How to remove ads from Xiaomi 12: from banners in MIUI to hidden services

Advertising on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most controversial features of MIUI firmware. Even the flagship model Xiaomi 12 is no exception: users encounter banners in the settings menu, push notifications from system applications and hidden advertising in the “Recommendations”.

In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to remove ads on Xiaomi 12 – from basic MIUI settings to advanced methods using ADB. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 firmware (including global and European versions) and do not require root rights. Importantly, some methods may reset after the system update – we will show you how to avoid this.

Before you start, check your firmware version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. If you have Chinese firmware (CN), some methods may not work due to the limitations of Xiaomi’s regional policies.

1. disable personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest way to reduce the amount of advertising is to deactivate the data collection and personalization features, which won’t remove all banners, but will reduce the number of banners by 40-60%.

Instructions:

📱 Open the Settings. → Google → Advertising.
🔄 Click “Reset Advertising Identifier” and confirm the action.
🚫 Go back to the main settings, go to Settings → Memory. → Clean and disable the “Recommendations” option».
🛡️ Go to Settings. → Confidentiality → Special permits → Personalized recommendations and deactivate all switches.

After this action, the ads in Weather, Calendar and Notes should disappear, but the banners in Settings and Browser will remain - additional steps will be required to remove them.

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI The item "Personalized recommendations" may not be available, in which case use the methods in the following sections.

📊 Which Advertising Irritates You the Most?

Banners in settings

Push notifications

Advertising in system applications

Hidden offers at MIUI

All of the above.

2. Removal of advertising in system applications

Xiaomi apps are the main source of advertising, and even if you don't use Mi Browser, Mi Video or Cleaner, they still show banners in the background, and let's look at how to turn off ads in each of them.

2.1 Mi Browser browser

This application cannot be removed without root, but you can turn off ads in it:

Open Mi Browser.
Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
Go to Additional → Personal recommendations and disable all options.
Return to Settings → Homepage and select “Empty Page” instead of “Recommendations”.

Annex Cleaner (Cleaning)

Here, the ad is disguised as "optimization" to remove it.

🧹 Open the cleaner. → press the gear in the upper right corner.
🔕 Turn off “Recommendations” and “Notifications».
🚫 In the "About the program" section, uncheck the box from "Personalized advertising».

If you still have ads after these actions, try disabling Auto Update for Cleaner in Google Play – sometimes updates return ad modules.

Reset Advertising ID in Google | Disable recommendations in Mi Browser| Deactivate notifications in Cleaner | Set an empty home page in your browser-->

3. Hidden MIUI settings: disabling advertising services

V MIUI There are hidden parameters that are responsible for the ad impressions. ADB (Android Debug Bridge is secure and does not require root rights.The method works on all versions of Xiaomi 12, including the first version of the new model. MIUI 15.

Instructions:

Download and install Platform Tools (the official tool from Google).
Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to become a developer) → Return to Settings → Additional → Developer and activate debugging.
Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line (in the folder with the platform-tools):

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.cloudbackup




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.daemon




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.discover

These commands are off:

📢 The main module of advertising (systemAdSolution).
🔄 Analytics and cloud backup services (they collect data for targeted advertising).
📱 Mi Discover – an app with “recommendations” that can’t be removed in standard ways.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI Some services may be activated again. Repeat the procedure or use automation through Tasker (instruction in Section 6).

What if the ADB does not recognize the device?

If the adb device command doesn’t show your Xiaomi 12, follow the following steps: 1. Install Xiaomi drivers USB Drivers from the official website. 2. Check if File Transfer is enabled (MTP) When connecting to a PC. 3. Try another one. USB-4 Restart your phone and PC. If the problem persists, disable the firewall/antivirus, they can block the ADB.

4. Removing Advertising through Hosts File Editing

The method of blocking ad domains through a hosts file works at the system level and blocks access to servers that load banners. This does not require root rights, but you will need any file manager with access to the root folder (for example, FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer).

Step-by-step:

Download the current lock list (select the hosts file for Android).
Copy it onto your phone.
Open the file manager, turn on the hidden files display and go to /system/etc/.
Back up the original hosts file (rename it hosts.bak).
Replace the hosts file with the downloaded one.
Reboot the phone.

This method blocks:

🌍 Advertising in Mi Browser, Mi Video and other system applications.
📵 Push notifications from Xiaomi with promotional offers.
🔗 Trackers that collect data for targeted advertising.

Advantages of the method	Deficiencies of the method
Blocking Advertising at System Level	It may break down after the MIUI update.
Doesn't require root rights	Some applications may not work properly
Reduces traffic consumption	Requires manual update of the domain list

💡

If some sites are no longer open after editing hosts, check the file for errors. For example, the line 127.0.0.1 ad.xiaomi.com should be without unnecessary spaces or symbols.

5.Alternative firmware: switching to MIUI without advertising

If you're tired of fighting advertising, consider installing custom firmware. There are several modified versions of MIUI where the ads are removed at the code level:

📱 MIUI EU (European firmware from Xiaomi.eu – all advertising modules are completely removed, but requires unlocking the bootloader.
🔧 MIUI Pro – Optimized version with additional features and without advertising.
🚀 LineageOS or Pixel Experience – firmware based on pure Android (without the help of the MIUI), But it can be unstable on Xiaomi 12.

Installation process:

Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (can take up to 72 hours).
Install TWRP Recovery for Xiaomi 12 (instruction for your model: XDA Developers).
Download the firmware (e.g. MIUI EU) and run through TWRP.

⚠️ Attention: Custom firmware installation resets all data and can lead to loss of warranty.On Xiaomi 12 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, some firmware can cause overheating - check reviews before installing.

💡

MIUI EU — The only firmware from Xiaomi that has officially removed the ads. OTA-Update and stable running Xiaomi 12.

6 Automation: How to permanently disable ads through Tasker

If you don’t want to repeat manual settings after each MIUI update, use Tasker, an action automation app that will automatically turn off ad services when you boot your phone or after you upgrade.

Instructions:

Install Tasker from Google Play.
Download the finished project for MIUI (or create your own).
Import the project to Tasker.
Set the trigger to the event “Device boot” or “System update”.

Example of Tasker (blocking ad packages):

ADB Command (Root: Off)


Command: pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

Advantages of the method:

⏱️ Works in the background – no need to remember the settings after the updates.
🔄 You can add a notification of successful disabling of advertising.
🛠️ Flexible setting: for example, only disable ads when connected to Wi-Fi.

How to check if ADB teams are working in Tasker?

To make sure that Tasker is successful in executing commands, add Flash action with the text %ef(1), which will show the output of the last command. MIUI Root is required to be executed ADB-team.

7. Radical methods: removal of ads with root rights

If you're willing to take drastic measures, root access will open up more possibilities.

🗑️ Uninstall system applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video, Cleaner) via Titanium Backup or Root Explorer.
🔧 Edit build.prop files to disable ad modules at the kernel level.
🚫 Block Advertising Domains via AFWall+ (firewall).

Instructions for removing system applications:

Get root access through Magisk.
Install Titanium Backup or SD Maid.
Find in the list of applications com.miui.systemAdSolution, com.xiaomi.midrop and others (see the list in section 3).
Select “Delete” (not “Frozen”!).

Warnings:

💥 Removing system applications can lead to unstable phone operation.
🔄 After updating MIUI Remote applications can be restored.
📵 Some features (such as Mi Share) will stop working.

If you are not sure about your actions, use freezing instead of removing it – it is safer and reversible.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing ads on Xiaomi 12

❓ Why After Updating MIUI The commercial reappeared?

MIUI updates often return disabled services and reset hosts settings. To avoid this: Use Tasker to automatically disable ads (Section 6). Install MIUI EU - in this firmware, the ads are removed at the code level. Before updating, back up the hosts file.

❓ Can you remove advertising without a computer?

Yes, but the options are limited. Without a PC, you can: Turn off personalized ads in settings (section 1); use apps like Blokada or DNS66 to block ad domains; remove updates for system applications through Settings → Apps; however, you still need ADB or root to completely remove ads (such as from Settings).

❓ Will Xiaomi 12 work without advertising services?

Yes, the phone will run smoothly. Advertising services (com.miui.systemAdSolution, com.xiaomi.midrop) are not critical to the system. However: Some features (such as Mi Cloud) may run slower. Push notifications from Xiaomi (such as new MIUI features) will stop coming. In rare cases, Mi Account Sync errors may occur.

❓ How to get it back if something goes wrong?

If the phone is not working properly after manipulating ADB or hosts: For ADB: execute the command adb shell pm enable user 0 name packet (replace the name packet with the service disabled). For hosts: return the original file from the backup (hosts.bak). In extreme cases, reset to factory settings (Settings → Additional → Restore and Reset).

❓ Is there a legal way to ask Xiaomi to remove ads?

Technically, yes, but the chances of success are minimal. You can: Write in support of Xiaomi through the official website (select the EEA region, where data protection regulations are stricter), leave a review on Google Play for Mi Browser or Cleaner apps asking to remove ads, sign a petition on forums (for example, Xiaomi.eu), however, Xiaomi officially declares that advertising is part of their business model, so you should not wait for a complete removal.