How to completely disable advertising on Xiaomi phone: a step-by-step guide

Advertising on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones has become one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware. Banners in the settings menu, in search, advertising notifications from system applications – all this not only distracts, but also slows down the device. According to research by XDA Developers, up to 15% of system resources can be spent on downloading and displaying advertising modules.

In this article, we’ll discuss 7 working ways to disable ads on Xiaomi, from standard settings to deep system edits. It’s important to understand that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or superuser rights, so be mindful. If you’re using an Android One device (like the Mi A3), some of the instructions will be irrelevant — these models are devoid of ads by default.

Before you start, check your firmware version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. Modern versions (starting with MIUI 12.5) have a simplified ad disabling, while older builds (such as MIUI 11 for the Redmi Note 8 Pro) may require additional manipulation.

1. disable personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest way to reduce banner count is to deactivate personalized recommendations, which won't remove ads completely, but will reduce them significantly, and is suitable for all devices without root or additional rights.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Google → Advertising (on some firmware, the path may differ: Settings) → Additionally. → Confidentiality → Advertising).
• 🔄 Switch the slider "Personalized advertising" to the off position.
• 🗑️ Click "Reset advertising" ID" and confirm the action.
• 🔙 Return to the main settings menu and go to Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI, Tap 7 times on the line with the version to activate the developer mode.

After this, the system will stop collecting your preferences for targeted advertising, but banners in system applications (Browser, Music, Themes) may remain.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A s MIUI 12.0.8) The Advertising item may be hidden, in which case, use the settings search (the magnifier icon in the upper right corner) and enter the "advertising" request".

2. Manual disabling of advertising in system applications

Many of Xiaomi’s standard apps have built-in ad modules that can be turned off individually, and below is a list of the most “intrusive” programs and ways to clean them.

On devices with MIUI Global Stable firmware (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro), some menu items may be called differently or missing, in which case update the firmware to the latest version or use alternative methods from the following sections.

If after disabling the ad continues to appear, try clearing the app cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate application (such as theme).
3. Click on “Clear Cache” and “Erase Data” (Warning: This will delete all saved settings!).

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If the app is unstable after cleaning the cache, restart the phone, which will help restore the standard settings without advertising.

3.Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

For users willing to go beyond standard settings, there is a method to disable ads via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method does not require root, but a computer and USB-cable.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔧 Complete removal of advertising modules at the system level.
• 📱 It works on all Xiaomi devices, including POCO redmi.
• 🔄 The possibility of changing at any time.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Activate debugging over USB on your phone: Settings → Additional → For developers → Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and in the command line (Windows: cmd, Mac/Linux: Terminal) do:

adb devices

(Your device should show up. If not, check the drivers.)

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


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




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

These commands are disabling Xiaomi's main advertising services.The full list of deep cleaning commands:

After completing the commands, restart the phone. Ads should disappear from system applications and notifications.

⚠️ Note: Disabling system applications through ADB If you notice a failure, return the applications with the command: adb shell pm enable com.name.applications

Install ADB Tools on PC

Enable debugging over USB on your phone

Connect your phone to the original cable

Check device detection by adb devices

Backup of important data-->

4. Installation of custom firmware without advertising

If you don't like half-measures, the radical solution is to install custom firmware based on LineageOS, Pixel Experience or MIUI without advertising (e.g. MIUI EU), which requires unlocking the bootloader and may be unwarranted, but gives you full control of the device.

The advantages of custom firmware:

• 🚀 Absence of any advertising and system software Xiaomi.
• 🔄 Regular security updates from the community.
• 🎨 Ability to fine-tune the interface.

Cons:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (if the device is under warranty).
• 🔧 Risk of "bricking" when incorrectly installed.
• 📱 Certain functions (e.g, IR-blaster NFC) They may not work properly.

Step-by-step instructions for installing MIUI EU (without advertising):

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7 days).
2. Download the MIUI EU firmware for your model from the Xiaomi.eu forum.
3. Install via TWRP Recovery (requires pre-installation of custom recovery).
4. Run Wipe Dalvik/Cache after installation.

For models POCO F3 or Redmi K40 recommended firmware Pixel Experience – it offers a clean Android without unnecessary add-ons.

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Custom firmware is the only way to get rid of advertising forever, but it is only suitable for experienced users who are ready for possible risks.

5.Advert blocking applications (without root)

If ADB and custom firmware seem complicated, you can use third-party ad-blocking apps that run at the DNS or VPN level without requiring deep system changes.

Top.-3 apps:

• 🛡️ Blokada – Blocks Advertising and Trackers VPN. Free version with open source code.
• 🌐 AdGuard supports filters to block ads in browsers and applications. There is a premium version with advanced features.
• 🔒 DNS66 — alter DNS-servers for filtering ads. No registration required.

How to set up Blokada:

1. Download the app from the official website (not from Google Play – there is an outdated version).
2. Launch and allow creation VPN-connection.
3. In the settings, activate all lock lists ("EasyList", "EasyPrivacy").
4. Restart your phone to apply the changes.

Limitations of the method:

• It does not block ads in MIUI system notifications.
• May be in conflict with others VPN-service.
• Some models (such as the Redmi Note 8T) require manual DNS configuration.

6. Disabling advertising through superuser rights (root)

For root-right users, the most radical methods of removing ads are available, one of which is editing the hosts system file, which blocks access to ad servers.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts and back up the file.
3. Open the file in the text editor and add the following lines at the end:

127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com


127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 track.miui.com




127.0.0.1 stat.pandora.xiaomi.com

Save the file and restart the device. Advertising should disappear from all system applications.

An alternative method is to use the Magisk module:

• 🔧 Install Magisk and the "AdAway" module".
• 🔄 Update host lists in AdAway settings.
• 📱 Activate the system ad blocking.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing of the hosts file can lead to loss of Internet connection. Always back up before making changes. MIUI 13 and a newer hosts file can be protected – in this case, use Magisk modules.

7. Resetting the phone to factory settings (last resort)

If none of these methods worked, the last option is to completely reset the phone and then disable all ad functions on the clean system, which is suitable for devices where the ads appeared after the firmware update.

How to perform the reset:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Erase all data.
3. After the reboot, do not restore data from the MIUI backup – this can return advertising settings.
4. Turn off personalized ads immediately (Section 1 of this article) and remove unnecessary system apps through ADB (Section 3).

This is effective, but it's time-consuming, and it's guaranteed to remove all the ad modules, but it requires you to reconfigure the phone.

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Factory reset is a radical solution that should only be used if other methods have failed. Don't forget to back up!

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing ads on Xiaomi