Owning a Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone gives users access to powerful hardware and a bright display, but the branded MIUI shell often overshadows the impression with intrusive banner ads. Built-in advertising, or MSA (MIUI System Ads), can appear in the most unexpected places: when unlocking the screen, in folders with applications or even in standard utilities. It is not just an annoyance, but also the consumption of traffic and battery power in the background.
Fortunately, the system allows you to completely get rid of most ad integrations without having to get root rights or flash the device to the global version.The process requires care, since the settings are scattered across different menu sections. In this article, we will discuss in detail each step necessary to clean the interface of your Mi 9 from unnecessary information noise.
It is important to understand that disabling ads does not disrupt the basic functions of the smartphone; on the contrary, it often speeds up the response of the system, since it blocks the background load of advertising modules. Below are proven methods that are relevant to the latest versions of MIUI firmware 12, 13 and 14.
Disabling system advertising through MSA settings
The first and most important step is to deactivate the MSA service, which is responsible for collecting user data and showing advertising recommendations, and without disabling this component, all other actions may not be effective.
To start, go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find msa and put the switch in an inactive position, the system will warn you of the consequences, and also start a countdown of 10 seconds.
⚠️ Note: If the “Disable” button is inactive or is turned on again after the timer has expired, repeat the procedure 3-5 It's a well-known feature of the shell that requires persistence.
After a successful shutdown, it is also recommended to disable Internet access for some system applications that may duplicate advertising features. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Data Use and find GetApps and Mi Video apps if you are not using them by disabling them from network access.
- 📱 Find msa in the application list and disable access to personal data.
- ⏱️ Wait for the end of the 10-second timer and confirm the action with the button "Disable».
- 🔒 Repeat the procedure several times if you failed to turn it off the first time.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
Security setting and system cleaning
The “Security” app on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the main sources of intrusive notifications, often offering “clean up garbage” or “speed up the phone” with banner ads, and to protect yourself from this, you need to change the settings of the app itself.
Open the Security app, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings. Scroll down to Get Recommendations and disable this option. This will remove the promotional offers from the Cleanup interface.
Next, you should do notifications. In the same settings menu, select Notifications and turn off the option “Receive notifications from Xiaomi”, which will prevent pop-ups with suggestions to install games or apps in the status bar.
Why does Xiaomi need advertising?
It's also useful to turn off the GLAds feature if it's in your firmware version. It's responsible for ads in the locked state of the screen. The way to it is: Settings → Wallpaper → Wallpaper carousel → Settings. Here you need to turn off the "Get recommendations" switch.
Managing recommendations in system applications
Advertising integrations are deeply embedded in Xiaomi’s standard apps, such as Music, Video, Explorer and Downloads, each with its own settings that need to be checked separately.
In the Explorer app, go to the menu and select Settings → About. You should turn off Receive Recommendations. Similar to the Music app: go to the settings, select Advanced Settings, and uncheck the Display Ads box.
The Downloads app can also show banners. Open it, click three dots in the corner, select Settings, and turn off Get Recommendations, which will save you from advertising when downloading files from the Internet.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Conductor | Menu → Settings → About the application | Receive recommendations |
| Music. | Menu → Settings → Advanced settings | Showing ads |
| Downloads. | Menu → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Showing Advertising, Auto Update |
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Don’t delete system applications through ADB unless you are sure of their purpose; it’s better to simply disable them from accessing the network and notifications so as not to disrupt the stability of the system.
Don't forget to check the Themes app. Go to the user profile (human icon), click on the settings gear and disable all items related to advertising and auto-update. This will prevent banners from appearing in the theme store.
Cleaning the desktop and application folders
One of the most annoying forms of advertising on the Xiaomi Mi 9 is banners appearing inside folders with apps on the desktop, usually recommendations for installing games or utilities that take up useful space.
To remove them, open any folder on your desktop that has apps. Click on the folder name to make it editable, or simply find the settings icon (usually six dots or a gear in the corner of the folder).
If you have Wallpaper Carousel enabled, it can also broadcast advertising images every time you turn on the screen. → Wallpaper. → Wallpaper carousel and turn off the switch "Enable wallpaper carousel».
- 📂 Open the folder with applications on the desktop.
- ⚙️ Click on the folder name or settings icon inside it.
- ❌ Find and turn off the "Recommended" switch».
It’s also worth checking the widget settings. Some standard widgets, such as the Widget Ribbon (left of the main screen), may contain news blocks with ads. These can be turned off by swiping your finger across your desktop from left to right, clicking on three dots and selecting Settings, then turning off unnecessary news sources.
Blocking Advertising in Mi Browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser is known for its aggressive advertising policy. Even with pop-up blocker enabled, news feeds and push notifications can be uncomfortable, and it is recommended that the built-in browser be carefully configured or replaced with an alternative.
If you prefer to leave Mi Browser, open it, go to settings (three bars → Settings). Find the Privacy & Security section and enable Ad Blocking. Next, in the Notifications section, disable all sources, especially Recommended.
A more radical and effective solution would be to install a third-party browser, such as Firefox with an add-on uBlock Origin or Brave, which blocks ads at the network level without missing advertising requests for the device.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party browsers, remember to assign them to the default browser in the system settings, otherwise links from other applications may continue to open in Mi Browser.
To change your browser by default, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three Dots → Default Apps → Browser and select the option you installed. This ensures that all web traffic will pass through the new browser filter.
Disabling personalized advertising through identifiers
Even after the main services are disabled, the system can continue to collect data about your preferences for targeted advertising, and to minimize the digital footprint, you need to reset the advertising ID and disable personalization.
Go to Settings → Password and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. You need to activate the “Disable Ad Personalization” switch, which will prevent the system from using your data to select ads.
The same menu also has a button called Reset Ad ID, which you can click on to assign your device a new random ID, which will break the link between your current browsing history and future promotional offers.
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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, configuring each application and resetting IDs, removes 99% of all advertising in the MIUI system.
In addition, you can limit the use of data for diagnostics. In the section Settings → Password and security → Data use and diagnostics, disable sending data to Xiaomi. This will increase privacy and slightly reduce the background activity of the system.