Xiaomi’s smartphones, including the popular Redmi Note 10S, are known for their excellent value for money, but they have one feature that often annoys users: intrusive advertising and app recommendations that appear in various system interfaces, folders and even notification curtains, the result of built-in algorithms designed to monetize budget devices, but for the owner it creates unnecessary digital noise.
Fortunately, the MIUI operating system that runs the smartphone provides a flexible enough tool to fine-tune it, so you don't have to have superuser rights or reflash the device to get back to a clean interface, and the process of deactivating ad modules requires you to do multiple actions in different sections of the settings menu, which we'll look at in detail.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at all the major sources of intrusive content on your gadget.We’ll go from system security services to app-specific settings to maximizing user experience.By following the steps below, you can significantly reduce the amount of visual debris on the screen.
Disabling the MSA service, the main source of advertising
The centerpiece of the MIUI recommendation system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which is responsible for collecting your preferences and displaying relevant banners. To effectively combat advertising, you need to start by disabling this component, since it coordinates the work of most advertising modules.
To do this, you'll need access to hidden authorization settings, and the process can be a little confusing, because the developers have made it a little more difficult to get to this feature so that users don't turn it off accidentally or unknowingly.
Go to the Settings menu, then select Passwords and Security. In the list that opens, look for Access to Personal Data. This shows a long list of system and user applications that have access to various phone functions. Find the msa service in the list and switch the slider to an inactive state.
Once the slider is turned off, the system will require you to confirm the action and wait 10 seconds, after which you will need to press the "Cancel" button. It is important not to miss this moment, since the timer is reset if you accidentally switch the switch back. If you fail to revoke access the first time, repeat the procedure 2-3 times until the system accepts your request.
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If the "Cancel" button is inactive or gray, check the Internet connection. Xiaomi servers should receive a request to disable the service, so without the network, the operation is impossible.
Once you successfully revoke permissions, MSA will stop receiving your activity data and showing you targeted offers, a fundamental step without which other settings may be less effective, and now you can move on to cleaning up your desktop interface.
Setting up the desktop and application folders
Even after the system service is disabled, visual elements of advertising can be saved in folders on the desktop. Redmi Note 10S activates the Recommended Apps feature by default, which adds shortcuts of frequently used or promoted programs to the bottom of the open folder, creating the illusion of crowding and distracting attention.
To remove these shortcuts, open any folder on the home screen where the applications are collected. At the top of the folder window, next to the name, you'll see the gear icon or just the folder name you need to click on to edit properties. In the folder settings menu that opens, you'll need to find the Recommended Apps switch and deactivate it.
☑️ Desktop cleaning
Also, you should pay attention to widgets and newsfeeds. The MIUI shell often includes Glance or Yandex tape by default, which appears when swiped to the left of the main screen, it is full of news blocks and advertising inserts. To turn it off, press the empty space on your desktop, select Settings, and in the "Additional" or "Desktop" section, turn off "Tape of widgets" or "One screen".
⚠️ Attention: After disconnection MSA Some system themes may stop displaying banner ads in the center of the themes, but the themes themselves may not work properly if they are tied to advertising identifiers.
Desktop cleaning not only improves visual experience, but can also slightly improve device performance, as the system will not need to constantly load content for recommendations, especially for mid-range models such as the Redmi Note 10S, where CPU resources are not unlimited.
Disabling Advertising in System Applications
Advertising integrations in Xiaomi are built deep into standard software. The browser, file manager, Security app, and even Music can contain recommendation blocks. To fully protect yourself from pop-ups, you need to go through each application separately.
Start with the Security app, which is the hub for many system utilities. Open it, click on the gear in the top right corner, and find the "Get recommendations" option. Turn off this feature. Then go to the "Clean up" section inside the same application, click on the gear, and also turn off receiving recommendations. This will remove the banner ads that appear after the memory scan.
Next, go to the standard Mi Browser or Chrome browser if it is preinstalled with changes. In your browser settings, look for the “Privacy” or “Additional” sections, where the option “Receive notifications” or “Recommendations” hides.
Don’t forget to check the Topic app. Go to the user profile (human icon), select Settings, and disable the “Show Ads,” “Auto Update” and “Receive Recommendations” items, which will prevent banner ads from appearing when looking for new designs.
It’s important to understand that system updates can return some of these settings to their original state, and checking these points periodically after major MIUI updates will help keep the device clean.
Setup of notifications and push services
One of the most annoying forms of advertising is push notifications from system services offering to install games, apply for a credit or read news. On the Redmi Note 10S, Mi Video, Mi Music, or the general MIUI notification service is often responsible for this.
To manage notifications, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. This is a list of all the apps that can display messages. You need to find system applications with names like Xiaomi Service, Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps.
Within the settings of each such application, turn off the Allow Notifications toggles or, if you want to save functionality but remove ads, select the No Sound notification type and turn off the display on the lock screen. Pay special attention to the GetApps app, which is the analogue of Xiaomi’s Google Play, which actively promotes content.
| Annex | Type of advertisement | Action. | Risk of shutdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetApps | Push notifications, banners | Disable notifications | Not (unless you use the store) |
| Mi Video | Recommendations for video | Revoke access to “Access to Data” | Minimum |
| Security | News, cleaning tips | Turn off "Receive recommendations" | No. |
| Topics | Banner advertisements | Profile settings → Advertising | No. |
Also, check your Mi Account settings, go to your account settings, select About or Privacy Settings, and disable your participation in user experience improvement programs, which will reduce the amount of data you collect.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling notifications completely for system applications could cause you to miss important messages about low battery power, security updates or critical system errors.Be selective.
Resetting Advertising Identifier and Personalization
To stop Xiaomi’s algorithms from building your digital profile and showing relevant ads, it’s not enough to just turn off the switches. It’s recommended to reset the advertising ID that is assigned to your device. This action will break the link between your past actions and future offers.
Find the passwords and security section in the settings → privacy → advertising. Here you will see the button “Reset the advertising ID.” Click on it and confirm the action. After that, the old history of your interests will be deleted from the local memory of the ad module.
Why reset the ID?
And then there's a Personalized Ads switch on the menu, and make sure it's off, and that will prevent apps from using your data to target ads, and while that won't take away completely, it will become less annoying and more random.
These actions are particularly effective when combined with the MSA service shutdown, and the combination of these methods creates a powerful barrier to the company’s marketing algorithms, giving Redmi Note 10S users a more private experience.
Using DNS to block advertising at the network level
If standard methods seem to you not effective enough, or you want to block advertising not only in the system, but also in the browser and games, you can use DNS technology. Private DNS allows you to redirect requests to known ad servers to nowhere, preventing banners from loading.
In modern versions of Android and MIUI, the private DNS setup is built into the system and does not require third-party apps to be installed. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the option “Host Name of the DNS Provider” and enter the address: dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comSave your settings. Now all requests for known ad domains will be blocked at the network level, a one-stop solution that works for most apps and websites, but it's worth remembering that some applications can work incorrectly if they do.
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Using a private DNS (like AdGuard) is the most effective way to remove ads from all apps at once, but it can cause errors in some programs tied to advertising SDKs.
If you notice that after you turn on the DNS, images in an application have stopped loading or a specific site does not open, just return the DNS setting to Auto or Off. For the Redmi Note 10S, this method is safe and does not affect Internet speed, if the DNS server is selected as a quality one.