How to turn off ads on Xiaomi Poco M5s

Xiaomi’s Poco series is famous for its excellent price-performance ratio, but the cost of the Poco M5s is a costly and intrusive advertising experience. Poco M5s owners often face pop-ups in system applications, screen-unlock banners, and folder recommendations. This is part of the MIUI shell monetization strategy, but fortunately most of these elements can be deactivated without obtaining superuser rights.

The process of cleaning the interface from marketing noise requires sequential passage through several settings, since there is no single “Disconnect Everything” button in the system. You will have to change the parameters of security, browser, music player and system services. Despite the apparent complexity, the entire procedure takes no more than 15 minutes and significantly improves the comfort of daily use of the gadget. In this article, we will detail every step necessary to completely clean the Poco M5s.

It’s worth noting that after major operating system updates, some settings may be reset or new sources of advertising may appear. This material will be useful both for initial configuration of the new device and for periodic checks of current parameters.

Disabling MSA System Advertising

The main source of intrusive banners in the MIUI shell is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system process, which is responsible for collecting data about your preferences and displaying advertising materials in various corners of the interface. The first and most important step is to send a request to terminate authorization of this service. To do this, go to the Settings menu, select the Passwords and Security section, and find the Access to personal data.

In the app list that opens, find the msa string and put the switch in an inactive state. The system will warn you that some functions may stop working correctly, but for the average user this is not critical. After turning off the slider, you need to wait exactly 10 seconds until the confirmation button becomes active. Press Stop. If the system gives an error or the timer does not start, repeat the procedure again - this is a common feature of the interface.

In parallel with the MSA disabling, it is recommended that you disable the collection of data to personalize advertising. In the same menu, find the Privacy and Security section and go to the Advertising Services. You must disable the option "Personalized Ads." This action will not remove the ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and unrelated to your interests.

⚠️ Note: If you have ads in folders or themes left after you turn off the msa service, try restarting your device. Changes to Android system processes often take effect only after you have a full power cycle on and off.

Setting up the Security Application

The built-in Security app on Xiaomi Poco M5s is one of the main sources of annoyance, as it regularly shows promotional recommendations when cleaning memory or checking viruses. To get rid of this, open the Security app and click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen. In the settings menu that opens, find the Receive Recommendations switch and deaktivate it.

Next, in the same settings menu, look for the About section, which is often where additional advertising activity is hidden. Click on it and turn off the Receive Recommendations option. This action will stop pop-ups asking you to install games or partner apps as soon as you complete the scan.

It's also worth checking the memory cleaner settings inside the app. Sometimes banner ads are integrated directly into the scan interface. Make sure all sliders related to news or recommendations are off. This will provide a clean interface when performing routine smartphone maintenance tasks.

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If you use third-party antiviruses, the built-in virus scanner in the Security app can not be run, which will also reduce the likelihood of accidentally opening advertising windows.

Cleaning up from advertising in system applications

Advertising integrations are deeply embedded in Xiaomi’s standard suite of apps. To maximize comfort, you need to go through each of them individually. Start with a file explorer, which often offers to install a cleaner or antivirus when you first run. Open Explorer, click on the menu (three bars), and select Settings → About the program where you want to disable recommendations.

The Music app also contains hidden ad settings. Go to the profile menu, click on the settings icon and find "Show ads" or "Receive recommendations." A similar procedure is required for the Topic app: go to the profile (the person in the corner), click on the settings (cogs), and turn off all notifications, promotions and personalized recommendations.

Don't forget about Mi Browser if you use it. It's known for its aggressive advertising policy. Go to your browser settings, look for the Privacy and Security section and disable Personalized Guidelines. It's also recommended that you clear your browser cache to remove banner ads that have already been downloaded.

Below is a table summarizing the actions for the main applications:

Removing Advertising on the Lock Screen

The wallpaper carousel (or Glance Wallpaper Carousel) is a feature that replaces the static lock image with a news feed with inlays. On Poco M5s, it can be activated by default. To get rid of it, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen.

Find the wallpaper carousel and click on it. Turn off the wallpaper carousel switch in the menu that opens. If you want to leave the image change function but remove the ads, that's impossible, unfortunately -- it only works in conjunction with the news feed.

Also check the theme settings. Some third-party themes downloaded from Themes may have their own ads on the lock screen. If you have the ads left after all the settings, try changing the theme to a standard Classic or Default, which will help determine whether the source of the ad is systemic or embedded in a specific design package.

⚠️ Warning: If you turn off the wallpaper carousel, you will lose the ability to see news and beautiful scenery every time you turn on the screen.

Disabling notifications from Mi Video and other services

Mi Video often sends push notifications asking you to watch new movies or TV shows, which is essentially a disguised ad. To stop this flow, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Find Mi Video and completely disable notifications.

The alternative is inside the app itself. Open Mi Video, go to profile and settings, where you need to uncheck "Push Notification" and "Autoplay." Similar actions should be repeated for the Mi Community app if you are not actively using it, as it is also a distribution channel for marketing materials.

For those who use Google Assistant or other Google services on Poco M5s, it’s worth checking the personalization settings in your Google account, too. While this is not directly applicable to Xiaomi’s system, the comprehensive approach reduces overall noise.

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Disabling notifications from system applications is the most radical but effective way to get rid of advertising junk, which is often masqueraded as useful tips.

Additional measures and FAQ

If standard methods have not been able to completely clean Poco M5s, more advanced but secure methods can be used, such as using an ad-blocking DNS (e.g. dns.adguard.com) in DNS settings (Private DNS) can cut off network-level advertising requests.

Another option is to install alternative apps for basic features: Replace your standard browser with Chrome or Firefox with a blocker, use a third-party video player like VLC instead of Mi Video, which will ignore the built-in ad modules of the system, just without running them.

In conclusion, regular checking of privacy settings is the key to comfortable use of Xiaomi Poco M5s. Despite the abundance of advertising integrations, the system provides the user with enough tools to control them. Following the steps described above, you will turn your smartphone into a clean and functional tool, free from intrusive marketing.