Budget smartphone owners often face intrusive notifications that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. Xiaomi Redmi 9A, running the MIUI shell, is no exception and is rife with default ad units. Users notice offers in app folders, news feeds, and pop-ups after installing programs. This is annoying, especially given that the device is positioned as an affordable solution for basic tasks.
The main source of intrusive content is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system service, which collects data about the owner’s preferences for advertising targeting. Fortunately, the Android architecture allows you to interfere with these processes without obtaining superuser rights. Redmi 9A has enough privacy settings to minimize digital noise. In this article, we will discuss a step-by-step algorithm of actions that will help you clean the interface of unnecessary garbage.
It's worth noting that you can't completely remove system components without deep flashing, which can take away the warranty, but the right deactivation of services and changing privacy settings can lead to a virtually sterile experience. We'll look at both standard methods through the settings menu and more advanced ways to limit background activity.
Disabling Advertising Personalization through Account Settings
The first step to a clean interface is to avoid personalized advertising. Xiaomi collects information about your actions to show more relevant offers, but this feature can be easily turned off. This will not remove the ads completely, but will make them less accurate and, as a result, less annoying, because the algorithm will stop analyzing your interests.
To do this, you need to log in to your Mi Account or go to the appropriate settings section if you have already logged in. Find the privacy and advertising IDs section, and you need to be careful, because the switches are often hidden in the submenu.
⚠️ Note: Disabling personalization does not guarantee the complete disappearance of banners, but significantly reduces their frequency in system applications such as Explorer or Security".
Once this option is disabled, the system will stop using your advertising ID to select content, which can also have a positive impact on battery life, as background data collection processes will be limited, and it is recommended to perform this step before all other settings to reset the accumulated statistics.
In some versions of MIUI firmware, the path to this setting may be slightly different. If you do not find the right item right away, search the settings by entering the keyword "advertising" or "privacy", which will save time and allow you to quickly go to the desired menu section.
Deactivation of MSA (MIUI System Ads)
MSA is the main engine of the advertising campaign inside the operating system, and it is the process responsible for loading and displaying banners in the interface. On Redmi 9A, it can be disabled by standard means, but the system will prevent this from happening by offering to wait 10 seconds before confirming the action.
To get to the menu, go to the authorization and security section, and you'll need to find System Services or Authorization and Security where the msa switch is located. If you try to turn it off, you'll see a countdown timer, which is an artificial delay designed to dissuade the user from turning off the function.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
Often, the first time you turn off the service, you can't do it because of server connection errors or interface failures. If you turn off the switch, but the system turned it back on after a couple of seconds or gave an error, do not despair. Repeat the procedure to disable 3-4 times in a row until the final confirmation window appears.
Once the MSA is successfully disabled, it is also recommended that it be banned from the Internet, which can be done through data usage settings, by finding “msa” in the application list and disabling data transmission over Wi-Fi and mobile networks, creating a double barrier for advertising modules.
Removing recommendations in folders and on the desktop
One of the most annoying features of the MIUI shell is that it has a "Recommended" section inside the app folders. When you create a folder and put a few icons in it, the system automatically adds a block with suggestions to download new games or utilities. On Xiaomi Redmi 9A, this feature is enabled by default.
To remove this block, you just need to open any folder on your desktop, and at the top of the folder window, next to the name, you'll have a Recommended (or Promoted) switch, put it inactive, and then you'll have the sentence block disappear from the current folder.
The important thing is that the setup only applies to an open folder, so if you have many groups of applications on your desktop, you'll have to repeat the procedure manually for each of them, and it takes a while, but the result is worth it, and it's going to be clean and uniform.
Also, check the settings of the desktop itself. In some versions of the launcher, there is a separate item "Receive recommendations", which is responsible for the appearance of advertising carousels when swiping to the left of the main screen (Mi Video tape or Yandex), disabling this item will prevent the appearance of debris during navigation.
Setup of system applications: Security, Explorer, Downloads
Xiaomi’s built-in utilities are the main channels for distributing advertising content. Security, Explorer, and Downloads regularly send notifications with suggestions to clear memory, speed up your phone, or install antivirus, and to stop this flow, you need to configure each application separately.
Start with the Security app. Open it, go to settings (the gear icon) and find "Receive recommendations." Disable it. Also go to the Cleanup section inside the app and turn off all memory status notifications, leaving only critical virus warnings.
Next, you go to Explorer. It also has a Recommendations switch in its settings, which is often hidden in the depths of the About menu or in the general settings list, and disabling that option removes the ad tape that is usually located at the top of the file manager.
Don't forget the Downloads app. It's where you get notifications that "your phone is slowing down" or "hazardous files are found." Go to your download settings and uncheck "Show recommendations" -- an action that's critical to user peace of mind.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations |
| Conductor | Settings → About the programme | Recommendations |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Show recommendations |
| Music. | Settings → Additional | Receive recommendations |
| Topics | Profile → Settings | Personal recommendations |
Cleaning notifications and working with Mi Video
Mi Video (or simply "Video") often becomes a source of pop-ups with news and ads that appear on top of other windows. This is because the app is given permission to display on top of other apps. On Redmi 9A, this feature can and should be limited.
Go to your phone's settings, look for Apps, and select App Management. Go to Mi Video, go to Other Permissions, and turn off Display on Other Apps, which will prevent the video player from overlaying the interface with banner ads.
⚠️ Note: After disabling the permission to display on top of other applications, the Picture-in-Picture feature in this player will also stop working. If you often need to watch videos in a small window, this method may be uncomfortable for you.
It's also worth going through the list of all the apps installed and checking their notification rights. Often users install and agree to the apps that request permission to display ads, and you can set the notification settings in detail which types of messages each app can send.
For system applications that cannot be removed, use the "Silent Notifications" feature, which will allow notifications to arrive, but they will not emit a sound, vibration or appear in the curtain of the status bar, but immediately go to a separate folder without disturbing users.
Using Developer Mode and ADB for Advanced Users
If standard methods don’t work, you can use more powerful tools, and the developer mode on Xiaomi Redmi 9A allows you to disable some system components that are not visible on the regular menu.
To activate the developer mode, you need to click 7 times on the build number in the About section. Once the corresponding notification appears, a new option will appear in the settings menu "Additional" or "Extended settings", where the developer mode is located, and you can find options to limit background processes.
A safer, but more effective method is to use ADB commands to freeze ads without removing them completely, which would require connecting your phone to your computer and typing a command to disable the com.miui.misys or similar analytics package, but newer versions of MIUI may require additional rights.
Example of commands to disable a particular component (use with caution):
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.globalThis command disables the global advertising service. If you decide to return the same, use the command adb shell pm enable --user 0 com.miui.msa.global. This approach allows you to manage the system flexibly, but requires a PC and an installed ADB driver.