How to permanently remove ads on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Advertising on Xiaomi smartphones has become a real headache for many users. Even in basic applications like Weather, Music or Themes, banners, push notifications and “recommendations” from partners regularly pop up. The manufacturer explains this by the need to monetize budget devices, but for phone owners it turns into daily annoyance. The good news is that most ads can be turned off without special knowledge – just know where to look for settings.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to remove ads on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO – from standard MIUI settings to radical methods using ADB and modified firmware. This guide will focus on the nuances for different versions of the shell (MIUI 12/13/14) and smartphone models. If you are tired of intrusive banners in the Browser, Gallery or even on the lock screen – this guide will help to clean the system once and for all.

Why is there so much advertising on Xiaomi and can it be removed?

MIUI was originally designed as a smart system with integrated services, but has evolved into a platform for displaying ads, according to research by XDA Developers, in some regions (such as India and China), users see up to 20-30 ad units per day — even in system utilities.

• 💰 Monetization of budget devices. Xiaomi compensates for the low price of smartphones through partner programs (banners from Alibaba, Tencent, local services).
• 🌍 Regional features: Europe and Russia have less advertising than Asia, but it is still present in branded apps.
• 📱 Version. MIUI. In Global Firmware (Global) ROM) Advertising is less than in China (China) ROM), But it was completely removed only in POCO Launcher and Mi A-series (with pure Android).

Can we get rid of advertising forever? Technically yes, but with reservations:

• ✅ No root: clean up 80-90% banners through settings and ADB.
• ⚠️ With root: Remove all system apps that show ads, but risk losing the warranty.
• 🔄 After updates: some settings are reset, so you will have to repeat the procedure.

⚠️ Note: Disabling advertising through ADB or removing system applications may cause some features to function unstable (such as Topics or Security!

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to deactivate targeted ads through the settings menu, which won’t remove all ads, but will reduce the number of banners in Xiaomi apps on the site. 30-50%. The instructions are relevant to MIUI 12/13/14:

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Activate the switch to Turn off personalized advertising.
3. Go back to the basic settings and go to Memory → Cleanup.
4. Click on the icon. ⚙️ (gear) in the upper right corner and turn off the Recommendations.

Additionally, check the settings of individual applications:

• 📱 Mi Browser: Settings → Additionally. → Advertising and notification → Turn off all switches.
• 🎵 Music: Settings → Recommendations → uncheck the boxes for “Personalized Content».
• 🖼️ Gallery: Settings → Advertising → Turn off the banner display.

This method does not require superuser rights and is suitable for all models from Redmi 9A to Xiaomi 13 Ultra. However, it does not remove ads in Themes, Security and lock screen.

Method 2: ADB-commands for deep disabling advertising (without root)

If standard settings don't work, use USB debugging and ADB commands. This method removes system-level advertising but requires a computer connection. Suitable for MIUI 12 and later.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 📱 Cable USB (preferably original).
• 🛠️ Google’s Platform Tools utility (download and unpack into a separate folder).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with Platform Tools.
4. Enter in turn (after each click Enter): adb devices (should appear serial number device) adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser

These commands disable the main modules responsible for displaying ads.

⚠️ Note: Disabling system applications through ADB It can lead to errors in the work MIUI. For example, after deactivation of com.miui.hybrid, weather widgets may disappear.Be sure to back up through Settings before executing commands. → Additionally. → Backup.

Method 3: Removing Advertising through Modified Firmware (for Advanced)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, consider installing custom firmware, which completely removes ads, but requires unlocking the bootloader and losing warranty, and is suitable for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with Qualcomm processors (it's more difficult to unlock on Mediatek).

Popular firmware without advertising:

• 🌐 LineageOS – pure Android without unnecessary services Xiaomi.
• 🔄 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel functionality.
• 📱 Xiaomi.eu – modified MIUI Advertising-free and Chinese-based.
• ⚡ ArrowOS is an open source lightweight firmware.

Step-by-step process:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
3. Download the firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu for your model) and transfer it to your phone.
4. Boot to recovery, make wipe (Dalvik/ART Cache, System, Data) and install firmware.

Advantages of custom firmware:

• ✅ No Advertising at all (including system applications).
• ✅ More smooth operation (no background processes) MIUI).
• ✅ Regular security updates.

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware will void warranty and may lead to a device blink if errors occur. Before the procedure, check the firmware compatibility with your model on the forum XDA Developers.

Method 4: Blocking Advertising via DNS and VPN

If you don't want to go through your phone settings, you can block the ad servers at the network level. DNS-filter VPN This method works on all Xiaomi models and does not require root rights.

Option 1: Change the DNS on your phone

1. Go to Settings → Connections → Private DNS.
2. Select the host name of the private DNS provider.
3. Enter one of the addresses: dns.adguard.com (AdGuard DNS) family.adguard-dns.com (with blocking adult content) 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare)

Option 2: Use a VPN with ad blocking

Install one of the applications:

• 🛡️ AdGuard – blocks banners, trackers and malicious sites.
• 🌍 Blokada - Open VPN-traffic blocker.
• 🔒 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) – a simple and free option.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It works on all apps, including YouTube and Chrome.
• ✅ No changes to the system are required.
• ✅ You can turn it off at any time.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Some applications (such as banking) can block work through the Internet. VPN.
• ❌ Possible geolocation problems (e.g. Google Maps).

💡

After the shift DNS If some sites have stopped opening, try using an alternate address (e.g. 94.140.14.14 for AdGuard) and check if the Traffic Saving mode is enabled in the settings. SIM-Cards – it may conflict with private DNS.

Method 5: Manual removal of advertising applications (root required)

If you have root access, you can manually remove the system applications that are responsible for displaying ads, which is the most effective method, but it is risky - the wrong actions can bring the phone down. Use only if you are confident in your skills!

List of applications to remove (via Root Explorer or Titanium Backup):

• 📦 com.miui.systemAdSolution – the main module of advertising.
• 📦 com.xiaomi.mipicks – GetApps app with banners.
• 📦 com.miui.analytics – collecting analytics for targeted advertising.
• 📦 com.miui.hybrid – pop-up notifications.
• 📦 com.miui.bugreport – sending error reports (sometimes containing ads).

How to delete:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/.
3. Find the folders with the names from the list above and delete them (or rename them by adding.bak at the end).
4. Reboot the phone.

After removing these applications:

• ✅ Advertising in Settings, Themes and Security will disappear.
• ✅ Push notifications with offers will stop coming.
• ⚠️ Some system components may not be updated.

⚠️ Note: Removing system applications can cause a cyclical phone restart (bootloop).Be sure to back up through the phone before you delete it. TWRP or Mi PC Suite. If the phone doesn't turn on after deleting, restore deleted files through recovery.

💡

Removing system applications is the most effective way to remove ads, but also the riskiest. If you are not confident in your abilities, use root-free methods (ADB or DNS).

Additional tips: how to reduce advertising in specific applications

Even after the main ad modules are turned off, some Xiaomi apps continue to show banners, and we’ll figure out how to clean up the most problematic ones.

1.Themes appendix (com.android.themes)

• Open the Topics → Profile → Settings.
• Turn off Recommendations and Notifications.
• Using ADB, execute the command: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.themes (the application will become unavailable, but all banners will disappear).

2. Mi browser (com.android.browser)

• Install an alternative browser (Chrome, Firefox, Brave).
• Disable the standard browser via ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser
• Or remove it through root (see Method 5).

3. Lock screen

• Go to Settings → Lock screen.
• Turn off the Weather and Recommendations.
• If the adverts remain, check the widgets - remove the unnecessary ones (for example, Mi Video or Mi Finance).

4.Security appendix (com.miui.securitycenter)

• Open Security. → Settings (⚙️) → Recommend and disable all switches.
• Through ADB, run: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

💡

If some features (such as virus scanning) have stopped working in Security after disabling the ad, try not to delete the app completely, but only to limit its activity. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Security → Battery and select Limit Background Activity.

What if the advertisements returned after the update?

After the MIUI update, many of the settings are reset and the ad reappears.

1. Before updating: Back up via Settings → Additional → Backup. Save a list of apps disabled via ADB (you can take a screen picture).
2. After Updating: Repeat all steps from Method 2 (ADB-Check the settings of the private DNS — Update the custom firmware (if you use it).

If the adverts were introduced after a major update (e.g., from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14), the name of the system packages may have changed.

• Check out the current commands in the 4PDA forum (the section of your model).
• Use the App Inspector utility (root required) to find new advertising modules.

In extreme cases, you can roll back to the previous version of MIUI via the Mi Flash Tool, but this will lead to data loss.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi