough to turn off auto-run advertising applications again.
2. Reverse to the previous firmware version (if there was a backup).
3. Use an ad blocker (such as Blokada or AdGuard) to filter your ad requests at the network level.
4. Turn off automatic system update: Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Points → Settings → Disable Auto Update.

If you are using ADB, you may need to re-run commands after the update to hide the ad packets. Save the list of commands in the text file so you don't re-enter them.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi