How to permanently remove recommendations and advertising on Xiaomi Redmi 8: 5 proven ways

Why are Redmi 8 recommendations coming up and can they be removed?

Xiaomi Redmi 8 smartphone owners often face intrusive recommendations in the app menu, lock screen or system utilities. These “helpful tips” are actually part of the marketing strategy of MIUI, Xiaomi’s branded shell that integrates ad units directly into the system interface. Unlike conventional notifications, such recommendations are not removed by swipe and can significantly interfere with the user experience.

The main problem is that on Redmi 8 with firmware older than MIUI 12.5, disabling ads through standard settings often works incorrectly – recommendations are returned after a reboot or system update. This is due to the peculiarities of msa (Mobile Services Analytics) and miui.analytics, which are responsible for collecting data and showing personalized content. Fortunately, there are both official and alternative methods for completely disabling unnecessary prompts.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways, from basic settings to deep changes to system files (for advanced users), and it’s important to understand that some methods may require unlocking the bootloader or superuser rights, so before you start, consider the possible risks and consequences.

Method 1: Disabling recommendations through standard MIUI settings

Let's start with the safest method, which doesn't require root rights or extra software, which in most cases helps to remove the bulk of advertising, but does not guarantee 100% results on all versions of firmware.

The instructions are relevant for Redmi 8 with MIUI 11-14:

1. Open the "Settings" and go to the About Phone section.
2. Tap 7-10 times on the MIUI version to activate the developer mode (you will be notified "You became a developer").
3. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional settings → Developer settings.
4. Find the Personalized Recommendations option and turn it off.
5. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
6. In the search bar, type msa (or miui.analytics) and select the app you find.
7. Click Stop, then Disable and confirm the action.

After completing these steps, it is recommended to restart the device. Please note that some firmware menu items may be called differently (for example, "Advertising" instead of "Personalized Recommendations"). If after the reboot the ad returns, move to the next method.

Notifications in the Mi Video| app are disabled

Whether the processes com.xiaomi.midrop and com.miui.analytics | are stopped

Is synchronization with Mi Account turned off in account settings |

Updated to the latest stable version-->

Method 2: Use of the ADB-deep-switch

If standard settings don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a tool for debugging Android devices, which allows you to disable the system applications that are responsible for showing recommendations without getting root permissions. Importantly, you will need a computer with Xiaomi drivers installed and USB debugging enabled on your smartphone.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. On your smartphone, activate debugging over USB in the developer settings (see Method 1).
3. Connect Redmi 8 to your PC via USB-cable and select File Transfer Mode.
4. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
5. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
6. Follow the following commands in turn: adb shell pm hide com.miui.analytics adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.mipicks adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution

These commands hide (but don't remove!) key system applications responsible for analytics and displaying ads. Once executed, restart your smartphone. If the pm hide command is not supported by your version of MIUI, use the alternative:

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

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If, after the execution, ADB-commands some features (such as themes or cloud storage) have stopped working – return applications back with the command adb shell pm enable com.miui.analytics.

Method 3: Removing recommendations through hosts file editing

Another effective method is to block the servers that send advertising content to your smartphone, and this is done by editing the hosts system file, which is responsible for matching domain names and IP-The method requires root rights or the use of special applications such as AdAway (for non-rooted devices).

Instructions for users with root:

1. Install any file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/hosts and back up the original file.
3. Open the hosts 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.intl.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com
4. Save the changes and restart the device.

For users without root, you can use the AdAway app (requires ADB debugging enabled):

1. Download. APK-AdAway file from the official website.
2. Install with ADB command: adb install AdAway.apk
3. Open the application, click Hosts Lists → Update and apply.

Method 4: Disabling recommendations in specific applications

Often, ads and recommendations do not appear on the home screen, but inside the standard Xiaomi applications: Mi Video, Mi Music, Browser or Files. Each of them has separate settings that allow you to minimize the display of unnecessary content.

Let’s look at the most problematic applications:

To completely disable ads in the browser, it is recommended to install an alternative browser (such as Firefox or Bromite) and make it the default application. In Redmi 8, this can be done in the Application settings → Default Applications → Browser.

Mi Video|

Browser||

Mi Music|

Files |

Other-->

Method 5: Install custom firmware (for advanced)

If all previous methods failed, the radical solution would be to install custom firmware without built-in advertising.

• 🔹 LineageOS - "clean" Android without unnecessary add-ons Xiaomi. requires unlocked bootloader.
• 🔹 Pixel Experience is a firmware interface similar to the Google Pixel. Perfectly optimized for the Redmi 8.
• 🔹 MIUI EU — European MIUI without advertising or Chinese services. OTA-update.
• 🔹 Havoc-OS - firmware with wide customization capabilities and the absence of bloatware.

The process of installing custom firmware includes several stages:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Mi Unlock Tool (requires Mi Account binding and waits 7-30 days).
2. Installation of custom recavator TWRP or OrangeFox.
3. Create a backup copy of the current firmware (required!).
4. Firmware of the selected custom firmware and GApps (if required).

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Installing custom firmware will void the warranty and may result in data loss.Before starting the procedure, make sure you understand all the risks and have a backup of important files.

For Redmi 8 (codenamed olive), current firmware and installation instructions can be found on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums. Please note that once you have firmware, you may need to reconfigure the device and install all applications again.

What if the recommendations are returned after the update?

One of the most common problems is the return of ads after the MIUI update, which is because system applications (msa, miui.analytics) automatically turn on when you install new firmware versions.

• 🔄 Turn off automatic updates MIUI in settings: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Settings → Auto-update (off).
• 📥 Install updates manually by pre-reserving backups through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🔧 After each update, repeat steps from Method 1 and 2 (disable via settings and ADB).
• 🛡️ Use blocker apps like Blokada or NetGuard to filter ads.

If you notice that some features (such as themes or cloud storage) have been lost after the update, it may be due to system services that have been disabled, in which case, return them to their original state via ADB:

adb shell pm enable com.miui.analytics


adb shell pm enable com.xiaomi.mipicks

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Before updating your firmware, export the list of applications disabled by the command adb shell pm list packages -d. After updating, you can quickly return the previous settings.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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If you are not sure about your actions, start with the safest method (Method 1) and gradually move on to the more complex one. Always back up before making changes to the system!