How to remove ads on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive marketing content that appears in system applications, a phenomenon that has become a price for affordable device costs, but in 2026 that has changed significantly. Modern HyperOS shells and current versions of MIUI provide much more tools for personalization, allowing users to independently regulate the level of digital noise.

Ad integrations are built deep into system processes, but they can be effectively neutralized without obtaining superuser rights. It is important to understand that a complete shutdown requires sequential actions in several settings sections. Ignoring even one step can lead to banners continuing to appear in the gallery or when memory is cleared.

In this article, we will break down proven locking methods that are relevant to all modern models, including the Note, Pro and Lite series.You will learn how to manage the msa service, disable personalized recommendations and customize DNS-filters to protect against pop-up windows in the browser.

Disabling the MSA System Service

The centerpiece of the advertising ecosystem is MIUI System Ads, known by its acronym msa, which is responsible for collecting data on user behavior and displaying targeted banners in the interface, and the first step to a clean screen is to deactivate this component through the authorization menu.

First, you need to go to the account settings section, find passwords and security, and select Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find the msa string and put the switch to an inactive state. The system will require you to wait 10 seconds, after which you need to press the withdraw button.

⚠️ Warning: If you click on a button and you get a message about a network error or a timeout, don't panic. This is the standard server defense response. 2-3 Once you have received confirmation of successful revocation of your rights.

Once the rights are successfully revoked, the service will stop receiving targeting data, but to ensure results, it is also recommended to disable related processes such as Mi Video and GetApps if you do not use them, which will reduce the load on the processor and reduce the number of background requests.

It is worth noting that in some regions of the firmware (for example, the global version for Europe), the service name may differ or be hidden. In this case, look for items containing the words Advertisement or Recommendation.

Setup of system applications

Even after the main service is disabled, individual applications can continue to show content, because personalization settings are often duplicated in each system module, you will need to go through key sections and manually disable the Receive Recommendations feature.

Start with the Security app. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner and find Receive recommendations. Remove the tick. Then go to the Topics app, open the profile and in the settings also deaktivate receiving promotional offers. Similar actions should be repeated for Music, Videos and Downloads.

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Passwords and security → Access to Personal Data and Disable GetApps.

Pay special attention to the lock screen. Often that's where beautiful but intrusive news wallpapers appear. To remove them, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock. Select the wallpaper carousel and turn off this feature or delete all subscriptions to image sources.

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If you do not use the standard Mi Browser browser, delete it or disable notifications, as it is one of the main sources of pop-up advertising.

Remember that system updates can reset some of these settings. Periodic checks and personalization will help keep your smartphone clean. In new versions of HyperOS, some options have been combined into a single privacy center.

Blocking through DNS and network

The most effective operating system-wide method is to use a private DNS, which allows you to block ad requests before they reach your device, filtering traffic at the domain name level.

To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name and enter a trusted filter address. One of the most popular and effective solutions is AdGuard DNS.

dns.adguard.com

Once you save your settings, the phone can lose its Internet connection for a few seconds, and then restore it with active filtering, a method that blocks ads not only in the interface, but also in many applications and games that try to download banners from the network.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party DNS-Some applications or sites may not work properly or load. If you encounter problems accessing banking applications, temporarily return the settings. DNS auto-mode.

Use of the DNS-filtering does not require the installation of additional applications and does not consume battery power, as the process takes place at the network level, which makes this method an ideal solution for users who want to maintain the autonomy of the device.

Management of notifications and authorizations

Users often confuse system advertising with notifications from installed apps. Stores, games, and news aggregators can ask permission to display notifications that visually resemble system messages.

Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management. This is a complete list of apps that can display information on the lock screen or in the curtain. Carefully review the list and disable notifications for suspicious or rarely used programs.

Special attention should be paid to third-party Cleanup, Battery and Security applications, which often use aggressive attention-grabbing techniques. If you see a pop-up saying "speed up your phone" or "cool down your processor," immediately check which application initiated it and limit its rights.

It is also recommended that you do not install applications from unknown sources. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Special Permissions → Install unknown applications. Leave this access only to the file manager and browser, disabling it for all other programs to avoid accidental installation of advertising software.

Specificity of the HyperOS shell

With the release of the HyperOS operating system, the menu structure and the names of some items have changed. Xiaomi is striving to unify the experience, so some features have moved to the Additional section or been renamed.

HyperOS has a new privacy center that collects all the settings associated with data. Open Settings → Privacy Protection → Special Permissions. Here you can find and disable AutoRun access for ad modules. It is also worth checking the Ads section at the bottom of the settings list if the manufacturer left a global switch there.

The new shell fights background processes more aggressively, which can help in the fight against advertising services, but can also make it difficult to revoke msa rights if the system constantly restarts the service, in which case it is recommended to use the developer mode.

HyperOS users can also encounter desktop widgets that broadcast newsfeeds. Long-pressing widgets can change the source or remove it completely. Don't ignore weather and news widgets, as they are often windows into the world of advertising.

Radical Methods and ADB

If standard methods don’t work, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) toolkit, which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and allows you to remove or freeze system applications that can’t be removed in the usual way.

For this you will need a PC, USB-cable and installed Platform Tools. Once you have debugging on your phone and connected to your PC, you can execute a command to remove the ad pack. Be extremely careful: deleting system files can lead to unstable device operation.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys

This command removes the system service miui.system, which is often responsible for synchronizing advertising data, and there is also a package com.miui.personalassistant, responsible for the left screen (Google Discover or Mi Vision), which is also the source of content.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-Removing critical system components can lead to a cyclic bootloop.Be sure to make a full backup of the data before starting the procedure.

ADB is a method for advanced users, and if you're not sure what you're doing, you'd better limit yourself to settings inside the menu, but it's the method that gives the cleanest result, cutting out the ad modules completely from the system.

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The comprehensive approach, combining disabling msa, setting up DNS and manually banning notifications, ensures that there is no advertising in 99% of cases without the need to flash the device.