Ownership of Xiaomi’s smartphones is often overshadowed by intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places on the interface, such as a pop-up when you unlock the screen, a banner in a standard conductor, or a promotion in the settings menu. For many users, this aggressive monetization is the main cause of discomfort when using the gadget every day.
Fortunately, MIUI, despite its abundance of marketing integrations, provides a flexible enough tool to fine-tune it, so you don't need superuser rights or complex code manipulation to get the interface back clean, you just need to go through multiple menu items consistently and disable key services that display content.
In this article, we’ll look at all the available methods for blocking ads, from officially disabling the MSA system service to disabling personalized recommendations in specific applications. Follow the instructions Step-by-step to make sure your Redmi or Poco works the way you want it to work, not the way marketers intended it to work.
Disabling the MSA System Service
The centerpiece of the advertising ecosystem in the MIUI shell is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which collects data about your actions and translates ads into system applications, and without disabling this service, any other manipulations may not be effective, as it is the main source of traffic.
The feature of the shutdown procedure is that the system can fail to deactivate several times, requiring you to wait 10 seconds. This is not a mistake, but a special mechanism designed to ensure that the user will give up. You will need to persist and try to turn off 3-5 times in a row until the button is active.
To do this, go to Settings → Password & Security → Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find msa and turn off the switch. Then wait 10 seconds and press "Accept." If the system has an error, just repeat the action.
⚠️ Attention: After the service is disconnected MSA Full updates to advertising IDs and cache can take up to 24 hours of active smartphone use.
In parallel with MSA, it is recommended to restrict access to data for GetApps. This is the official app store from Xiaomi, which also often acts as a source of pop-up notifications. Find it in the same personal data access list and prohibit collection of information.
☑️ Checking the ad-off
Setting up the desktop and lock screen
One of the most annoying features of the company’s advertising policy is the Wallpaper Carousel, which replaces the standard image on the lock screen on a slideshow with news and banner ads, and disabling this element greatly speeds up the unlocking of the device and removes visual noise.
To get rid of the carousel, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. Find the "Wallpaper Carousel" and put the switch inactive. After that, you can set a static image from your gallery or a standard wallpaper system.
Another area that needs attention is the Security folder and desktop widgets. Security often hides cleaning recommendations that are actually links to installing games or apps. Go to the Security settings (three dots in the corner) and turn off the Receive Recommendations feature.
Make sure to check the settings of the desktop itself. Press and hold your finger in the free space of the screen, select Settings in the bottom corner. You need to find and disable the "Receive recommendations" option here. This will remove the promotional offers that may appear in the application folders or in the widget feed to the left of the main screen.
Cleaning up Xiaomi’s built-in apps
The standard set of applications preinstalled in MIUI also contains modules for displaying ads. Browser, Explorer, Downloads, Music and Video all try to monetize your attention. Fortunately, privacy settings allow you to disable these features in each application separately.
Start with the Explorer app. Open it, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings. You need to find the About section (or Content Settings immediately) and disable the Recommendations switch. Similar steps need to be done for the Downloads app (menu → settings → show recommended files).
The situation is similar in the Music and Video app, go to the profile or the app's settings, look for Settings, and turn off the option to Show Ads or Receive Recommendations. In some firmware versions, these items may be called Online Services.
The Themes app deserves special attention. Even though it is a content store, it can send notifications about discounts and new items. Go to profile → Settings → Notifications and disable all types of mailings, including “Advertising Offers”.
List of applications for verification
Managing Google’s Personalized Advertising
Even after all Xiaomi system services are disabled, ads can come from Google services that are deeply integrated into Android.Google uses your search query and location history to target ads in apps and the Chrome browser.
To limit this data flow, you need to reset your advertising ID. Go to Settings → Google → Advertising. Here you will see two important items: “Reset the advertising ID” and “Delete the advertising ID.” It is recommended to first reset and then delete the ID, which will make your profile less “transparent” to advertisers.
Also, disable personalization of ads in your Google account. In the Ads menu, find the link to "Setting Ad Preferences." In the browser that opens, turn off the "Personalized Ads" and "Advertising in Apps and Sites" sliders.
These actions will not remove ads completely, but will make them less relevant and intrusive, breaking the link between your actions and the content you display, an important step to improve overall digital hygiene.
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Repeat resetting Google’s advertising ID every 1-2 months to prevent algorithms from creating a sustainable profile of your interests.
Comparison of blocking methods
There are many ways to combat intrusive content, from simple switches in settings to installing third-party blockers, and here is a table that will help you choose the best strategy based on your technical background and desired outcome.
| Method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Tall. | Low. | Safe, full-time function |
| Set-up of applications | Medium | Medium | Safe, takes time. |
| DNS blocker | Very high. | Medium | It can slow down some websites. |
| Removal via ADB | Maximum | Tall. | Risk of Instability in Errors |
As you can see from the table, the combination of disabling MSA and manually configuring applications is great without risking system stability, but for those who want to achieve perfect cleanliness, there are more advanced methods.
Using a private DNS (e.g., dns.adguard.com) allows you to block ads at the device-wide level, including browsers and games, a technique that does not require the installation of additional applications, but can conflict with some corporate Wi-Fi networks.
Advanced methods: DNS and ADB
If standard methods don’t seem to be enough, you can use DNS-level locking. This is effective in filtering out advertising requests before they even reach your smartphone screen. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS.
Select the DNS Host Name mode and enter the address dns.adguard.com. Save the settings. Now all traffic to known ad servers will be blocked. This will also speed up the loading of pages in the browser.
⚠️ Attention: When in use DNS-Some applications associated with displaying ads (for example, free versions of games or news aggregators) may stop working.
For the most experienced users, there is a method of removing system applications via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to physically remove packages responsible for advertising, such as com.miui.misys or com.android.browser. However, using this method requires PCs, drivers and caution, since deleting critical system files can lead to a cyclical restart (bootloop).
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.globalThis command, entered in the command line of a smartphone connected to a PC, will remove the global advertising service. Remember, this action is irreversible without flashing the device or complex manipulations with recovery.
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Use of the DNS-Filtering is the middle ground between safety and efficiency, accessible to every user without the risk of breaking the system.