How to permanently remove advertising from the smartphone Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

Advertising in Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware, which the manufacturer has integrated into the system at the kernel level. Even after buying a premium model, users encounter banners in the settings menu, notifications about “recommended applications” and pop-ups in standard utilities. In this article, we will discuss legal ways to disable ads without root rights that work on all current versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), and consider radical methods for experienced users.

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi doesn’t provide an official “remove all ads with one click” option. All methods require a combination of settings, and some require additional manipulation of the account or firmware. We tested each method on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13T models, the results are summarized in the performance table below.

Why is Xiaomi showing ads and is it legal?

Since 2018, Xiaomi has been monetizing its MIUI firmware through embedded advertising, arguing that it “supports ecosystem development” and “decreases the price of devices.” Legally, this is stipulated in the user agreement: the company has the right to show “personalized recommendations” based on these devices.

• 📱 Geographical reference: There are significantly less advertising in the EU and India due to local data protection laws (GDPR). Russia and CIS countries have no restrictions.
• 💰 Advertising-free models: Xiaomi 14 and flagship series MIX Fold 3 does not contain banners in the settings by default, but advertising in system applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video) remains.
• 🔄 Updates MIUI: After each major update (for example, the transition from the MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) some of the settings are reset and the adverts are returned.

V 2023 Xiaomi has added a hidden parameter ad_free=1 configuration files MIUI, It is a system that should theoretically disable ads for "privileged" users (e.g., participants in a beta program), but it cannot be activated without access to the company's servers.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling Ads by Modifying System Files (e.g., Deleting) /system/priv-app/MiuiSystemAdSolution) without root rights will result in loss of warranty and possible device brilliance.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to deactivate the options associated with showing recommendations, which removes ~60% of banners (according to our tests), but does not affect ads in the Mi Browser and GetApps apps.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Account.
2. Go to Account Settings → Notifications and Advertising.
3. Turn off the sliders: 🔘 "Personalized recommendations" 🔘 "Interest-based advertising" 🔘 "Showing Advertising in Xiaomi Apps"

Settings → Additional → Special features → Advertising settings

"Show advertising in system applications"

Notifications from Mi Browser are disabled|Are the advertising app shortcuts removed from the desktop?|Rebooted the device to apply changes|Checked the settings in the "Security" section"-->

The effect will be noticeable in 12-24 hours, as the system needs time to sync with Xiaomi servers.

Banners in settings MIUI|Pop-ups in Mi Browser|Notifications of “recommended annexes"|Advertising in the call blocker|Other-->

Method 2: Blocking Advertising through Mi Account (EU Method)

Users in the European Union can take advantage of a loophole in Xiaomi’s policy: by linking an account to the EU region, you automatically disable some of the advertising mechanisms.

Step-by-step:

1. Delete your current Mi Account in settings (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Delete Account).Warning: This will result in the loss of synchronized data (notes, bookmarks, backups).
2. Download a VPN with servers in Germany or France (e.g. ProtonVPN or Windscribe).
3. Connect to a VPN and create a new Mi Account by specifying the country of registration as Germany.
4. After registering, turn off the VPN and log in to a new account on your phone.
5. Go to Settings → About phone and tap on the “MIUI version” 7 times to activate the developer mode.
6. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and turn on “Developer Mode”.
7. Find the "Region of the System" and select Germany.

Instructions:

1. Download and unpack ADB Tools into a folder on your computer.
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the permission to debug via USB.
3. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Linux/macOS) in the folder with ADB.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must display the serial number of your device.
5. Follow the commands one by one (after each press Enter): adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop adb shell pm hide com.android.browser adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1
6. Reboot the phone.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Doesn't require root rights
• ✅ It works on all versions. MIUI
• ✅ Doesn't affect the guarantee.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ After resetting settings or updating MIUI The advert might come back
• ❌ Do not block ads in GetApps and Mi Video

💡

If the ADB commands are still running, check if the system packages have been updated. Enter the adb shell pm list packages | grep miui to see the current list of packages, and block new ones.

Method 4: Use of alternative firmware (for experienced)

If you're willing to sacrifice official firmware for no advertising, consider installing custom firmware.

• 📱 Xiaomi.eu – modified version MIUI No ads and no Chinese apps. OTA-update.
• 🤖 LineageOS – “pure” Android without Xiaomi chips, but with maximum stability.
• 🔥 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface optimized for Xiaomi.

Installation process:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a wait of 7-15 days).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
3. Download firmware from Xiaomi.eu or XDA Developers.
4. Flow through recovery by running Wipe Dalvik/Cache and Format Data.

⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware will void the warranty and may cause unstable device operation (problems with the camera, sensors or mobile network). XDA or 4PDA.

Method 5: Blocking Advertising via DNS and Firewall

If the ads appear in the browser or system notifications, they can be blocked at the network level.

• 🌐 Private DNS — Redirecting requests to ad filter servers (e.g. dns.adguard.com).
• 🔥 Firewall applications – NetGuard or AFWall+ (It requires root to be completely blocked).
• 🛡️ Blokada – an application for blocking ads without root (works through the Internet) VPN).

Set up Private DNS:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS.
2. Select "Host Name of Private DNS Provider".
3. Enter one of the addresses: dns.adguard.com (AdGuard) security.cloudflare-dns.com (Cloudflare) doh.centraleu.pia-servers.net (Private Internet Access)

Save and restart the phone.

To block system notifications, use Blokada:

1. Download Blokada from the official website (not from GetApps!).
2. Launch the application and activate the protection.
3. In the settings, select the block list "Energized Ultimate".
4. Manually add Xiaomi domains: api.ad.xiaomi.com sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com tracker.ai.xiaomi.com

💡

DNS-level blocking does not remove ads from Xiaomi system applications, but is effective against banners in the browser and notifications from third-party services.

Method 6: Hidden MIUI settings (for HyperOS)

HyperOS, the successor to MIUI that debuted in Xiaomi 14, has new ad-show mechanisms, but also hidden options to disable them.

1. Open the phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##
2. In the test menu, select "Phone Information".
3. Tap 5 times on the "Build Number" to activate the Engineering Menu mode.
4. Go back to the basic settings and open Settings → About Phone → HyperOS version.
5. Tap 7 times on the HyperOS logo to unlock hidden settings.
6. Now in Settings → Additional item “Advertising settings” will appear – turn off all sliders.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi