How to disable all advertising on Xiaomi smartphones

Owners of budget and mid-budget devices from Xiaomi often face intrusive advertising that appears in system applications. This is a fee for low iron, but many users are willing to put up with this only as long as pop-ups do not interfere with normal operation. Fortunately, in the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS, there are many hidden and overt switches to remove visual noise.

The process of clearing the system of advertising modules requires a consistent approach, since there is simply no single “Switch Off All” button in the standard menu. You will have to go through several sections of settings and disable personalization in each system application separately, ignoring this step will lead to the fact that even after the basic settings, banners will continue to appear in folders and menus.

This guide is relevant to all modern models, including the Redmi Note series, POCO F and X line, as well as the flagship Mi. We will look not only at standard methods through the interface, but also at more advanced methods that ensure maximum system cleanliness. Before starting work, make sure that you have a stable Internet connection for initial license checks.

Disabling MSA Service is the Main Step

At the heart of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which is responsible for collecting data about your actions and hinor advertising content in the interface, and without disabling this service, all other manipulations will have only a temporary effect.

To be able to deactivate the MSA, you first need to turn off the Internet on your smartphone, which is critical, because when you connect actively, the shutdown button will be blocked or the deactivation process will be interrupted by an error.

Find the Password and Security section and select Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find the msa app and put the switch to an inactive state, the system will issue a warning, and then start a countdown of 10 seconds.

⚠️ Warning: If the recall button is gray after the timer has expired or there is a "failed to withdraw" error, don't panic. This is standard. 3-5 once in a row until the system accepts the request.

After successful MSA disabling, ads in most places will disappear instantly, but to consolidate the result, it is also recommended to disable the ad service in the same menu, which will provide a deeper cleanup of the system from trackers.

Customization of personalization in system applications

Even after the main service is disabled, individual Xiaomi apps can continue to show recommendations and banner ads if their individual settings activate the “Receive recommendations” feature, which is often enabled by default and hidden in the depths of each app’s menu.

You have to go through the preinstalled list and manually turn it off, and it takes a few minutes, but it's worth it, because the interface is cleaner and the applications are faster, and you have to pay special attention to the standard tools that you use every day.

• 📁 Explorer: Open the app, click on the menu (three bars), select Settings» → «About the application" and disable "Receive recommendations».
• 🧹 Security: Go to the app, click on the settings gear in the corner, scroll down and find the "Get recommendations" switch».
• 🎵 Music and Video: In both applications, go to the settings, find the “Additional” or “Advanced Settings” section and remove the checkmark from the recommendations display.
• 🌤️ Weather: Go to the widget or app settings and turn off “Get recommendations” to remove the newsfeed banners.

And remember the Theme app, which is one of the main sources of visual noise: Go to the user profile (human icon), then to Settings and disable items like Show Ads, Personal Recommendations and Autoplay Video.

We remove advertising in folders and on the desktop

One of the most annoying features of the shell is the appearance of recommended applications in folders on the desktop. If you created a Tools or Games folder, the system can automatically add icons marked “Recommended”, which are essentially advertising links.

To get rid of this, open any folder on your desktop, and at the top of the folder window, you'll see the name and the Recommendations switch. Just turn it off. This setting will apply to all the folders on your device, and the intrusive icons will disappear.

Also, check the settings of the desktop itself. Click the blank space on the screen or pinch the two fingers to call the edit menu, and go to Settings. You should turn off the wallpaper carousel feature if you don't need it, as it often loads advertising content onto the lock screen.

Cleaning the Download and Browser application

Xiaomi’s standard file uploader and browser often contain embedded news feeds and ad units. If you use these apps, they need to be “de-enabled” or they will continue to generate traffic and display banners even after the MSA is turned off.

In Downloads, you click on the three dots in the top right corner, select Settings → Show recommended content and turn off this item. This will remove the news feed from the bootloader's home screen.

With Mi Browser, the situation is similar: Open the menu, go to Settings → Privacy and Security. Here you need to turn off Personal Recommendations and Notifications. It is also recommended that you select Empty Page in the Home Page section to get rid of the news feed.

If you don’t use a standard browser, you can simply delete or disable it in your app settings by replacing it with Chrome or Firefox, which not only removes ads, but also frees up space in the device’s memory.

⚠️ Note: When you turn off your system browser, make sure you have an alternative browser installed by default. Otherwise, links from other applications may stop opening correctly.

Using Private DNS to block

The most effective and versatile method that works at the operating system level is to use a private DNS. This method does not require superuser rights (Root) and blocks advertising requests before they reach your screen.

The essence of the method is to redirect DNS-For Android-based devices (starting with version 9.0), this feature is built into the system. You don't need to install third-party apps.

Go to Settings. → Connection and Sharing (or “Additional Settings» → «Privacy.“.Look for the item Private. DNS (Private DNS). Select the mode "Host Name of the provider" DNS» and enter the following value:

dns.adguard.com

Once you save the settings, the system can lose the Internet connection for a few seconds, and then restore it, from which point most of the ads in apps and browsers will stop loading, which also improves security when using public Wi-Fi networks.

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If you have included a private DNS Some applications or sites have stopped working, try to temporarily disable this feature. DNS-request.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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A comprehensive approach that combines disabling MSA, configuring each application and using Private DNS, allows you to remove 99% of all advertising in the Xiaomi system.