How to turn off ads on Xiaomi Redmi 4X: the full guide

Owning a budget smartphone Xiaomi Redmi 4X is often accompanied not only by cost savings, but also obsessive attention from the system MIUI. Users are faced with banner ads in standard applications, pop-up windows in the conductor and recommendations in the interface, which significantly reduces the comfort of the device.

Fortunately, the firmware architecture allows you to manually deactivate most irritating elements without having to get root rights or flash the machine.The process requires care, since the settings are scattered across different menus hidden from the eyes of the average user. In this article, we will detail each step necessary to turn your gadget into a clean tool.

Before we make any changes, it’s important to understand that removing all marketing integrations may require turning off some services that could be useful in theory, but for most Redmi 4X owners, the cleanliness and speed of the interface, which often suffers from background advertising processes, are the top priority.

MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising

The centerpiece of the MIUI advertising ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which is responsible for collecting data about your actions and displaying targeted banners in different parts of the system, the first and most important step being to deactivate it through authorization settings.

First, you go to the smartphone settings menu and find the account and security section, and there's a switch that controls permission to display ads, and it's important to do things quickly, because the system will try to hold the user down by suggesting that you wait or cancel the action.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• 📱 Open Settings and go to Passwords and Security.
• 🔒 Select Access to Personal Data (or Authorization and Privacy).
• 🔍 Find the msa service in the list and turn off the switch next to it.
• ⏳ After disconnecting, a countdown timer will appear for 10 seconds - wait for its end and press Disconnect.

⚠️ Warning: If you failed to turn off the service the first time and you received an error message, don't panic. This is standard system protection. 2-3 on a regular basis, usually on the second attempt MSA successfully deactivated.

After a successful shutdown, it is recommended to restart the device so that the changes take effect and the background processes cease to be active, which will significantly reduce the load on the Redmi 4X processor and reduce battery consumption.

Setup of system applications: Security and Explorer

Even after the main service is disabled, individual system utilities may continue to display advertising materials, primarily the standard antivirus and file manager, which in MIUI firmware often serve as additional channels for distributing content.

Start with the Security app, which is the default recommendation app, and to remove banners from this section, you have to go to its settings, open the menu in the top corner, and find the news item, and disabling this feature will clear the utility's main screen of unnecessary visual noise.

Then you should pay attention to Explorer, where ads often appear as news feeds or launch recommendations, and the process of turning off is similar: log into the application settings through the hamburger menu and look for the About or Settings section, where you remove the tick from the "Receive recommendations" item.

Here is a list of apps that require a separate settings check:

• 📂 Conductor: Settings section → deactivate “Recommendations».
• 🛡️ Security: settings (cogs) → disable "Receive recommendations».
• 🎵 Music: settings → additionally → Turn off "Showing ads».
• 🎥 Video: Profile → setting → disable online recommendations.

💡

Use third-party launchers like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair to completely replace the standard MIUI desktop and get rid of widgets with news and ads on the home screen.

Cleaning the theme interface and desktop

The MIUI shell on Redmi 4X includes many visual elements that can broadcast advertising content, especially the default theme, which often contains built-in banners on the lock screen and in the control menu.

To minimize the presence of marketing, it is recommended to go to the Themes app. Even if you do not plan to change the design, you need to go to the user profile and turn off the Wallpaper Carousel (or Widget Ribbon) function. This service replaces the static image on the lock screen on the slideshow with news and advertising inserts.

You should also check the settings of the desktop itself. A long tap on an empty area of the screen will cause the editing menu to select the Settings section. You should turn off the option of Google Discover or Mi Video, which opens when you swipe to the left, as it is often oversaturated with sponsored content.

Personalization and advertising identifiers

At the core of Xiaomi’s system settings, there are parameters governing data collection for targeting. Even if you’ve disabled core services, your smartphone can continue to collect information about your habits to build an advertising profile, and disabling these features will increase privacy.

You need to find Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy. This is where the Advertising Services or Advertising ID is located. When you click on it, you will see the option to reset your ID or completely disable personalized ads.

In addition, the Privacy section checks the permissions for system services such as MIUI Daemon or Analytics, and restricting their network access or completely disabling them (if the firmware version allows) will prevent telemetry from being transmitted to the manufacturer’s servers.

⚠️ Note: Disabling analytics services may cause some features to malfunction, such as automatic photo sorting or smart recommendations if you use them.

Notifications from system applications

One of the most annoying forms of advertising on the Redmi 4X is push notifications from system apps.Messages about "hot offers," Mi Community news, or optimization tips are often disguised ads.

To combat this, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Scroll through the list and find apps with the MIUI logo or system name. Each should check the notification categories in detail and disable those labeled as Marketing, Recommendations or News.

Pay special attention to GetApps (Xiaomi app store) and Mi Video, which tend to be aggressively punching, and in their notification settings, you can completely disable the display of messages in the curtain, leaving only critical system aerials.

Checklist for cleaning notifications:

• 🔕 Go to Notification Management.
• 📱 Find the GetApp app and disable all categories.
• 🎬 Turn off notifications for Mi Video and Music.
• 📢 Check the system notifications for the items “Promotions».

Using DNS to block at the network level

For Redmi 4X owners who want to get the most out of it, there is a way to block ads at the network level, using a private DNS that filters traffic and prevents banner ads from loading in apps and browsers even before they are displayed on the screen.

This method does not require any additional software installation and works on the Android operating system level (starting with version 9, which is available for Redmi 4X).

Instructions for setting:

dns.adguard.com

Enter this address in the Private DNS Settings field. Path to Settings: Settings → Connection and Sharing (or Additional Settings) → Private DNS. Select the DNS Provider Host Name mode and enter the address.

⚠️ Attention: If selected DNS-The server will stop working or be overloaded, the Internet on the phone may become unavailable. DNS auto-mode».

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

💡

Integrated approach including shutdown MSA, setting up notifications and use DNS-This filter allows you to eliminate 99% of the advertising content on Xiaomi Redmi. 4X loss of guarantee.