Xiaomi smartphone owners know that the affordable price of the device is often offset by intrusive marketing within the system. Embedded apps, folders and even standard utilities can display banner ads that annoy users and consume traffic. However, there is an effective technical method to combat this phenomenon that does not require installing third-party applications or obtaining superuser rights.
The essence of the method is to redirect advertising requests through special DNS-servers that block connections to ad domains at the network level. DNS in the Android system or directly in the shell MIUI, You force your phone to ignore the commands to load ads, and this works at the operating system level, blocking banners not only in the browser, but in most embedded applications.
In this article, we will discuss the private setup process in detail. DNS, We will consider the current server addresses and answer questions that arise during the configuration process. DNS-Filtering is one of the safest and most stable ways to improve the comfort of using Xiaomi, Redmi or other devices. POCO without risk of damaging the software.
Principle of work DNS-filtration on Android
To understand how this works, you need to understand how the device gets data from the Internet. When you open an app or a website, the smartphone sends a request. DNS-server (usually the provider) to find out IP-The ad units work on the same principle: the application requests the address of the server with the ad, receives it and displays the banner.
Using Private DNS (Private DNS), You force a change of addressee to be asked questions about domains. DNS, They have databases of known ad and tracker domains, and if your phone asks the server for the banner address, the server will say that there is no such address (or return the empty address 0.0.0.0), and the ad will simply not load.
The main advantage of this approach is that it does not require the installation of additional APK-Files that can request extra permissions or run in the background, consuming battery.Tunes are made through the standard Android interface, starting with version 9.0, making the method universal for most modern Xiaomi models.
It is important to understand that DNS-Filtering doesn’t encrypt your traffic as it does. VPN, But it's a huge privacy enhancer, by keeping the provider from knowing which ad domains you're visiting, and it's a basic level of digital hygiene that should be set up on every device.
- 🛡️ Blocking occurs before content loads, saving mobile traffic.
- ⚡ Does not affect the speed of the processor, as it does not require computing resources of the phone.
- 🔒 Protects against certain types of phishing by blocking known malicious domains.
- 📱 Works in all applications that use system network settings.
Preparing for changes in network settings
Before you make changes to your network configuration, make sure your device is connected to a stable Internet connection, which can be both a 4G/5G mobile network and a Wi-Fi connection. Although the DNS configuration itself does not require constant access to the network at the time of input, you will need the Internet to check the health of the server immediately after saving the settings.
Check the version of the operating system. DNS» (Private DNS) It is available in all newer versions, including Android 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. If you have a very old smartphone on Android 8 or lower, this method through system settings will not work, and you will have to look for alternatives, for example, setting up a smartphone. DNS Each Wi-Fi network separately.
⚠️ Note: Before changing your settings, write down your current values or take a screenshot. Although it is easy to return the settings back, having the original data will help avoid confusion if there are connection problems in the process.
You should also have a reliable address on hand. DNS-The most popular and proven solution for blocking ads is the server from AdGuard, whose address has not changed for years and remains relevant for all regions. DNS-servers may lead to leakage of data about your visits to the sites to third parties.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Step-by-step: setting up a private DNS
The setup process is the same for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, as it is based on Google Android standards. MIUI interface may vary slightly depending on the shell version (MIUI 12, 13, 14 or HyperOS), but the logic of the menu remains the same.
Open the standard Settings app first. At the top of the screen, use the search bar and type in a "DNS" or "Private DNS" request. The system will automatically find the menu item you want. If the search doesn't work, manually navigate along the way: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. In some versions of MIUI, this item may be in the "Connection" section.
By default, you choose Auto or Off mode, and you select the option “DNS Host Name” (or “Manual”). In the text box that appears, enter the server address. To block the ads, you use the address:
dns.adguard.comEnter the address carefully, without http:// or any extra characters. Domain name only. After entering, click Save. If the address is entered correctly, the system will confirm the action, and the key icon or the words "DNS" may appear in the status bar, indicating active protection.
What to do if the “Save” button is inactive?
After saving the settings, it is recommended to restart the smartphone. This is necessary in order that all background processes and applications re-initiate network requests through a new one. DNS-Without rebooting, some applications can continue to use old cached DNS-record.
Alternatives DNS-lock-in
While AdGuard is the most popular solution, there are other providers that offer similar functionality, such as server response speed, geographic location of nodes, and filtration rigour, and some users prefer to use servers that only block ads but skip analytics trackers to keep some applications running smoothly.
For example, servers from ControlD or NextDNS allow you to create personalized filter profiles, but they require registration and obtaining a personalized address. For most users of standard Xiaomi, public free solutions are enough. However, if the main server is slow in your region, it makes sense to test alternatives.
| DNS Provider | Hostname address (Hostname) | Features of filtration | Speed of operation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdGuard DNS | dns.adguard.com | Advertising, trackers, phishing | Tall. |
| ControlD (Free) | freedns.controld.com | Advertising, malvaret | Medium |
| Quad9 | dns.quad9.net | Safety without advertising | Very high. |
| NextDNS | Individual | Customizable | Depends on the tariff. |
When choosing a server, be open-minded. If the browser stops opening pages after changing the DNS or apps say "No network connection", then the server you choose is locked or unavailable on your network, in which case just return the settings to Auto mode or try another address from the list.
💡
Use Google Play’s AdGuard DNS app to quickly switch between modes, allowing you to enable locking only for certain Wi-Fi networks, such as home internet only, leaving the mobile DNS provider.
Diagnostics and Solving Connection Problems
Sometimes, after you turn on a private DNS, some applications may behave incorrectly, most often it is the applications of carriers, banking programs or enterprise services that use specific security certificates or require a direct connection to certain domains. If you notice that a particular application has stopped working, the problem is most likely to block its advertising module, which proved critical to launch.
In such cases, you don't have to turn off the protection completely. You can use the exception function if yours is not a security. DNS-This allows you (such as NextDNS) to switch to off mode temporarily only while using the problem application.However, for 95% of users, the setting of dns.adguard.com is completely transparent.
⚠️ Attention: If after the shift DNS If you have stopped opening any site, check the correctness of the entered address. An extra space at the end of the line or a typo in one letter will lead to a complete loss of access to the Internet.
It is also worth considering that DNS-filtering is not all-powerful. It cannot remove ads from apps that hard-wire ads into their content (like YouTube or some games), because ads are loaded from the same domains as useful videos. Such cases require more sophisticated methods, such as modified clients or root-enabled system blockers.
To diagnose problems, you can use ping commands or special applications to check the DNS, which will show which server is responding to your phone's requests at the moment, which will help make sure that the settings are applied correctly.
- 📉 Check the speed of loading pages in the browser.
- 🔄 Restart the problem application after turning on DNS.
- 🌐 Try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile internet.
- ⚙️ Make sure that the date and time settings are automatically determined.
💡
The main sign of successful configuration is the absence of banner ads in Xiaomi system applications (Conductor, Music, Themes) and the acceleration of page loading in the browser.