Advertising in Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones has become one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware. Banners in settings, pop-up notifications from system applications, advertising blocks in the menu - all this not only spoils the user experience, but also slows down the device by 15-20% due to background activity of trackers.
In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to remove ads on any Xiaomi device, from standard MIUI settings to deep cleaning of system applications. The methods are suitable for all current firmware versions (including MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS), and do not require superuser rights (ROOT) in most cases, paying special attention to hidden triggers that return ads after updates, and legal ways to block without violating warranty.
Why Xiaomi is showing ads and can it be removed forever?
MIUI firmware initially contains built-in advertising modules that load banners through system applications:
- 📱 Security – the main source of pop-up notifications
- 🛒 Mi Browser – shows ads on the homepage and in search
- 📊 Cleaner – “optimization” banners after memory cleaning
- 🎵 Music and Video - Advertising in Players
- 📱 Themes – imposes themes and wallpapers with promo content
The manufacturer claims that advertising helps reduce the cost of smartphones, but in practice it appears even in flagship models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or POCO F5 Pro).It can be completely removed, but this will require a combination of methods: disabling through settings, blocking network requests and removing unnecessary system applications.
⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI Some of the settings may reset. We recommend fixing the changes through the Settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times to activate developer mode and disable automatic updates of system applications.
According to a study by XDA Developers (2023), up to 30% of the traffic on Xiaomi devices is spent on analytics and ad downloads, which is not only annoying, but also consumes Internet traffic (up to 500 MB per month) and speeds up battery life. Below we will look at ways to combat each of these problems.
Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings
The easiest and safest method is to deactivate advertising triggers through standard settings, which does not require ROOT rights and is suitable for all models, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Xiaomi 12T.
Instructions:
- Go to Settings → Google → Advertising (or Settings → Additional → Privacy → Advertising Services on New Versions).
- Turn off the option “Personalized Ads” and reset the advertising ID (Reset Identity button).
- Return to the basic settings and open Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. Click 7 times on the line with the version to activate the developer mode.
- Now go to Settings → Additional → For developers and find the item “Debugging by USB”. Activate it (this will be needed for further methods).
This method reduces the amount of targeted ads, but does not eliminate them completely, and you will need to work with system applications to completely remove them.
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If the “Advertising Services” option is not in the settings, try changing the device region to the European Union (Settings → Additional → Region). The EU has stricter data protection regulations, and some of the advertising modules are automatically disabled.
Method 2: Blocking Advertising through ADB (without ROOT)
The ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tool allows you to disable system applications without superuser rights. The method works on all Xiaomi devices with an unlocked bootloader (default unlocked on most models, except for the Chinese versions).
Step-by-step:
- Download ADB Tools for Windows/macOS/Linux and unpack the archive.
- Connect your smartphone to your PC via USB, select File Transfer mode and confirm debugging on your phone screen.
- Open the command prompt (or Terminal) in the adb.exe folder and enter it one by one:
adb shell
pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.analytics
pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop
pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution
pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.browser
pm hide com.miui.cleanmasterThese commands are deleted:
- 📊 Xiaomi Analytics (com.miui.analytics)
- 🔄 Background synchronization (com.xiaomi.midrop)
- 🛑 Advertising module (com.miui.systemAdSolution)
- 🌐 Standard browser with advertising
- 🧹 Appendix "Cleaning" (hidden but not completely removed)
⚠️ Note: Do not remove applications marked com.android or com.qualcomm, which can lead to unstable system operation. Also avoid pm uninstall commands for com.miui.home (launcher) and com.miui.securitycenter (security center).
☑️ Preparation for work with ADB
Method 3: Removing Advertising through MIUI Hidden Settings Editor
MIUI Hidden Settings (available on 4PDA) allows you to manage hidden firmware options, including ad modules, a method that is suitable for users who do not want to work with ADB.
How to use:
- Download and install. APK-file MIUI Hidden Settings (version should match your firmware).
- Open the application and give permission to access the settings.
- Go to Advertisements and turn off all switches:
| Parameter | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| msa_global_switch | Global Advertising Switch | ❌ Shut down. |
| personalized_ad_switch | Personalized announcements | ❌ Shut down. |
| recommend_app_switch | Recommendations of the annexes | ❌ Shut down. |
| browser_ad_switch | Browser advertising | ❌ Shut down. |
| video_recommend_switch | Recommendations in the video player | ❌ Shut down. |
After applying the changes, restart the device, and the effect will be noticeable immediately: banners in the settings, notifications from Security and advertising in standard applications will disappear.
What to do if MIUI Hidden Settings is not working?
Method 4: Blocking Advertising Domains via Hosts File
The hosts file in Android is responsible for redirecting network requests, and if you block the domains from which the ads are loaded, the system will stop showing them, and this method works without ROOT, but requires the use of third-party applications.
Instructions:
- Download the DNS66 or Blokada app from F-Droid (they don't require ROOT).
- In the application settings, select Hosts-block mode.
- Add the following domains to the blacklist (or import a ready-made list for Xiaomi):
127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com
127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com
127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com
127.0.0.1 tracker.ai.xiaomi.com
127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com
127.0.0.1 globalapi.ad.xiaomi.comOnce you have setup, reboot your device, which blocks up to 80 percent of your ad requests, including analytics and personalized banners, but some system notifications may continue to appear, requiring a combination of other methods to remove them.
⚠️ Note: Blocking api.brs.intl.miui.com and sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com domains may disrupt some features, such as push notifications from Mi Cloud. If you notice problems, delete these lines from the hosts file.
Method 5: Remove system applications with ads (requires ROOT)
If you have ROOT rights (e.g., through Magisk), you can completely remove unnecessary system applications that display ads, which gives 100% results, but requires caution – removing critical components can lead to a device “brick”.
List of safe applications to remove:
- 🗑️ com.miui.analytics – Xiaomi Analytics
- 🗑️ com.xiaomi.midrop - background synchronization
- 🗑️ com.miui.systemAdSolution – Advertising Module
- 🗑️ com.android.browser – the standard browser
- 🗑️ com.miui.cleanmaster — “Cleaning up"
- 🗑️ com.miui.videoplayer - video player with advertising
- 🗑️ com.miui.player - Music player
Use Root Explorer or Titanium Backup to remove:
- Open a file manager with ROOT support.
- Go to /system/app or /system/priv-app.
- Find the folders with the names from the list above and delete them (or rename them by adding.bak at the end).
- Clear the cache in Settings → Applications → Application Management.
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Before you uninstall system applications, make sure to back up via TWRP or OrangeFox Recovery, which will allow you to restore the system in case of an error.
Method 6: Use of alternative firmware (for advanced)
If none of the methods worked, the radical solution is to install custom firmware without advertising.
- 📱 LineageOS – pure Android without unnecessary modules
- 📱 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface
- 📱 ArrowOS – Optimized for Performance
- 📱 MIUI EU — official firmware without advertising (only for European regions)
Installation process:
- Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Mi Account binding and a wait of 7-14 days).
- Install custom Recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
- Download the firmware from the XDA Developers website (choose the version for your model!).
- Sweep through the recovery by first doing wipe of the Dalvik, Cache, System and Data partitions.
Advantages of custom firmware:
- ✅ No advertising and analytics
- ✅ Faster system operation
- ✅ Regular security updates
- ✅ Possibility of fine tuning
⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware voids warranty and may result in data loss.On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) unlocking the bootloader blocks the wide-angle camera - check compatibility before firmware.
Method 7: Disabling notifications from system applications
If the ads appear as pop-up notifications, you can turn them off for specific apps, a method that doesn't remove banners from the menu, but eliminates annoying alerts.
How to turn it off:
- Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
- Find it in the app list: 🛡️ Security (Security) 🧹 Cleaner (Cleaning up) 🌐 Mi Browser 🎵 Music and Video
"Show notifications"
"Sound"
“Notification categories”
Recommendations
Promotions
Additionally, you can prohibit the background activity of these applications:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Select an application (such as Security) and press Battery → Background Activity.
- Select "Limit."
This will reduce battery load and reduce the number of advertising notifications, but it will not remove them completely.