How to Turn Off Internal Advertising on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones, including the sub-brands Redmi and POCO, are known for their excellent price-performance ratio. However, the affordable cost often comes at the expense of intrusive marketing in the system shells. Built-in banner ads, pop-ups in system applications and recommendations in folders can seriously annoy the user, reducing the overall impression of the device.

Solving this problem doesn't require deep programming knowledge or root superuser rights. Most of the settings are hidden in the standard settings menu, but scattered across different parts of the system. In this article, we'll detail how to completely clean the HyperOS and MIUI interfaces of commercial debris, returning the phone to its original cleanliness.

The process of disabling takes only a few minutes, but requires care, as some options have similar names.It is important to understand that the complete removal of advertising modules may require the use of third-party tools, which we will also mention below.

MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising

The central element responsible for collecting data and displaying advertising content on Xiaomi devices is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which analyzes your actions and selects targeted offers, and disabling this component is the first and most important step in the fight for a clean interface.

First, you need to log into the settings menu and find the Password and Security section. Then go to Access to Personal Data. In the app list that opens, find msa and switch the slider to "Off." The system will alert you to the consequences, but this is a standard procedure.

When you turn off, you'll see a countdown timer for 10 seconds. When you're done, press the "Disable" button. If you can't turn it off the first time (the system can say "Disabled Status"), just try again 2-3 times. Usually, the second time you try, the service is successfully deactivated.

⚠️ Note: After disabling msa, some of the personalization features in standard applications, such as Music or Video, may stop working correctly.

Also, disable related services, which often work in conjunction with the advertising module, find in the same access list of the GetApps app and Mi Video, limiting their access to personal data if you do not actively use them.

Customization of personalization and recommendations

Even after the main service is disabled, the system can continue to show recommendations in application folders and on the lock screen, thanks to the Receive Recommendations feature, which is activated by default when the smartphone is first turned on, and it must be manually disabled in each system application.

Go to the settings of any standard application, such as "Themes" or "Security." In the upper right corner of the screen, often there is a gear icon or a three-dot menu. Click on it and find the Receive Recommendations (or "Recommendations") switch. Put it in an inactive state.

Pay special attention to the "Security" app, which is where most pop-up notifications about "viruses" or "junk" come in, which are actually banner ads, and you should also turn off the "Receive recommendations" option in the settings of this app.

To clean up personalized advertising, you need to go to the general settings of the system. Go to Settings → Password and Security → Privacy → Special Permits → Access to advertising data. Here you can reset the advertising ID or completely prohibit applications from using it.

• 📱 Open the settings of the "Themes" application and turn off recommendations.
• 🔒 In the "Security" application, remove the tick from receiving news.
• 🎵 In the app "Music" and "Video" also deaktivirujte (turn off) showing recommendations.
• 📂 Check the folders on the desktop: when you open the folder, click on its name and turn off "Recommended applications".

Managing System Applications and Notifications

Many users are unaware that standard Xiaomi apps have their own independent notification settings, and even if you have banned ads in global settings, a particular app may have its own built-in mechanism for showing promotional materials.

Consider the Explorer app. It often shows ads when you clear the cache or analyze the storage, go to its settings (usually through the hamburger menu or gear) and find the About or Settings section, where you need to turn off the Receive Recommendations option.

The same situation is true for the Download app, which can show pop-ups with suggestions to clear memory or install antivirus. Open the app, click three dots in the corner, select Settings, and tick off the tick from Show Recommended Content.

Remember that some changes may require a device reboot, especially for MIUI 14 and earlier, where ad caching is aggressive.

💡

Disabling recommendations in each system application individually is the only way to guarantee to remove banners from the interface, since there is no global switch “Switch off everything”.

Using DNS to Block Advertising

One of the most effective and safest methods of combating advertising is the use of private DNS. This method does not require the installation of third-party applications and works at the network connection level, blocking requests to known ad servers.

Modern versions of Android (starting with 9.0 and up) and HyperOS have a built-in private DNS feature. To activate it, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. The default value is Auto.

Select the option “DNS Host Name” (or “Manual”) and enter the address of a trusted blocker. The most popular and proven solution is dns.adguard.com. After entering the address, save the settings.

dns.adguard.com

This method blocks ads not only in the system, but also in the browser and in many free applications, but be careful: if the DNS server stops responding, you may not open some sites or applications.

⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS may result in inability to access (some) your provider's local resources or corporate networks. DNS Internet is lost, return the setting to the value "Auto" or "Switched off".

Advanced methods: ADB and third-party utilities

For power users who want to maximize results, there are methods to remove system components through USB debugging. Using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) protocol allows you to remove or “freeze” system packages that cannot be disabled through the standard menu.

To start, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on the MIUI Version (or OS Version). After that, the "Additional" menu will appear "Developers" option. Turn on "Debugging on USB" there.

Connect your phone to your computer, install ADB drivers, and enter a command to remove the com.miui.misys or com.android.browser ad package (if you don’t use Xiaomi’s browser).

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys

Be extremely careful when using ADB commands. Removing critical system components can result in bootloop or unstable system operation. Always check the name of the package before removing it.

An alternative to manual commands is to use graphical shells such as Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools.These programs allow you to safely remove ad modules with a single button, having a list of safe packets to remove.

• 💻 Install the drivers. ADB computer.
• 🔌 Connect your smartphone with a cable and allow debugging on the phone screen.
• 🗑️ Use the uninstall command only for known advertising packages.
• 🔄 To return a remote package, use the command cmd package install-existing [package_name].

Frequent questions and troubleshooting

Despite its apparent simplicity, the process of clearing the phone from advertising can be technically difficult: users often encounter switches returning to their original position or the system writes about access errors.

One of the common problems is that you can't turn off msa the first time, and as mentioned earlier, it's a defense mechanism of the system. Don't give up after the first failure -- persistence (3-5 attempts in a row) usually leads to success.

It’s also worth remembering that completely blocking ads can disrupt some legal features, such as font selection in a topic or music recommendations. If you notice strange behavior after cleaning, try temporarily returning your data access settings for the GetApps app.

💡

Before you make changes to system settings or use ADB, back up important data. While the methods described are safe, an accidental error when deleting system files may require a flashing of the device.