How to permanently remove ads on the lock screen Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Why Xiaomi’s Lock screen is Advertising and How to Fix It

You take out your phone to check the time or notifications, but instead of the usual lock screen, you see a banner advertising a game, a loan or a promotion in an online store. Familiar situation? Advertising on the lock screen Xiaomi is one of the most annoying "chips" of MIUI firmware, which the manufacturer positions as "personalized recommendations." In fact, it is a way of monetizing, and you can turn it off - sometimes even without root rights.

The problem concerns almost all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices based on MIUI 12-14, including popular models like Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13T or POCO X5 Pro. Even after resetting, advertising can return - it shows system applications like com.miui.systemAdSolution or com.xiaomi.midrop. In this article, we will analyze all working methods: from standard settings to radical methods for advanced users.

It's important to understand that some methods may conflict with MIUI updates, for example, after a firmware update, ads can come back if you disabled them through ADB or removed system APKs. We'll mark these cases and tell you how to proceed in 2026.

Method 1: Disabling Advertising in MIUI Settings (without root)

The easiest and safest method is to use built-in MIUI options. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on all devices: in some regions (e.g., the global firmware version for Europe), menu items may not be available.

Instructions:

  1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising and turn off the option “Personalized Advertising”.
  2. Return to the main settings menu and go to Settings → Memory → Clean (or Settings → Applications → Application Management).
  3. Slip on the three points in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
  4. Find applications: 🔍 msa (MIUI System Ads) 📱 com.miui.systemAdSolution 🛒 com.xiaomi.midrop (if any) For each of them: Open the app page → Notifications → Turn off all the switches. Go back and select Permissions. → Block all permissions (especially "Show over other windows").

If the msa or systemAdSolution items are not on the list, they are hidden, so move on to the next method.

Presence of the item "Personalized advertising" in the settings of Google

MIUI version (in the "About Phone" settings)

List of system applications in "Application Management"

Permissions for applications with "Ad" in the title-->

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M4 Pro) after disabling permissions for msa, weather or calendar notifications may disappear.This is a temporary bug - rebooting the phone usually helps.

Method 2: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If the standard settings did not help, it’s time to connect debugging over USB and ADB commands. This method does not require root rights, but will require a computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and adb utility (you can download from the official website of Android Developers).

Step-by-step:

  1. Activate USB debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI until the notification "You're a developer" appears. Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers and enable USB debugging.

Connect your phone to your PC

Open the command line.

adb

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop




adb shell pm hide com.android.browser # if the advertisement is in the browser




adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

After you execute the commands, restart your phone. The ads on the lock screen should disappear. If not, check if the hidden apps have returned after the MIUI update.

What if the ADB can’t see the device?
1. Install Xiaomi drivers from the official website (Support section). 2. Try another one. USB-cable (original from Xiaomi). 3. Enable the option "Cancel authorization" in the developer settings USB". 4. Reinstall adb-tools (e.g. via Google’s Platform Tools).

ADB Team TeamWhat's he doing?Potential side effects
pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolutionHiding the system application of advertisingWeather widgets may disappear on the lock
pm hide com.xiaomi.midropDisables file transfer service (sometimes shows ads)Fast file transfer between Xiaomi devices will not work
settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0Disables network verification (sometimes used to display ads)Some public Wi-Fi may not open (requires manual connection)

Method 3: Remove Advertising APKs via TWRP (for Advanced)

If you're willing to take drastic measures and you have custom TWRP recavators installed, you can physically delete the ad files. This method requires an unlocked bootloader and a backup of data - if you do not care, the phone can stop loading!

Instructions:

  1. Download and install TWRP for your model (the instructions are available on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forum).
  2. Load into the Recovery (usually by clamping Power + Volume up).
  3. Go to Advanced → File Manager.
  4. Delete the following files (paths may vary depending on version) MIUI): 📁 /system/priv-app/MiuiSystemAdSolution/MiuiSystemAdSolution.apk 📁 /system/app/msa/msa.apk 📁 /system/priv-app/QuickSearchBox/QuickSearchBox.apk (search-driven)

Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: Removal of system APK This can cause a bootloop if you delete a critical file. TWRP before the updates, also after the updates MIUI Deleted files can be restored – you will have to repeat the procedure.

Disconnection in MIUI settings

ADB teams

Removal via TWRP

Installation of custom firmware

I haven't decided yet.-->

Method 4: Install custom firmware (complete removal of advertising)

The most reliable, but also the most difficult way is to install custom firmware like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or Xiaomi.eu, the latter a modified version of MIUI without ads and Chinese services, optimized for global users.

Benefits of Xiaomi.eu:

  • 🚀 Total lack of advertising (including blocking and system applications).
  • 🔄 Weekly updates with bug fixes.
  • 🌍 Support for all languages, including Russian.
  • 🛡️ All Chinese services removed (increased privacy).

Disadvantages:

  • ⚠️ Requires unlocking the bootloader (resets all data!).
  • ⚠️ Possible bugs with the camera or sensors on new models.
  • ⚠️ No official support – updates are manually installed.

How to install Xiaomi.eu:

  1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (you need a Xiaomi account and wait 7-15 days).
  2. Install TWRP for your model.
  3. Download the latest firmware version from the website xiaomi.eu (choose stable, not weekly!).
  4. Download to TWRP, make Wipe → Format Data (this will delete all data!), then install the firmware.

💡

Before installing custom firmware, check on the 4PDA or XDA forum if there are any bugs with modems (mobile communication) or a camera for your model. For example, on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, some builds do not work wide-angle lenses.

Method 5: Blocking Advertising via DNS or Firewall

If the previous methods seem too complicated, you can try blocking ad servers at the network level, which will not remove the ads completely, but will significantly reduce the amount of advertising.

Option 1: Amend the DNS

  1. Go to Settings. → Wi-Fi (or Mobile Network).
  2. Click on the current network → Change the network → Additional → IP settings.
  3. Select Static and enter: 🔗 DNS 1: 94.140.14.14 (AdGuard DNS) 🔗 DNS 2: 94.140.15.15

Option 2: Use a firewall application

Applications like NetGuard or Blokada (without root) can block access to ad domains, such as:

  1. Install Blokada from F-Droid (not from Google Play!).
  2. Turn on protection and blacklist domains: 🌐 ad.mi.com 🌐 tracker.miui.com 🌐 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com

⚠️ Attention: Lockdown DNS It can break some system functions, such as updating firmware over the air (OTA) or synchronize your Xiaomi account, if you're changing DNS No update notifications, return the standard settings.

What to do if the ad returns after the MIUI update

Xiaomi regularly releases updates that can restore remote ad modules or reset settings. If after the update, the ad appears again, proceed by the algorithm:

  1. Check the application versions: - Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Show system. - Find msa or systemAdSolution - if they come back, repeat Method 1 or Method 2 (ADB).
  2. Reverse to the previous version of MIUI (if the update brought too much advertising): - Download the old firmware from the site xiaomifirmwareupdater.com. - Install it through TWRP (don't forget to make a backup!).
  3. Use the script to automatically remove ads: - On the forum 4PDA There are ready-made scripts for ADB, The one that removes ads after each update is an example of adb shell pm uninstall. --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution || pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution"

If you use Xiaomi.eu, updates don’t usually return ads — but keep an eye out for the change log on their site.

💡

After each major MIUI update (e.g., 13 to 14), the ad modules can return, check the list of system applications regularly and repeat the procedure for disabling them if necessary.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi

Why does advertising appear even after the switch off in the settings?
In global versions of MIUI (e.g. Europe), some ad modules are hidden from the user. They are activated by the Xiaomi server and have no visible settings, in which case only ADB or removal via TWRP will help.
Can you remove ads without a computer?
Yes, but with limitations: Use Method 1 (MIUI settings). Install Blokada or AdGuard to block ad domains. Some devices run the App Inspector app (from F-Droid), which can disable system components without ADB. However, you will still need a computer to completely remove ads.
Will the method work with ADB after resetting?
No. Once you reset, all ADB commands are reset, and the ad modules come back, and you'll have to do it again, so to avoid that, back up the list of disabled packets using the command: adb shell pm list packages -d and save the output to the text file.
Why is there no blocker ads on POCO, but Redmi?
POCO uses a modified version of MIUI called POCO Launcher, where some of the ad modules are disabled by default, but after updates or a change of region, ads may appear, in which case use the same methods as for Redmi.
Can Xiaomi block an account for removing ads?
No, Xiaomi does not block accounts for disabling ads. However: Using unofficial firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu) can lead to the blocking of certain services (e.g. Mi Cloud or Mi Pay). Violation of the rules of unlocking the bootloader (e.g. using uncertified tools) can theoretically lead to the blocking of Mi Account, but such cases have not been recorded.