How to permanently disable advertising in the video player Xiaomi: instructions for TVs and smartphones

Why does Xiaomi Player have ads and can it be removed?

Video players on Xiaomi devices – whether they are smartphones in the series Redmi/POCO or Mi TVs TV — They often display intrusive ads before they run, in pauses, and even on top of the interface, and this is not a coincidence, but part of the company's business model: monetization through inserts keeps prices below market prices. However, for users, this approach turns into daily annoyance – especially when the ad block lasts longer than the video file itself.

The main problem is that advertising is built into system applications, unlike third-party players (e.g., the system's app, VLC or MX Player, where advertising can be turned off by buying a premium version, in Xiaomi’s proprietary solutions – Mi Video, Mi TV Player or Gallery, they don't have that option, and in fact, after you update your firmware, you can still get ads back, even if you've disabled them before, but there's a way out, from manual tweaks to radical methods using these tools. ADB.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to remove ads in Xiaomi players, including:

• 🔧 Setup of system applications without root rights
• 📱 Use of alternative players with support for all formats
• 🖥️ Disabling Advertising Through ADB (for advanced users)
• 📺 Specific instructions for Mi TVs TV/Redmi TV
• ⚠️ Risks and consequences of each method

Important: Not all ways are universal. For example, on Xiaomi TVs with firmware MIUI TV older than version 3.0, disabling advertising through standard settings is not possible - you will need to ADB Or a player replacement. MIUI 14+ Some of the methods may not work due to tightening security policies.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to deactivate the options associated with displaying ads in system applications, which will not remove the ads completely, but will reduce the number of ads by one. 40–60%. Suitable for all devices on MIUI (including MIUI 12/13/14) It does not require technical skills.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Xiaomi accounts.
2. Select your account (or create it if you are not registered).
3. Go to Account Settings → Advertising.
4. Turn off the sliders: 🔘 «Personalized recommendations» 🔘 «Showing interest-based advertising»

Settings → Additional → Special features → System settings

Restrictions on advertising

Advertising ID

After this, ads in Mi Video and other system applications will become less intrusive, but will not disappear completely, for example, banner ads in the main menu of the player will remain, and video inserts in front of the videos may be shown less often.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware may not have Ad Limitations. In this case, try an alternative path: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Video → Permissions and disable access to Warehouse and the Internet, this will limit the player's ability to download ads, but may disrupt some features (for example, online streaming).

Method 2: Using third-party video players

If Xiaomi's system player is annoying with ads, the logical solution is to install an alternative.

• 📌 On smartphones, you can freely install any players from Google Play (for example, VLC, MX Player, Kodi).
• 📺 On Mi TVs. TV side-station APK limited – you will need to turn on the developer mode and use ADB file manager.

The best players to replace Mi Video:

For Xiaomi TVs, the process of installing a third-party player is more complicated:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About TV and 7 times click on the version MIUI TV.
2. Turn on Debugging. USB Unknown sources in the developer settings.
3. Download. APK player (e.g., player, VLC) on the flash drive and install through the File Manager or use ADB: adb install vlc.apk

💡

If the player does not open after installation, try to turn off MIUI Optimization in the developer settings (item Disable optimization) MIUI). This can solve compatibility problems.

Method 3: Disabling Advertising through ADB (for Advanced Advertising)

The method using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) — It is the most effective for removing ads completely, but requires technical skills, suitable for all Xiaomi devices, including TVs and smartphones.

Step-by-step:

1. Install. ADB computer: 🖥️ For Windows: Download Google’s Platform Tools. 🐧 For Linux: sudo apt install adb.

Developer mode

USB debugging

adb devices

(Serial number of the device must be displayed).

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.joyose

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.dianshi.tvplayer


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.mitv.tvhome

adb reboot

The effect is that ads in Mi Video, Gallery and other system applications will disappear, but there are risks:

• 🚨 Some features (such as Mi Share or Screen Mirroring) may stop working.
• 🔄 After updating the firmware, the ad may return - you will need to repeat the procedure.
• ⚠️ On devices with a blocked bootloader, some commands may not work.

Method 4: Specifics for Mi TVs TV redmi TV

Xiaomi TVs are using a modified version of Android TV — MIUI TV, And here, standard methods, like turning off personalized ads, often don't work. Let's look at 3 working options specifically for TV:

Option 1: Replacement of the launcher

Mi System Launcher TV It contains ad units that cannot be removed through settings, and the solution is to install an alternative launcher, for example, ATV Launcher or HalLauncher:

1. Download. APK flash-starter.
2. Connect the flash drive to the TV and install APK through the file manager.
3. In the developer settings (Settings) → On TV. → Version. MIUI TV — 7 Clicks) Select the New Default Launcher.

This will remove the ads from the home screen, but not from the player. ADB-method.

Option 2: Disabling system application updates

Advertisements often return after automatic Mi Video updates or TV Player, to avoid that:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Mi Video or TV Player and disable Auto Update.
3. In Google Play settings (if installed), disable auto-update for all apps.

Option 3: Use IPTV-player

If you watch TV channels or streaming services, replace the standard player with specialized applications:

• 📡 TiviMate - for IPTV playlist-enabled.
• 🎬 Smart YouTube TV — To view YouTube without advertising (requires) ADB fitting).
• 🌍 Stremio – for films and TV series with torrent integration.

💡

On Xiaomi TVs with firmware MIUI TV 3.0+ Turning off ads through standard settings is impossible. + ADB-commands or complete transition to third-party players.

Method 5: Radical methods (for power users)

If none of the above methods have worked, extreme measures remain, they require deep knowledge and can lead to the loss of warranty or inoperability of the device.

Method 1: Removing system applications through ADB

Instead of disabling, you can completely remove advertising components:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mitv.appstore

⚠️ Consequences: This could disrupt the Mi App Store and other Xiaomi services, and some pre-installed apps (such as Netflix or Prime Video) may disappear on TVs).

Method 2: Firmware custom software

Xiaomi smartphones can install custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, where there is no built-in advertising.

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi website (the process takes up to 72 hours).
2. Install a custom recavery (TWRP).
3. Sweep through the alternative firmware.

⚠️ Risks:

• 🔧 Loss of guarantee.
• 💥 Possibility of "bricking" the device (turning into a "brick").
• 📵 Certain functions (e.g, IR Blaster or NFC) may not work.

Method 3: Blocking Advertising Servers through Hosts

You can block the domains from which the ads are downloaded by editing the hosts file:

1. Connect to the device via ADB.
2. Download the hosts: adb pull file /system/etc/hosts
3. Add the lines at the end of the file: 127.0.0.1 ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 track.ad.xiaomi.com
4. Download the file back: adb push hosts /system/etc/ adb shell chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts

This method works until the next firmware update, which can overwrite the hosts file.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ And with the bootloader locked, editing system files (including hosts) can trigger the Anti-Rollback protection and completely lock the device.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When trying to remove ads, users often face typical problems, and let's look at the most common and ways to solve them:

Error 1: ADB does not see the device

Causes and solutions:

• 🔌 Not the original cable: use the cable from the device kit.
• 🖥️ There are no drivers: for smartphones install Mi USB Driver, for TVs - Android TV ADB Driver.
• 🔄 Not enabled debugging: check that the developer settings activated Debugging by USB and confirmed permission to connect to the PC.

Error 2: Advertising is back after update

Xiaomi system applications are automatically updated, restoring advertising modules.

• 📵 Turn off auto-update for Mi Video, TV Player and GetApps in App Settings.
• 🔒 Block Internet access for these applications through Settings → Annexes → Data management.
• 🛠️ Regularly check the active components through the ADB: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i ad

Error 3: After the ad was turned off, some functions stopped working

If you've used ADB To disable system services, some features (such as Mi Share or Screen Mirroring) may stop working:

• 🔧 Restore Disabled Components: Adb shell pm enable com.miui.systemAdSolution
• 📱 Use alternative apps (e.g. LocalSend instead of Mi Share).
• 🔄 Reset the settings to factory (remove all data!).

Mistake 4: No third-party installations are available on the TV APK

On Mi. TV installation APK It's locked by default:

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 clicks on Version) MIUI TV).
2. Enable Installation from Unknown Sources in Security Settings.
3. Use the X-Plore file manager or FX File Explorer for installation APK flash-drive.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions