Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive banner ads that appear in system applications, folders and even on the lock screen.This is the flip side of the affordable cost of devices, as the company partially compensates for the low margin by showing content in the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS. However, there are many effective ways to minimize this flow or completely block it, returning the device to the purity of the interface.
The cleaning process does not require any technical knowledge or root access rights. Most manipulations can be done through the standard settings menu in minutes. It is important to understand that advertising modules are scattered across different parts of the system, so you need to go through each of them sequentially, disabling personalization and system services to achieve the perfect result.
In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of dealing with advertising debris for 2026-2026. We will touch on disabling MSA service, setting up browsers, cleaning folders and working with notifications. Complete disabling of the MSA system service (MIUI System Ads) is a key step without which other settings may be ineffective. Follow the instructions carefully to enjoy the operation of the smartphone without unnecessary visual noise.
Disabling system advertising through MIUI and HyperOS settings
The first step is to turn off personalized recommendations, which are often disguised as helpful tips but are essentially advertising integrations, which collects data about your use of apps to show relevant banners, and is deep in the menu, and many users are simply unaware of its existence.
To start, you need to go to Settings, then select Passwords and Security (in some versions, Security and Privacy). Next, look for the Access to Personal Data or Special Features tab. Here you need to find a process called msa (MIUI System Ads) and switch the slider to an inactive state. The system will warn you that some features may stop working correctly, but for the average user it is invisible.
If the switch doesn't activate the first time, wait 10 seconds and try again. Often, the system tries to "persuade" the user to leave the service on by showing a countdown timer. It's also worth turning off the Receive recommendations option in Settings → Advanced Settings → Get recommendations. This will remove unnecessary tips in the settings menu and on the desktop.
⚠️ Note: After disabling the msa service, banner ads may not disappear instantly.In some cases, you need to restart the device or wait for 24 hours for Xiaomi servers to update your account status.
Don't forget to check your security settings too. Go to the Security app (a standard app from Xiaomi), click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings. Find Receive recommendations and turn it off. This will prevent promotional offers from appearing when scanning the system or cleaning up memory.
Set up standard Xiaomi applications
Advertising is built into the system, but also into standard utilities like Explorer, Music, Video and Themes. Each of these apps has its own hidden settings that need to be changed manually, and ignoring this step will lead to the fact that when you open files or search for tunes, you will see pop-ups.
Start with Explorer. Open it, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings → About the app. Here you need to find the Recommendation switch and deactivate it. A similar procedure is performed for Music and Video applications: go to the profile or settings of the application and disable all items related to recommendations and display ads.
Special attention should be paid to the Topics Store, which is where you often get notifications about sales and new wallpapers. Go to the Profile (human icon), click on the settings gear and turn off the Display Ads and Personal Recommendations, which will significantly reduce the number of pop-ups when working with the interface.
- 📱 Conductor: Settings → About the annex → Recommendations (off).
- 🎵 Music: Profile → Settings → Advanced settings → Show advertisements (off).
- 🎬 Video: Profile → Settings → Notifications → Receive product notifications (off).
- 🎨 Topics: Profile → Settings → Showing ads (off).
Once you do this, the application interface will be much cleaner, but if you use the standard Mi Browser browser, you need to check its settings separately, as it is often the main source of push news notifications.
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Use alternative apps from Google Play, such as Google’s Files Manager or VLC player, to avoid Xiaomi’s built-in advertising in standard utilities entirely.
Blocking Advertising in Mi Browser and Notifications
Xiaomi’s standard browser is often pre-installed by default and can be a source of constant information noise. Even if you don’t use it, it can send out “hot news” notifications. To stop this flow, you need to dig deep into its settings.
Open your browser, go to settings (three bars or dots) and find the Privacy and Security section, where you need to disable the Notifications and Personal Recommendations option. It is also recommended to clear the cache and browser data to reset the accumulated advertising identifiers. If you do not use this browser, you can simply delete or disable it through the application menu.
For global blocking of advertising in all applications and browsers (Chrome, Yandex, etc.), you can use the method of changing the system. DNS-It doesn't require third-party software installation and it works at the network level. → Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi) → Private DNS (Private DNS).
In the input box, write the address: dns.adguard.com. Once saved, the phone will reconnect to the network, and most banner ads in apps and websites will stop loading, a method that is particularly effective for blocking ads in free games and apps.
⚠️ Attention: When using private DNS Some sites or apps may stop loading content or run slower.If you notice connection issues, return settings DNS on auto or off".
You should also check the permissions for all installed applications. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications. Go through the list of suspicious programs (flashlights, QR scanners, simple games) and in the Notifications section, prevent them from showing pop-ups. Often they are the ones who create the “virus” effect by displaying ads on top of the desktop.
Cleaning the desktop and folders from recommendations
One of the most annoying things about MIUI is that you have Recommended Applications cards inside your desktop folders, you create a Tools folder, you put a calculator and a voice recorder in it, and the system adds icons of games or services that you didn't install.
To remove this, open any folder on your desktop. At the top of the folder (or in its settings if you click on the name) should be a Recommended Apps or Today switch. Move it to the Off position. Now the folder will only have those apps that you have added manually.
You also need to set up your left screen (monitor screen or Google Discover screen) and tap long, empty space on your desktop to call the edit menu and disable widgets you don't need. Often, the default is the news stream that consumes traffic and user attention.
| Interface element | Where to turn off | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Application folders | Open the folder. → Switch "Recommended" | In the folder, only your applications |
| Lock screen | Settings → Wallpaper → Wallpaper Carousel | Static picture without advertising |
| Left screen | Long tapon on the table → Settings | Shutting down the news feed |
| Search on the table | Settings → Home screen → Search | Remove the search bar with ads |
Remember that after major updates, the system settings may be reset. Periodically check the status of folders, especially after upgrading to a new version of Android or MIUI. This will take a couple of seconds, but will keep the tidy look of the interface.
☑️ Checking the purity of the interface
Managing Notifications and Hidden Advertising
Even after the basic services are disabled, some apps may continue to send notifications that look like messages but lead to advertising sites, often called junk notifications from memory cleaners, antiviruses or stores.
Use the built-in notification filter to combat them. On modern versions of MIUI, you can pinch it when you receive a notification and select Other Settings → Hide content or completely disable notifications for this application. Also useful is the Notification Filter in the notification settings, which tries to automatically sort spam.
Pay special attention to apps you recently installed, and if you've had a sudden ad after you installed a program, remove it. Often, free apps live off of ads, and replace them with non-advertising or paid versions.
In the Special Options section, check which apps have access to the display over other windows. If you see a file or app with a suspicious name that you don't know, take that right away, and that's the access that allows ads to cover the entire screen.
- 🔍 Analysis: Regularly check the list of apps with notification access.
- 🚫 Block: Disable notifications for games and utilities that don’t need them to work.
- 🛡️ Protect: Disable display over other windows for all suspicious programs.
Remember, not only is the cleanliness of your smartphone free of viruses, it's also free of noise, and by controlling notifications, you're extending the life of your battery and keeping your focus.
What if the advertisement appears in the off screen state?
Additional methods and work with Mi Account
There's another layer of customization that's associated with your Mi Account, and if you're logged in, ads can be personalized based on your account data, and disabling personalization in your account can help reduce the amount of personalization.
Go to Settings → Mi Account → System Advertising (or Advertising Services) where you can turn off personalized ads, and check the settings of the GetApps app, go to its settings and turn off auto-updating apps via the mobile network and getting recommendations so you don’t waste traffic and see too much.
For advanced users, there is a method to disable advertising through ADB-But the methods described above, through settings, are usually enough for 95% of users. TV set-top box from Xiaomi, there the settings are in the Settings section → Account. → Advertising.
⚠️ Note: It is not recommended to remove system applications (Bloatware) through ADB, If you are not sure what they are, removing critical components can cause a device to bootloop.
A comprehensive approach that combines MSA disabling, DNS setup and manual app cleaning will give the best result. Your smartphone will work faster as it stops loading advertising modules in the background.
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The main secret of pure Xiaomi is consistency: disable msa, then setup in each application, and then use DNS for final cleaning.