How to turn off pop-up windows on Xiaomi

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface, such as pop-ups when cleaning up memory, banners in standard applications or recommendations in folders, a situation that annoys many users who are used to pure Android, and makes them look for ways to solve the problem.

Fortunately, the MIUI shell and its current version of HyperOS provide enough tools to completely eliminate digital noise. You don't need superuser rights or complex code manipulations. You just need to change several parameters in system settings in a sequential manner to make smartphone usage comfortable.

In this article, we will discuss all the known methods of disabling pop-ups on shaomi, from the system service MSA to the configuration of specific applications. Complete disabling of MSA service is a key step, because it is responsible for 90% of all advertising in the system. Follow the instructions carefully so that you do not miss an important point.

Disabling the MSA system advertising service

The main source of annoying banners is the system application msa (MIUI System Ads), which is the process that collects data about your actions and selects relevant advertising. First, find it in the list of all installed programs. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications and search for the acronym msa.

Once you've found an application, go to the properties, and you click on the Disable or Turn off button, and the system may ask you several times to confirm an action, asking you to wait 10 seconds, be patient and wait for the timer to end, and then confirm the disconnection, which interrupts the device's connection to the manufacturer's ad servers.

Sometimes you can’t turn off the service the first time because of connection errors or system failures, in which case you can try to repeat the procedure in a few minutes or restart the device. If the button remains inactive, check for system updates, as new versions of HyperOS may have changed the algorithms of this component.

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If the “Disable” button is inactive, try first to turn off the Internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data), press the button, and then, when the waiting timer appears, quickly turn the Internet back on and wait for the countdown to end.

It’s important to understand that disabling MSA doesn’t affect the basic functions of the smartphone.You’ll still be able to use the GetApps store, themes and other services, just they’ll become less intrusive.This is a basic step that every Xiaomi owner should follow immediately after buying.

Setting up privacy and advertising settings

In addition to directly disabling the service, you need to prevent the system from using your data to personalize advertising. This is done through the privacy menu. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. This is where the master switch is located, which is often hidden from the surface.

Activate the slider Personalized Advertising by turning it to "Off" and this action sends a signal to the ad units that you do not want to receive targeted offers. Although the ad may not disappear completely, its frequency and relevance will decrease significantly, the system will stop analyzing your preferences to form an advertising profile.

In the same section, look at the Recommendations, the new firmware versions have set up settings for various system applications, disable all the recommendations to clear the interface of unnecessary icons and text blocks, which will make the menu more concise and faster.

Eliminating Advertising in Standard Applications

Even after the main service is disabled, some built-in utilities may continue to show pop-ups, most often with the Security, Downloads, Music and Themes app, each with its own settings that need to be changed manually to achieve full effect.

Start with the Security app, which is the control center of the system. Open it, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find Receive recommendations. Turn off this switch. It's also worth checking the Cleanup section inside the app's settings and removing the tick from "Recommendations after cleaning."

Next, go to the Downloads app. Click on the three dots in the top right corner, select Settings and turn off the Recommended Content feature. Similar actions should be repeated in the Topics app: go to profile (human icon), then to settings and uncheck all boxes containing the words "recommendations" or "popular".

Remember that after updating the operating system, some settings may reset to factory values. Periodically check these points, especially if you notice the return of intrusive banners. In the Explorer app, you should also look at the settings and turn off advertising in the Information section.

Blocking pop-up windows in the browser

If you're advertizing while surfing the Internet, the problem may not be in the system, but in the browser settings or in the extensions installed. The built-in Mi Browser browser has its own filters, but they're not always effective. Let's look at how to strengthen protection.

Open your browser and go to the settings menu (three bars or dots). Find the Privacy and Security section. You need to activate the Ad Block switch. You also recommend turning on "Tracking Protection" to prevent ad networks from collecting data about your visits to sites.

But standard tools are often not enough: Power users prefer to install third-party browsers with built-in powerful blockers, such as Brave, DuckDuckGo or Firefox with add-ons, which radically solves the problem of pop-ups on sites.

⚠️ Warning: If ads pop up even when the browser is closed, there may be a malicious app installed on the phone. Check the list of recently installed programs and remove suspicious ones, especially those that do not have an icon or name.

Additionally, any Android browser can find pop-ups or pop-ups and prevent them from being displayed, which will prevent you from opening new tabs without your consent when you click on the page elements.

Managing Notifications from Applications

Users often confuse system advertising with notifications from installed applications. AliExpress store, games, news aggregators and social networks can constantly send messages with offers. It is easy to distinguish them: they appear in the notification curtain, not on top of the interface.

To manage this flow, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Center. You can globally configure system behavior. But manage each application more effectively. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select the right one (such as a game or store) and go to Notifications.

In this menu, you'll see a list of all the categories of notifications that the app can send. Ruthlessly turn off anything that isn't critical: "Promotions," "News," "Recommendations," "Advertising." Leave only what you really need, like "Order Status" or "Messages."

There's also a "Important Notifications" feature, where if an app is marked as important, its messages can ignore the "Do Not Disturb" mode, check the list of important apps and remove everything from there, leaving only messengers and calls.

Using DNS to block at the network level

The most advanced and effective method, which works not only for the system but for all applications at once, is to use a private DNS with ad filtering, which does not require the installation of additional software and works at the network connection level.

To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS (the path may vary slightly depending on the Android version). Select DNS Host Name (or Manual) mode. In the box that appears, enter the address of the verified blocker.

One of the most popular and reliable services is AdGuard DNS. In the field for entering you must specify the following address:

dns.adguard.com

Once you enter the address, click Save. Now all requests to known ad servers will be blocked at the network level, which will speed up the loading of pages in the browser and remove banners inside many applications that do not require deep integration with the system.

Use of the DNS-Filtering also improves security, as many services block access to phishing and malicious sites. However, it is worth remembering that if you use corporate Wi-Fi or specific networks, such a system can be used to protect your business. DNS It may block access to some internal resources.

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Combination of shutdown MSA, settings of notifications and use DNS-Filtering allows you to remove 99% of all ads on your Xiaomi device without losing functionality.

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