How to permanently remove ads from the lock screen on Xiaomi Poco X3: a step-by-step guide

The lock screen on Xiaomi Poco X3 should be a place for easy access to notifications and quick action, but instead many users are faced with intrusive advertising.Advertising banners appear under the clock, at the bottom of the screen or even on top of notifications — and it’s not just annoyance, but direct leakage of traffic and battery charging.In this article, we’ll break down all the working ways to remove ads, from standard MIUI settings to deep system edits.

The problem is compounded by Xiaomi’s active integration of ad modules into firmware, especially in global and Chinese versions of MIUI. Even after resetting, ads can return in a few days. We tested methods on Poco X3 NFC (codename surya) with MIUI 12.5-14 firmware – all the solutions in the article work on current versions of the software. If you are ready to get rid of advertising once and for all, read on.

Why does Poco X3 have a lock screen ad?

Advertising on the lock screen is part of Xiaomi’s coin model, which allows the company to reduce the price of devices by displaying ads, and at MIUI, three key services are responsible for this:

• 📌 Msa (Mobile Services Analytics) is a system process that collects device usage data and loads ads.
• 📌 MiuiDaemon – background service that manages display of banner ads in the interface.
• 📌 Personal Assistant – an app that analyzes your actions and shows “personalized recommendations” (including ads).

On Poco X3, ads can appear in several formats:

• 🔹 Banners under the clock (usually with offers of games or apps).
• 🔹 Pop-up notifications with ads in the curtain.
• 🔹 Full-screen advertising blocks when unlocking (occurring less often, but sometimes).
• 🔹 Advertising in weather or calendar widgets on a locked screen.

It's important to understand that simply disabling notifications from system applications won't help -- ads are stitched deeper. For example, even if you turn off Personal Assistant in the settings, Msa will continue to download advertising materials in the background. To completely remove ads, you'll need a combination of techniques.

Method 1: Disabling Advertising through the standard MIUI settings

So let's start with the simplest method, which doesn't require root rights or complicated manipulation, and MIUI has hidden settings that reduce the number of ads you see, but they won't remove them completely, they'll just reduce the frequency of the ads.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7-10 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer!” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and go to Additional → For developers.
4. Find the option “Disable MIUI Ads” (some versions call it “Personalized Ads”) and deactivate it.

Next, follow the following steps:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔧 Find the Personal Assistant (or Personal Assistant) app, open its settings and turn off notifications.
• 🔧 Do the same for Mi Video, Mi Music, Browser, and Download Manager apps – these are often sources of advertising.

This method works 30-40% - some of the ads will disappear, but the banners under the clock and some pop-ups will remain.

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If it returned after a few days after disabling the ad in the settings, check for app updates in Google Play. Sometimes Xiaomi system apps automatically update and reset settings.

Method 2: Use of the ADB-commands for deep disabling advertising

A more radical method is to turn off advertising services via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which does not require root rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer, and works 100% if done correctly.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/Linux/macOS.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Initiated Debugging Mode USB Poco X3.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and unpack the platform-tools in any folder on your computer.
2. Connect Poco X3 to your PC and select File Transfer mode.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (Linux/macOS) in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is determined, go further.
5. Follow the following commands in turn (each disables a separate ad module): adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.ab adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.global
6. Reboot the phone.

Once you reboot, the ads on the lock screen will disappear. If you want to get it back, replace the disable-user commands with enable.

⚠️ Note: Disabling system applications through ADB This can lead to unstable operation of some functions. MIUI, For example, a weather widget or synchronize your Xiaomi account. If important functions stop working after you run commands, return the settings with the adb shell pm enable command.

Method 3: Install custom firmware (for advanced users)

If you’re willing to take drastic measures, installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) will completely remove all ad modules from the system, a method that requires unlocking the bootloader and can take away warranties, but gives you maximum freedom from advertising.

Advantages of custom firmware:

• ✅ There is no system advertising Xiaomi.
• ✅ Cleaner and faster interface.
• ✅ Regular security updates.
• ✅ Ability to fine-tune the system.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Resetting all data on the phone.
• ❌ Possible bugs with camera or sensors (depending on firmware).
• ❌ Loss of warranty (if the bootloader is unlocked).

Installation instructions (briefly):

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP).
3. Download the appropriate firmware for Poco X3 (codename surya) from the XDA Developers forum.
4. Flush the firmware through TWRP and perform a data reset.

Recommended firmware for Poco X3:

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware can lead to loss of functions NFC broadband (5G) on some versions of Poco X3. Before firmware check user reviews on forums.

Method 4: Ad-blocking applications (without root)

If you don't want to deal with ADB or firmware, you can use third-party ad-blocking apps, which work at the DNS or VPN level, intercepting ad requests.

The best apps to block ads on Poco X3:

• 🛡️ Blokada – Blocks Advertising at Level DNS, It doesn't require root.
• 🛡️ AdGuard filters traffic through local VPN, There's a free version.
• 🛡️ DNS66 — Open source software to block ads through change DNS. Download.

How to set up Blokada:

1. Download and install the app from the official website (not from Google Play – there is an outdated version).
2. Launch the application and click "Activate".
3. Select the "Ad Blocking" mode.
4. Go to the settings and turn on the “Start at boot” option.
5. Add custom hosts to lock Xiaomi servers: 127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 track.ad.xiaomi.com 127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com

These apps block up to 90 percent of ads, including banners on the lock screen, but they can’t completely remove the built-in MIUI ad modules, so sometimes ads can slip.

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Ad blocking apps do not require root rights, but may conflict with some banking apps due to VPN use.

Method 5: Manual removal of advertising packages (requires root)

If you have root rights (e.g., through Magisk), you can manually remove the system packages responsible for advertising, which gives 100% results, but requires caution - deleting the wrong files can lead to system failure.

List of disposal packages:

com.miui.analytics


com.xiaomi.ab




com.miui.systemAdSolution




com.android.browser




com.miui.msa.global




com.miui.player




com.xiaomi.midrop




com.xiaomi.scanner

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/.
3. Find the folders with the names from the list above and delete them (or rename them by adding.bak at the end).
4. Clear the cache and application data through Settings → Apps.
5. Reboot the phone.

After that, the ads will disappear forever, and if you delete something that's superfluous and your phone is unstable, restore the deleted folders from the backup or reflash the system.

⚠️ Note: Removal of system packages may result in loss of functionality MIUI-specific features, such as themes, cloud storage or synchronization of notes. Before deleting, back up through TWRP.

More tips: how to prevent the return of advertising

Even after successfully removing the ad, it can return after updating MIUI or resetting. To avoid this, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Turn off automatic system app updates: Go to Google Play → Settings → Auto-Update Apps. Select "Never." Manually disable updates for Personal Assistant, Mi Video and other system applications.

Use alternative launchers

Install Nova Launcher or Lawnchair – they don’t show ads for Xiaomi.

Block Advertising Domains via Hosts File

Download the updated hosts file from GitHub and replace the system file with it through the root conductor.

Regularly check active processes

Use Simple Task Killer or the built-in Task Manager to close com.miui.analytics and com.xiaomi.ab.

If you notice that the ad has returned, check:

• 🔍 Have system applications been updated?
• 🔍 Have you been reset after the update? MIUI?
• 🔍 Have you seen any new advertising packages (check out adb shell pm list packages)? | grep -i ad).

However, to completely remove ads from the lock screen, you will need ADB or root.