How to Remove Xiaomi Videos from the Screen: A Complete Guide to TVs and Smartphones

You've just turned on a new Xiaomi Mi TV or upgraded your smartphone firmware, and instead of your desktop, you're greeted with intrusive "popular videos," banner ads, or content recommendations from Mi Video. This feature is built into the shell of MIUI and PatchWall (for TV), but not everyone likes it, and it's especially annoying when the system loads content automatically, consuming traffic and slowing the interface.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to remove popular Xiaomi videos, from simple switching off in settings to deep changes in system files (for power users). Separately, we will consider the nuances for Mi TV/Redmi Smart TVs and smartphones on MIUI, including models from 2023-2026. Importantly, some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, which can affect the warranty.

Popular Videos (or Recommended Content) is part of Xiaomi’s ecosystem to integrate users into the company’s services, via PatchWall on TVs, Mi Video on smartphones or MIUI widgets.

  • 📺 Partner services: YouTube, Prime Video, local streaming platforms (depending on the region).
  • 🎬 Advertising Xiaomi: promotional videos of new devices or accessories brand.
  • 📊 Algorithmic recommendations: Analyzing your views (if you have ever used Mi Video).

Can we delete it forever? Yes, but with reservations:

  • ✅ On Xiaomi TVs (the Mi TV 4S series, Mi TV Q1, Redmi Smart TV series), popular videos are disabled via the root-free settings.
  • ⚠️ On smartphones (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13) you may need to disable system applications via ADB or root to completely remove them.
  • 🔄 Once you reset or update your firmware, the videos may come back — you have to repeat the procedure.

⚠️ Warning: On Xiaomi TVs with PatchWall 4.0+ firmware (released after 2022), some settings are hidden. If the menu does not include the Recommended Content item, use the developer-disabled service method (section 4).

📊 What Xiaomi device are you using?
Mi TV/Redmi TV
Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO Smartphone
Tablet Xiaomi Pad
Other gadgets

The simplest method, which works on 90% of models (including Mi TV 5, Mi TV P1, Redmi Smart TV X) is suitable for users who do not want to interfere with system files.

Instructions:

  1. On the remote, press the Settings button → select Settings.
  2. Go to Accounts and Security → Recommended Content (or Personalization → Recommendations on New Firmware).
  3. Turn off sliders: 🔘 Popular Videos 🔘 Home Screen Recommendations 🔘 Personalized Ads (if any)

Settings → About TV → Reboot

If there is no “Recommended Content” item:

  • 🔍 Check PatchWall version in Settings → About TV. On firmware older than 3.5, the path may differ: Settings → Home Screen → Home Screen settings.
  • 📱 On some models (e.g. Mi TV 4A), popular videos are linked to your Mi Account. Try logging out or creating a new one without being tied to Xiaomi services.

Turn off the TV from the socket for 1 minute (cache reset)

Update the firmware to the latest version

Delete all Xiaomi/Google accounts in the settings

Take a picture of the current screen settings-->

Method 2: Reset Xiaomi TV to factory settings

If popular videos return after turning off or setting up "gray" (inactive), a complete reset will help, which will delete all user data, including installed apps and accounts, but return the TV to "clean" state.

Step-by-step:

  1. Open Settings → About TV → Reset and Update → Reset settings.
  2. Select to erase all data (not network reset!).
  3. Enter. PIN-code (by default 0000 or 1234 if you have not changed it).
  4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 3-5 minutes).

After discharge:

  • 🚫 Do not connect your Xiaomi account during the setup phase, as this will prevent recommendations from being re-activated.
  • 🔧 Disable Recommended Content immediately (see Method 1).
  • 📦 Install only the apps you need (e.g. YouTube or Netflix directly from Google Play, not through the Mi App Store).

⚠️ Warning: On Xiaomi TVs with PatchWall 5.0+ firmware (2023–2026) after a reset, an update via USB may be required if the system requests an account to activate. Download the latest firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi Support website.

What to do if the TV asks for a Xiaomi account after a reset?
If the TV requires an account binding after a reset (a common problem on the Mi TV 5 Pro and newer models), use the workaround: 1. Connect the TV to the Internet via a mobile hotspot (not home Wi-Fi). 2. At the stage of entering the account, click Back on the remote and select Skip (may appear after 2-3 attempts). 3. If it does not help, create a new Xiaomi account without being tied to the phone and do not confirm the email.

On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, popular videos can be displayed in:

  • 📱 The "Mi Video" widget is on the home screen.
  • 🎥 The Video app (an icon with a player).
  • 📊 Advertising banners in the settings menu or notification center.

To remove them, follow the algorithm:

Step 1: Disabling widgets and notifications

  1. Press your finger on the empty seat of the main screen → select Screen Settings.
  2. Find the Mi Video widget or Popular Videos → click Delete (Basket).
  3. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Video.
  4. Disable: 🔔 Show Notifications 📱 Auto Start 🔄 Background Activity

Step 2: Limiting Advertising in MIUI

Advertising videos are often linked to the MSA (Mi System Ads) service to disable it:

  1. Open Settings → About Phone → Tap 5 times on the MIUI version to activate Developer Mode.
  2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
  3. Find Disable MSA Ads (or Personalized Ad Recommendations) and deactivate the slider.

If no point is available, use the ADB- command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

Step 3: Uninstall the Mi Video system application (ADB required)

To completely remove Mi Video without root rights:

  1. Install Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC.
  2. Connect your smartphone to your computer, activate debugging over USB in the developer settings.
  3. Enter in the command line: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.video

⚠️ Warning: On smartphones with MIUI 14+ (e.g., Xiaomi 13T or Redmi Note 12 Pro+), the Mi Video app can be protected from removal. In this case, use the command to disable instead of deleting: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.video

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If some features (such as local video playback) have stopped working after disabling Mi Video, install an alternative player from Google Play, such as VLC or MX Player.

Method 4: Manual editing of system files (for power users)

This method is suitable for Xiaomi TVs with unlocked bootloader or smartphones with root rights. It allows you to permanently remove popular videos by system configurations, but requires caution – wrong actions can lead to a “brick” of the device.

For TVs:

  1. Install ADB on your PC and connect your TV over Wi-Fi: adb connect [IP- TV address]:5555 (IP can be found in Settings → Network).
  2. Download system file /system/etc/patchwall.properties: adb pull /system/etc/patchwall.properties
  3. Open the file in the text editor and find the lines: recommendation.enabled=true ad.enabled=true Replace true with false.
  4. Save the file and download it back: adb push patchwall.properties /system/etc/ adb reboot

For smartphones with root:

  • 📁 Use Root Explorer or Solid Explorer to navigate to /system/priv-app/MiVideo.
  • 🔄 Rename the folder to MiVideo_bak or delete the.apk and.odex files.
  • 🔄 Reset the device.
MethodRequired rightsRisks.Reversibility
Editing by patchwall.propertiesADB + unlocked bootloaderPatchWall is likely to failYeah (file recovery)
Remove Mi Video via rootRoot accessLoss of player functionalityYes (APK reinstallation)
Disconnection through ADBUSB debuggingMinimumYes (team enable)

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Editing system files is an extreme method. If you are not sure about your actions, use Method 1 or 3 (disable via settings or ADB).

If popular videos are uploaded from the Internet, they can be blocked at the network level by editing the hosts file, which works on all Xiaomi devices (TVs, smartphones, tablets), but requires root or ADB.

Instructions:

  1. Download the hosts file from your device: adb pull /system/etc/hosts
  2. Add a line to the end of the file (Xiaomi domain lock): 127.0.0.1 video.mi.com 127.0.0.1 api.io.mi.com 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.intl.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 patchwall.xiaomi.com
  3. Save the file and download back: adb push hosts /system/etc/ adb reboot

For devices without root:

  • 🌐 Use DNS- filtering via a router (e.g. AdGuard Home or Pi-hole).
  • 📱 On your smartphone, install an ad blocker (such as Blokada or AdGuard) and blacklist your domains.

Effect:

  • ✅ Popular videos will stop downloading.
  • ⚠️ There may be problems with updating the firmware (if Xiaomi servers are blocked).
  • 🔄 When you reset the settings, the hosts file will return to its original state.

What to do if nothing helps: alternative solutions

If popular videos continue to appear despite all the manipulation, consider drastic measures:

  • 🔄 Custom firmware: There are alternative firmware for Xiaomi TVs (like LineageOS for TV), but they require unlocking the bootloader and may deprive you of some features (like Netflix in 4K).
  • 🛠️ Launcher Replacement: On smartphones, install a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) to hide Mi Video widgets.
  • 📦 Use external devices: Connect to your TV Android TV-box (e.g. Nvidia Shield) or Fire TV Stick to completely bypass the PatchWall shell.

For TVs with guarantee:

  • 📞 Please contact Xiaomi Support to disable the recommendations. In some regions (e.g. the EU) this is a data protection obligation (GDPR).
  • 🔧 If you buy a TV in Russia or China, the chances of getting help are minimal – use the methods in this article.

⚠️ Warning: Installing custom firmware on next-generation Xiaomi TVs (2023–2026) could result in Netflix and other streaming services being blocked due to a Widevine L1 breach. Check compatibility on Developers’ XDA forums before firmware.

Can I remove popular videos without resetting?
Yes, in most cases, it is enough to disable the recommendations in the settings (see Method 1) or use ADB- commands (see Method 3).
Why did the video come back after the update?
MIUI or PatchWall updates often reset user settings. To avoid this: Turn off automatic updates in Settings → About TV → System Update. Use the hosts file or ADB method - they are more reset resistant.
Is it safe to delete Mi Video via ADB?
Yes, pm uninstall --user 0 removes the app only for the current user, without affecting system files. However: On some models (Xiaomi 13, Redmi Note 12), this can lead to errors in the Gallery (if it uses a codec from Mi Video). Once deleted, you will not be able to play video in.mkv or.flac format without a third-party player.
How to remove advertising videos in the MIUI Notification Center?
Advertising in the notification curtain is managed by msa. Turn it off like this: Activate Developer Mode (see Method 3). Open Settings → Additional → Special Features → Advertising. Turn off Personalized Advertising and MSA Recommendations. If there is no item, use ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution
Can I return the popular videos if I need them?
Yes, all changes are reversible: For ADB- commands: replace disable-user with enable-user. For hosts file: delete added lines. For reset: reset recommendations in the menu. Except for the complete removal of system files through root (will require firmware reflash).