How to Turn Off Ads on POCO X3 Pro: A Complete Guide to Cleaning Up MIUI

POCO smartphones are famous for their price-performance ratio, but Xiaomi’s aggressive advertising policies often overshadow the user experience. Owners of the POCO X3 Pro model regularly face intrusive offers that appear in system applications and even on the lock screen.

Fortunately, the MIUI architecture allows you to configure the system with a lot of flexibility, disabling most of the ad modules without losing functionality, so you don't have to be a programmer or install third-party launchers to get the interface back clean, you just need to go through the key security settings and system applications consistently.

In this guide, we will look at all known methods of removing ads, including hidden switches in the developer menu and disabling system services. Attention: some menu items may vary slightly depending on the firmware version (Global, EEA or China), but the logic of actions remains the same for all regions.

MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising

The main culprit behind banners and pop-ups is MIUI System Ads (MSA), which collects your preferences and broadcasts content, and to get rid of it, you need to find the appropriate item in your authorization settings.

Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to Personal Data. Here you will see a long list of apps that have access to various phone features. Search in the msa list and turn off the slider. The system will warn you of the consequences by suggesting that you wait 10 seconds before confirming.

• 🔴 Click on the countdown timer and wait for the end of time.
• 🔴 Select the “Cancel” option to confirm the disconnection.
• 🔴 Repeat the procedure. 2-3 The server may not respond the first time.

⚠️ Warning: If the recall button is inactive or writes a network error, try switching to mobile internet or other Wi-Fi. Sometimes Xiaomi servers are temporarily unavailable, and trying again after 10 minutes solves the problem.

After successfully disabling MSA, the number of ads in the system will decrease dramatically, but this does not remove all the advertising integrations built into specific applications like Explorer or Music. It is also worth remembering that completely removing the service can affect the operation of some widgets, although the basic functionality of the POCO X3 Pro is not affected.

Setting up the lock screen and wallpaper carousel

The POCO X3 Pro lock screen is most often displayed through the Wallpaper Carousel feature, which replaces a static image with a dynamic feed of news and suggestions from partners, and for many users, this is the main cause of discomfort when using a smartphone.

To remove the ad units, go to Settings → Lock screen. You need to find the wallpaper carousel (or "Glance") and turn it off completely. If you want to leave the change of pictures, but without advertising, in the settings of the carousel itself, uncheck the boxes from "Receive content" and "Use mobile network".

Also check widget settings. Often banner ads are disguised as news or weather widgets, which are installed by default on your desktop or lock screen. Remove any suspicious widgets by replacing them with a standard watch or calendar from Google.

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Use static high-resolution wallpaper instead of the Carousel – this will not only remove ads, but also save the battery power of the POCO X3 Pro, since the screen does not have to constantly update the image.

Cleaning system applications from advertising

Even after disabling the MSA, individual system utilities can continue to show offers. In MIUI, virtually every embedded application has its own ad switch that needs to be manually deactivated. This takes time, but guarantees a clean interface.

Start with the Security app. Open it, click on the gear in the top right corner, and find the "Get recommendations." Turn it off. You can do the same thing in the Explorer, Downloads, Themes, and Music apps, and look for settings with names like "Recommendations," "Advertisements" or "Get recommendations."

Pay special attention to the Mi Video and Mi Browser app, which are the most aggressive content promotion services. Go to your browser settings → privacy and security → and disable Personalized Guidelines. The gallery also needs to check your cloud settings to avoid pop-ups offering to buy storage space.

Use of Developer Mode and DNS

For advanced users, there is a way to block ads at the network level, using a private DNS allows you to filter traffic before it even gets to applications, a universal way that works not only for Xiaomi, but for any Android system.

First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI». After that, a new section will appear in the "Additional" menu, "For developers", and then you can find the "Private" item there. DNS» (Private DNS) and select "Host Name of the Provider" DNS».

Enter the address of a trusted ad blocker, such as dns.adguard.com. Save settings and restart the device. This method effectively removes banners in free apps and some system services that do not require deep integration with Xiaomi servers.

⚠️ Attention: When in use DNS-Some applications (such as carrier or banking) may not work properly or open.If you encounter problems, temporarily disable Private DNS or add exceptions to the router settings.

Removing Bloated Software through ADB

The most radical, but also the most effective, way is to use USB debugging and ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tools, which allows you to remove system applications that cannot be removed by standard means, including Mi Video, Mi Music and other advertising-generating services.

To do this, you'll need a computer and a USB cable. Activate USB debugging in the developer menu on the POCO X3 Pro. Connect your phone to your PC, download the SDK Platform Tools platform, and run the command line. Enter the adb device command to make sure the device is visible.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.player




adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser

These commands will remove Xiaomi's video player, music player and browser, replacing them with standard Android counterparts or ones you install yourself.Be careful: removing critical system packages can lead to unstable operation or cyclical reboot.

Frequent questions and troubleshooting

Even following the instructions, users may encounter nuances of MIUI, such as resetting some settings after a firmware update and having to repeat the procedure, and myths that advertising is needed to run the phone, which is not true.

If the ads continue to appear after all the manipulations, check the installed applications from unknown sources. Often viruses or aggressive launchers are masquerading as system processes. Scan the device through Security → Antivirus.

It is important to understand the difference between in-person advertising and personalized offers, and disabling the former does not affect the latter unless you withdraw consent to the processing of data in the Privacy section.

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An integrated approach combining disconnection MSA, manually configuring applications and using DNS-This allows you to remove 99% of all advertising on the POCO X3 Pro, making the use of the smartphone comfortable.