Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. Especially annoying is the situation when pop-ups or full-screen banners block the contents of the lock screen, preventing you from quickly seeing notifications or time. On the Redmi 7 model, running on the basis of the MIUI shell, this problem can manifest itself due to the activity of system services that collect data for targeted advertising.
Fortunately, the Android operating system, coupled with the proprietary shell, allows you to flexibly adjust privacy settings. To get rid of advertising, you don't need to have programming skills or get root superuser rights. You just need to consistently go through key settings and disable several specific options that are activated by the manufacturer by default to monetize the device.
In this guide, we will detail the mechanism of unwanted content and provide a comprehensive algorithm for actions: you will learn how to manage application permissions, clear the system cache and block advertising identifiers at the system level. The main source of the problem on Redmi 7 is the MSA service (MIUI System Ads), which requires manual disabling. Following the instructions will help make using a smartphone comfortable and safe.
The nature of advertising on a blocked screen
Ads on Redmi 7 are not random, but are part of the company’s business model that allows you to sell devices at a competitive price. The display of banners, news and offers in the interface is a set of software modules integrated into the MIUI shell. Often users confuse system advertising with viruses, but in most cases these are legitimate, albeit intrusive, functions of the operating system.
The main culprit is the MSA service, which collects data about your preferences and demonstrates relevant content. In addition, advertising integrations are built into standard applications: Explorer, Music, Security and even Gallery. When you unlock a device or receive a notification, these services can activate the display of promotional materials if the corresponding switches were not manually deactivated.
⚠️ Warning: Some third-party apps installed from unreliable sources may independently create their own ad windows on top of the lock screen.If disabling system settings did not help, check the list of recently installed programs.
Understanding how these services work is critical to effectively combating them, and simply ignoring banners will not stop them from appearing, as MIUI algorithms continue to collect analytics, and it is necessary to interrupt data channels and disable services responsible for rendering advertising content on a locked display.
Disabling the MSA service, the main source of advertising
MIUI System Ads (MSA) is the central node coordinating the display of ads in all Xiaomi system applications. On Redmi 7, it runs in the background and requires a constant Internet connection to download current banners. The first and most important step in cleaning the interface is to completely disable this service through the settings menu.
To do this, you need to go to the password and security settings section, and there's a hidden switch that controls the ad module, and note that the system may try to dissuade you from doing this by showing a pop-up with a countdown timer.
☑️ Shutdown algorithm MSA
Once you find the Access to Personal Data (or Authorization and Privacy in new versions of MIUI), a list of all system processes will open, find the msa service in alphabetical order and put the switch to the inactive position, the system will issue a warning that this may affect the operation of certain functions, but there will be no negative consequences for the average user.
It's important to be persistent: when you try to turn off, you'll see a window with a 10 second timer that says "Leave on." You'll have to wait until the countdown ends and press the "Disable" button. If you don't work the first time, repeat the procedure -- sometimes it takes several attempts to successfully deactivate the ad module.
What if the MSA doesn’t shut down?
Managing recommendations in system applications
Even after the MSA service is disabled, individual Redmi 7 apps can continue to show recommendations and news on the lock screen or in the interface, because each system component has its own content acquisition settings.
Start with the Security app, which is often the source of pop-ups. Open it, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find "Get recommendations." Turn off this option. You need to do the same thing in the Music, Video, and Explorer apps.
- 🎵 Mi Music: Go to profile, click on settings, find the Advanced Settings section and turn off Show Ads».
- 📁 Explorer: in the settings menu, find the item “About the service” or “Recommendations” and uncheck the box from receiving news.
- 🛡️ Security: Virus scanner settings and memory cleanup may also hide items about receiving promotional offers.
Don't forget to check the theme and lock screen settings. In the Themes app, go to profile, then to settings, and turn off the "Get recommendations" option, which will prevent ads slides from appearing on the lock screen, which often masquerade as beautiful wallpaper with news.
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Use standard, classic themes from the Xiaomi directory. Third-party themes from independent authors often contain embedded ads that cannot be disabled through standard system settings.
Configure privacy settings and advertising IDs
Modern versions of Android and MIUI provide users with tools to manage advertising identifiers, a unique code assigned to your device that advertisers use to target content, and resetting or disabling this identifier significantly reduces the relevance and frequency of ads.
To access these settings, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Here you will see the Personalized Advertising switch. You must turn it off. This action will prevent the system from using your location and search data to select ads.
Below is the Reset Ad ID button, which generates new random code, breaking the link between your current behavior history and advertising profiles, and it is recommended to perform this procedure periodically, especially if you notice a spike in intrusive banners.
| Parameter | Current status | Recommended action | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalization | Included. | Shut down. | Reduced relevance of advertising |
| Advertising ID | Active. | Drop it. | Breaking the link with the user profile |
| Plan of improvement | Included. | Shut down. | Termination of telemetry dispatch |
| Use of data | Permitted. | Banned | Limiting the collection of analytics |
Also in this section, the item “Join the User Experience Improvement Program” (or “MIUI Improvement Plan”) is often found. Be sure to turn it off. This feature sends detailed reports on device usage to Xiaomi servers, which indirectly affects the algorithms for generating advertising results.
Cache cleanup and reset ad settings
Sometimes changes to settings don’t take effect immediately because of cached data in the device’s memory. To ensure that ads are removed from the Redmi 7 lock screen, you must perform a forced cache clearing of system services responsible for updates and content.
Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. In the list, find MIUI Daemon or Services and Feedback. Go to Memory and click Clear Cache and then Clear Everything. This will delete temporary files that may have saved ad scripts.
⚠️ Attention: When cleaning system applications, be careful, choose Clear Cache to avoid resetting important settings. Clear Data is only acceptable for applications like Themes or Security if you are willing to reset them.
Once the cache is cleared, it is recommended to restart the device. When you boot, the system will recheck the status of services and, when you see the MSA switches disabled, stop downloading advertising packages. If the ad appears again immediately after the reboot, check if the MSA service is activated automatically, as happens after major firmware updates.
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Regular cleaning of the cache of system services (every 1-2 months) helps to maintain the “cleanness” of the interface and prevents the accumulation of advertising modules in the memory of the device.
Blocking Advertising through DNS (Additional Method)
For users who want to achieve maximum results, there is a method of blocking ads at the network level. DNS-The server in the connection settings allows you to cut off requests to known ad servers before they reach your Redmi 7. This method is effective not only for system advertising, but also for banners in browsers and games.
In modern versions of Android (starting with 9.0 and above, which is relevant for the updated Redmi 7) there is a function “Private”. DNS-You can find it on the way: Settings → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. Select the option "Host Name of the provider" DNS» Enter the address of a reliable blocker.
The most popular and proven solution is the AdGuard DNS service. In the field for entering, you must specify the following address:
dns.adguard.comAfter saving the settings, the device will redirect everything DNS-AdGuard filters that automatically cut off domains known as ad sources and trackers, which may slightly increase network response times in rare cases, but radically clear traffic of garbage.
- 🚀 Blocks up to 90% of ads in apps and browsers without installing additional software.
- 🔒 Security: Protects against clicking on phishing links that are often found in ad networks.
- ⚙️ Compatibility: Works at the system level, including lock screen and widgets.