Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive advertising that appears in system applications and the interface of the MIUI or HyperOS shell. This annoys, distracts and slows down the device, creating a feeling of congestion. However, there is a proven algorithm of actions that allows you to completely get rid of advertising garbage without the need to obtain root rights or flashing the device.
Advertising modules are embedded deep in the MIUI ecosystem and are responsible for displaying banners in Explorer, Music, Themes, and even when unlocking the screen. Understanding how these mechanisms work gives you complete control over your gadget. In this article, we will take a detailed look at all the steps in disabling system services that broadcast content, and also look at advanced blocking methods at the network level.
Before settings, it is important to realize that some changes may affect the performance of personalized recommendations. However, for most users, the priority remains the cleanliness of the interface and speed. We will consider secure methods that do not violate the warranty and do not require complex technical intervention in the file system.
Disabling the MSA system advertising service
The main source of intrusive banners in the shell is the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your preferences and displays targeted advertising in different sections of the smartphone.
Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. In the list that appears, look for MSA. If search is difficult, use the search bar at the top of the screen. Once you open the app information, you will see the Get Recommendations switch. It must be turned off. The system can ask you several times about your decision, requiring you to wait 10 seconds before confirming — this is the standard protection against accidental shutdown.
⚠️ Warning: If the shutdown button is inactive or the service is turned on immediately, check for an active Internet connection. To properly disable the server must receive a signal of your choice.
After successfully disabling MSA, the number of ads in the system folders and desktop will be significantly reduced, but this step does not remove ads completely in all embedded applications, so you need to make additional adjustments for each system component separately.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
Setup of built-in Xiaomi applications
Each standard application that comes with a MIUI shell has its own ad settings. Even after disabling the main MSA module, programs like Music, Video, and Explorer can continue to show banners unless their settings are manually changed.
In the Security app (green shield icon), go to settings via the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Select "Get recommendations" and deactivate it. Similar steps should be repeated in Explorer: open the app, click on three menu bars, select Settings → About app and turn off receiving recommendations.
For the Music and Video (Mi) app Video/Mi Music) the algorithm is similar: open the app, go to the profile or settings, find the Settings section and remove the tick from the "Show ads" or "Receive recommendations" item. In some firmware versions, this item may be called "Online content" or "Content promotion».
- 📱 Topics: Open the Themes app, click on profile, select Settings and turn off Show Ads and Autoplay Video».
- 📂 Downloads: In the Downloads app, click on three dots, select Settings and remove the tick from Get Recommendations».
- 🔍 Search: Google or Yandex search bar on the desktop may display news. This is configured in the parameters of the widget or the browser application itself.
Remember that after major updates to HyperOS or MIUI, settings may be reset to factory values. It is recommended to periodically check these items so that the ad does not return unnoticed to you.
What to do if the settings are reset?
Blocking Advertising via DNS and Wi-Fi
The most effective method at the network level is to use a private DNS, which blocks requests to known ad servers before they reach your smartphone, a one-stop solution that helps remove ads not only in the system, but also in some applications and browsers.
To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the DNS Host Name (or Manual) mode and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Once saved, the phone may lose connection to the Internet for a second, and then reconnect through a secure channel.
| Parameter | Value for input | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| DNS mode | Provider host name | Manual control activation |
| Server address | dns.adguard.com | Blocking Advertising and Tracking |
| The alternative | family.adguard-dns.com | Ad Blocking + Content 18+ |
Use of the DNS-Filtering also improves security by blocking access to phishing sites and trackers that collect statistics about your location and activities, especially when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.
Personalization and Analytics Management
Xiaomi collects extensive telemetry to improve the performance of its services, but the same data is used to target advertising. Disabling data collection will not only increase your privacy, but also reduce the burden on the processor, as background reporting processes will be stopped.
In the Password and Security section, look for Privacy, and you need to disable User Experience Improvement Program and Automatic Data Sending, and look at Mi Account Settings: Settings → Mi Account → Privacy, and disable all ad personalization options.
Pay special attention to the service “Mi Daemon” (in some versions it may be called differently, for example, “Analytics”). It can be found in the list of applications if you include the display of system processes (three points in the corner of the list of applications → “Show system processes”).
⚠️ Warning: Disabling analytics services may cause some smart battery management features or news feeds to stop working properly.
Users who value maximum privacy can also restrict apps from accessing the advertising ID. In modern versions of Android and MIUI, this is done through Google settings: Settings → Google → Advertising → Delete the advertising ID.
Disabling Advertising in Mi Browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser is often one of the main sources of annoyance with news feeds and pop-ups. To turn it into a minimalist surfing tool, you need to do a deep cleaning of your settings.
Open your browser and click on three menu bars. Go to Settings → Notifications and turn off all items, especially “Recommendations” and “News.” Next, in the “Privacy and Security” section, make sure that tracking protection is enabled. In the “Home Page” section, select a blank page or configure the search bar-only display, removing all news widgets.
To combat advertising more aggressively, you can use a built-in blocker when browsing websites. In your browser settings, find the option “Ad Block” and activate it. However, remember that this does not block ads inside the browser application itself, but only on the pages visited.
- 🚫 Pop-ups: In the browser settings, enable a ban on pop-ups to avoid accidental transitions.
- 📰 News Feed: completely disabled in the settings of the home page, there you can also remove the widgets of weather and promotions.
- 🔒 Incognito mode: use it to visit questionable resources to avoid saving advertising cookies.
If the standard browser continues to be annoying, consider alternatives like Via Browser or DuckDuckGo that are focused on privacy and avoiding unnecessary “junk” by default.
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Use browsers that support extensions, such as Kiwi Browser or Firefox for Android, to install full-fledged ad blockers (uBlock Origin), which work more efficiently than built-in filters.
Advanced Methods: ADB and Hidden Settings
For power users who want to securely remove ad components, there is a method of using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to remove or “freeze” system applications that cannot be disabled through the standard settings menu.
First, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI» (or "Version" OS»). Then in the advanced settings, turn on “Debugging by” USB». Connect the phone to your computer, install drivers and ADB-platform-based.
Execute the command to connect and check the device:
adb devicesOnce the debugging is confirmed on the phone screen, you can use the command to remove the MSA packet (be careful, this action is irreversible without flashing it):
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys⚠️ Note: Removing system packages through ADB This method can lead to unstable system operation or a “boot loop” (cyclical reboot), and only use it if you understand the risks and know how to get your phone back on track.
A safer alternative to deleting the file altogether is to freeze applications via ADB or use specialized freezer applications (root or special rights required) that do not delete the file but prohibit it from running.
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Use of the ADB It gives you maximum control, but it requires high technical literacy. MIUI and DNS-filtering.