How to remove ads on Xiaomi Redmi 6A: the complete guide

Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising that can appear in the most unexpected places: when unlocking the screen, in standard applications or even on top of the desktop. For the Xiaomi Redmi 6A model with a MIUI shell, this problem is especially relevant, since the device belongs to the budget segment, where monetization through advertising services is part of the manufacturer’s strategy.

In this article, we’ll look at proven methods for blocking ad units, ranging from built-in system settings to more advanced technical solutions.You don’t need to be a programming expert to make using the Redmi 6A comfortable.We’ll take a detailed look at each step so you can choose the best option for your situation and enjoy a clean operating system without unnecessary pop-ups.

It is worth noting that aggressive advertising is often associated with the operation of the system process msa (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data and displaying promotional materials. Disabling this component is a key step in the overall optimization of the device, and it is also important to understand the difference between in-front advertising and advertising notifications from installed applications, as the methods of dealing with them may differ.

Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The first and safest step is to disable the ad personalization function directly in the system settings. This won't remove all ads completely, but will significantly reduce their relevance and frequency of occurrence. To begin, open the Settings menu and scroll down to Password and Security.

In the menu that opens, look for the Privacy section and select the Advertising Services option, where you will be prompted to read the privacy policy, then switch the Receive Recommendations slider to an inactive state. The system may require confirmation of the action to be agreed to.

Next, check your Mi Account settings. Go to Settings → Mi Account, select Agreements and find Advertising. Disabling this option will prevent the system from using your data for targeting. It is also recommended to revoke consent to use data in the About Phone section, quickly clicking on the MIUI version seven times to get into the advanced settings, although on Redmi 6A this path may vary depending on the firmware version.

⚠️ Note: After disabling advertising services, changes may not take effect immediately.In some cases, the system takes up to 24 hours to fully synchronize settings on Xiaomi servers.

Remember that these actions only affect system advertising. Apps installed from third-party sources can use their own display mechanisms that are not regulated by global MIUI settings.

Disabling the MSA system process

The msa (MIUI System Ads) process is the main engine of advertising activity in the Xiaomi shell, and its deactivation is a critical milestone for Redmi 6A owners who want to get rid of pop-ups in standard applications such as Music, Video or Explorer.

To do this, go to Settings, then select Apps and click All Apps. In the upper right corner, click three dots and select Show System Processes. Find the msa application (or MIUI System Ads) in the list.

Go inside the app and press the Disable button, and the system will alert you that it may affect some of the features, confirm the action. If the first time the shutdown did not occur or the button became active again after a while, repeat the procedure several times in a row, sometimes you need to turn off and turn on the Internet during this process, so that the server can not confirm the license status.

• 🔍 Find the msa process in the list of system applications.
• 🚫 Click the Disable button and confirm the action.
• 🔄 Repeat the procedure. 5-10 if the system resists.
• 📶 Try to turn off Wi-Fi and mobile network before shutting down the process.

In parallel with msa, it is recommended to check for the GetApps process (formerly the Mi Store).If you do not use the official Xiaomi app store, it can also be disabled or removed updates to prevent background activity.

Cleaning up notification recipients in standard applications

Even after the core services are disabled, some of Xiaomi’s built-in Redmi 6A apps can continue to show recommendations, which is because each system application has its own notification settings, which are often enabled by default.

Consider an example of setting up a Music app. Open the player, click on the menu (three bars or dots) and select Settings. Find Receive recommendations or Show ads and deaktivate these options. Similar actions should be repeated for Video, Themes, Cleanup and Files applications.

The Topic app can be a little more complicated. Go to the user profile (human icon), then to Settings. Here you need to find the item Show ads and turn it off. Also, you should disable the option Auto Update themes if you do not need it, as new banner ads are often loaded during the update process.

Don't ignore the Security app, which is often the source of pop-ups that suggest you install "antivirus" or "optimizers," and it also hides a Receive recommendations switch that you need to deactivate.

Blocking Advertising through DNS (Private DNS)

One of the most effective methods that doesn't require root rights is to use a private DNS filtered, which allows you to block ads at the network connection level by cutting off requests to known ad servers. On Xiaomi Redmi 6A with Android 9 and above, this feature is built into the system.

Go to Settings, then Connect and Share (or Additional Settings in older versions) MIUI). Find a private item DNS (Private DNS). Select the hostname of the provider DNS and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save the changes.

This simple step blocks most of the ad trackers and banners in your browser and apps. However, it is worth remembering that using a third-party DNS can have a slight impact on network response speed if the server is far from your region. If you have problems connecting to Wi-Fi, try temporarily returning settings to automatic mode.

• 🌐 Go to network settings and find a Private DNS.
• ✍️ Enter the value of dns.adguard.com manually.
• 💾 Save the configuration and check the internet.
• ⚠️ If you have problems with connection, return the value of "Auto".

If you're in your version MIUI There is no built-in menu for Private DNS, You can use the AdGuard app or similar clients that create a local service. VPN-This is especially true for older versions of Android installed on Redmi. 6A.

⚠️ Attention: When in use DNS-filtering some legitimate ad integrations in apps (for example, the ability to watch videos to get a bonus in games) will stop working.

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Use Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 app if AdGuard DNS is causing speed issues, and it also has a built-in malware blocking option, although it doesn't block all ads.

Removing advertising applications and cleaning the cache

Often, ads on Xiaomi Redmi 6A are due to pre-installed partner apps or programs that you accidentally installed along with other utilities.

Audit installed programs. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps and look carefully at the list. Look for apps with suspicious names, no icons, or ones you don't remember installing. Often they masquerade as "Calculator," "Lightlight" or "Memory Cleanup."

To remove system debris and ad residues, use the built-in Cleanup utility. Click on the scan button and then go to Cleanup. Don't forget to also clear the browser and GetApps store cache, as it can store temporary banner ads files.

In some cases, a complete reset of ad settings through an engineering menu helps, but on global firmware, access to it is limited. ADB-commands to remove system packages, however, this requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global

This command will remove the user's copy of the ad module for the current user without affecting the system partition.This is safe and reversible when reset to factory settings.

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Comprehensive removal of advertising applications in conjunction with DNS-Filtering gives 95% guarantee of no pop-up windows.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions