Owners of budget smartphones like the Redmi 8A often face intrusive marketing built right into the operating system.This is a fee for the affordable price of the device: Xiaomi monetizes the software by showing banner ads in system applications. However, the user experience should not suffer from constant visual noise.
There's a myth that you can get rid of all advertising by getting root rights, but that's not true. You can set up MIUI to disable the vast majority of ad modules with standard tools, you don't need sophisticated tools or code knowledge, enough attention and consistency.
In this article, we’ll look at all sources of annoying content, from the MSA system service to built-in browsers. The phone will take about 15 minutes to configure correctly, but the result will save your nerves and improve the speed of the gadget.
Disabling the MSA system advertising service
The central element of the advertising ecosystem in the shell is the service. MSA (MIUI System Ads. It's the one who's responsible for loading and displaying banners in standard utilities. Without it, fighting marketing spam would be meaningless.
To start, you need to go to the settings menu and find the Password and Security section, and select the Personal Data Access section, and in the app list that opens, find the msa bar and switch the slider to an inactive state.
⚠️ Attention: the system may ask you several times about your decision and claim that without this service, your phone will be disrupted.
After turning off the slider, a countdown timer will appear for 10 seconds. After this time, press the Stop button. If you failed to turn off the first time, repeat the procedure 2-3 times, since the company's servers may temporarily block the request.
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If msa is not listed, try changing the region of the phone to Nepal or India, then check the list again.
It's important to understand that MIUI is a complex system, and sometimes the process requires persistence, and that disabling this component is the foundation for further cleaning up the interface from the garbage.
Set up standard Xiaomi applications
Once the primary source of advertising is neutralized, you need to go through each standard application that may contain its own settings for displaying promocional content. Redmi 8A has quite a lot of such applications.
Start with the Security app. Click on the settings gear in the top right corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, find Receive recommendations and turn it off. It's also recommended that you turn off the Virus Notification option if they come too often.
- 📱 Topics: Go to profile (the person in the corner) → Settings → Uncheck the boxes for “Show Advertising” and “Personal Recommendations».
- 📁 Conductor: Click on the menu (three bars) → Settings → Information → Turn off "Receive recommendations».
- 🎵 Music: menu (three stripes) → Settings → Additional settings → Turn off "Show ads».
- 📹 Video: Account tab» → Settings → Turn off “Online Recommendations” and “Autostart Video».
Don’t forget to check the Downloads app too. Often users don’t know that this is where the hot offers are being advertised. Go to the download settings and uncheck the Show recommended content box.
☑️ Verification of system applications
Cleaning the desktop and tool folder
One of the most annoying features of the shell is the Tools folder, where Xiaomi defaults to collect its services, and this is where pop-ups with suggestions to install games or buy goods most often appear.
To remove the ad from this folder, click on it and hold your finger until the settings menu appears. Select Settings (or gear) and turn off the Receive Recommendations option.
Also worth paying attention to the widgets on the desktop. In particular, the widget wallpaper carousel (Glance) often contains a news feed and advertising blocks. To turn it off, go to Settings → Lock screen → Wallpaper carousel and select Off.
| System component | source of advertising | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| Folder Tools | Built-in recommendations | Disable in folder settings |
| Wallpaper carousel | News and banners | Disable in screen settings |
| Mi Browser. | Pop-ups | Clear data and settings |
| Annex Topics | Banner advertisements | Disable in profile |
Once you do that, Redmi 8A will be much cleaner, but there are still hidden sources that many people forget about.
Blocking ads in the browser and notifications
The standard Mi Browser browser is often used by default, and it is one of the main sources of pop-up advertising on the Internet. Even if you disabled system services, the browser can continue to display banners on sites.
To minimize the threat, go to your browser settings, look for the Privacy and Security section, and activate the ad blocker. However, a more effective solution would be to install a third-party browser, such as Firefox or Brave, which have built-in protection.
⚠️ Warning: Never allow sites to send you push notifications.This is a frequent way to deliver ad spam directly to the lock screen.
If you use Google Chrome, make sure that it also includes protection against malicious sites and pop-ups. Path to settings: Settings → Site settings → Pop-ups → Blocked.
How do I check which apps have access to notifications?
Using DNS to block the world
The most effective method, which works in all applications and browsers, is to change the DNS server to the system level. Using the DNS-over-HTTPS protocol allows you to block advertising requests before they reach your phone.
Redmi 8A owners with Android 9 and above have access to the built-in DNS mechanism. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing (or Additional Settings) → Private DNS.
Select the DNS provider hostname option and enter the following line:
dns.adguard.comSave the settings. This method requires no additional applications to install, and has little or no effect on battery consumption, and filters traffic at the domain name level by cutting off requests to known ad servers.
- ✅ Advantage: Blocks ads inside games and apps where conventional blockers are powerless.
- ✅ Security: protects against switching to blacklisted phishing sites.
- ✅ Speed: modern DNS-Servers are often faster than standard providers.
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Changing DNS to dns.adguard.com is a “silver bullet” that removes up to 90% of all advertising in the system without installing excessive software.
Frequent Questions and Problem Solving (FAQ)
Even after completing all the steps, users may have questions regarding specific behaviors of the system, and the following are the most common.
Why did the MSA shutdown reappear?
Is it safe to use third-party DNS-server?
Can the phone stop working after the system services are turned off?
Do I need to reset my phone to factory settings?
Following these instructions, you will turn your Xiaomi Redmi 8A into a clean and convenient device, free of intrusive marketing. Check app updates regularly, as new versions sometimes return old privacy settings.