Xiaomi smartphone users often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear at the most inopportune moment, especially when instead of the usual wallpaper or widgets on a locked display, a bright image pops up offering to download a game or apply for a loan, a phenomenon that has become a hallmark of the MIUI 12 shell that developers implement to monetize budget devices.
Fortunately, the system provides a flexible enough tool to manage this content, although it is not hidden in the most visible place. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to disable advertising coming from system applications and recommendation services. You will learn to distinguish between secure settings and those that can disrupt the gadget.
Eliminating visual noise not only improves the aesthetic experience of the interface, but also saves traffic and battery power. The setup process will take only a few minutes, but the result will remain with you for the entire duration of your smartphone use. Let's start cleaning the lock screen from unnecessary debris.
The nature of the appearance of advertising blocks in MIUI 12
The blocked screen ads are created by a built-in service called Wallpaper Carousel (or Glance), originally conceived as a feature for changing background images and watching news, the module is often used in Russian regions to broadcast commercial content, and the system automatically uploads images from the Internet, embedding promo codes or brand logos into them.
And pop-ups can also come from the permissions you gave apps when you first installed them, some programs request access to the display over other windows or to the lock screen, which allows them to display ads even without actively using the phone. It's important to understand the difference between a system service and third-party software.
⚠️ Note: Complete removal of system components through ADB Use only the standard shutdown methods described in the instructions to maintain the warranty and the ability to update.
Device owners often confuse banner ads with regular notifications, but the former are visual and change the appearance of the screen, while the latter simply inform about events, and to effectively combat it, you need to influence the source of the media content broadcast.
Disabling the wallpaper carousel through settings
The easiest and safest way to get rid of intrusive images is to deactivate the wallpaper carousel function, which does not require superuser rights or additional software installation. All the necessary switches are in the standard settings menu of your Xiaomi.
To start, unlock your device and go to the main menu. Find the look and personalization section. The path may vary slightly between versions of MIUI 12, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the item associated with the theme or lock screen.
- 📱 Open the Settings app on the desktop.
- 🎨 Go to Always on Screen and Lock (or Topics).
- 🖼️ Find the wallpaper carousel item and click on it.
- 🚫 Activate the switch Disable or remove the tick from Turn on the wallpaper carousel.
After you do this, the system will stop downloading new images, the lock screen will return to the static background you chose yourself, and if the changes didn’t apply immediately, try restarting your smartphone to update the interface cache.
☑️ Checking the Carousel shutdown
Managing recommendations in system applications
Even after the carousel is turned off, some system utilities can continue to show offers. MIUI 12 has a hidden switch that globally prohibits receiving advertising recommendations from the company. It is on the security menu and requires careful search.
You have to open the standard Security app, which is pre-installed on all the brand devices, and in the upper right corner is a settings button, which usually looks like a gear, and that's where the key parameter that controls the flow of user preferences data is hidden.
Find a line called Get Recommendations (or Get Recommendations in English) that collects statistics and displays targeted offers across different parts of the system, and disabling it reduces advertising noise.
| Parameter | Wherever | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Receive recommendations | Security → Settings | Off. |
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Blocking | Disconnected. |
| MSA (System Advertising) | Settings → Passwords | Disconnected. |
Importantly, once this feature is turned off, the interface may become less personalized, but pop-ups in folders and when you open standard programs will disappear, a trade-off between convenience and cleanliness of the system that each user chooses for himself.
Blocking MSA service for complete cleanup
MIUI System Ads (MSA) is the main engine that delivers advertising content to the device. Without it, all other measures can be temporary. In MIUI 12, the deactivation process is a little complicated: the system requires confirmation of action and pauses before disconnection.
Go to the settings section for accounts and authorization. There you will find System Services and Objects or just Authorization and Security. You will need to find msa in the list of services. When you switch the switch to off, a countdown timer will appear.
You have to wait 10 seconds, and then the switch is active, and often the first time the service is not turned off, and the system writes an error, in which case the procedure should be repeated 3-4 times in a row until there is a message about the successful completion of the operation.
⚠️ Attention: Service MSA You may try to automatically turn on when you have a stable Internet connection, check its status periodically, especially after major system updates.
What to do if the Disable button is inactive?
After successful blocking of MSA, the number of background processes will decrease significantly, which will not only remove advertising, but also positively affect battery autonomy, as one of the regular energy users will be stopped.
Setting up personalization and privacy settings
Modern versions of Android and MIUI shells place a lot of emphasis on privacy. However, customization settings are often used to target ads. By disabling the collection of data about your location and use of apps, you will make the ad impressions less accurate or remove them altogether.
Go to Password and Security, then select Privacy, and this is the settings block for advertising identifiers, and by clicking on Advertising Services, you can reset or disable the ID, which is equivalent to asking "do not track me" in web browsers.
- 🔒 Go to Settings. → Password and security.
- 👤 Select the Privacy item.
- 📉 Click Advertising Services.
- ✅ Activate the switch Turn off personalization of advertising.
Additionally, check the permissions for GetApps (formerly Mi Store) application, which is often a source of push notifications. If you don’t use Xiaomi’s alternative stores, you’d better close the network and notifications completely.
Using DNS to block at the network level
A more advanced method that allows you to remove advertising not only in the system, but also in the browser and some applications is to configure a private DNS. This method does not require the installation of unnecessary programs and works at the level of a network connection, filtering requests to known advertising servers.
In the phone settings, find Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi) in the advanced Wi-Fi settings or in the Private option. DNS (Private DNS) You must select the mode "Host Name provider" DNS". In the input field, you should specify the address of the server blocking trackers.
dns.adguard.comOnce you save your settings, the phone will redirect all your ad requests through an AdGuard server that won’t let you through, which is an effective way to clear traffic, but it can slow down some sites if they use the same domains for advertising.
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Use flight mode to check: to make sure the ad is gone, turn on the aeronautical mode, then turn it off and wait a few minutes. If the lock screen is clean, then the settings are correctly applied.
Keep in mind that this method only works when you have an active internet connection, and if you are in an uncovered area, your DNS settings do not affect locally cached ads, so previous steps to shut down system services remain mandatory.
Verification of results and additional advice
After performing all the above steps, it is recommended to restart the device, which will allow the system to apply new configuration files and stop the previously running background processes.
If the ads are still showing up, look at the apps that have been installed recently, often the culprits being "memory cleaners," "lightlights," or low-grade games in the store, and removing suspicious software can fix the problem instantly.
⚠️ Warning: Avoid installing third-party launchers from unverified sources in an attempt to hide ads. MIUI.
Check system updates regularly. In new security patches, Xiaomi sometimes changes the logic of the ad modules, returning the old default settings. Monitoring the condition of the phone is the key to a clean and fast interface.
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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, wallpaper carousels and setting up DNS, guarantees 100% riddance of advertising on Xiaomi MIUI 12.