How to turn off advertising on the screensaver Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive content that appears in the most unexpected places of the interface. One of the most annoying features of the MIUI shell is advertising that pops up on the lock screen or screensaver of the device. It is not just a random bug, but an embedded marketing system designed to monetize the affordable cost of the gadget.

Fortunately, the developers have provided the ability to deactivate these features, although they have hidden the settings deep enough. In this article, we will detail how to remove banner ads from the screensaver, disable MSA system services and return a clean interface. You do not need superuser rights or complex manipulation of code.

The shutdown process takes only a few minutes, but requires care, as some menu items can be renamed in different versions of the firmware.We will look at current methods for Android and MIUI, which are guaranteed to work on most of the current models of smartphones and tablets of this manufacturer.

The Nature of the Advertising Scene in MIUI

The lock screen ads come from the Wallpaper Carousel function, or MSA (MIUI System Ads) system service, which is a built-in mechanism that loads images with news, promotions and offers every time you wake up a device, an option that is often activated immediately after the first smartphone is turned on.

Many users confuse live wallpaper and carousel with virus software, but this is the usual behavior of the system. Xiaomi uses this channel to promote its services and partners. Understanding that it is not malicious code, but an interface setting helps to relate to the process of disabling it through the standard menu.

It's worth noting that removing ads completely requires a holistic approach, and simply changing the image is not enough, because you have to stop the system from downloading new content. Below, we'll look at the main sources of banners.

• 📱 Service MSA — main module responsible for data collection and display of advertising in the system.
• 🖼️ Wallpaper carousel – a function that replaces a static image of a block with a stream of media content.
• 📡 Personalized recommendations – algorithms that select ads based on your activity.

⚠️ Note: Disabling system services may affect some built-in widgets, but the basic functionality of the phone will remain fully functional.

Disable MSA service through settings

The first and most important step is to disable MIUI System Ads, a process that is responsible for analytics and targeted advertising across all system applications, and without it, other measures may not be effective.

To start, you need to go to the smartphone settings menu, find a section called Password and Security or Fingerprints, Facebook ID and Security Password, depending on your firmware version, and then select Access to Personal Data.

In the list that opens, find the msa line. The switch next to it needs to be turned off. The system will alert you that some functions may stop working, and start the countdown timer for 10 seconds. After the time has expired, press "Disable".

Sometimes you can't turn off the service the first time, because the button can just go back to the original position, and then try to do it 3-4 times in a row, and this is a well-known interface bug that's solved by the user's persistence.

• 🔄 Repeat the shutdown attempt several times if the first time failed.
• ⏱️ Wait until the 10-second confirmation timer is over.
• 🔒 Make sure you have access to the internet to synchronize your status.

⚠️ Note: If the msa switch is not listed, it is possible that your version of the global firmware no longer contains this module, or it is hidden in system processes.

Setting up the lock screen and wallpaper carousel

When you turn off the ad module, you need to remove the visual component, Wallpaper Carousel, which automatically changes the images on the locked screen and often contains advertising integrations. To turn it off, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen.

Find the wallpaper carousel and deaktiviruyte it. If you have an older version of MIUI, this section may be called My Wallpaper or be in the Topics app. It's also important to check the wallpaper settings: choose a static image instead of a slideshow.

In some cases, ads may appear because of the “Recommendations” feature enabled in the lock screen settings. Make sure that all sliders related to “receiving recommendations” or “personalization” are translated to the “Off” position.

The effectiveness of this is that you remove the source of the content. Without connecting to Xiaomi servers to upload new images, the phone will only display the picture you selected manually.

• 🎨 Select a static photo from the gallery for the lock screen.
• 🚫 Turn off the “Receive recommendations” option in the lock settings.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache of the wallpaper carousel app to reset settings.

Managing personalization and advertising identifier

Even after the main services are disabled, the system still has an advertising ID that is used for targeting. To minimize tracking, you need to reset this ID. Go to Settings → Password and Security → Privacy.

At the bottom of the list, you'll find Advertising Services or Advertising ID. Click on it and select Reset Advertising ID. It's also recommended to disable Ad Personalization slider if it's active.

The measure won't remove banners instantly, but will significantly reduce their relevance and frequency of appearance in the long run.Google also has its ad settings, which are worth checking in the Google account section on the device.

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Reset your advertising ID every few months to disrupt tracking algorithms and reduce the amount of targeted advertising.

Remember that personalization applies not only to system applications, but also to the built-in Mi Browser browser, if you use it.

Disabling Advertising in System Applications

Advertising on the screensaver is often just the tip of the iceberg. Xiaomi's internal applications, such as Explorer, Cleanup, Music and Video, are also full of banners. To clean the system completely, you need to go to the settings of each.

Open an app like Explorer, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings. Find About or Get Recommendations and disable all sliders. Repeat the same procedure for Security and Downloads.

This process may seem tedious, but it ensures that the interface is clean. In the Security app, you click on the gear in the top right corner and turn off "Get recommendations." This will remove pop-ups when you check for viruses.

After you do this, the interface will be much cleaner, and you will notice that not only banners, but also unnecessary tabs with news in standard utilities are missing.

• 🧹 In the “Cleaning” app, disable recommendations in settings.
• 📂 In the “Conductor” remove the tick from “Show advertising».
• 🛡️ In “Security” disable all options related to recommendations.

⚠️ Note: The settings interface may differ on different versions MIUI (Global, China, Russia. Look for similar menu items.

Alternative methods and use of DNS

If standard methods don’t work or you want to block network-level advertising, you can use DNS (Private DNS) – this method does not require the installation of additional applications and works for the entire system at once.

Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS (or search for settings, type “DNS”). Select the DNS Provider Host Name mode and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save settings.

This method blocks requests to known ad servers, but be careful: in rare cases, it can cause some applications to malfunction or slow down page loading if the DNS server is unavailable.

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Using a Private DNS is the most radical and effective way to remove ads throughout the system, including browsers and games.

For advanced users, a method of disabling advertising through ADB-commands, but it requires a connection to a computer. --user 0 com.miui.misys allows you to freeze the system module of advertising.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.global

Using the command line gives you deeper control, but requires technical literacy. A mistake in command input can lead to unstable operation of the system, so use this method only if you are confident in your actions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)