Owners of Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI 12 often face intrusive advertising in system applications, notifications and even on the lock screen. Despite the fact that the branded shell offers rich functionality, integrated ad units can significantly spoil the user experience, especially in budget and mid-budget models, where advertising appears most often.
It is worth noting that MIUI 12 — Not the most recent version of the shell (at the time) 2026 year-to-date MIUI 14/15 And HyperOS, but many users still use devices on this firmware, and fortunately, there are several ways to disable ads, from standard settings to usage. ADB-In this article, we will discuss all working methods, including those that do not require root rights.
It is important to understand that some methods may differ depending on the regional firmware (Global, China, EEA), for example, in the European version (MIUI EEA), advertising is initially less, but it is still present in system utilities like Cleaner or Security.
If you are ready to get rid of annoying banners once and for all, proceed to a detailed analysis of each method.
1. Disable advertising through standard settings MIUI 12
The first and easiest way is to use built-in shell options. Xiaomi provides the option to partially restrict ad impressions, although some banners may remain.This method is suitable for users who do not want to go into technical details.
Go to Settings → About Phone and click on the MIUI Version several times until the notification “You’ve become a developer!” appears. This will unlock the hidden Developer Menu.
- 📱 Open the Settings. → Additionally. → Special facilities.
- 🔍 Find the Advertising Notices item and turn it off.
- 🛡️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Settings (cog in the upper right corner) → Show recommendations and deactivate the option.
- 📊 In the Security section → Cleaner disable Recommendations and Personalized Services.
These actions will reduce the amount of ads in notifications and system utilities, but they won't eliminate them completely, like banners in Mi Video or Mi Music, they can stay, and more radical measures will be needed to remove them.
2.Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising
If standard settings don’t work, the next step is to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that allows you to disable system-level advertising services without getting root permissions, you’ll need a computer with Xiaomi drivers installed and USB debugging enabled.
First, activate USB Debugging in the Developer Menu (how to open it, described in the previous section). Then connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the following commands in the terminal (cmd for Windows or Terminal for macOS/Linux):
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.ab
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.ab.testEach team disables a separate advertising module:
- 🔧 com.miui.systemAdSolution – system advertising solutions.
- 📤 com.xiaomi.midrop – file transfer service (sometimes shows promo).
- 🌐 com.android.browser – standard browser with banners.
- 📊 com.miui.analytics – analytics collection (may affect targeted advertising).
Once you have completed the commands, restart your device. Ads should disappear from most system applications. If some banners are left, check if Xiaomi services have been updated through Google Play.
☑️ Preparation for ADB-team
3. Removing Advertising through Hosts File Editing
Another effective way is to block ad domains at the hosts file level, which requires root rights or use specialized applications like AdAway (for non-rooted devices, ADB will be required).
If you have root, open /system/etc/hosts in any text editor (like Root Explorer) and add the following lines:
127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com
127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com
127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.intl.xiaomi.com
127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com
127.0.0.1 globalapi.ad.xiaomi.comFor devices without root, you can use AdAway (requires unlocking the bootloader and installing through Magisk) or the application DNS66, which redirects traffic through a blocking DNS-server.
Important: editing a hosts file without root can cause system applications to malfunction.
| Method | Need root? | Difficulty | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard settings | ❌ No. | ⭐ Low. | ⚠️ Partial |
| ADB-team | ❌ No. | ⭐⭐ Medium | ✅ Tall. |
| Editing by hosts | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐ Tall. | ✅ Complete. |
| Blocking applications | ❌ No, but you need rights) | ⭐⭐ Medium | ✅ Tall. |
4. Alternative firmware: transition to custom assemblies
If none of the above methods worked, the radical solution is to install custom firmware.
- 📱 LineageOS – pure Android without advertising and unnecessary services.
- 🔄 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface.
- ⚡ ArrowOS – Optimized Open Source Build.
- 🛡️ MIUI EU — modified MIUI Advertising free (but requires unlocking the bootloader).
The installation process shall include:
- Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (can take up to 720 hours of waiting for new accounts).
- Installation of custom recavery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
- The firmware of the selected build and GApps (if you need Google services).
⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware voids warranty and can lead to a device blink if you do not do the right thing. TWRP Or Mi Flash Tool.
What is unlocking the bootloader?
5.Advertising Blocker Apps for MIUI 12
If you don't want to interfere with system files, you can use third-party applications.
- 🛡️ Blokada – Blocks Advertising at Level DNS/VPN rootless.
- 🚫 AdGuard – filters traffic and removes banners in the browser and applications.
- 🔒 NetGuard – controls the access of applications to the network (you can manually block advertising domains).
For maximum efficiency, set up Blokada or AdGuard to block the following domains:
ad.mi.com
sdkconfig.ad.intl.xiaomi.com
api.brs.intl.miui.com
globalapi.ad.xiaomi.com
tracker.ai.xiaomi.com⚠️ Note: Some blockers (such as AdGuard) require customization VPN-connection, which may conflict with banking applications. In this case, use the "Local" mode VPN" Add banking programs to the exceptions.
💡
Before installing the blocker, check if it blocks updates to system applications. In the AdGuard settings, you can add update.miui.com and api.io.mi.com domains to the whitelist.
6. Manual removal of advertising packages (root required)
For root-right users, the most radical method is to completely remove ad packages, which can be done through Root Explorer or ADB with super-user rights.
com.miui.systemAdSolution
com.xiaomi.midrop
com.android.browser
com.miui.analytics
com.xiaomi.ab
com.xiaomi.ab.test
com.miui.msa.global
com.miui.player
com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.serviceTo remove the packet through ADB, use the command:
adb shell
su
pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packetReboot your device after you delete it. Be careful: Deleting some packets (e.g. com.miui.msa.global) can cause system services to crash. Before you delete, back up your device via Titanium Backup or a similar application.
💡
Deleting system packets is irreversible without backup. If you have problems after deleting, restore the packet from the backup or reflash the device.
7. Additional Advice: How to Avoid Return Advertising
Even after successful disabling of the advert, it may reappear after the MIUI update.
- 🔄 Turn off automatic updates to system apps in Google Play (find Miui System Ad Solution, Cleaner, and more, click on three dots). → "Turn off auto-update").
- 📵 Regularly check the activity of advertising services through the ADB AB: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i "ad\|xiaomi\|miui"
- 🔧 Use App Ops to restrict Internet access for ad modules. To open App Ops, do adb shell am start. -n com.android.settings/.Settings$AppOpsSummaryActivity
If you notice that the ad has returned after the update, repeat the steps from the section with ADB-Commands or return to backup through TWRP.