How to remove app recommendations on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Owners of budget smartphones often face intrusive content that is embedded in the shell of MIUI. Xiaomi Redmi 9, despite its popularity and availability, was no exception to the rule. Users notice that after installing or updating the system folders begin to offer “useful” programs, and in the curtain of notifications appear strange banners. These are not viruses, but regular functionality of the system, designed to monetize the low cost of the gadget.

Advertising algorithms analyze your actions and offer content that developers think you might be interested in. However, for most people, it's just an annoying factor consuming CPU traffic and resources. Fortunately, the MIUI shell architecture allows you to flexibly customize these parameters without getting superuser rights. You don't need to be a programmer to get a clean interface back.

In this article, we will look at all the available ways to block unwanted offers. We will go from basic security settings to deep cleaning of system services. Completely disabling advertising requires care, since some switches are hidden in non-obvious places on the menu. Follow the instructions Step-by-step to ensure that your Redmi 9 works quickly and without unnecessary visual noise.

Disabling the MSA Recommendation Service

The centerpiece of Xiaomi’s advertising system is MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting user data and displaying targeted offers across the interface. Before you try to remove banners in specific applications, you need to deactivate this background process. Without this step, other settings may not be fully effective.

To start, go to your smartphone settings and find the password and security section. Depending on the firmware version, the path may be slightly different, but the logic remains the same. You need to find Access to Data or Permissions, and here you can see a list of all the installed applications that have access to the Internet.

Find msa and click on it, and you'll see a window with traffic graphs, and you'll find the Access to Network (or Mobile Data and Wi-Fi) switch and turn it off, and the system will warn you that it may affect some features, ignore the warnings, and confirm the action with the Cancel or OK button in the countdown timer.

⚠️ Attention: When attempting to disconnect MSA If the confirmation button doesn't work after 10 seconds, just try again. This is a standard system restriction designed to prevent accidental shutdown.

After successfully shutting down the network for the system ad module, the changes take effect almost instantly, but to consolidate the result, it is recommended to reboot the device, which will allow the system to redistribute resources and finally stop the background processes associated with analytics.

Customize personalization in folders and desktop

One of the most annoying features for many users is the appearance of recommended apps inside the folders on the desktop. When you create a folder for Games or Social Networks, the system automatically adds shortcuts that say "Recommended," which is done to promote affiliate products, but is easily removed through the launcher settings.

To get rid of this, open any folder on your desktop that has these shortcuts. At the bottom of the open folder, you'll see a category name like "Games" or "Apps." Click on that name. A small menu will open that will show you the "Recommended Apps" (or "Receive Recommendations") switch and put it in an inactive position.

It's important to do this for each folder on your Redmi 9 separately. Unfortunately, there's no global switch for all folders in the current versions of MIUI. If you have many categories, it'll take a couple of minutes, but it's worth it. The interface will be clean and will only contain programs that you installed yourself.

In addition to folders, recommendations can appear in the widget feed to the left of the home screen (Google Discover or Mi Video), if you do not use this feature, you can turn it off completely. Click the empty space on the desktop, go to the settings and find the option “Widget Ribbon” or “Google”, then select “No” or turn off the corresponding switch.

Blocking Advertising in System Applications

Even after the main MSA service is disabled, some embedded apps can continue to display ads, including standard tools like Explorer, Cleanup, Music, and Video, each with their own personalization settings that need to be checked separately.

Consider the example of the Security and Cleanup app. Open the Security app, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings. Scroll down to Get Recommendations and disable it. Similar steps should be taken in the Explorer app: click on the menu, select Settings → About app (or immediately Get Recommendations), and deactivate the function.

The Music and Mi Video app have a similar procedure, and in the player settings, look for sections related to Online Content or Recommendations, and turning off these options will not only take away ads, but can also speed up the launch of apps, as they will stop loading heavy banners when they start.

⚠️ Note: Application interface may vary slightly depending on the version MIUI (11, 12, 13 or 14 If you do not find the exact match of the names, look for synonyms like “Personalization” or “Online Services».

Don’t forget to also check the Themes app, which is where you often get notifications about new wallpaper or ringtones, open Themes, go to the user profile (human icon), click on the settings (cogs), and disable all items related to personalization and notifications.

Disabling notifications from MIUI and Google services

Sometimes, ads come in the form of simple push notifications, which can look like messages from a system offering to install a game or subscribe, often from Google or Xiaomi’s built-in analytics services, and blocking these channels is an important step in the struggle for a clean interface.

First, check the notification settings for Google Play Services. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps, search for Google Play Services → Notifications. Here, disable marketing or recommendation categories if they are present. Be careful not to disable systemically important security notifications.

Next, check the system settings. Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Special Opportunities (or Access to Data) Make sure that suspicious or unknown applications don’t have access to the network.

You can use the ADB command to clean it up a little bit more, but it requires a computer connection. For the average user, manually shutting down the menu is enough. If after all the manipulations, the notifications continue, try to remember which apps you recently installed from unreliable sources, and they are often the source of spam.

Managing permissions and access to data

You can't effectively combat intrusive recommendations without understanding what permissions apps have. Many programs request access to a list of installed apps to analyze your preferences. Limiting that access is a powerful tool in the hands of a Redmi 9 user.

Go to Settings → Privacy Protection → Permissions Management. Notice the permission to Receive Info about Installed Applications. Disable this access for all applications that don’t need it (like antiviruses or launchers).

Also, limit background activity. Under Apps → Activity Control (or Charge Savings), select apps you rarely use but don’t want to remove. Set a limit of “No Limits” for messengers only, and for others, select “Power Saving” or “Limit Background” to prevent their data collection activity when the screen is off.

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Use Second Space mode to test suspicious applications, and if there is no ad on a clean profile, it means that the problem is in the specific software installed.

Regularly checking these settings will help keep your smartphone clean. After major system updates, some settings may be reset to factory values, so it makes sense to run through these points once a month. Permit control is not just about advertising, but about your digital security in general.

Additional methods and resetting advertising settings

If standard methods didn't completely remove recommendations, you can try more radical but safe ways, one of which is resetting your ad ID settings, which won't delete your data, but will reset the profile that the system has built based on your actions.

To do this, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Click on Reset Advertising ID. After that, the system will start collecting data about you again, and for a while the ads may be less accurate or disappear altogether until the profile is formed again.

Another method is to disable the Receipt and Transfer service (Mi Share) if you are not using it, which is often used to promote content between Xiaomi devices, turn it off in the notification curtain or in the connection settings, and check the Comments app (if it is in your firmware version) – it often sends notifications about news MIUI.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use third-party apps to “block ads” from unknown sources.They often require suspicious permissions and may contain malicious code that will do more harm than Xiaomi’s built-in ads.

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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, configuring each system application and controlling permissions, gives 100% result in removing recommendations.

In extreme cases, if nothing helps and the advertising has become unbearable, you can consider installing a global firmware version (Global ROM) if you have a Chinese version, or switching to custom firmware (for example, LineageOS). However, for Redmi 9, this requires unlocking the bootloader, which can be difficult for a beginner and entails a loss of warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)