Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often encounter intrusive content that appears in the most unexpected places on the interface, and it is especially annoying when, after unlocking the device or just turning on the screen, you see banners blocking wallpaper or offering to download unnecessary applications. This is not a virus, but the built-in mechanism for monetizing the MIUI shell or HyperOS, which is activated by default on all devices of the brand.
Fortunately, the system allows you to manage these settings flexibly, although developers have not brought all the switches to a prominent place. You can remove ads from the lock screen by regular means without having to install third-party software or obtain root rights. In this article, we will discuss in detail each step of cleaning the interface from marketing noise.
The process of disabling requires attention, as some options are hidden inside specific menus of system applications. We will look not only at standard personalization settings, but also at less obvious sources of pop-ups, such as the Security or Downloads app. Follow the instructions consistently to get the most out of it.
Analysis of advertising sources in the shell of MIUI
Before you start to shut down, it’s important to understand where content is coming from. MSA (MIUI System Ads) is the primary service for displaying advertising materials in the interface. However, it does not work in a vacuum and is closely integrated with other components such as Music, Themes and Explorer.
Often users confuse banner ads with recommendation tapes, such as “Recommended Wallpaper” or “Stories” that are not formally ads but are visually intrusive, with the difference between the download mechanism: ads are loaded dynamically through Internet services, and recommendations are part of the design theme functionality.
⚠️ Note: Some content marked as “Recommendations” may return even after the main advertising services are disabled if sync with your Mi Account is activated or if the “Receive recommendations” function in specific applications is enabled.
To effectively combat, you need to close communication channels for each system application separately. There is no global switch “Stop All Ads” in the smartphone settings, so you will have to go through the chain of system utilities.
Why is Xiaomi embedding ads?
Disabling recommendations on the lock screen
The most common source of irritation is banners that appear immediately after the screen is turned on, often disguised as beautiful landscapes or news, and to remove them, you need to look at the design theme settings, because it controls the appearance of the screen.
Go to the Settings menu and find Always on screen and lock screen (the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI). Here you are interested in the item "Wallpaper Carousel" or "Glance", which is the service that replaces static wallpaper with dynamic tape with advertising inserts.
Inside the wallpaper carousel menu, find a switch to turn on the wallpaper carousel and deactivate it. The system will warn that this action will also turn off beautiful wallpaper. Confirm the action. Now, when you turn on the screen, only your static image and widgets will be displayed, without pop-ups.
☑️ Checking the lock settings
If you have the ads left, check the settings of the specific Themes app. Open it, go to the user profile (human icon) and select Settings. Find "Receive recommendations" and turn it off. This will stop push notifications of advertising nature.
Configuring the MSA system service
MSA (MIUI System Ads) is the central node that coordinates the display of ads throughout the system, and turning it off is a key step in cleaning a smartphone, but you can't just find and turn it off in the application list, you need to do a sequence of things.
Open your smartphone settings, then go to Passwords and Security (or Access to Data in some versions). Find Access to Data and Use (or Authorization and Review).
Move the slider opposite the msa to the "Off" position, and the countdown timer will appear for 10 seconds, and then after it expires, press the "Out" button, and this action will stop transmitting your activity to the ad servers.
| Parameter | Default value | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA Service | Included. | Off. | Reducing Advertising in the Interface |
| Receive recommendations | Included. | Off. | Disabling tips in folders |
| Personalized advertising | Included. | Off. | Ending targeting |
| Automatic updates | Included. | Wi-Fi/Off | Traffic control |
⚠️ Note: The recall button may not work the first time. If it is active again a few seconds after the timer or if a network error message appears, repeat the procedure. 3-5 It's a well-known feature of service protection.
After a successful permission revocation, it is recommended to restart the device so that the changes take effect for all background processes.In some cases, the service may try to recover, so after a couple of days, it is worth checking the permission status again.
Cleaning the “Security” and “Downloads” application
The two most active sources of pop-ups are the Security and Download systems, which often display banners when scanning your phone or just opening a file folder, and customizing these applications requires a customized approach.
To start, open the Security app. Click on the gear in the top right corner to enter the settings. Find the Receive recommendations section and turn off this feature. Also, go to the Cleanup section inside the settings and remove the tick from the "Show ads after cleaning" box if you have one.
Next, we'll go to Download Manager, open it, click three dots in the corner, and select Settings, and find the Show Recommended Content and deactivate it, and that will remove the news feed and banners from the main download window.
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If you can’t find the Downloads app on the menu, search for settings or search for Downloads/Downloads apps. You can’t hide it with standard tools.
Remember that when you update your HyperOS or MIUI operating system, these settings can reset to factory values, and checking these points periodically will help keep the interface clean.
Removal of advertising in system applications
Ad integrations are deeply embedded in standard software: Music, Video, Themes, Explorer. Each has its own monetization mechanism that needs to be turned off separately, and ignoring these settings will leave the channels for displaying banners open.
In the Music app, go to the menu (three bars) → Settings → Advanced Settings. Find the "Show Ads" item and turn it off. In the Video app, go to Profile → Settings and turn off the Online Recommendations option.
The Explorer app also requires attention. Open it, click on the menu, and select Settings → About the app (or just “Settings” depending on the version). Find the Guidelines section and deaktivate receiving content. This will remove the banners that appear when you open folders.
It is worth noting that in some regions (for example, India or Russia) the set of functions and the availability of advertising modules may differ. If you do not find the item described, try to update the application through the GetApps store or Google Play, as in new versions the settings interface often changes.
Hiding recommendations in desktop folders
The desktop folders deserve special attention. When you open the application folder, MIUI often offers "Recommended Apps" at the bottom of the window, which is not exactly advertising in the classical sense, but very similar in behavior.
To remove this block, open any folder on your desktop. At the bottom of the window, where the icons of recommended applications are usually located, click on the section name (for example, “Recommended”) or on the gear icon next to it. In the menu that opens, you need to select the option to hide recommendations or simply turn off the switch.
This setting applies globally to all folders on the device, and once you turn off the bottom of the open folder, there's only empty space or a search bar, making the interface much cleaner and more concise.
⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher or Lawnchair), the folder settings will not be controlled by Xiaomi, but by the parameters of the launcher itself.
For users who want maximum sterility, it is also recommended to disable the Search in Folders feature if not in use, which will speed up the opening of folders and eliminate random clicks on promotional offers.
Disabling personalized advertising through your account
The last line of defense is the Mi Account settings and global privacy settings, where you can prevent the system from using your data to target ads, making the remaining banners less personalized, but possibly more frequent (since the system will show everything in a row).
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy. Go to Advertising Services. You can switch the Personalized Ads slider to “Off” and click Reset Ads ID.
You should also check your Mi Account settings. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Privacy. Make sure that all items related to improving the user experience and sending diagnostic data are disabled. This will reduce the amount of information that the phone sends to the servers.
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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, cleaning system applications and setting privacy, eliminates 95-99% of all advertising in the Xiaomi interface.
After completing all these steps, your smartphone will become much more enjoyable to use. the interface will become more responsive, as background processes will no longer load advertising content, and the battery will be spent more economically.