How to remove ads on the lock screen Xiaomi Redmi 10

Owners of budget and mid-budget Xiaomi smartphones often face intrusive ads that suddenly appear on the lock screen or in the system interface. Xiaomi Redmi 10, running the MIUI shell, was no exception to the rule. Aggressive marketing of the company forces users to look for ways to return a clean and comfortable interface without unnecessary distractions.

The appearance of banner ads at random points in time, especially when unlocking a device or opening standard applications, annoys and reduces overall performance. Fortunately, the Android operating system and the MIUI shell provide hidden and explicit settings that allow you to completely or partially block unwanted content. In this article, we will examine all known methods, from simple menu switches to deeper system changes.

It's important to understand that MIUI ads are broadcast through system services like MSA (MIUI System Ads) and through built-in features like Music or Explorer. Successful resolution requires a holistic approach, and we'll look at each step in detail so you can choose the best option for your firmware version.

MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising

The main source of intrusive banners in the system is the msa service (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data on user behavior and displaying targeted advertising in various corners of the interface, the first and most important step will be to cancel the authorization of this service, which will significantly reduce the number of pop-ups.

To do this, you need to go to the smartphone settings menu. Find a section that may be called differently in different versions of firmware, but most often it is hidden in the category "Passwords and Security", and you need to find an item related to accessing your account and authorization of system components.

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Passwords and security → Access to the account.
• 🔍 In the list, find the msa service and click on the switch to turn it off.
• ⏳ The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds, then prompt you to confirm the action with the “Cancel” button».
• 🔄 If you can’t turn it off the first time, repeat the procedure. 3-4 Once the switch is turned grey.

⚠️ Warning: The shutdown button may be inactive for the first few attempts. MIUI. Just continue to click Cancel after the timer has expired until the option deaktivates permanently.

After successfully disabling the msa service, it is recommended to restart the device so that the changes take effect.This action does not delete your personal data, but stops background transmission of information for advertising purposes. In some cases, this step already solves 90% of problems with intrusive banners.

Setup of notifications and lock screen

Even after disabling system advertising, notifications from built-in Xiaomi services such as Glucometer, Video, or Music can appear on the lock screen, often with their own notification settings that duplicate the advertising messages as cards on the locked screen.

To clear the lock screen, you need to go through the settings of each suspicious app, most often the source of garbage is standard media players and browsers, you need to find them in the list of installed applications and prevent the display of notifications on the locked screen.

Consider the table of the main source applications and the path to their configuration for the Redmi 10 model:

Also worth checking is the global notification settings. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar. Here you can turn off the content of notifications on a locked screen for all applications at once or selectively, which will increase privacy and remove visual noise.

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Use the Do Not Disturb feature at night to completely eliminate any pop-ups and notification sounds, even if the ads aren't technically disabled.

Cleaning the browser and widgets

Often users confuse system advertising with notifications from the browser or news feed widgets. Xiaomi’s standard browser (Mi Browser) and the wallpaper widget (Glance) are powerful channels for delivering advertising content. If you see ads immediately after unlocking or in the notification curtain, most likely this is the case.

First, check the wallpaper carousel widget settings, which replaces the standard wallpaper on the lock screen with shifting images, often accompanied by advertising logos and buttons, and can be turned off through the lock screen settings or by removing the corresponding widget from the desktop.

For the browser, the situation is similar: you have to prevent sites from sending notifications, many resources request permission to display notifications, and the user agrees without reading, and then the site is entitled to send spam directly to the center of the screen.

• 🌐 Open the browser and go to Settings → Notifications.
• 🚫 Turn off the “Show Notifications” option completely.
• 🧹 Clear the browser cache through the “Privacy and Security” menu».
• 🔍 Check the list of sites with permissions and remove all suspicious domains.

⚠️ Warning: If the ads appear even after the browser is closed, it is possible that a malicious application (AdWare) is installed on the phone. Check the list of installed programs for utilities with suspicious names unknown to you and delete them.

Also, you should pay attention to the Google Discover or Mi Video widget, which is to the left of the main screen, and in its settings you can also turn off the display of news cards and recommendations, which often contain advertising inserts.

Using DNS to Block Advertising

One of the most effective and elegant ways to remove ads throughout the system, including browsers and games, is to use a private DNS filtered, which requires no third-party application installation and works at the network connection level, cutting off requests to ad servers.

To set up a DNS on Xiaomi Redmi 10, you’ll need a server address that blocks well-known ad domains. One of the most popular and reliable options is AdGuard DNS, which automatically filters traffic without skipping requests for banners and trackers.

dns.adguard.com

To activate this feature, go to network settings.The path may vary slightly depending on the Android version, but it's usually under Connection and Sharing or Wi-Fi. DNS» (Private DNS) and enter the above address.

• 📶 Go to Settings. → Connection and sharing.
• 🔐 Click on the item Private DNS.
• ✍️ Select the mode "Host Name of the provider" DNS».
• 📝 Enter dns.adguard.com and save the changes.

Once this option is enabled, the internet connection may be interrupted for a short time, making sure you are connected to a stable Wi-Fi network or mobile internet during setup, a technique that also improves security by blocking access to phishing sites.

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Using a private DNS is a silver bullet against advertising that works globally for all applications without requiring root rights or the complex customization of each component individually.

Disabling recommendations in system applications

The MIUI shell is packed with built-in apps that are set to show “recommendations” by default, and under this term hides the same ads integrated into the interface of the Task Manager, theme, the GetApps app store and other utilities.

To achieve perfect system cleanliness, you need to turn off these recommendations in each application, which takes a while, but the result is worth it, the interface will become more responsive, and visual debris will disappear from the menu and folders.

Here is a list of places to uncheck the boxes for “Receive recommendations” or “Show ads”:

1. Topics: Profile → Settings → Uncheck all the points about recommendations.
2. Security: Settings (cogs) → Get recommendations.
3. Downloads: Three dots in the corner → Settings → Show recommended content.
4. Cleaning: Settings → Get recommendations.

You can also look at Mi Account settings. In the Privacy section, you can turn off ad personalization, which will prevent companies from using your data to select ads, which will not remove the ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and more random.

Radical measures: dumping and alternatives

If none of the above methods have completely eliminated the ad, or if it comes from an unknown source, it is possible that an ad virus has settled in the system, in such cases, a complete reset to factory settings (Hard Reset) helps.

Before you do this, make sure to back up all your important data, photos, and contacts. Reset will remove all the information from your internal drive, returning your phone to a "out of the box" state. After reset, don't restore your apps right away, but install them again from trusted sources.

Alternatively, but more difficult, is to install a global firmware version (Global ROM) instead of Chinese, or switch to custom firmware (such as Pixel Experience or LineageOS). Global versions of MIUI contain less advertising by default, and custom firmware is completely devoid of it, offering pure Android.

⚠️ Warning: Flashing your phone or installing custom software will void the warranty and carry the risk of damage to the device ("bricking") if the process is interrupted or incorrect actions are performed.

In most cases, Redmi 10 will require a combination of MSA shutdown, DNS setup, and manual notification cleaning, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, but ensures that you can use your smartphone comfortably for a long time without having to go deep into the system settings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)