Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive operating system behavior, as the lock screen becomes an information dump, where ads, messaging and system alerts overlap, not only annoying, but also creating a risk of leaking confidential information if the device is used by an unauthorized person.
To make matters worse, the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have a complex, sometimes confusing menu structure. Android’s standard settings are often overlaid by the manufacturer’s proprietary add-ons. To clean up the mess, you need to go through multiple configuration levels in a series of ways, disabling the extra at each step.
In this guide, we’ll look at all the ways you can hide the content of notifications, learn how to turn them off for specific applications, hide the text of messages, and completely clean the lock screen of visual noise, which will help increase privacy and return the device to a tidy appearance.
The most radical and effective method is to prevent the system from showing any notifications when the phone is locked, a solution ideal for those who want to see only time and widgets on the screen. To implement this method, you need to go to the basic security and screen settings. Go to Settings and find Notifications and Status bar. In some firmware versions, this section may simply be called Notifications. Here we are interested in the Lock Screen subsection. It is in it that the main switch that controls the visibility of alerts is hidden. 🔍 Open the Settings. → Notifications and status bar. 📱 Select the Lock screen option. 🚫 Find the Switch Show notifications and deactivate it. ✅ Make sure the slider is grey, which means no display. ⚠️ Warning: Once you turn off this feature, you won't even see app icons on the locked screen. To learn about a new message, you'll have to unlock your smartphone every time you check the notification curtain. If you want to leave icons but hide the text, the logic changes. The same menu may include the option to notify or hide content. the option to hide content will only allow you to see the name of the application, such as "Telegram", but the text of the message will remain hidden until the device unlocks. 📊 What type of lock do you prefer?Full disable notifications Only icons without text All notifications visible I only care about calls
Setting up notifications for individual applications Often the problem is not with the system as a whole, but with the specific application that spams the user. This can be a game, a news aggregator or a social network. Android-based flexibility MIUI You can customize each application individually without affecting system settings. → Notifications and status bar → App notifications. You'll see a long list of all the programs you've installed, find the culprit, like Facebook or AliExpress, click the app name to get into the details, and you'll see some important switches here. We're interested in the block screen lock, and you can choose from three behaviors: show everything, hide the content or not show anything. 📲 Display notifications: full text and title display. 👁️ Hide content: only the name of the application is visible. ❌ Do not show: completely ignore notifications on the locked screen. ☑️ Check the settings of the application Find the application in the list Open detailed settings Change the setting "lock screen" Check the result Reboot the device if necessary: 0 / 5 Note that some apps have their own internal notification settings that can override system ones. If the system ban doesn't work, go to the settings of the app itself, look for the Notifications section and turn off the display on the lock screen.
There is a fine line between completely disabling notifications and maintaining privacy. Many users want to know about an incoming call or message, but do not want the text to be read by outsiders. To do this, Xiaomi has a mechanism to hide confidential content, which works at the system level, and it replaces the text of the message with asterisks or simply hides it until the device is unlocked with a biometric or password. You can activate this option through the Settings menu. → Notifications and status bar → Format of notifications. ⚠️ Note: The content concealment function only works if you have a reliable screen locking method installed (PIN-If you don't have a password, you can't tell when to hide the text". It's a powerful tool that allows you to temporarily completely disable all audio and visual notifications, except for selected contacts. You can swipe down from the top right corner and select the appropriate icon. How does Do Not Disturb mode work?In this mode, the screen does not light up when incoming calls (except favorites), the sound is turned off, and the vibration does not work. This is ideal for movies, meetings or sleep, when you need guaranteed peace. Using the "Do Not Disturb" mode on a schedule is a great habit. You can set up automatic activation of this feature at night so that the lock screen remains clean during sleep, and in the morning begins to display important information again.
Blocking Advertising and System Notifications MIUIOne of the main reasons for the contamination of the lock screen is advertising from the system itself. MSA (MIUI System Ads) and Xiaomi's built-in apps. Browser, Security, Explorer, and Music often generate push notifications. To get rid of this, you need to turn off ad personalization. Go to Settings → Password and security → Access to personal data. Search the msa list and turn off this switch. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds, then press "Cancel." Then you should go through the built-in applications. Open the Security app, click on the gear in the top right corner, and find Receive recommendations. Turn it off. Similar steps should be repeated for the Music, Video, and Explorer apps in their internal settings. App Path to Disable Switch Name Security Settings (cog) Receive recommendations Download Settings → Additional Recommended Music Settings → Additional Display Ads Topics Profile → Settings Show advertising 💡After disabling ads in Xiaomi apps, restart your smartphone to implement changes to system services and completely stop receiving push notifications, which will significantly clear not only the lock screen, but the notification center as a whole. You will stop seeing offers to download games or read news that carry no payload.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Why does the ad still appear after disabling notifications? Ads can come from third-party apps you installed yourself. Check the list of recently installed programs and turn off notifications for them individually. Also make sure you withdraw consent to personalize the ad in the MSA settings. Can you hide the notifications only for a while? Yes, use the "Do Not Disturb" mode. It can be activated manually through the curtain or set to a schedule in the Sound and Vibration settings. In this mode, the lock screen will be clean at a predeterminated time. Will WhatsApp messages disappear if I lock them on the screen only on the screen, and the message will not appear on the screen, and the screen will not be blocked from the device. How to return all default notification settings? Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the right app, select Notifications and click Reset settings (if available) or manually turn on all switches.