Owners of budget smartphones such as Xiaomi Redmi 9C NFC, often face intrusive advertising built into the shell MIUI. This is a fee for the affordable cost of the device, but to put up with constant pop-ups and banners in system applications is not necessary.
The process of cleaning the system from marketing garbage requires several steps to be taken in a sequence, you have to disable the MSA system service, which is responsible for displaying ads, and configure individual applications like Explorer and Music. Despite the apparent complexity, the entire procedure takes no more than 15 minutes and does not require superuser rights.
In this guide, we will discuss each stage in detail, paying attention to the specifics of the Redmi model. 9C. You will learn how to block ads in the browser, disable personalization and use DNS-You follow the instructions and you turn your smartphone into a clean tool for work and entertainment.
Disabling the MSA System Service
The main source of banner ads in the MIUI shell is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) process, which analyzes your actions and loads the ad modules into different sections of the interface, the first and most important step is to force the stop and disable the authorization of this component.
First, you need to find the service in the settings. Go to the Settings menu → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. In the list that opens, find the msa and turn off the slider next to it. The system will warn you of the consequences and start a countdown timer for 10 seconds.
⚠️ Warning: If you click on the "Disable" button and you have an error or the timer resets, don't panic. This is standard behavior. 3-5 once in a row until a confirmation message appears.
Once you successfully disable your data, go back to the app menu. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Search for "msa," open the app you find, and click Stop and then Delete Data, which will clear the ad service's cache.
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If you can’t find the msa service on the list, try switching your smartphone region to India or the US in the “Additional → Region” settings, disabling, and then returning your region back.
Configuring MIUI system applications
Even after the MSA service is disabled, individual embedded apps can continue to show advertising recommendations. In the Xiaomi Redmi 9C NFC model, Explorer, Music, Themes and Downloads are especially active, each with its own privacy settings that need to be changed manually.
Consider setting up the most important utilities. Open Explorer, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings → About. Here you need to find Receive recommendations and deactivate it. Similar actions are required for the Downloads application (Settings → Show recommended content).
- 🎵 Music: Click on the menu → Settings → Advanced settings → Receive recommendations (turn off).
- 🎨 Topics: Profile → Settings → Display ads (off) and Receive recommendations (off).
- 📁 Cleaning: Settings → Receive recommendations (turn off).
Also, remember to check the settings of the Security app, which is where the notifications for viruses or junk, which are actually promotional links, come in. Go to Settings → General settings and turn off Receive recommendations.
☑️ Verification of system applications
Blocking Advertising via DNS and Wi-Fi
One of the most effective methods of combating advertising is the use of private DNS, which allows you to block requests to ad servers at the network level without requiring the installation of third-party software. For Redmi 9C, this method works stably and does not affect Internet speed.
To activate the function, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name and enter dns.adguard.com. Save the changes. Now all requests to known advertising domains will be blocked automatically.
| Parameter | Meaning | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Regime. | Host name | Manual DNS setup |
| Address | dns.adguard.com | AdGuard Blocker Server |
| Impact | Systemic | Works in all browsers and applications |
| Speed. | No change. | Doesn't slow the connection. |
It’s worth noting that this method doesn’t block ads inside Google and YouTube apps, as they use the same domains as the main content, but for web surfing and most games, it’s the perfect solution.
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Use of the DNS-Filtering (dns.adguard.com) – the easiest way to remove 80% of ads in your browser and games without installing additional programs.
Personalization and system recommendations
The MIUI shell aims to be smart, offering you content on the lock screen and in folders, and that's what's in the "Personalization" section, and if you want to see only your widgets and wallpaper, you have to turn those features off.
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Special features. This is the wallpaper carousel. If it's active, turn it off so that the screen doesn't show any ads. It's also worth checking the folder settings on your desktop.
Open any app folder on the home screen. Click on the folder name to open the menu, and select Settings. Tick off Ads and Recommended Apps. Now the folders will only contain what you put there.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling Wallpaper Carousel can cause the lock screen to become static.If you need changing wallpaper, install a third-party app from Google Play, such as the Wallpaper Engine.
Notifications from browsers and websites
Users often confuse MIUI system advertising with intrusive notifications from sites they accidentally subscribed to in a browser. If your Redmi 9C NFC constantly pops up messages about “win” or “viruses”, the problem lies in the browser settings.
Consider an example for the standard Mi Browser browser. Open the app, go to Settings → Privacy & Security. Find Notifications or Pop-Up Block and make sure that protection is enabled. It's also helpful to clear site data.
For Google Chrome, the path will be: Settings → Site Settings → Notifications. Here you will see a list of sites that are allowed to send notifications. Click on a suspicious site and choose Clean and Reset or simply disable notifications.