Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 smartphone often encounter intrusive content that appears in the most unexpected places of the interface. MIUI, known for its extensive customization capabilities, is also famous for built-in ad integration designed to monetize budget devices. This can be annoying, especially when banners pop up on top of the desktop or in standard utilities.
Fortunately, the company's engineers have made it possible to disable most of its advertising modules without obtaining superuser rights. The process of cleaning the system from marketing noise requires care, since the settings are scattered across different menus. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to return the Redmi Note 4 to its original appearance and speed up its work, removing the unnecessary load on the processor.
Before you start making changes, it’s worth understanding that some features are firmware-specific. Global versions of ROM typically contain less aggressive advertising than Chinese builds, but the basic principles of disabling remain similar.
Disabling advertising services in the MIUI system
The first and most important step is to deactivate the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for collecting user data and displaying targeted ads in standard applications, and without disabling it, further manipulation may be less effective.
To start, you need to go to the device settings menu. Find the Password and Security section and scroll down to Access to Personal Data. This shows a list of all the apps that have permission to collect information. Find the msa list and switch the switch to the "Off" position.
The system will warn you that some features may stop working correctly, and will suggest waiting 10 seconds before confirmation. This is the standard procedure for protecting against accidental shutdown. After the timer expires, press the "Cancel" button. If the first time failed, repeat the action - Xiaomi servers sometimes do not respond instantly.
⚠️ Note: after revoking permissions from msa, the ads will not disappear instantly. To take effect, you need to restart the device or wait a few minutes for the background processes to update their configurations.
You should also check the settings of your Mi Account. Go to Settings → Mi Account, select “Mi Account Settings” and find “Advertising.” You should turn off personalization here so that the algorithms stop tailoring the content to your interests.
Set up standard Xiaomi applications
Once the system aggregator is disabled, you need to clean out individual apps that often source banners. Redmi Note 4 has its own hidden settings, which are the most active in this regard, "Conductor", "Music", "Themes" and "Security".
Start with the Safety app. Open it, click on the gear in the top right corner, and find "Get recommendations." Turn it off. You should also check the Cleanup section inside the app and remove the tick from the Guidelines so that you don't see any game installation tips when you scan the system.
Then we go to Explorer. Click on the menu (three bars), select Settings → About (or Settings depending on the version of MIUI) and find the Receive Recommendations switch and deactivate it. This will remove the news feed that often appears on the file manager's home page.
The Themes app also requires attention. Go to the user profile (human icon), then to Settings. You need to turn off the "Show ads," "Personal recommendations" and "Updates" items, which will make the design store clean and fast.
- 📱 Music: in the application settings, find the section "Advanced Settings" and turn off "Show Ads" and "Recommendations".
- 📂 Downloads: Open the app, click three dots in the corner, select Settings and uncheck the tick from Show Recommended Content".
- 🧹 Cleaning: In the cleaner settings, turn off "Recommendations" to prevent pop-ups after cleaning the cache.
☑️ Checklist for app cleanup
Blocking Advertising via DNS and Wi-Fi
One of the most effective methods that do not require the installation of third-party software is the change of DNS-This method allows you to block advertising requests at the network connection level. For Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with Android version 9 and higher, this is done through system settings.
Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select Host Name of DNS Provider and enter dns.adguard.com. Save settings. Now all devices connected to Wi-Fi and the smartphone itself will filter traffic by cutting off connections to known ad servers.
If your version of Android doesn’t support setting up a private DNS directly, you can use the AdGuard app or similar, but it will require a constant backup service, which can increase battery consumption.The alternative is to prescribe DNS in your router settings if you want to protect the entire home network.
| Locking method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Low. | Medium | No influence. |
| Setting up the DNS | Low. | Tall. | Minimum |
| Third-party blockers | Medium | Maximum | Notable. |
| Root rights + AdAway | Tall. | Maximum | No influence. |
Use of the DNS-Filtering also helps hide banners inside some free apps and games, but it’s worth remembering that this method doesn’t block YouTube ads or Google’s own ads, as they use the same domains as the main content.
Managing notifications and push messages
Users often confuse system advertising with intrusive push notifications from installed applications. MIUI has a powerful notification management tool that allows you to point-to-point what can appear in the curtain. This is especially true for the Redmi Note 4, which is often used as a second phone or media center.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Center. You can set style and priorities. But more importantly, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Select a suspicious application (such as a game or utility), click Notifications and disable them completely or leave only important categories.
Pay special attention to your browser. If you see ads even on your desktop, you may have accidentally subscribed to a site's notifications. Open Chrome or Mi Browser, go to your settings → Site Settings → Notifications, and delete any suspicious addresses.
⚠️ Warning: Be careful when disabling system notifications. Do not block messages from messengers, SMS-Security services and system services to avoid missing important alerts.
MIUI also has a "Receive recommendations" feature in global notification settings, disable it so that the system stops offering you "interesting" apps or news based on your usage history.
What to do if the advertisement returns?
Use of third-party blockers
If built-in methods are not enough, specialized applications come to the rescue. For Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, the best choice is root-free blockers using locally-based ones. VPN-interface to filter traffic, which allows you to filter ads in the browser and other applications.
AdGuard is a popular solution. Once installed, the app will ask you to allow the creation of a new device. VPN-You can agree, and select the protection mode. HTTPS, But it would require a certificate to be installed, and it would greatly improve the efficiency of locking in encrypted connections.
Another option is Blokada, which is an open application with a minimalist interface, and it automatically updates host lists and blocks connections to known ad servers. APK-The file is from the official website, as the version is limited in Google Play.
- 🛡️ AdGuard: powerful combine with many filters, but some features are paid.
- 🚫 Blokada 5: Free, Lightweight, Great for Older Devices.
- 🔒 DNS66: A minimalist client that only works through DNS, Minimal battery impact.
When using these applications, it's important to monitor their performance, and sometimes they may conflict with others. VPN-or slow down page loading speeds if too many filters are selected. 4 his 3 GB of RAM (in the version) 4/64 GB) better to use lightweight versions of blockers.
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Install an ad blocker immediately after resetting or buying a phone, which will prevent the initial data collection and loading of ad modules into the system cache.
Radical methods: resetting and flashing
If the software methods fail to produce the desired result, or the device has been infected with an adware virus that disguises itself as a system process, radical intervention may be required. In the case of Xiaomi, a complete reset often helps with cleaning up all data.
Before resetting, make sure to back up. Go to Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Clear all the data. Once you reboot, the phone will look like new. It's critical that you don't restore the app backup right away, but you turn off the Internet first and set up the system to avoid re-installing the infected one. APK-file.
For advanced users, custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) can be installed, which removes the MIUI shell and all of its advertising. However, on Redmi Note 4 (codenamed nikel/nickel), this process requires unlocking the bootloader through the official Mi Unlock website, which can take 7 to 30 days to wait.
Unlocking the bootloader gives you complete control over the device, but it gives you no warranty (if it is still relevant) and carries risks. Wrong firmware can turn your phone into a brick. So use this method only if you are confident in your actions and understand the risks.
⚠️ Attention: custom firmware installation and bootloader unlocking may cause banking applications (Google Pay/Wallet) to fail due to security integrity breaches.
In most cases, Redmi Note 4 is just a combination of MSA disabling, DNS settings and manual cleaning of system applications, which allows you to use the device comfortably without loss of functionality and security.
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A comprehensive approach combining disabling Xiaomi system services and network filtering through DNS is the safest and most effective way to remove ads on the Redmi Note 4 without losing warranty.