Owners of the popular Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphones often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear when viewing photos, a feature built into the shell of MIUI and designed to monetize the company’s free services, but for many users it becomes a serious irritant that prevents comfortable work with media files.
Fortunately, there are several proven ways to get rid of these pop-ups completely without the need for super-user rights. In this article, we will look at the most effective methods that are relevant for current firmware versions, including global and European stable builds.
Before you start complex manipulations, it is important to understand that advertising content is often loaded through system services, so simply removing applications will not help.
Disabling personalized recommendations in the application
The first step to take is to disable the built-in recommendation function, which is responsible for downloading ad units from the Internet directly to the gallery interface. To do this, run the standard Gallery app on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro.
In the top right corner of the screen, find and click on the three-dot icon to open the drop-down menu. In the list that appears, select Settings. Here you are interested in a section called Get Recommendations, which is often activated by default. Put the slider inactive.
After that, the system will stop asking for banner ads from the servers, but in order for the changes to take effect, sometimes you need to close the application completely through the Task Manager and start it again, a basic setup that is worth checking first.
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If after disabling the option "Receive recommendations" advertising still appears, try to clear the cache of the Gallery application through the menu "Apps" in the phone settings.
It's worth noting that different versions of the MIUI shell may have slightly different layouts, but the logic remains the same. If you haven't found this item, maybe your version of the firmware has its own characteristics, and then you should move on to deeper methods of system tuning.
Configure security settings and MSA
The centerpiece of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system process, which is a service application responsible for collecting user data and displaying targeted advertising across all system components, including the gallery, explorer and settings menu.
To turn it off, go to the Settings menu of your Redmi Note 9 Pro smartphone. Find the Passwords and Security section or simply Security, and then select Access to Personal Data. From the app list that opens, find msa and turn off the switch opposite it.
The system will issue a warning that a shutdown may affect the operation of certain functions, and start a countdown of 10 seconds. After the time has expired, press the "Stop" button. If you failed to turn off the first time and there was an error, repeat the procedure 3-4 times in a row - this is a known interface bug that is often solved by persistence.
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Passwords and security → Access to personal data.
- 🔍 Find the msa process in the list and click on the switch.
- ⏳ Wait for the timer to end and confirm the action with the "Stop" button".
- 🔄 If there is an error, try to disconnect several times in a row.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
After successful MSA disabling, the amount of advertising noise in the system will be significantly reduced, which does not affect the stability of the operating system, but only removes the commercial layer of the shell.
Using a private DNS to block
One of the most effective and modern methods of combating advertising is the use of the DNS over TLS protocol. This method allows you to block advertising requests at the network connection level without requiring the installation of third-party software or obtaining root rights.
To activate this feature on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, open the settings and go to Connect and Share. Find Private DNS (may be called Personal DNS or Private DNS) and the default is Auto or Disconnected. Select DNS Host Name (or Manual).
The input box that appears requires the address of a trusted server that blocks ads, and the most popular and proven solution is AdGuard.
dns.adguard.comSave the settings. DNS-The requests of your smartphone will pass through the filters of this server, which will automatically cut off connections to known advertising networks, which will speed up the loading of pages in the browser and remove banners in applications.
⚠️ Note: If you enter the address incorrectly or the server is unavailable, you may lose access to the Internet in mobile applications, in which case, simply return the setting to Auto or Disabled mode".
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Using a private DNS dns.adguard.com blocks advertising throughout the system, including browsers and games, without installing additional programs.
The advantage of this method is that it works not only in the gallery, but also in other system applications and even in some games, and it is a global solution to the problem of intrusive marketing.
Disconnection of MIUI Recommendation Service
In addition to the MSA process, another component of the stats and suggestions is called the Recommendation Service, which analyzes your actions and suggests content that algorithms think you might be interested in, and is often responsible for pop-ups when you clear memory or open folders.
You can find this service by opening the Security app (green zipper icon). Click on three dots in the top right corner and select Settings. In the list of options, find "Get recommendations" and turn it off. It's also worth checking the Memory Cleanup section inside the security settings and removing the tick from the "Recommendations" item.
You should also check the settings of the Explorer app. Open it, click on the menu (three bars), select Settings → About (or just Settings in new versions) and find the Receive Recommendations switch.
| System component | Where to find | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| gallery | Menu (3 points) → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Security | Menu (3 points) → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Conductor | Menu → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Downloads. | Menu (3 points) → Settings | Show recommended |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Showing Advertising / Recommendations |
The complex shutdown of these services creates a sterile environment in which MIUI advertising algorithms simply cannot function, especially for users who value the cleanliness of the interface and the speed of the device.
Resetting the advertising ID
Another important step is to reset the advertising ID, which is a unique code that is assigned to your device to track your interests, and periodically resetting that ID and disabling personalization helps break the link between your actions and the ads you show.
To do this, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy. Go to Advertising Services or Advertising ID. You need to activate the "Disable Ad Personalization" switch and click "Reset Advertising ID" button.
Once reset, the system will create a new random identifier that is not related to your previous usage history. Although this does not remove the ads completely, it becomes less intrusive and more random. When combined with previous methods, this gives a great result.
Some users also advise disabling automatic updates to system applications through the GetApps store, as new ad modules often come along with updates.However, this may deprive you of important security patches, so it's up to you.
Should I turn off automatic system updates?
Alternative solutions and third-party galleries
If Xiaomi’s full-time gallery continues to be controversial even after all the settings, it makes sense to consider installing an alternative photo-browsing app, with Google Play featuring a plethora of lightweight, fast galleries without ads or unnecessary permissions.
Popular options are Google Photos, Simple Gallery (or its forks since the original was sold) and QuickPic.These apps open instantly and provide more advanced tools for editing and sorting snapshots.
To assign a new gallery to the main one, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Click three dots in the corner, select Default Apps → View Photos. From the list, select the app you installed. Now, clicking on the image will open it, not the standard MIUI gallery.
- 🖼️ Google Photos – Cloud storage and smart search, integration with the Google ecosystem.
- ⚡ Simple Gallery Pro – minimalism, no advertising, built-in editor.
- 🚀 A+ Gallery - high speed and convenient sorting by folders.
Using third-party software is a radical, but often the most convenient way to forget about the problems of the standard interface. Your Redmi Note 9 Pro has enough power to easily cope with any alternative applications.
⚠️ Note: When installing third-party galleries from unknown sources (not from the Play Market), be careful and check files for viruses so as not to compromising the security of personal data.