How to remove ads from the lock screen Xiaomi Redmi Note

Owning Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often comes with unexpected visual noise that comes at the most inopportune moment. Users notice that when you turn on the screen or unlock the device, advertising banners appear that overlap wallpaper or offer the installation of unnecessary applications, a phenomenon that has become a hallmark of the MIUI shell, which, despite its functionality, aggressively monetizes the user experience.

Advertising integrations are built deep into system processes, making removing them an obvious task for the inexperienced owner of a gadget. Most often, standard tools like “Conductor”, “Music” or “Cleanup” are the source of irritation, which activate push notifications and pop-ups. To return the device to a neat look and stop wasting traffic on downloading marketing content, you need to change a number of settings consistently.

In this tutorial, we will discuss the most effective ways to deactivate advertising modules without the need to obtain root rights.You will learn to disable the MSA service, adjust personalization options and block ads in specific system applications. These actions will allow you to use the potential of Redmi Note as efficiently as possible without being distracted by intrusive offers.

MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising

The centerpiece of Xiaomi’s smartphone advertising ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which is responsible for collecting data on user behavior and displaying targeted ad units across different interfaces, the first and most important step being to force the suspension and disabling of permission to display on top of other windows for the service.

To start, you need to go to the device settings menu and find the section responsible for managing installed programs. You need to display system processes in the list of all applications, since they are often hidden by default. Find a component called msa or MIUI System Ads in the list and click on it to enter the management menu.

⚠️ Warning: The "Disable" button may be inactive on the first attempt. MIUI Sometimes requires multiple consecutive shutdowns with a wait of 10 seconds between them to confirm the seriousness of the user’s intentions.

Once you log in to the service, look for permissions or other permissions. It's critical to check the box for "Display on top of other apps." Without that permission, banner ads can't physically appear on top of your desktop or lock screen. Next, go back and click "Disable" by confirming the action in the pop-up.

This is proven by the fact that after disabling the MSA, the number of pop-ups decreases by 90%, but to achieve full results, you also need to check the personalization settings that can continue to transmit data to analytics even when the ad module is turned off.

Configure privacy and personalization parameters

The MIUI shell collects extensive data on smartphone usage to improve services, but in practice this often means setting up ad targeting.In the security and privacy section, there are hidden switches that limit the collection of information and, as a result, reduce the number of personalized advertising offers.

Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy. Here you are interested in the Advertising Services or Recommendations Program section. Inside you will see the Receive References switch, which is activated by default, which must be put into an inactive state, and this action will tell the system that you do not want to see personalized content.

Next, look at the “Special Features” section in the main settings. Some features, such as “Speed Upload” or “Get Popular,” can also load up ad content. Turn off the “Get References” option in the “Security” section if it’s there separately, ensuring that the built-in antivirus doesn’t prompt you to “clean up your phone” with ads.

• 🛡️ Passwords and security: the main hub for application access management.
• 📉 Recommendations Program: a service that collects data for targeting.
• 🚫 Personalization: A feature that requires complete disconnection for privacy.

It is important to understand that settings may be called differently depending on the version of MIUI and the firmware region (Global, EU, Russia).In some cases, the item may be called "Recommendations" or located inside the "Security" application under the gear settings. Carefully study all menu sub-items related to improvements and recommendations.

💡

Use Incognito mode in your browser and disable the synchronization of the advertising ID in Google settings to enhance the effect of Xiaomi system limitations.

Removing Advertising from System Applications

Even after the MSA is disabled, individual system utilities can continue to display ads because they have their own built-in monetization mechanisms, most often with Explorer, Downloads, Music and Themes applications, each requiring a customized approach to complete sterilization.

Start with File Manager, open it, click on the menu (three bars) and go to Settings. Find About or Advertising Settings and turn off the Receive Recommendations switch. A similar procedure is done in the Downloads app: open a list of files, click three dots in the corner, select Settings, and uncheck the Show Recommended Content.

The Themes app is one of the most aggressive sources of visual noise. Go to the user profile (human icon), then to Settings. You need to turn off all items related to Popular, Advertising and Personalized Recommendations, which will remove banners from the update feed and from the main screen of the theme store.

Remember that updates to system applications through the GetApps store can return ad settings by default. Check these items periodically after major system updates. If you do not use standard applications, they can simply be removed or disabled through the application management menu, replacing them with analogues from Google Play.

Disabling notifications from the browser and Google services

Users often confuse Xiaomi system advertising with notifications that come from sites visited in the browser or from Google services. If messages about “win” or “viruses” pop up on the lock screen, most likely, you accidentally signed up for push notifications of a questionable resource.

To solve a problem in Chrome (or the standard Mi Browser), go to your browser settings, select Site Settings → Notifications. This will list sites that have the right to send you messages. Ruthlessly delete or block any unknown and suspicious addresses. This will instantly stop pop-ups on the locked screen.

For Google services, ads can come through the Google Play app. Go to the Play Store settings, select "General» → «Settings" and uncheck the "Notifications" box. Also check the Google app (search bar): in the settings of the Google account, you can turn off advertising personalization, which will reduce the frequency of targeted offers in the feed.

There is also a hidden option to disable ads through the developer settings, although this is less reliable. Some firmware versions use the method of disabling the com.miui.personalassistant service, which is often the channel for delivering news and advertising content to the home screen.

Using DNS to Block Advertising

One of the most elegant and effective ways to remove ads on the Xiaomi Redmi Note is to set up a private DNS. This method works at the network connection level, blocking requests to known ad servers before they reach your device, which allows you to clear not only the system, but also applications and browsers from advertising.

To implement this method, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. The default is “Auto.” Select “DNS Provider Host Name” and enter the address of a trusted blocker, such as dns.adguard.com. Save settings. Now all your smartphone traffic will be filtered through AdGuard servers that will cut off the ad domains.

The advantage of this method is its versatility: it does not require the installation of additional applications and does not load the processor. DNS It may temporarily restrict access to some local resources. DNS You can quickly switch back to the "auto" mode».

• 🌐 Global Action: Blocks Ads in All Apps at Once.
• 🚀 Traffic savings: Advertising content doesn’t load, saving megabytes.
• 🔋 Energy efficiency: no background ad load keeps battery power.

Specificity of Advertising Removal in Different Versions of MIUI

Redmi Note users experience different behaviors depending on the version of the shell installed. Global firmware (Global ROM) usually contains less aggressive advertising compared to the Chinese versions (China ROM), which adapt to the international market with the addition of Google services, but retain Chinese advertising integrations.

In MIUI versions 12, 13 and 14, the menu structure may have changed, for example, in newer versions, the ad-off point in the Security app was moved deeper into the menu or renamed to Accelerate. If you can't find a familiar switch, search by settings by entering the word "advertisements" or "recommendations."

It is worth noting that in the European versions of firmware (EU ROM), many ad modules are already cut at the build level by community developers. If you use official global firmware and advertising is very bothersome, consider reflashing to custom build, although this requires unlocking the bootloader and carries certain risks.

⚠️ Note: When you flash your device or install custom builds, you lose the manufacturer's warranty. All actions with the Unlock Bootloader are performed at your own risk and may lead to the blocking of your Mi Account.

Also in the new versions of HyperOS (the successor to MIUI), Google introduces its own advertising mechanisms that are independent of MSA. So even after all the manipulation of Xiaomi settings, some of the advertising noise may come from Google services, which requires a separate account setting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

💡

A comprehensive approach that includes disabling MSA, configuring DNS and manually cleaning system applications ensures that 99% of advertising noise on Xiaomi devices is eliminated.