Xiaomi’s current smartphones and Poco’s sub-brand are known for their excellent price-performance ratio, but their work is often overshadowed by intrusive banner ads. Owners of devices with a MIUI shell or the new HyperOS face sudden pop-ups that can appear even on the desktop or when the screen is locked, due to the company’s built-in marketing strategy that allows users to sell devices cheaper by showing ads to users.
Fortunately, most of the ad elements are not viruses, but are regular system features that can be manually deactivated. Disabling ads requires you to go through several stages of configuration, since there is no single “turn off everything” button in the menu. In this guide, we will detail how to configure each component of the system so that your Poco stops distracting you with unnecessary visual noise.
Before you start, make sure your device is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network, as some settings require checking your account status.The process does not require root rights or complex reprogramming, all actions are performed in the standard settings menu.We will look at both the basic switches and hidden settings of system applications.
Disabling the MSA service, the main source of advertising
At the heart of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for collecting data and displaying banners in system applications, which is the process that most often causes unexpected windows to appear, and to turn it off, you need to find the appropriate application in the settings menu and deactivate it.
Go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to Personal Data. In the list that opens, find msa and switch the slider to the off position. The system will alert you to the consequences and start a countdown timer for 10 seconds. After that, click the Revoke button. If you failed to revoke access the first time, try repeating the procedure 3-4 times in a row, as servers may temporarily reject the request.
⚠️ Note: After disabling the msa service, some features in system applications, such as recommendations in the Music or Video app, may stop working correctly or disappear.
It's important to understand that MSA is not a virus, it's a system component, so you can't completely delete it without deep system interference. However, revoking access rights actually stops it from working. If you're using a device for work where concentration is important, this is a must. In some firmware versions, this item may simply be called "Advertising Services."
Configure privacy and personalization parameters
The second important step is to avoid personalized advertising that is based on your actions. Even if you have disabled the MSA, the system can continue to collect anonymous data for targeting.
Open Settings → Password & Security → Privacy. Find the Advertising Services (or “Advertising”) section. You must turn off the Personalized Advertising option. Also, the Reset Ad ID button is often available on this menu, which is recommended to click to clean up your accumulated profile.
- 🔒 Disabling personalization reduces the accuracy of advertising selection, but does not remove it completely from third-party applications.
- 🔄 Resetting the advertising identifier is useful to do periodically to "download" tracking algorithms.
- 📱 On different versions MIUI The path may be slightly different, look for the word "advertising" in the search for settings.
Once these steps are done, the algorithms for generating the results will be less aggressive, and it should be noted that in new versions of HyperOS, these settings have been combined into a more unified data management interface, and regular checks of these parameters after major system updates will help keep the interface clean.
Cleaning up from advertising in system applications
Ad units are often built directly into standard utilities such as Explorer, Downloads, Security, and Music. Each of these applications has its own hidden settings that need to be configured separately, ignoring this step will leave banners in specific programs.
Start with the Security app, which is the most common advert when scanning. Open the app, click on the settings gear in the corner. Find Receive recommendations and turn it off. Also check the Cleanup section inside the security settings and uncheck the tick from Receive recommendations.
Then we go to File Manager. Open the application, go to the menu (three bars) → Settings → About the application. Here you need to find and disable the Recommendation option. A similar procedure is performed for the Downloads application: menu → Settings → Show recommended content (off).
☑️ Verification of system applications
In the Topics app, ads can appear on the home screen. Go to the user profile (human icon) → Settings. Turn off the Display ad and Personal Recommendations. This will make the store more clean and quick to work.
Removing Advertising on the Lock Screen and in Folders
One of the most annoying types of advertising is the lock screen carousels (Glance or Lock Screen) and recommended apps in folders on the desktop.These elements are created to promote content and applications, but are easily disabled in the corresponding sections.
To control the lock screen, go to Settings → Lock screen. Find wallpaper carousel (or "Glance"). Inside this menu, turn off the switch to Turn on the carousel. It is also recommended to go to Settings → Wallpaper and personalization → Wallpaper carousel and turn off receiving updates and recommendations to prevent them from turning on again.
| source of advertising | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Lock screen | Settings → Lock screen | Wallpaper carousel |
| Folders on the desktop | Settings → Desktop | Recommended annexes |
| Annex Topics | Profile → Settings | Showing ads |
| Music/Video | Settings within the application | Receive recommendations |
To remove ads from your desktop folders, open Settings → Desktop. Find the Recommended Apps (or Get Recommendations) switch and deaktivate it. After that, third-party shortcuts marked "Recommended" will no longer appear in the application folders.
What to do if the settings are reset?
Blocking Advertising in the Browser and through DNS
Advertising in the browser and some applications often comes not from the system, but from the Internet. DNS-This method blocks requests to known ad servers at the network level without requiring additional applications to be installed.
The easiest way is to prescribe a private DNS. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS (the path may vary depending on the Android version). Select the DNS provider hostname mode and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save settings.
dns.adguard.comThis method is universal and works for most browsers and games, but be careful: if the specified DNS-The server will stop working, you may lose access to the Internet. DNS auto-mode.
⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-servers may slightly increase network response time or cause problems with accessing some local resources of the provider.
For browsers like Chrome or Mi Browser, it is also recommended to install ad blockers like AdGuard or use browsers with built-in protection like Brave. In the settings of the Mi Browser itself, be sure to turn off "Get news" and "Push notifications" in the homepage settings section.
Resetting Advertising Settings and Cleaning Cache
After making all the changes, it is recommended to clean the cache of system services to delete the stored advertising data. Sometimes old banners can remain in memory and display even after disabling the sources of their receipt.
Go to Settings → Applications → All Apps. Find the Security app, Explorer, Downloads and Themes. For each, do Clear Cache. Don't confuse "Clear all Data" with "Clear all data" as this can reset your personal settings within the apps.
- 🧹 Cleaning the cache frees up space and removes temporary advertising files.
- 🔄 Rebooting the device after all settings is mandatory for the application of changes.
- 📉 Reducing the load on the processor due to the disconnection of background services MSA.
Once the cache is cleared, perform a full smartphone reboot. This is a critical step, as many Xiaomi system processes only start when the device starts. Once turned on, check the main use cases: unlock, open folders and run standard utilities.
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Periodically check system app updates through the GetApps store or Google Play. New versions sometimes have additional privacy settings or, conversely, return old advertising modules.