Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that appear in system applications and on the lock screen, especially annoying the so-called “wallpaper carousel”, which not only changes the background image without the user’s knowledge, but also displays banner ads, which is part of the company’s strategy to monetize budget devices, but for many it becomes an obstacle to comfortable use of the gadget.
Fortunately, MIUI and its successor HyperOS allow for a lot of flexibility in setting up these settings. To completely clean the interface of unnecessary visual noise, you need to perform a series of actions in system settings and special service applications. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to disable MSA (advertising recommendation system) and stop the wallpaper carousel.
The deactivation process does not require rooting or flashing the device. All actions are performed by regular means, but require care, as some menu items can be hidden or renamed in different versions of the shell. Below is an updated guide to help you regain control of your smartphone.
Disabling MSA System Advertising
The main source of intrusive offers and pop-ups in the system is the MSA service (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your preferences and broadcasts advertising content to application folders, browser and system utilities, and to turn it off, you need to go to advanced authorization settings.
First, open the Settings menu and search for Passwords and Security. In some firmware versions, this option may be simply called Security or be located inside the Additional menu. You need to find the Access to Personal Data or Special Permissions section, which displays a list of system services with permissions.
⚠️ Attention: When disconnected MSA The system will be used several times (usually). 3-5) You show the countdown timer and insist on leaving the service on. That's the standard behavior of accidental shutdown protection, just wait for the timer to end and click confirmation.
In the list of services, find msa and put the switch in an inactive state. The system will then request confirmation of the action. If the switch returns to its original position, wait a few seconds and try again. A successful shutdown means that the background load of the ad modules is stopped.
- 🔍 Find the msa service in the list and uncheck the tick.
- ⏳ Wait for the countdown timer to end (10 seconds).
- ✅ Click the "Disable" or "Revoke" button to confirm.
- 🔄 When you return the switch, repeat the procedure again.
After a successful procedure, it is recommended to restart the device so that the changes take effect at the level of all system processes, which will significantly reduce the number of advertising integrations in standard Xiaomi applications.
Setting up the lock screen and wallpaper carousel
The wallpaper carousel (or Glance in newer versions) is a separate service responsible for changing images on a locked screen and displaying news widgets, often the source of banners that overlap part of the screen, and the service is disabled separately from the system advertising of MSA.
To manage these options, go to Settings → Lock Screen. Here you will need to find a item that can be called Wallpaper Carousel, Glance for Mi or Widget Ribbon. Depending on the region of the firmware, the name may vary, but the essence remains the same - it is a dynamic content service.
Inside the service menu, find the Toolbox or Activate Glance and deactivate it, check the "Recommendations" or "Personalizations" settings if available, and disable receiving promotional offers from partners.
If the standard ways to disable the service fail, you can use the application data cleanup method: find the wallpaper in the list of applications Carousel (often hidden in the system), click Clear data and Stop. This will temporarily reset the service until the next activation.
- 📱 Open the Settings. → Lock screen.
- 🖼️ Choose the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance.
- ❌ Transfer the main switch to the "Off" position".
- 🗑️ Further clean the cache and data of this application.
After these steps are done, the lock screen will return to a static image that you set yourself, and banner ads and news widgets will no longer appear when the screen is turned on.
Removal of Advertising Recommendations in System Applications
Even after MSA is disabled, some embedded apps can continue to show recommendations, including standard tools like Explorer, Security, Music, and Themes, each with different privacy and personalization settings.
In the Safety app (green shield icon), click on the gear icon in the top right corner, find the Receive recommendations option and turn it off, and go to the Cleanup section inside the same app, open the settings (cogs), and remove the tick from the Receive recommendations item.
☑️ Verification of system applications
For Explorer, the algorithm is similar: open the menu (three bars), select Settings → About App (or just Settings), and find the Recommendations switch. In the Themes app, you need to go to the profile (the person on the bottom right), open the settings and disable Personal Recommendations.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations |
| Conductor | Settings → About the annex | Recommendations |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Personal recommendations |
| Mi Browser. | Settings → Confidentiality | Personal recommendations |
Also, be sure to check the settings of the Mi Browser, which is often the main source of pop-up ads.In its privacy settings, you must prevent personalization and notifications from news aggregators.
Disabling the advertising and personalization identifier
To stop ad networks from tracking your actions and generating targeted offers, you need to reset your advertising ID, which will not eliminate the ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and tied to your interests.
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy. Go to Ad Services. You need to turn off Personalized Ads. This action will prevent the system from using your data to select ads.
⚠️ Note: After disabling personalization, ads will not disappear completely, they will simply become less relevant. Complete removal of ads is possible only in paid versions of applications or using specialized blockers.
In the same menu, you can also use the Reset Ad ID button, which you should click after you turn off personalization, and this will assign your device a new random ID, breaking the link to the previously collected user profile.
- 🔒 Go to Settings. → Confidentiality.
- 📉 Select the item Advertising Services.
- ❌ Turn off the switchboard Personalized Advertising.
- 🔄 Press the Reset Identifier button.
These actions are particularly effective when combined with the MSA shutdown, creating an additional layer of privacy protection and reducing the aggressiveness of the company’s marketing algorithms.
Using DNS to Block Advertising
One of the most effective ways to remove ads throughout the system, including browsers and games, is to use a private DNS filtered, which requires no third-party application installation and works at the network connection level.
Modern versions of Android and MIUI have a built-in Private DNS feature. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi) → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name (manual) mode.
dns.adguard.comEnter dns.adguard.com in the input field and save the settings. DNS-requests from your device through AdGuard servers that automatically filter out known advertising domains.
The method works globally for all applications using standard network protocols, but it is worth considering that in rare cases, some sites or services may take longer to load or not open at all.
- 🌐 Open the Connection settings.
- ⚙️ Find the Private section DNS.
- ✍️ Enter the address dns.adguard.com.
- 💾 Save the changes and check the internet.
Use of the DNS-Filtering is a powerful tool that is often more effective than manually disabling settings in each application separately.
Additional measures and hidden settings
There are less obvious places where ads may be hiding, like in the Downloads app or in the Tools folder, often with shortcuts leading to advertising landing pages or offering to install cleaners and accelerators.
Check your desktop and folders for unknown shortcuts. If you see an icon with no name or generic name like "Hot games," "Daily deals," or just a browser logo, this is an ad module.
It is also worth disabling automatic updates of system applications through the Mi Store (GetApps) if you want to prevent the return of advertising functions after updates.
Regularly checking permissions for installed applications will help identify those that try to show ads on top of other windows. In the Apps → Permissions → Display on top of other applications, leave only trusted programs.
⚠️ Attention: Be careful when removing system labels, only those you know to be originated, and it is best not to touch system components so as not to disturb the stability of the shell.
A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, configuring DNS and checking permissions, ensures the cleanest possible system without intrusive advertising and carousels.