Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive marketing built into the shell of MIUI 13.This phenomenon has become a hallmark of the brand to keep affordable prices for devices, but it seriously annoys users accustomed to pure Android. Advertising can appear in application folders, when unlocking the screen, in standard utilities and even pop up on top of the interface.
Fortunately, MIUI 13 allows you to completely eliminate these elements without getting root permissions. The process requires you to do several actions in different sections of the menu, because there is no single "disconnect everything" button, and we will take each source of annoyance and show you how to forget about banners forever.
It is important to understand that disabling advertising modules does not disrupt the operating system, but only removes visual noise. Below are proven methods that are relevant to current versions of firmware, which will help return your gadget to its original appearance.
Disabling MSA Service is the Main Step
The centerpiece of the advertising system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which collects data about your actions and translates advertisements into system applications, and without it, all other settings will be ineffective.
To deactivate the component, you need to go to your phone's settings. Find the Passwords and Security section, then select Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find the msa service and put the slider in an inactive position. The system will try to dissuade you by saying that some features will stop working.
Ignore the warnings. You have to press "Disable" and wait 10 seconds until the confirmation button is active. Sometimes you can't turn it off the first time, in which case you repeat the procedure 3-4 times until the slider locks in.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
After successfully disabling MSA, the number of pop-ups should drop dramatically, but to achieve the ideal result, you need to configure other built-in services that can also stream content.
Setting up the "Security" application
The standard cleaning and antivirus protection utility often contains a “Recommendations” section, which is essentially a news feed with advertising splashes. This block can be displayed on the home screen of the Security app and consume traffic.
To clean the interface, open the Security app. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner to enter the settings. Here, find Receive recommendations and turn it off. It's also worth checking the Viruses section inside the settings and removing the tick from Get recommendations if it's there.
⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse disabling recommendations with disabling virus database updates. Antivirus protection should remain active for the security of your data.
Additionally, in the Security settings, you can turn off charging and memory cleanup notifications if they seem excessive, making the utility quieter and more invisible to the user.
Cleaning the conductor and the topic “Downloads”
The file manager in MIUI 13 often offers “Interesting” or “Recommended,” which is a disguised advertisement for apps and games, especially in the Downloads folder, where instead of listing files, the user sees a motley feed of offers.
To return the classic look to the explorer, open the Explorer app. Click on the menu (three bars) and go to Settings. Find the Content or Recommendations section and select the option Do not receive or Off. After that, the interface becomes minimalist.
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If there is still advertising in the conductor, try clearing the app cache through Settings → Apps → All Apps → Explorer → Clear the cache.
A similar situation can be observed in the Downloads app. Go to its settings through three dots in the corner of the screen and turn off Show recommended content. This action will hide the banner ads that sometimes overlap the list of downloaded files.
Remove ads in the browser and Mi Video
The standard Mi Browser browser and Mi Video player are among the most aggressive sources of marketing content, and they often have their own notification settings and news feeds that are enabled by default.
In Mi Browser, go to settings (three bars → Settings). Find the Notifications section and turn off all sliders related to news and recommendations. Also, go to the Home Page Settings and turn off News Feed or Cards, leaving only the address bar.
The Mi Video app is similar: Open the app's settings, find Receive recommendations or push notifications and deactivate them, and this will prevent pop-ups from showing you a new movie or TV series.
If you don’t use standard Xiaomi apps, you can simply remove or disable them. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find an unnecessary service, and click Delete or Disable.
Comparison of methods of disabling advertising
There are several approaches to combating intrusive marketing, from manually disabling each service to using third-party tools, and understanding the differences will help you choose the best strategy for your level of technology proficiency.
Manually shutting down through settings is safe and requires no special knowledge, but takes time. ADB-Installing third-party launchers changes the look, but doesn't always remove system advertising.
| Method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Low. | Tall. | Minimum |
| Set-up of applications | Low. | Medium | No. |
| Use of ADB | Tall. | Maximum | Average (code error) |
| Third-party launchers | Medium | Partial | Instability of work |
For most users, the combination of the first two methods (disabling MSA and manually configuring applications) is optimal, and this gives 95% of the result without having to get into the wilds of system code.
Additional sources of irritation
Even after the basic setup, small but unpleasant surprises can remain, such as folders on the desktop sometimes offer “Recommended Apps”, and the lock screen can show “Wallpaper Carousel” with advertising slogans.
To remove recommendations in folders, open any folder on your desktop. Click on the folder name (or three folder dots/settings) and find the Recommended Applications switch. Turn it to the Off position.
To turn off the wallpaper carousel, go to Settings → Lock screen. Find the wallpaper carousel and turn it off. Also, remove the tick from Get content in the lock theme settings.
What to do if the advertisement appears again?
Another source is the Music and Themes app, and the settings for these apps also have "Receive recommendations" and "Show ads" items that should be deactivated for complete silence.
Using DNS to block
One of the most effective and elegant ways to block ads at the system level is to use a private DNS. This method does not require installing applications and works even in cases where system settings do not help.
Go to Settings → Connection & Sharing → Private DNS. Select the DNS Host Name option and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save settings.
The move will redirect all your phone's ad requests to the AdGuard servers that filter them out.The ad will disappear not only in the system but also in some apps and browsers where it has previously slipped.
⚠️ Attention: When using private DNS Some ad integrations in apps may stop working (for example, the ability to get a bonus for watching videos in games). If this happens, just return the settings. DNS in the position of “Auto».
The DNS method is a versatile solution for MIUI 13 and newer versions, and provides an additional level of privacy by hiding your requests from advertising trackers.
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Combination of shutdown MSA use DNS-AdGuard filter gives almost 100% guarantee of no advertising in the system Xiaomi.