Modern Xiaomi smartphones offer impressive performance and functionality, but users are often annoyed by intrusive advertising built into the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS. This is a fee for the affordable cost of the device, but the situation is not hopeless. Most ad integrations can be deactivated by standard methods without the need to obtain superuser rights.
In this guide, we’ll look at all the known ways to block ad content, from simple switches in settings to more advanced methods through DNS. System ads can appear in folders, when you unlock the screen, and even in standard applications. Understanding exactly where triggers are hiding will help you clean up the interface.
Before we start taking drastic measures, we should try basic privacy settings. Often users overlook one key parameter that allows the system to collect data for targeted advertising, and turning this off is the first and most important step.
Disabling system advertising through MIUI settings
The main source of banners in the system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for downloading and displaying advertising materials in various interface elements, and to limit its work, you need to find the appropriate item in the authorization and security menu.
Go to Settings, then select Passwords and Security, and then look for Personal Data Access or Special Permissions, and you'll need to find the msa process and deny it access to the Internet or disable permission to use data.
- 🔒 Find the msa service in the list of applications and disable the network access slider.
- ⚙️ Go to Settings. → Passwords and security → Access to personal data to verify all system services.
- 📉 Disable Advertising Personalization in the Advertising Services section.
⚠️ Attention: If you try to disable msa, the system may ask you several times and show a countdown timer. This is a safety mechanism, just wait until the time ends and confirm the action.
After disabling MSA, ads in the system folders and desktop should disappear, but some embedded applications have their own ad integration settings that require special attention.
Setup of built-in Xiaomi applications
The standard set of applications from Xiaomi often contains hidden switches that activate advertising recommendations, such as Explorer, Security, Downloads and Music, each of which needs to be customized individually.
In the Security app, go to the settings (cog icon) and find Receive recommendations. Move the slider to the inactive position. A similar procedure is required for Explorer: open the menu, select Settings, and turn off receiving recommendations.
☑️ Verification of embedded applications
Don't forget to check the Downloads app. Often that's where pop-ups pop up with suggestions to install games or other programs, and there's also a To show recommended content switch in the app's menu that needs to be deactivated.
- 📂 In Explorer, turn off recommendations in the settings menu.
- 🛡️ In the Security app, remove the tick from the point of receipt of recommendations.
- 📥 In Downloads, prohibit the display of recommended content.
These actions do not require technical knowledge, but significantly clean up the user experience, if after these manipulations the advertising remains, it may be broadcast through the browser or system notifications.
Blocking ads in the browser and notifications
Often the source of irritation is not the system banners, but notifications from sites that the user accidentally subscribed to. Mi Browser or Chrome browser can skip pop-ups if the appropriate filters are not configured.
For Mi Browser, go to settings, select Privacy and Security, and activate pop-up lock. It is also recommended to enable Unlimited Data mode or a similar traffic compression feature that often filters advertising scripts on the fly.
⚠️ Note: If notifications come from specific sites, it is not enough to simply close the tab. You need to go to the browser settings, the Notifications section, find a suspicious site and choose Block or Delete.
In standard Chrome, the situation is similar. Go to Settings → Site Settings → Notifications and view the list of permitted addresses. Delete any unknown or suspicious domains. This will prevent ads from appearing on the locked screen.
How to clean the ad cache manually?
Using DNS to block the world
The most effective method that works at the level of the entire operating system is to change the operating system. DNS-server, private use DNS Allows you to filter traffic before it reaches your device by blocking requests to ad servers.
In modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS, this feature is built in. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name Mode and enter a trusted filter address, such as dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comOnce you save your settings, the phone may need to reconnect to the network, a method that blocks ads not only in the system, but also in many free apps and games where they are broadcast through standard ad networks.
| Parameter | Meaning/Action | The result |
|---|---|---|
| DNS mode | Provider host name | Activation of manual settings |
| Server address | dns.adguard.com | Blocking of known advertising domains |
| Application | Globally for all applications | Advertising disappears in games and browser |
| Security | Encryption DNS-request | Protection against traffic interception by the provider |
If the server is not working or is slow, you can try alternatives such as private-dns.mullvad.net or dns.familyshield.opendns.com. However, dns.adguard.com is considered the most stable solution for blocking advertising traffic in 2026.
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Using a private DNS is a silver bullet that removes up to 90% of all advertising without installing additional apps and without root rights.
Disabling recommendations in system services
In addition to explicit advertising, Xiaomi actively promotes its services through recommendations, which can appear in search, in the Card widget (to the left of the desktop), and in the control panel. These elements are not viruses, but clog the interface.
To remove search recommendations, open the desktop search bar, click on the profile or settings icon, and turn off Hot Themes or Popular. In some shell versions, this item is hidden in the general system settings called Search in System.
For a card widget (Google Discover or Yandex), you need to press the empty desktop space for a long time, select Add widgets or Desktop Settings and disable the display of the news feed on the left. This will return the classic interface look.
- 🔍 Turn off “Hot Topics” and personalization.
- 📱 In the desktop settings, remove the news feed on the left.
- 🔔 In the control panel, disable recommendations for cleaning memory.
It’s also worth checking the theme settings. Some third-party themes, even paid ones, may contain built-in ads. Returning to a standard Classic or Default theme often solves the problem of unexpected banners.
Additional measures and resetting of advertising identifier
Even after all the settings, the system can remember your advertising profile. To completely clear the trail, it is recommended to reset the advertising ID. This action generates a new random ID, breaking the link with previously collected data about your preferences.
Find the Privacy or Passwords and Security section in the settings, and it should be Advertising Services or Advertising ID. Press Reset Advertising ID. It is recommended to do this periodically, for example, once a month.
⚠️ Warning: Do not use third-party cleaners to remove ads, they often require excessive permissions and may themselves be a source of spyware or new advertising.
If none of the methods worked, the problem may be a specific virus miner or malware application you installed recently. Check the list of installed applications for suspicious programs without icons or with strange names and delete them.
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Periodically check the list of apps with rights to selection on top of other windows. Malware advertising often hides there. Path: Settings → Protection → Special permissions → Display on top of other applications.