Xiaomi smartphones are famous for their functionality and affordable price, but users often face intrusive advertising and endless content offers that pop up in the most unexpected places of the interface. MIUI, a deep modification of Android, contains many built-in services designed, according to developers, to improve the user experience, but in practice often only annoying.
Device owners notice that when they clear the memory or open the folder, they pop up with tips, news or an offer to download the app, which is not a bug, but part of the company's marketing strategy to keep the cost of the gadgets low, and fortunately, most of these features can be manually deactivated.
In this guide, we’ll look at all the major sources of recommendations, from the System Security app to the Mi Browser browser. You don’t have to be a programmer or get root rights to return your smartphone to its clean look.
It is worth noting that complete removal of system components is impossible without special ADB tools, but turning them off completely solves the problem of pop-ups. We will consider both standard methods through the settings menu and more advanced ways to block ads at the system level.
Disabling recommendations in the Security app
The main source of annoying pop-ups is the built-in Security app, which scans the phone for viruses and clears the cache, while suggesting that the device be “optimized” or showing news, and to stop this, you need to go to the settings of the app itself.
Open the Security app and tap the gear in the top right corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, find Receive recommendations and put the slider in an inactive position, which will remove banner ads from the main menu of the app.
Next, in the same settings menu, look for the About app section (or Clean up -> Settings) and the Get Recommends switch may be hidden there, too, and once it is turned off, the system will stop downloading content from the network every time the scanner is launched.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove the Security application forcibly through system files, as this may disrupt the task manager and permission management in the system. MIUI. Use only the regular shutdown of functions.
Also, check the cleaning settings. In the Cleanup section, click on the gear and make sure that the Display Ads or similar wording option is turned off, which will prevent banners from appearing after the memory cleanup process is completed.
Once you do this, the interface will be much cleaner, but if you use other system utilities, you may need to adjust there.
Setup of system launcher and desktop
The second place where intrusive content is most common is the desktop and lock screen. The Google tape or Xiaomi's own tape (Glance or Mi Video) can be activated by swiping left. To remove this, you need to change the launcher settings.
Press the empty space on your desktop with your finger to make the edit menu appear. In the lower right corner, select Settings (cogs). Here you are interested in the Tape or Google Discover option.
In the list that opens, select No or No Feed, which will remove the news block that appears when swiping right or left (depending on the MIUI version), and now you will only see your widgets and icons when you swipe through the screens.
App folders deserve special attention. Some versions of the firmware may also show a section called "Recommended Apps" inside the folders. To turn it off, open any folder, click on the folder name or three dots in the corner, and uncheck the Recommended.
Remember that changes take effect instantly, but sometimes you need to reboot the interface. If the settings don't stay, try resetting the launcher settings through the application menu.
MSA (MIUI System Ads)
The most effective way to combat advertising is to disable the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for collecting data on user behavior and targeting advertising throughout the system, and disabling it is a key step.
Go to Settings, then to Password and Security, and find Access to Personal Data (or Authorization and Privacy), and find msa on the list and turn off the switch.
The system will start a countdown (usually 10 seconds) warning of possible consequences. You need to wait for the end of the timer and click Cancel. If the first muncul error "failed to withdraw", repeat the procedure 2-3 times until the success message appears.
Settings → Password and security → Access to personal data → msa → WithdrawalOnce permissions are successfully revoked, the ad blocks in standard applications (Music, Video, Explorer) should disappear, the most critical step in the process of cleaning the system of marketing garbage.
⚠️ Attention: Service MSA may attempt to automatically turn on again after restarting or updating the system. periodically check the status of the permission to be sure that it is disabled.
Also on the menu, you should disable data for Mi Video, Mi Music, and GetApps apps if you don't use them, which will limit their ability to collect information about your preferences.
Cleaning up Mi Browser and GetApps
Xiaomi's standard browser and GetApps are separate sources of traffic, and even if you don't use them, they can run in the background. Let's take a look at how to defuse them.
For Mi Browser, open the app, click on the three menu bars and select Settings. Go to Privacy and Security, where you need to turn off the Personalized Recommendations and Receive Notifications options. Also, in Home Page, select No News option.
For GetApps (formerly Mi Apps): Launch the app, go to profile (the person on the bottom right) and click on settings (cogwheel). Find General and disable Personal Guidelines. It is also recommended to disable auto-update apps over the mobile network to save traffic.
☑️ Checklist of browser cleanup
If you prefer to use third-party browsers like Chrome or Firefox, the standard browser can simply be turned off in the system settings. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps, find Mi Browser and click Remove Updates, and then Disable.
It’s important to understand the difference between uninstalling and disabling: A disabled app doesn’t get removed from the device, but stops running and consuming resources, which is ideal for Xiaomi’s system components.
Notification and personalization management
Even after the major services are disabled, some apps may continue to send push notifications with “important” news, which are controlled through the notification center and privacy settings.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notifications Management Center, where you can customize the behavior of each application in detail, and it is recommended to turn off notifications for system services such as Mi Credit, Mi Community and Feedback.
Also worth a look at is Password & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. This is where the Ad Personalization switch is located. Disabling it won't take away the ads completely, but it will make it less relevant because the system will stop using your data for targeting.
The newer versions of MIUI (13, 14) have an enhanced protection mode: Enable Privacy Protection so that the system automatically restricts applications’ access to sensitive data, indirectly reducing the amount of targeted advertising.
What does the incognito mode give in system applications?
Regularly checking the permission list will help keep things under control, and applications often request access to location or contacts under the guise of improving performance, which is really just about collecting statistics.
Comparison of methods of disabling advertising
There are several approaches to solving the problem, from simple switches in the menu to using third-party software. Below is a table comparing the effectiveness of different methods.
| Method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Tall. | Low. | Minimum |
| Launcher settings | Medium | Low. | Absent. |
| Third-party blockers (AdGuard) | Very high. | Medium | Decreased autonomy |
| ADB team | Maximum | Tall. | Possible malfunction. |
As you can see from the table, the disconnection combination MSA and settings launcher gives the best result for the average user without the need to install additional software. ADB-The team allows you to cut out advertising modules completely.
If you decide to use ADB, remember that it will require a PC connection and USB debugging mode. The command pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.global completely freezes the advertising service.
💡
Use an ad-blocking DNS (e.g. dns.adguard.com) in your Wi-Fi settings or through the Private DNS app to block ads in all apps without root rights.