Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive marketing content that is built right into the shell of MIUI. The Redmi Note 8, despite its popularity and excellent characteristics, was no exception to the rule. Pop-ups in standard applications and recommendations in folders can be seriously annoying, reducing the comfort of daily use of the gadget.
Fortunately, there's a proven algorithm to minimize or eliminate this digital noise completely, so you don't need super-user rights or complex flashing of the device, you just need to go through a few things in the settings menu in sequence and turn off the specific services that collect data and display advertising materials.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at each step needed to clean the interface of your smartphone, we will look at both system switches and customizations of individual applications to ensure maximum results. Following the instructions, you will regain control of your device.
Disabling the MSA System Service
The centerpiece of the advertising ecosystem in the MIUI shell is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for receiving and displaying banner ads in various system applications. Without disabling this component, the rest of the settings may not be effective, so it is necessary to start cleaning from this one.
To find the right option, go to the settings menu and select Password and Security. Next, scroll down to Access to Personal Data or Special Opportunities, where you need to find msa in the list of installed services. You will see a switch that is activated by default.
When you try to turn off a service, the system will show a countdown timer of 10 seconds. This is a special mechanism for protecting against accidental shutdown, which requires confirmation of action. After the time has expired, press the "Disable" button. If you fail the first time, try repeating the procedure - sometimes the server may not respond instantly.
It is important to understand that disabling MSA does not disrupt the basic functions of the phone, calls or messages, but only stops the transmission of your actions to the company’s servers for advertising targeting, and after this operation, the number of pop-ups should be significantly reduced.
Configuring recommendations in system applications
Even after the main service is disabled, individual apps can continue to show recommendations if they activate the corresponding sliders. In Redmi Note 8, you need to check the settings of programs such as Music, Themes, Explorer and Downloads, each of which hides a separate mechanism for obtaining content.
For example, in the Themes app, you need to go to the user profile, click on the settings button and find the "Receive recommendations" option, a similar situation is observed in the Mi Music music player, where the "Settings" and "Extended settings" section also requires you to uncheck the "Show ads" item. Remember to save changes after each action.
List of applications for verification
In the MIUI shell, advertising modules are often integrated into standard utilities. Check also the Security app, the Cleanup section, and the file manager. The cache cleanup settings may also have a Receive Recommendations switch, which costs deactivate. Pay special attention to the Downloads app. Often this is where the notifications of hot offers accumulate. Open the three-dot menu, select Settings, and turn off the Receive Recommendations option. This will prevent pop-ups when you download files from coming from the Internet. App Path to setup What to disable Topics Profile → Settings Get recommendations Music Settings → Extended Display Ads Downloads Menu (3 points) → Settings Get recommendations Guide About the program → After performing all the manipulations, it is recommended to completely close the background applications and restart the smartphone. This will allow the system to apply new configurations and update the cached data, eliminating the re-image of already downloaded banners. Blocking Advertising through Private DNS One of the most effective modern methods of combating intrusive content is the use of protected content. DNS-This method works at the network connection level and allows you to block requests to known ad servers even before they reach the screen of your Redmi Note 8. To activate the function go to "Settings» → «Connection and sharing» → «Private DNS-Select the mode "Host Name of the provider" DNS» and type in the box: dns.adguard.com. Once you save the settings, the phone can interrupt the Internet connection for a second to reconnect. ⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-Some applications that aggressively monitor advertising identifiers can cause servers to run unstable, and if you notice problems loading pages in your browser, temporarily return the setting to Auto mode, the advantage of which is its versatility. It blocks not only Xiaomi’s system ads, but also banners in many mobile games and sites you visit through your browser. If you use a Wi-Fi network with manual settings IP, Make sure that there are no statics. DNS-Addresses that may conflict with the Private System Configuration DNS. In most cases, it is enough to leave the router settings on "Automatically" to the new one. DNS-The service worked correctly. Cleaning the browser and disabling notifications Often the source of irritation is not the system processes, but notifications from sites that you accidentally subscribed to when surfing the Internet. The Mi Browser or Chrome browser can show pop-ups even when the application is closed.This requires manually checking the permission list. Go to your browser settings, look for the Privacy and Security section or Site Settings section. There will be a list of “Notifications” or “Pop-ups». Carefully review the list of permitted resources and remove any suspicious domains, especially those whose names don’t tell you anything. 💡Use Incognito mode to visit unverified sites – this will prevent cookies from being saved and automatic subscription to push notifications of an advertising nature. Also in the Mi Browser browser itself, you should turn off the “Receive news” or “News Feed” function on the start page. To do this, click on the profile icon or menu at the bottom of the screen, go to the settings and select News Feed, then deactivate the display of the content. This will make the start page clean and minimalist. It will be useful to clear the browser cache. Go to Settings of the phone → «Annexes» → «All Apps", find your browser and click "Clear» → «Clear the cache». This will remove temporary files that may contain data to display targeted ads.Manage ad IDs In the depth of Android settings, a special identifier is hidden that advertisers use to track your interests. Resetting or disabling this identifier makes your profile less "transparent" to targeting algorithms, which indirectly affects the frequency and relevance of ads shown. MIUI The path to this setting can vary depending on the version of Android. It's usually located at» → «Password and security» → «Confidentiality» → «Advertising services. Here you will see the Reset Ad ID button, which resets the code regularly (e.g. once a month) breaks the link between your current activity and past browsing history. Ad networks are beginning to see the device as new, which temporarily reduces the intensity of personalized offers. In some versions of the firmware, the option “Disable Ad Personalization” is available. If such a switch is present in your menu, be sure to activate it. This will prevent the system from using your location and search queries data to select ad units. ⚠️ Warning: Disabling your advertising ID completely can make free apps more frequent but less relevant. Algorithms will simply show random banners because they won’t be able to match them to your interests. Additional measures and installation of blockers If the built-in system tools are not enough, you can use third-party software. There are specialized blocking applications that work locally on the device, filtering traffic without having to get root permissions. One popular solution is AdGuard or its analogues. APK-file from the official website of the developer, because in Google Play, such applications are often limited by the store policy. VPN-A tunnel through which all traffic will pass, cutting out advertising scripts on the fly. 💡Combination of system settings MIUI locally DNS-The filter has the maximum effect, removing up to 95% of all ads in the system and browser, and it is also worth checking the permissions for the system application “Get content” (if it is in your version of firmware). Go to App Management, find that service and forcefully stop it, then disable auto-run. This will prevent the background loading of news feeds and promotional material. MIUI Some settings may be reset to factory values. MSA And switches in the Topics and Music apps to make sure that the ads don't come back (FAQ) Is it safe to turn off the service? MSA Redmi Note 8? Yes, it's absolutely safe. MSA It is responsible solely for displaying advertisements and collecting statistics for marketing, and its disabling does not affect the operation of calls, SMS, Why does it reappear after the ad is turned off? This can happen after the system or individual applications are updated. Xiaomi sometimes returns default settings when major updates are made. MIUI. You will need to re-go through the procedure of disabling the msa service and check the sliders in the applications. Does blocking ads affect the speed of the phone? On the contrary, disabling advertising services and blocking requests to advertising servers through the DNS often speed up the interface and opening pages in the browser, since the device does not need to download heavy media banners. Do you need root rights to remove ads completely? No, for a basic and effective cleaning of ads on the Redmi Note 8, superuser rights are not required. The methods of system configuration and DNS described in the article are quite enough for comfortable use.