How to turn off advertising on Xiaomi MIUI 12

Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear in the most unexpected places on the interface, and it is especially annoying to see advertising images appear on the lock screen, which is called “Wallpaper Carousel” in the shell of MIUI 12.

Advertising is embedded in the system through special system applications that are formally part of the manufacturer's ecosystem. These components cannot be removed in the usual way, because they have system services rights. However, there is a proven algorithm of actions that allows you to completely remove advertising content without obtaining super-user rights (Root).

In this guide, we will discuss a detailed mechanism for disabling all sources of marketing materials, learn how to configure privacy settings, disable analytics services, and block MSA (MIUI System Ads) from working, and follow the instructions to return the device to the clean interface conceived by the developers.

The nature of advertising in the shell of MIUI 12

Advertising integrations in MIUI are not a random bug, but a well-thought-out business model: By selling hardware at a minimal margin, the manufacturer compensates for costs through software services. The main source of user annoyance is msa, which is responsible for data collection and content targeting.

In addition, the Wallpaper Carousel app automatically uploads new backgrounds from the Internet, mixing quality photos with advertising inserts, often activating this feature when you first set up your smartphone without noticing the details in the license agreement.

It's important to understand that removing ads completely requires a holistic approach: you can't just turn off one switch in the settings. System services duplicate each other, and disabling one option may not work if an adjacent feature is activated in another menu.

⚠️ Note: Before making changes to system settings, it is recommended to back up important data. Although the methods described are safe, accidental software failure is always possible.

Disabling Wallpaper Carousel on the lock screen

The first step to a clean lock screen is to deactivate the dynamic wallpaper source, and this module loads banner ads that look like part of the system interface, and you need to go to the settings menu of your device first.

Find the partition that controls the look of the locked screen. The path may be slightly different from one version of MIUI 12, but the logic remains the same. You'll need to find Wallpaper Carousel or Glance for Mi.

Once you log in, you need to uninstall the activation switch, but simply turning off the slider is often not enough, and you also need to clear the cache and data of this application to remove the advertising materials already downloaded from memory.

To do the cleaning, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. In the list, find Wallpaper Carousel. Inside the app menu, click Clear and select Clear All or Clear Data. This action will reset all module settings.

Blocking MSA Service and System Advertising

MSA (MIUI System Ads) is the main engine of advertising in the system, it analyzes your actions and determines which banners to show, and turning off this service is a critical step in Xiaomi optimization.

The disconnection process has one thing in common: the system will try hard to keep the user, suggesting that you wait 10 seconds before you try again, which is an artificial restriction that you just have to wait.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Passwords and security → Access to personal data.
• 🔍 Find the msa service in the list and turn off the switch.
• ⏳ A countdown timer will appear - wait for it to end and click "Disable».
• 🔄 If the system has an error “Can not get data”, try again. 2-3 once.

In addition to MSA, there are many other services in the system that can broadcast content, and the same Access to Personal Data menu recommends that rights be limited for Receiving Content, Usage Statistics, and Mi Video applications.

Configuring recommendations in system applications

The MIUI 12 shell contains embedded apps that are also sources of advertising recommendations, such as Music, Video, Explorer, Downloads and a standard browser, each with its own hidden switch.

To disable ads in Explorer, open the app, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings. Find the "About recommendations" item and deactivate it. Similar actions should be done in the Download Manager application.

The standard Mi Browser browser is more complicated, and it is recommended not to use it as the main browser, and if necessary, the settings (Menu → Settings → Privacy and Security) should disable Personal Guidelines.

Remember that after updating the operating system, some settings may reset to factory values, and periodic checks of these parameters will help keep the system clean.

Disabling Personalization and Analytics

Xiaomi uses analytics services to collect data on user behavior, and disabling these features not only increases privacy, but also reduces the likelihood of targeted advertising.

Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy. This is the important User Experience Program switch, which you need to deactivate.

This section may also include an item called “Advertising Services” or “Advertising ID” that can be reset by clicking on it, or completely disable advertising personalization, which breaks the link between your actions and advertising profiles.

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Expert advice: After disabling all advertising services, it is recommended to perform a full reboot of the device (turn off and on), rather than just restarting the screen.This ensures that the system caches are cleaned and background processes stop.

There is another hidden option available through the engineering menu or special applications, but for most users, standard privacy settings are enough.

Using DNS to Block Advertising

One of the most effective methods of combating advertising at the system level is the use of private DNS. This method does not require the installation of third-party applications and works at the network connection level.

The principle of operation is that your request to download an advertising banner is redirected to an empty address. DNS-server that filters advertising traffic.

Instructions for setting:

1. Open Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS.
2. Select the “DNS provider hostname” mode.
3. Enter the address: dns.adguard.com.
4. Save the settings.

This method blocks ads not only in MIUI system applications, but also in browsers, games and other programs, but it is worth considering that some free applications that exist due to advertising may not work correctly.

⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-servers may slightly increase ping in online games.If you are a professional esportsman, test connection stability after enabling this feature.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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A comprehensive ad shutdown on Xiaomi requires action in three ways: deactivating Oboi Karusel, blocking MSA service, and setting up privacy settings.