Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive banner ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the system.This is a fee for the democratic cost of the device, but it is not necessary to put up with permanent pop-ups. MIUI 11 provides users with enough tools for fine-tuning, allowing you to minimize the amount of advertising content.
The process of cleaning the interface requires several steps in succession in different sections of the menu. System services responsible for marketing mailings can be manually disabled, returning the smartphone to its original speed and aesthetic appearance. In this article, we will analyze each step in detail so that you can forget about annoying notifications forever.
Before we start to make changes, it’s worth noting that some services may be called differently depending on the firmware region. Global versions of MIUI often have less aggressive advertising policies, but even they have built-in guidelines, and your job is to find and deactivate specific modules responsible for displaying content.
MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising
At the heart of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is MIUI System Ads, also known as MSA, a process that gathers data about user habits and generates personalized offers that are displayed in the interface, and disabling the service is the first and most important step in the fight for a clean screen.
To start, you need to go to the settings section, where all installed applications are managed. Find Settings, then select Apps and go to All Apps. In the list that opens, you need to find an item called msa or MIUI System Ads. If search is difficult, use the search bar at the top of the screen.
When you log into the app menu, you'll see a button called "Disable or Off" and clicking on it will trigger a 10-second countdown timer, a system safety mechanism that prevents important components from being accidentally removed. After a time, confirm the action by selecting "OK."
⚠️ Attention: If after the service is disconnected MSA The smartphone started to work unstable, which is extremely rare, you can again activate this component in the same menu settings of the applications.
Sometimes the system may not allow the service to be disabled the first time, giving an error or requiring a connection to the network. In this case, try to turn off the Internet and repeat the procedure. It is also worth checking for system updates, as in new MIUI 11 security patches, the mechanism for disabling advertising can be changed.
Setup of system applications: Security and Explorer
Even after the main service is disabled, some built-in snails can continue to show recommendations, especially for the Security app, which is the control center of the smartphone. To remove banners from there, open the app and click on the gear settings in the upper right corner.
In the settings menu, find Receive recommendations and switch to inactive status. It is also recommended to disable the option Auto Update virus databases over mobile networks if you are following traffic, although this is not directly related to advertising.
Open Explorer, go to Settings, and find About App or Settings. You should also find the Receive Recommendations Toggle and turn it off. This will remove the news feed and banner ads that often appear on the file manager's home page.
☑️ Verification of system applications
And don't forget the Download app, which can also broadcast advertising content, go to its settings and make sure that the option to Show recommended content is deactivated.
Cleaning from advertising in the Mi Browser browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser is known for its aggressive policy against news feeds and push notifications. If you use this particular surfing app, it’s a must-tuning option. Open your browser and go to the menu by clicking on the three bars at the bottom of the screen.
Select Settings, then look for Privacy and Security, and you need to activate Ad Blocking, which will prevent pop-ups from appearing on the sites you visit, but will not remove the ad blocks inside the browser’s news feed itself.
To clean the interface completely, go back to the main browser settings menu and find the Settings of the home page or News Feed. Turn off the display of news and recommendations. Now, when you start, the browser will open a clean start page without unnecessary visual noise.
| MIUI component | Set-off parameter | Location on the menu | The effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| System (MSA) | Disable the application | Settings → Applications → All applications | Global Disconnection of Targeted Advertising |
| Security | Receive recommendations | Appendix → Settings (cogs) | Remove banners in the scanner and cleaning |
| Conductor | Receive recommendations | Appendix → Settings | Clears the main page of the file manager |
| Mi Browser. | Blocking ads | Appendix → Settings → Privacy | Blocks pop-up windows on websites |
If standard blocking tools can’t handle intrusive banners on specific sites, it makes sense to consider installing third-party solutions. However, for most users, the built-in Mi Browser mechanisms are enough for comfortable use.
Notification management and personalization
Ads in MIUI 11 are often disguised as regular notifications or suggestions to improve the experience. To control this flow, go to the general system settings and select Notifications and Status bar, and you can customize the behavior of each application in detail.
Special attention should be paid to the section Recommendations (or Personalized recommendations). When you are in the Settings menu → Password and Security → Privacy, find the section Advertising Services. Turn off Personalized Advertising. This will prevent the system from using your data to select ads.
It's also worth checking your theme settings. Sometimes third-party themes installed may have built-in ads on the lock screen or menu. Go to the Themes app, open a profile and check for active components. If you notice suspicious activity, return the standard MIUI Classic theme.
Hidden Developer Settings
Remember that some notifications may come from long-forgotten apps you installed earlier, audit your installed programs and remove those you don't use, often the source of pop-ups on top of other apps.
Disabling advertising in the app Topics and Music
The Themes app is one of the main channels for distributing advertising content in the MIUI shell. When you open a theme store, you often see banners and promotions. To minimize their impact, open the application, go to the profile (human icon) and select Settings.
In the menu that opens, find the Show Ads or Receive Recommendations switch and deactivate it. This action will clear the store interface of promo blocks. Similar is the case with the Music app, which also likes to offer paid subscriptions and events.
The music player settings should also look for items related to recommendations and online content. Disabling online services in the music app will not only remove ads, but can also speed up the launch of local files, as the application will stop trying to download album covers and biographies of artists from the network.
⚠️ Note: Disabling network functions in system applications may limit their functionality, for example, you will not be able to download new topics or see lyrics online.
If you're actively using a theme store, it doesn't make sense to shut it down completely, just ignore banners or use the "Do Not Show Again" feature where it's available, and MIUI is gradually learning and may less often offer content that you ignore.
Using DNS to block advertising at the network level
There's a more advanced way to fight advertising that doesn't require you to shut down system services. DNS-This method allows you to block advertising requests before they reach your smartphone.
To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing (or Additional Settings) Find Private DNS (Private DNS). Select the hostname of the provider DNS and type in the address: dns.adguard.com. Save the settings.
dns.adguard.comOnce you have set up, reboot your device. Now all traffic that goes through Wi-Fi and the mobile network will be filtered. This is an effective way to remove ads in apps and games where they load dynamically. However, it is worth remembering that some sites or applications may not work properly with the DNS filter enabled.
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If the Internet stopped working in some applications after turning on the private DNS, try temporarily disabling this feature or adding an exception to the router settings if the problem is only observed on Wi-Fi.
The DNS method is versatile and works not only on Xiaomi, but on any device running Android 9 and above, making it a particularly useful tool in the advanced user’s arsenal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it safe to disable MSA on Xiaomi?
Why did it reappear after the ad was turned off?
Does disabling advertising affect the speed of the smartphone?
Can I remove the advertising apps completely, rather than just disable them?
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Complete disabling of advertising through application settings and DNS-filtering allows you to create a comfortable environment for using your smartphone without the need to obtain root rights.
To sum up, MIUI 11 provides all the tools you need to get rid of intrusive marketing. It takes no more than 15 minutes to follow these steps consistently, but the results will last for the entire time you use the device. Your smartphone will work faster and the interface will look cleaner and more enjoyable.