How to permanently remove advertising on the smartphone Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

Advertising in Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones has become one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware. Even after buying a device, users encounter banners in the settings menu, push notifications from system applications and sponsored content in standard utilities. The manufacturer positions this as “personalized recommendations”, but in practice this turns into intrusive marketing that interferes with the comfortable use of the gadget.

In this article, we will look at all the available ways to disable ads, from basic interface settings to advanced ADB and system file modifications, and focus on the nuances of different versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), and how to avoid returning ads after updates. Importantly, some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, which can affect the warranty and security of the device.

Basic MIUI settings: what can be turned off without root

To start with, the simplest of ways that don't require technical skills, most of the advertising elements in MIUI can be deactivated through standard menus, but the manufacturer specifically sprays these options into different sections.

• 📱 Disable recommendations in the settings menu: go to Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times to activate Developer Mode, then return to Settings → Additionally. → Special facilities → Recommend and deactivate all switches.
• 🔔 Remove push notifications from system applications: Settings → Notifications → Notifications Management, find Mi Video, Mi Browser, GetApps and turn off impressions.
• 🌐 Deactivate personalized advertising: Settings → Google → Advertising (if used by Google Mobile Services) or Settings → Privacy → Advertising services for Chinese versions of firmware.

These actions will reduce the amount of advertising by 30 to 40 percent, but they won't eliminate it completely, like banners in the Weather, Calendar or Music, and they will require more radical measures to remove them.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 for the European market), the option to disable recommendations may be hidden. → Additionally. → Region on India or Russia – sometimes this gives you access to additional settings.

2. Disable advertising through MIUI Optimization (hidden menu)

MIUI firmware has a hidden menu called MIUI Optimization, which is responsible for most of the inserts.

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select MIUI Optimization (if it is not available, then your firmware version does not support this method).
3. Disable all switches related to Recommendations, Ads, and User Experience Program.

This method works on Chinese versions of MIUI (e.g., Xiaomi 13 Pro for the domestic market) and some global builds up to MIUI 13. On new firmware (MIUI 14+), menus may be missing or blocked.

Once optimisation is disabled, some of the MIUI features may not work properly (like navigation gestures or animations) and to get it back, just reboot the phone and reset it to factory settings.

3. Removal of system applications without root (for advanced)

Many banner ads are displayed through standard Xiaomi apps like GetApps, Mi Video, Mi Browser, and Cleaner. These can be removed without superuser rights, but will require ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to do so.

First, turn on the USB debugging:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to activate the developer mode).
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.

Then execute commands in ADB (on PC):

adb shell


pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop #Mi Drop (file manager ad)




pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer  # Mi Video




pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.player #Music




pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.glgm #Game turbo mode (sponsored content)

Remove unnecessary system utilities|Check the main functions after removal|Keep a list of deleted packets (in case of recovery)|Do not delete com.android.* - these are critical system components-->

⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications may cause malfunctions MIUI. For example, deleting Mi Video breaks gallery video playback on some models. Before mass deleting, back up via Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

4. Blocking Advertising via DNS and VPN

If you don't want to delete apps or dig into settings, you can block Xiaomi's ad servers at the network level.

• 🔒 Private DNS: Go to Settings. → Connections → Private DNS and enter the address dns.adguard.com (using AdGuard filters).
• 🛡️ VPN Ad-blocking: Apps like AdGuard VPN Blokada filters traffic and removes banners even in system utilities.
• 📡 Alternatives DNS-servers: in the settings of Wi-Fi or mobile network specify DNS 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google).

This method does not remove ads completely, but it reduces the amount of ads by 50-70%, especially in the browser and some system applications, the main advantage is that it does not require root rights and does not affect the warranty.

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If after changing the DNS, ads still show up, clear the cache of Mi Browser and GetApps applications in Settings → Applications → Application Management.

5. edit system files (root only)

If you have root rights (for example, through Magisk), you can edit the system files responsible for displaying ads.

• 📄 /system/etc/hosts — Add lines to block Xiaomi advertising domains: 127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com 127.0.0.1 tracking.miui.com 127.0.0.1 api.ad.xiaomi.com
• 🔧 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db — change the parameter miui_optimization s 1 on 0 (You can use SQLite Editor).
• 🗑️ Deletion of ad cache files: /data/data/com.xiaomi.mipicks/ and /data/data/com.miui.systemAdSolution/.

After editing the hosts file, be sure to set the rights 644 (rw-r).--r--), Otherwise, the system will overwrite it the next time it updates. ADB execute:

chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped boot).Before changes, back up through TWRP Or OrangeFox Recovery.

6. Transition to custom firmware (radical method)

If nothing works, the last option is to install custom firmware without advertising.

• 📱 LineageOS is pure Android without unnecessary apps and advertising. Supports most Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro).
• 🔄 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface and minimalist design.
• 🛡️ MIUI Advertising-free versions of official firmware (e.g., modified versions, MIUI EU or MIUI Pro) where the advert is removed at the code level.

To install custom firmware will require:

1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (the official utility from Xiaomi).
2. Install custom Recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
3. Sweep the selected firmware and Magisk (for root, if necessary).

Cons of this method:

• Loss of official warranty.
• Risk of "bricking" of the device with firmware errors.
• No security updates from Xiaomi (you will have to monitor firmware updates manually).

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Custom firmware type MIUI EU remove ads completely, but may deprive you of certain features (for example, Mi Pay or IR-remote on Chinese models).

7.How to prevent the return of ads after updates

Even if you managed to remove the ad, after the MIUI update, it can come back.

• 🔄 Turn off automatic firmware update: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⚙️ → Auto-update (off).
• 📥 Install updates manually by pre-checking reviews on forums (for example, 4PDA or XDA Developers for the return of advertising.
• 🔧 Use scripts to automatically remove ads after an update (e.g, MIUI Ad-Away in Magisk).

If the ad does come back, repeat the steps in Section 3 (ADB-commands) or section 5 (hosts edited) on newer versions MIUI 14 and HyperOS manufacturer actively blocks workarounds, so a combination of several methods may be required.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T or Redmi K60) After upgrading to HyperOS, the standard methods of blocking ads stop working, in which case you can either put up with banners or switch to custom firmware.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi advertising