Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive marketing built into the shell of MIUI or HyperOS. Banner ads can appear in system applications, when unlocking the device or, most annoyingly, pop up on top of other programs in the form of a floating window at the bottom of the screen.
Fortunately, the company's engineers have provided many hidden and explicit settings to minimize this visual noise. You can remove ads at the bottom of the Xiaomi screen without obtaining super-user rights (root) and installing third-party software, if you know where to look for the right switches. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible sources of pop-ups and how to turn them off.
You don't have to be a programmer to clean the interface, but you just have to go through the menu items below, and we'll look at the system ad settings, the browser settings, and the specific settings for specific applications that are often messed up by impressions.
Disabling the MSA system advertising service
The main source of intrusive offers in the shell of MIUI is the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data about your preferences and loading banner ads into various parts of the system, without disabling this component, the fight against advertising will be ineffective.
To deactivate the service, you need to go to the settings menu and find the password and security section, and there's a hidden item that allows you to manage authorization in advertising services. Note that the off button may be inactive at the first click, and the timer counts down to the time you try again.
⚠️ Attention: When disconnected MSA The system can warn you several times that some functions will stop working, and this is standard bullying procedure, and in fact, critical system errors will not occur.
The disconnection process is as follows:
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Passwords and security.
- 🔍 Find access to personal data or authorization and security.
- 🚫 Find the msa list and switch the switch to the "Switched off" position".
- ⏳ Wait 10 seconds and press Continue to disconnect".
If you fail to turn it off the first time, repeat the procedure 3-5 times, the system deliberately creates artificial delays, hoping that the user will abandon the idea, after a successful shutdown, the banner ads in the system will begin to disappear within 24 hours.
Set up Mi Browser to block pop-up windows
Often, ads at the bottom of the screen are caused by the standard Mi Browser, which has its own settings for "push notifications" and permissions that allow sites to display content on top of other applications, and if you use this browser, setting it up is critical.
The first thing you need to do is to prevent your browser from showing recommendations and news on the homepage, which often contains disguised ads that can overlap the interface of other programs, and it’s also worth checking the permissions for specific sites you’ve visited recently.
To completely clean the settings, follow the following steps:
- 🌐 Open Mi Browser and click on the profile icon or menu (three bars).
- ⚙️ Select Settings → Confidentiality and security.
- 🛑 Find the Ad Blocker section and activate it.
- 📉 In the section Get recommendations, turn off all switches.
Additionally, it is recommended to clear the site data. To do this, in the browser settings, find the Privacy option and select Clear Data. This will remove the cache and cookies that could save permissions to display pop-ups from aggressive resources.
Managing Notifications and Application Permissions
Sometimes, "advertising" is not a system banner, but a notification from the app you installed. Garbage programs, cleaners, file managers and games often request permission to display on top of other windows, which is the permission that allows them to display floating banners at the bottom of the display.
To identify the culprit, you need to audit the installed applications, pay special attention to the programs you installed shortly before the problem occurred, and often users agree to display ads in exchange for "free" functionality.
☑️ Checking suspicious applications
Search and blocking algorithm:
1. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps →
2.In the upper right corner, click on the three-dot icon and select Special Opportunities (or Special Opportunities).
3. Find the Display item on top of other applications.
4. Carefully review the list. Only messengers and navigators should have permission.
5 If you see an unknown application or game with access enabled, turn it off immediately.
⚠️ Note: Do not disable system services with the words "System" in their name","MIUI" Or "Framework." This can cause the interface to work in a way that's unstable.
Cleaning up personal advertising in your Mi Account
In addition to local settings, Xiaomi’s ad algorithms use your Mi Account data. Disabling account-level ad personalization reduces the number of targeted offers that can be streamed through the company’s system widgets or services.
This procedure requires an internet connection because the settings are synchronized with the server, and it may take some time for the changes to take effect, which is an important step to improve the overall privacy of the device.
Why is Xiaomi collecting data?
Instructions for unsetting:
- 👤 Open Settings and go to the Mi Account section.
- 🔐 Select Data and Privacy (or Privacy).
- 📉 Find Personalized Advertising and turn it off.
- 📜 It is also recommended to disable "User Experience" in the same menu.
Specific settings for GetApps and Mi Video
Two apps, GetApps and Mi Video, are the most active ad generators in the system. They have their own internal settings that work independently of the overall MSA system switch. If the ad appears when watching a video or in a gallery, you should look for the reason here.
In GetApps, ads often appear as push notifications about discounts or new items. To stop this, you need to go to the settings of the store itself, and there is a separate section dedicated to notifications where you can uncheck all the boxes.
For Mi Video, the situation is similar: the built-in player can show content recommendations that look like banner ads, and disabling online services in the player's settings makes it completely local and secure.
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Use third-party players like VLC or MX Player instead of Mi Video.They are ad-free and support more formats.
Comparison of Ad Blocking Methods
There are many ways to deal with unwanted content, from simple switches to installation. DNS-Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, some require one-time adjustment, others require constant monitoring.
The table below compares the effectiveness of different approaches to solving a problem, which will help you choose the best strategy depending on your technical background and needs.
| Method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Low. | Tall. | Minimum |
| Private DNS (AdGuard) | Medium | Very high. | Could slow down the internet |
| Permit settings | Low. | Medium | Safe. |
| Root rights + modules | Tall. | Maximum | Risk of loss of guarantee |
The safest and most recommended method for the average user is a combination of disabling the MSA and setting up a private DNS. This gives almost 100% of the result without the risk of damaging the smartphone software.
Using Private DNS to block at the network level
One of the most powerful tools in Android is setting up a private DNS (Private DNS). This method allows you to block ads even at the stage of loading a page or requesting to an ad server, the ads simply will not be able to load on your device, and therefore will not appear at the bottom of the screen.
This is a solution that doesn't require root rights, but you just need to write a server address in your network settings, and it works globally for all applications and browsers that use your network's system settings.
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Use of the DNS-filtering (e.g. AdGuard) DNS) — The most effective way to remove advertising in all applications without installing additional software.
Instructions for setting:
1. Open Settings → Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi).
2.Look for Private DNS (may be in the "Additional" section).
3. Select the mode "Host Name of the DNS provider" (manual).
Enter the address: dns.adguard.com.
5. Save the settings.
⚠️ Note: If after the entry DNS The Internet is missing, so the server is unavailable or the address is entered with an error.