How to remove ads on Redmi 8 Pro: the complete guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. Redmi 8 Pro, despite its excellent specs and affordable price, was no exception to the rule. MIUI system is set by default to show users advertising content from the company's built-in applications and services. This can be annoying, especially when a pop-up overshadows an important message or occurs when you unlock the screen.

Fortunately, the developers have left it to users to customize their privacy and disable most of the advertising mechanisms. Complete removal of ads is possible without obtaining superuser rights (Root) and without flashing the device. You do not need complex hardware or special knowledge in the field of programming. All the necessary actions are performed through the standard settings menu, which is available to every smartphone owner.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the steps in cleaning up your system from ad litter. We will touch not only on basic settings, but also on specific application features that often remain in the blind spot of users. Disabling MSA (MIUI System Ads) will be the first and most important step towards a clean interface. Prepare for the fact that some menu items may be called slightly differently depending on the firmware version, but the logic of actions remains the same throughout the Xiaomi ecosystem.

Disabling the MSA system advertising module

The first and most critical step is to deactivate the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for collecting data about your actions and then showing targeted advertising in system applications. Without disabling this module, all other settings may not be effective, as the MSA will constantly try to restore its default settings.

First, you need to go to the settings section, where authorizations and permissions are managed. Find the security and privacy section. In some versions of MIUI, it can be hidden inside the About Phone menu or placed in a separate category, Passwords and Security, and your goal is to find a list of applications that have access to system functions.

Find the msa app and click on it. You'll see the Receive References switch. When you try to turn it off, the system will start counting down time (usually 10 seconds) and will urge you to leave the ad on. Attention! If the timer is done and the switch is not turned off, just try again. Sometimes it takes 3-4 attempts to allow the system to turn off the service.

⚠️ Attention: When disconnected MSA Some personalization features may not work properly, like smart recommendations in Music or Video, which may disappear, but it's a necessary sacrifice for a clean interface.

After a successful shutdown, take your time to close the menu. Make sure the switch remains in the "Off" position after the device is restarted.This action blocks the main channel of advertising data to the operating system of your Redmi 8 Pro.

Setting up the “Safety” application and cleaning up garbage

The Security app on Xiaomi smartphones is a powerful tool, but it is often used as a platform for news and advertising. By default, when you start scanning or clearing memory, you can see banner ads or recommendations for installing other applications. To remove ads on the Redmi 8 Pro in this module, you need to change its internal settings.

Open the Security app and click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen, and that's where the settings menu of the app itself is located. Find the "Get recommendations" item and turn it off. That will remove the news feed and the promotional offers that appear on the home screen of the security app.

Then you have to look at the Cleanup function, and in some versions of MIUI, after cleaning, the system offers to speed up the device by displaying a banner ad.

• 📱 In the Security app settings, find the Cleanup section».
• 🚫 Turn off the option “Receive recommendations».
• 🧹 Also turn off “cleanup notifications” if you don’t need them.

Another important aspect is the notifications from the antivirus. Often after checking, the system may recommend installing a "more powerful" antivirus or browser, all of which are also regulated under the "Notifications" section within the security settings of the application.

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Check Security updates periodically through GetApps. Sometimes, after the update, the settings may reset and you will have to repeat the procedure.

Removing Advertising in Standard Applications

Xiaomi system applications such as Music, Video, Downloads and Explorer also contain built-in ad modules, which can manifest as banners on the app’s home screen or pop-ups when certain actions are completed, and disabling ads in each requires a customized approach.

In the Mi Music app, you need to go to settings by clicking on the menu icon (three bars) and selecting Settings. In the Advanced Settings section, find the Show Ads switch and turn it off. A similar procedure is done in the Video app: the menu → setting → supplemental → turn off.

And you should pay special attention to the Downloads app, and this is where you often get notifications saying, "Your phone is slowing down" or "You need to clear your memory," when it's actually just a promotional ploy, to remove these notifications:

• 📂 Open the Downloads app (Downloads).
• ⚙️ Click on three dots in the corner and select Settings».
• 🔕 Turn off the option “Receive recommendations” or “Show recommended content».

The situation is similar in the standard Mi Browser browser: Go to your browser settings, select Privacy & Security, and disable all personalization and recommendation items. If you don't use the standard browser, you can simply delete or disable it in the application settings by replacing it with Chrome or Firefox.

⚠️ Note: In the Themes app, ads can appear as banners on the store’s home screen. You can’t remove them completely, but you can minimize them by turning off “Get recommendations” in the theme app settings.

Blocking Advertising Notifications from Third Party Apps

Often, the source of annoying advertising is not the system services, but the applications you install: games, flashlight utilities, scanners. QR-Codes and other free programs often use aggressive advertising policies. Redmi 8 Pro can effectively combat this using built-in notification control features.

When an ad notice appears on the screen, don't rush to swipe it. Hold your finger on the notification and hold it for a few seconds. The system will suggest you go to the notification settings for a particular application. Here you can completely prevent the application from showing notifications or, more effectively, disable the Ad category.

There is also the option to block pop-ups that appear on top of other apps.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find a suspicious app that often shows ads.
3. Select "Other Permits".
4. Disable access to the "Over Other Windows" function.

If an app continues to show ads even after the notifications are banned, it may be using aggressive methods of embedding banners into the interface, in which case the best solution would be to remove the app and find its counterpart with less advertising or a paid version without banners.

Using DNS to block advertising at the network level

One of the most effective ways to remove ads on the Redmi 8 Pro is to set up a private DNS, which allows you to block ad requests before they reach your device, so you don't have to install any additional apps, just change one setting in your network settings.

The principle is simple: your phone sends requests to domain names through a special server that does not return the addresses of the ad servers, as a result, the ads simply do not load, this speeds up the Internet and saves traffic.

Instructions for setting:

Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS

In the menu that opens, select “DNS Provider Host Name” and type in dns.adguard.com. Save settings. Now all traffic that passes through Wi-Fi and the mobile network will be filtered.

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Setting up a private DNS is a “silver bullet” to block ads in all apps at once, including YouTube and browsers, without installing additional software.

Specifics of working with MIUI and possible problems

Xiaomi’s ad removal process doesn’t always go smoothly the first time. MIUI is known for its tendency to return default settings after major updates. So if you notice an ad return, check the status of the MSA switch and settings in the Security and Download apps first.

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after a MSA shutdown, some functions stop working, for example, weather widgets are not updated or topics are not loaded, in which case you can try an alternative method of blocking through the hosts file, but this requires a deeper intervention in the system, but in 95% of cases it is enough to just re-examine the procedure of disabling recommendations.

It's important to understand the difference between system advertising and in-app advertising. If you install a free game, it will display ads regardless of your settings. MIUI, if you don't use DNS-filtering or blocking. Phone settings only control what the shell and its services broadcast.

To sum up, the Redmi 8 Pro remains a great device even with MIUI in mind. With 10-15 minutes of initial setup, you’ll get a clean, fast and enjoyable smartphone that won’t distract you with every sneeze.