Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface, such as pop-ups in app folders, banners in standard utilities or personalized offers in the notification curtain.
Fortunately, the modern MIUI shell and its successor HyperOS allow you to flexibly adjust the level of digital noise. Turning off recommendations does not require obtaining super-user rights or flashing the device; it is enough to consistently go through several hidden settings menus to return the smartphone to a neat look.
In this article, we will break down a detailed algorithm of actions that will help you completely remove MSA advertising modules and system tips. We will look at both standard methods through the interface and the deeper settings available to advanced users. Follow the instructions carefully so that you do not miss any source of annoying notifications.
Disabling the MSA service, the main source of advertising
The main engine of advertising in the system is MIUI System Ads, often under the acronym MSA. It is this process that collects data about your habits and generates advertising offers, the first step to a clean interface will be to deactivate it through system settings.
First, you need to find the appropriate section in the authorization and security menu, and the path may vary slightly depending on the shell version, but the logic remains the same. You need to access the Internet, because the server must confirm your desire to abandon advertising services.
- 📱 Open the settings and go to the Passwords and Security section.
- 🔍 Find access to personal data or special opportunities.
- 🚫 In the list, find the msa and turn off the slider.
- ⏳ Wait 10 seconds and press withdraw.
Often, the first time you fail to turn off the service, the system may give an error or write that "failed to withdraw permission" This is the normal behavior of the security mechanism, repeat the procedure 2-3 times in a row until you receive a message about a successful shutdown.
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If the "Cancel" button is inactive, check your Internet connection, sometimes switching from Wi-Fi to a mobile network or vice versa helps.
We remove advertising in folders and on the desktop
Even after the MSA service is disabled, static banners may remain in the application folders, called "Recommended Apps," and often offer downloads of games or utilities, which can be removed directly from the desktop display settings.
Go to the launcher settings. To do this, click on the blank area of the screen or use the system settings menu, finding Desktop, and here are the settings for the visual design and content of the folders.
Find a switch called "Recommended Apps" or "Receive Recommended Apps" and turn it off, and then when you open any folder, you will no longer see the advertising icons at the bottom of the installed program list.
⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI This item may be called "Wallpaper Carousel" or hidden in the "Screen Lock" section.
It's also worth checking the widget settings. Sometimes the ad units come through the "Security" or "Download" widgets that the user accidentally placed on the home screen. Remove the extra widgets to free up space.
Setup of System Applications: Security and Downloads
Xiaomi’s standard utilities, such as Task Manager, Memory Cleanup, and File Manager, also contain ad modules that can appear after a virus scan or cache is completed, and can be turned off in each application’s settings separately.
Start with the Security app. Open it, click on the settings gear in the top right corner. Find Receive recommendations and turn it off. There may be a separate Receive notifications item, which is also worth deactivating.
☑️ Verification of system applications
Next, go to the Downloads app. Click on the menu (three dots) and select Settings. Here, also turn off Show Recommended Content. This will remove the ads from the downloaded file list.
Remember the Music and Video app, which also has personalization and recommendations in their settings, and while they often refer to content within apps, disabling these features reduces the overall system and data collection burden.
Personalization of Advertising and Mi Ads
There's a separate section that's responsible for targeting ads hidden in the back of the system's settings, and even if you've disabled the main sources, this module can continue to work in the background, collecting identifiers for advertisers.
To find this section, go along the path: Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services (or Advertising). Here you will see the Ad Personalization switch.
By disabling this setting, you will prevent the system from using your data to select ads, which will not remove the ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and relevant to your interests.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| Receive recommendations | Security/Downloading | Turn it off. |
| Personalization | Confidentiality | Turn it off. |
| Auto-reproduction | Application Video | Only through Wi-Fi/Off |
| MIUI Notifications | Settings/Notifications | Clean/Switch off |
It is worth noting that after major system updates, these settings may be reset, and periodically check the specified sections to make sure that the ad modules are not activated again.
Notifications in curtain and blocker
One of the most annoying forms of advertising is push notifications from system applications, which can offer to install a browser, clean your phone or report hot news, most often from the MIUI Daemon or GetApps app.
To remove them, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management. Go through the list of system applications. Pay special attention to:
- 📦 GetApps (app store) – disable all notifications.
- 🧹 Cleanup – Leave only critical warnings.
- 📂 Conductor - disable recommendations.
- 🔒 Blocker – set the frequency of database updates.
What to do if the advertisement returns?
Also check the lock screen settings. In Wallpaper and Personalization → Wallpaper Carousel (or Screen Lock), turn off Receive Content. This will remove the advertising slides that appear when the screen is turned on.
Additional methods: DNS and special features
For those who want to go beyond standard settings, there is a method of blocking ads at the network level, using a private DNS allows you to cut off advertising requests even before they reach the screen of the smartphone.
Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the option “Host Name of the DNS Provider” and enter the address of a trusted blocker, such as dns.adguard.com. Save settings.
dns.adguard.comThis method is effective not only for system advertising, but also for banners in the browser and some free applications. However, if the DNS server is unavailable, the Internet may stop working, so keep the address on hand for a quick shutdown.
⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-servers can slightly increase ping in online games.If you are an avid gamer, test this method carefully.
Another important thing is permission to display over other windows: Go to Special Options and check which apps have access to the screen. Often, advertising modules require this permission to show pop-ups. Revoke access to suspicious system processes if they are not critical.
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Integrated approach including shutdown MSA, setting up notifications and use DNS-filter, guarantees almost complete absence of advertising in the system Xiaomi.