Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. For the Redmi 5 Plus model released a few years ago, this problem may be especially relevant due to accumulated firmware updates MIUI. Advertising is built deep into the system and serves as a source of income for the manufacturer, allowing you to keep the price of the device at an affordable level.
However, smartphone use becomes torture when banners override app content or notifications pop up on the desktop. Fortunately, there are many effective ways to block unwanted content without having to obtain root rights. In this article, we will go into detail all the methods, from simple menu settings to advanced DNS manipulation.
You will learn how to pinpoint disable ad modules in specific applications and how to block them at the operating system level. Complete disabling of MSA (MIUI System Ads) service is a key step to get rid of 90% of all banners. Follow the instructions carefully to make using your Redmi 5 Plus comfortable and safe.
Disabling system advertising in the Security application
The main source of annoying pop-ups is often the built-in Security app, which scans the device and simultaneously displays promotional offers, and to remove them, you need to change the settings of the application itself.
Open the smartphone settings menu and find Security. The top right corner of the screen has a gear icon that indicates the settings of this module. Here you need to find General Settings and deaktivate the Receive Recommendations option, which will stop showing news feeds and banner ads inside the scanner.
Then check the other subsections of the same app. Often the ads are hidden in the memory cleanup or speed optimization menu. Go through all the tabs available inside the security settings and make sure the switches containing the words "recommendations" or "advertisements" are turned off.
- 🔒 Turn off the "Receive References" function in the general security settings of the app.
- 🧹 Check the memory cleaner settings for active advertising modules.
- 🛡️ Disable the Security app from accessing the internet in its data usage settings if it continues to load content.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove the Security application forcefully through system files, as this may disrupt the permissions for other programs and lead to system instability.
Once you do this, the interface will be clean, but this is only the first step, because other system components can also stream content.
Managing MSA Service and Personalized Advertising
MSA (MIUI System Ads) is the main agent of Xiaomi’s advertising network, and it is the process that collects your preferences and delivers targeted ads, and disabling this service is the most effective method of combating intrusiveness.
First, you need to find the service in the list of installed applications. Go to Settings, then select Apps and click All Apps. In the list, find MSA. If you don't see it right away, search for it or turn system processes on the settings menu.
Inside the MSA app menu, you'll see the Receive Recommendations switch, and when you try to turn it off, the system will insist on leaving the function on by running a countdown of 10 seconds, and you'll have to wait until the timer ends and press the turn off button again, and this random delete protection mechanism is standard for MIUI shells.
What to do if the MSA disable button is inactive?
If the switch is gray or immediately returns to its original position, try to first turn off the Internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data), turn off the service, and then deny it access to the network at the "Data Use". After that, you can turn the Internet back on.> In parallel with the MSA disabling, it is recommended to prohibit the personalization of advertising in your Xiaomi account. This will prevent the analysis of your behavior to form an advertising profile. This setting is located in the Settings -> Password and Security -> Privacy -> Advertising Services. System component Location in the menu Action Service MSA Annexes -> All applications -> MSA Turn off "Receive recommendations" Mi Video app Mi Video -> Profile -> Settings Disable "Receive recommendations" Music Mi Music App -> Settings -> Additional Turn off "Show Advertising" Topics App Topics -> Profile -> Settings Disable "Receive recommendations" After disabling the service MSA The system can be more stable, because the background load associated with downloading advertising content disappears, which is especially important for Redmi 5 Plus, whose resources are not unlimited. Themes, Music and Explorer Individual system applications have their own built-in ad-show mechanisms, even when the global service is disabled. MSA, They can continue to display banners if they don't change their custom settings. This is one of the main sources of visual noise. Open the app, go to the profile (human icon) and click on the gear settings. Here you need to turn off the Receive recommendations and Auto Update themes, if it is also accompanied by advertising inserts. The Music app also needs attention. Go to the player settings, find the Additional or Advanced Settings section, there's a display ad switch hidden there. open the menu, select settings and remove the tick from the item Get recommendations. 🎵 In the Music app, disable the display of advertising in the "Additional" section". 📁 In the Explorer, remove the recommendation tape in the settings. 🎨 In the Application Topics, prohibit the automatic download of promotional materials. 📰 In the Mi Browser app, disable push notifications and news feed. Also, remember to check the widget settings on your desktop. Often, it's the "Tape" or "Cards" widget that loads advertising articles and news. With a long tap on the empty space of the screen, you can remove unnecessary widgets or customize their contents. Block ads through settings. DNS The most radical and effective way is to block ads at the network connection level. DNS It allows you to filter out requests to known ad servers before they even reach your smartphone. 5 Plus with Android version 9 and shell MIUI 10/11 This method works great. Go to Settings, select Connection and Sharing (or Additional Settings). DNS (Private DNS). In the window that opens, select the hostname of the provider. DNS (or "Manual") and enter the address: dns.adguard.com Save settings. Now all traffic going through Wi-Fi and mobile network will pass through AdGuard filters, which will remove advertising not only in system applications, but also in the browser and in many games. ⚠️ Note: When using a third party DNS Some apps or sites may not work properly or take longer to load.If you experience Internet access issues, return the settings DNS It's a method that doesn't require any additional apps to be installed, and it doesn't affect the speed of the smartphone, but it does block only known ad domains. Sometimes the ads come in the form of normal push notifications from the apps you installed. Even if the system ads are disabled, third-party programs may abuse permissions. To control this flow, go to Settings -> Notifications -> Notification Center. Here you will see a list of all apps that have the right to display messages on the screen. Go through the list and turn off notifications for programs where they are not critical (for example, games, stores, news aggregators). In the Battery and Performance (or Battery Consumption) menu, you can configure the application mode. For suspicious programs, select No Limits mode only if it is a messenger, and for the rest, it is better to set Energy Savings or limit background activity manually. Another important aspect is permissions. Go to the Apps -> Permits -> Display on top of other applications. Leave this access only for system functions (e.g. phone book or navigator). Third-party apps should not be allowed to overlay the screen, which is often used to display full-screen ads. 📉 Turn off notifications for unused apps in the Notification Center. 🔋 Limit background activity in battery settings. 🚫 Take the permission to display on top of other applications from suspicious programs. Regularly checking these settings will help keep the interface clean. Over time, new applications may request unnecessary rights, so it is worth periodically reviewing the permission list. If built-in tools are not enough, you can use third-party solutions. However, with its limited RAM, Redmi 5 Plus should choose lightweight applications that will not overload the system. A popular solution is AdGuard. It can work in a local mode. VPN, filtering traffic without the need to configure DNS You may need to download it manually. APK-The file is from the official website, because Google Play often cuts down on blockers, and another option is to use browsers with built-in protection, such as DuckDuckGo or Brave, to surf the Internet. This will eliminate ads on websites, which are often the heaviest content for a smartphone processor.When installing any blockers, keep a close eye on the permissions requested. Data security is as important as the absence of banners. Is it safe to install blockers from unknown sources? APK-Files from official developer sites (such as AdGuard or Blokada) are secure. However, avoid questionable resources, as modified versions with malicious code may spread there. Always check the digital signature of the application if you can, or use an antivirus scanner before installing it. Will disabling ads affect the way apps work? In most cases, apps continue to work correctly. However, in some free games or services that exist solely through advertising, functionality may be limited or the application may stop running. In such cases, you have to balance comfort with access to content. Do you have to reflash your phone to remove ads completely? No, flashing to a global version or custom firmware (e.g., Pixel Experience) is not necessary. 95-99% promotion. Flashing is an extreme measure that requires unlocking the bootloader, which can lead to loss of warranty and data. Will ads return after the MIUI update? After a major system update, some settings may reset to factory values. It is recommended that after each OS update, after each OS update, you recheck the status of the MSA service and personalization settings to make sure that the ads are not activated again. Can the MSA system application be removed completely? Without root rights, you can not remove MSA, only disable. With root rights, deletion is possible, but extremely not recommended, as this can disrupt the operation of other components of the MIUI shell from Xiaomi libraries, which can be deletions.