Owning a Poco or Xiaomi smartphone is often overshadowed by intrusive content that appears in the most unexpected places on the interface. Users are faced with banner ads in standard applications, pop-ups when unlocked and recommendations in system folders. This is not an accident, but part of the company's marketing strategy to keep devices low by monetizing the user experience.
Fortunately, MIUI and its current version of HyperOS provide enough tools to take full control of the situation, you don't have to be a programmer or install third-party launchers to get the clean interface back, you just need to go through a few settings in a sequence and disable the specific services that are responsible for showing commercial content.
In this article, we will analyze all known methods of blocking, starting from the basic switches in the menu and ending with advanced methods through the change. DNS-A comprehensive approach ensures that your Poco will work as originally intended – quickly and without unnecessary visual noise.
MSA Disconnection: The Basis of a Clean System
The first and most critical step is to deactivate the MSA system component (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data about your behavior and targeting ads in the interface, and without disabling this service, any further manipulation may not be effective, as the system will automatically restore the display settings.
First, you need to find the appropriate application in the list of installed programs. Please note that the name may vary depending on the region of the firmware, but most often it is called msa. The process of disabling requires confirmation, so the system may ask you several times about the decision.
⚠️ Warning: When you try to shut down the service, the system will show a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds). Do not try to press the confirmation button ahead of time - this will cause the timer to reset. Wait until the countdown is completed and then select "Stop" or "Disable».
After successful deactivation of the MSA, it is also recommended to limit the background activity of the associated processes, which will prevent hidden telemetry collection even if the main ad module is turned off. In some versions of the HyperOS firmware, the path to settings may be slightly changed, but the logic remains the same: search for keywords in the application menu.
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Disabling the MSA service is a fundamental step, without which other blocking methods may work unstable or temporarily.
It's worth noting that when you upgrade your system, your settings can reset, and checking the status of this service regularly will help keep your phone clean. If you're using Poco with global firmware, it works 99% of the time.
Customization and recommendations in the system
In addition to explicit advertising, Xiaomi actively uses so-called “recommendations” that appear in app folders, in the settings menu and even in the calendar, which is not technically considered advertising, but is positioned as useful content, but in practice often leads to the installation of unnecessary games or applications, disabling this feature significantly speeds up the interface.
To remove these elements, you have to go to the personalization section, and there are lots of switches that are activated by default, and you have to find the point that you're getting recommendations, and you have to put the slider inactive, and this action will stop the news feeds and sentences from loading inside the shells.
Also worth paying attention to is the Mi Account settings, which often include data synchronization to improve user experience, which effectively means data transfer for analytics, and disabling this setting will increase your digital privacy.
- 🔍 Go to Settings. → Password and security → Access to personal data.
- 🔍 Find the msa list and turn off the switch.
- 🔍 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Get recommendations and turn off the option.
- 🔍 Check folder settings: Open any folder with applications and disable Recommended Apps».
Remember that the MIUI and HyperOS interface are constantly updated. Some items may change, so if you didn't find the right switch right away, search for settings by entering the word "recommendations" or "personalized."
Blocking Advertising in Standard Applications
Xiaomi’s standard suite of apps (Conductor, Music, Video, Cleanup, Themes) is the main source of annoyance for users. Each has its own ad settings that are not disabled by the MSA global switch. You will have to go through each application separately to achieve the perfect result.
Start with Security, which often shows promotional offers when scanning the system. Go to the settings of this application (usually through the gear icon in the corner) and find the "Get recommendations" section.
Pay special attention to the Music and Video app, where ads can appear on the home screen or when you run tracks. In the settings of these players, also look for items related to Recommendations or Online content, and disabling these features will turn them into simple, local players without unnecessary functionality.
☑️ Verification of standard applications
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations |
| Conductor | Settings → About the annex | Recommendations |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Show recommendations |
| Music. | Settings → Additional | Showing Advertising / Recommendations |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Personal recommendations |
Once these steps are done, standard apps will become significantly lighter and faster as they stop downloading heavy ad units from the network, especially on the Poco M or C series budget models.
Using DNS to block at the network level
The most effective method, which covers not only system advertising, but also banners in browsers and some games, is to configure Private DNS. This method does not require the installation of additional applications and works at the network connection level, filtering requests to known advertising servers.
The essence of the method is to redirect DNS-So, one of the most popular and reliable solutions is to use AdGuard. DNS. It is safe, free and does not affect the speed of the Internet, and often even speeds up the loading of pages.
To set up, go to the Settings menu → Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi and Mobile Networks) → Private DNS (Private DNS). The default is "Auto" or "No." Select "Host Name Provider" DNS» (or “Manually”) and enter the address of the server.
dns.adguard.comOnce you enter the address, save the settings. The phone can lose its connection to the Internet for a second, after which the network will recover. Now all requests to ad networks will be blocked automatically. This solution works for Poco running Android 9 and higher.
⚠️ Note: If you have entered the address DNS Incorrectly or the server is temporarily unavailable, the Internet on the phone may stop working. DNS in Auto or Disconnected mode to restore the connection.
What to do if the DNS is not working?
Removal of the mDaemon system advertising application
Some firmware versions, especially in Chinese or early global builds, feature mDaemon (or Analytics) as a system application that collects usage statistics and can be a source of background activity, and while it doesn’t always show direct advertising, turning it off has a positive effect on autonomy.
You can't remove this application by standard means, because it's protected by system rights, but you can freeze it or disable it through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) if you're an advanced user. Most of the time, just revoke permissions.
Find an analytics or daemon process in your application list, go to its properties and click Stop and then Disable. If the shutdown button is inactive, limit background activity and revoke all network access permissions.
- 🛠 Find the Analytics or mDaemon app in the list of all apps.
- 🛠 Click on Permissions and deny access to network, location and contacts.
- 🛠 In the Battery section, select “No Limits” (so that the system doesn’t wake it up) or vice versa, “Strict Limitation».
- 🛠 Clear the app’s data and cache before disabling.
This procedure requires caution: Do not remove system components that you are not 100% sure of their purpose, so as not to disrupt the work. MIUI. If you are not sure, it is better to skip this step, as the disconnection MSA and DNS-Filtering gives 95% of the result.
Cleaning up advertising labels on the desktop
Often users notice that shortcuts of unknown apps or games appear on the desktop, not a virus, but the result of random clicking or hidden settings of the Poco Launcher launcher. The system can offer “useful” applications, creating their icons right on the home screen.
To get rid of this, you need to adjust the launcher behavior. Go to the desktop settings (usually through a long tap on an empty space or through the phone settings). Find the section responsible for "Recommendations" or "Memory" (in older versions).
Also check the widget settings. Sometimes the ad block is disguised as a News or Hot Topics widget. Remove those widgets from your desktop. If the shortcuts appear on their own, it may indicate that you have a malicious app you installed earlier.
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If ad shortcuts appear constantly, check the list of newly installed apps. often free flashlights or scanners QR-The codes contain modules that create these labels, and removing the suspicious app will solve the problem.
New versions of HyperOS have introduced the “GetApps” feature, which can also impose content: disable auto-update apps through third-party stores and prohibit installation from unknown sources for system browsers.
Additional measures and resetting of advertising identifier
To perpetuate the result, it is recommended to reset the ad ID of your device, which will break the link between your browsing history and current advertising offers, and while this will not remove the ad completely, it will become less personalized and possibly less intrusive.
Go to Settings → Password & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. There you will find the Reset Advertising ID button. Follow this procedure after all the basic settings.
Also worth checking the permissions for GetApps app (Xiaomi app store) even if you don't use it, it's active in the background. Turn it off completely or uninstall updates if the system allows, this will free up the CPU and RAM resources of your Poco.
⚠️ Note: After resetting an advertising ID or disabling system services, some applications may not work correctly or require re-authorization.
Check system updates regularly. Xiaomi sometimes changes the logic of the ad modules in new security patches. If the ad returns after the update, the procedure for disabling the MSA and DNS will have to be repeated.