How to permanently remove spam from the lock screen on Xiaomi: from advertising to viral notifications

Why Xiaomi’s lock screen is spam and how to fix it

The lock screen on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones should only show the time, date and important notifications - but instead, users often encounter intrusive advertising, suspicious banners or spam notifications. The reasons for such debris can vary from MIUI's aggressive monetization policy to virus infections or incorrect app settings.

In this article, we will look at all possible sources of spam on the lock screen, from system advertising to malware, and show you how to eliminate them. It is important to understand that some methods require superuser rights (root), while others are available even without them.

If you see the lock screen:

• 📢 Advertising for games or applications (e.g., “Install Free Fire and get a bonus!")
• 🔗 Suspicious links to websites with gifts or surveys
• 📱 Notifications from unknown applications (e.g., "Your phone is infected! Download antivirus")
• 💰 Banners with offers of loans or rates

So your smartphone needs cleaning, and then you'll find step-by-step instructions for each of these problems.

1. disabling MIUI system advertising (without root)

The most common reason for spam on the lock screen is built-in advertising in MIUI. Xiaomi mounts its firmware by displaying banners in system applications, including the lock screen, which, fortunately, can be disabled without superuser rights.

Follow the instructions:

1. Open Settings → Password and Security → Autoboot.
2. Find the Msa app (or MIUI System Ads in newer versions) in the list and turn off auto-start.
3. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
4. In the search, type msa (or ad) and disable permissions to display notifications from the found applications.
5. Return to Settings → Lock screen and turn off the “Recommendations” option (or “Show Ads” in older versions of MIUI).

If after these actions the advertising remained, check the settings of the thematic design:

• 🎨 Open Topics → Settings → Advertising and disable all switches.
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes changes only apply after a reboot.

⚠️ Note: In some regions (e.g. India), Xiaomi blocks the ad switching off through standard settings. If the instructions are missing, use the methods in the following sections.

2. Delete virus notifications and suspicious applications

If notifications from unknown sources appear on the lock screen (for example, “Your phone is infected with a virus!” or “You won an iPhone!”), malware is likely installed on the device, and these applications are often disguised as useful utilities or games.

To find and remove them:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by installation date (the last ones installed are often the culprits of spam).
3. Check for apps with suspicious names, for example: 🚨 Clean Master, DU Speed Booster (known for displaying false notifications) 🎰 Lucky Draw, Spin & Win (Slots with Advertising) 💰 Easy Credit, Fast Loan (Financial Fraudsters)

Delete

Device administrator

If you can’t remove the application, try to revoke its permissions:

• 📱 Go to the app settings → Permits → Turn off notification display and auto-start.
• 🔒 If the application requests administrator rights, uninstall them in Settings → Password and security → Device administrators.

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Before removing the suspicious app, check it in VirusTotal – download it. APK-File (can be retrieved through Settings) → Annexes → Exports APK) Make sure that the antivirus detects it.

3. Reset the lock screen settings to factory

If spam appears even after removing all suspicious apps, the problem may lie in the damaged lock screen settings, in which case, resetting only this component (without completely cleaning the phone) will help.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find Reset (or Restore and Reset in older versions of MIUI).
3. Select Reset the lock screen settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Configure the lock screen again (select wallpaper, notification type).
• 🚫 Do not restore settings from backup – this can return spam.
• 🔍 Check if the notifications are back in 10-15 minutes.

⚠️ Note: This method will not delete your data (photos, contacts, messages), but will reset your fingerprint, pattern lock and other settings. PIN-Make sure you remember the password from your Mi Account beforehand – it may be required to unlock it.

4.Use ADB for deep cleaning (no root)

If standard methods don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to disable system components without superuser rights, which is suitable for power users.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed Xiaomi and ADB-tools drivers.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times press to unlock the developer mode, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Teams to clean up spam:

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution # Removes the system ad application


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser # Disables MIUI browser (often shows ads)




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.weather2 # Disables weather on the lock screen (may contain banners)




adb shell dumpsys deviceidle force-idle # Forced stops background processes

After the commands are executed:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📵 Check if spam appears after 30 to 60 minutes (some processes are delayed).

5. Installation of custom firmware (for advanced)

If none of these methods worked, the radical solution is to install custom firmware without ads, which requires unlocking the bootloader and the superuser rights, but is guaranteed to remove all system spam.

Popular firmware without advertising for Xiaomi:

Step-by-step installation instructions Xiaomi.eu (the easiest option):

1. Unlock the bootloader via the Mi Unlock Tool (can take up to 72 hours to wait).
2. Download the firmware for your model from Xiaomi.eu.
3. Install TWRP Recovery via fastboot: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot boot twrp.img
4. In TWRP, make a backup of the current system (required!).
5. Select the downloaded firmware through Install → Select ZIP.
6. Clear the cache (Wipe) → Dalvik/ART Cache and reboot.

⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware will void the warranty and may result in data loss. If you are not sure about your actions, contact an experienced user or a thematic forum (for example, if you are not sure about your actions, contact an experienced user or a topical forum, 4PDA).

6.Alternative launchers and ad blockers

If you don’t want to risk firmware, but spam on the lock screen continues to bother you, you can use third-party apps to block ads and change the interface.

Best solutions:

• 🚫 Blokada – Blocker of Advertising at the Level DNS (It does not require root, but may conflict with some applications).
• 🔒 AdGuard filters ads in all applications, including system notifications.
• 📱 Nova Launcher + Sesame Shortcuts – allows you to replace the standard lock screen with a custom screen (with notifications disabled).
• 🛡️ Malwarebytes – scans the system for viruses and removes malicious applications that show spam.

How to configure AdGuard to block spam on the lock screen:

1. Install AdGuard from the official site (not from Google Play – there is a stripped-down version).
2. Enable Notification Protection in the application settings.
3. Add filters: 🌍 AdGuard Base filter 🇨🇳 Chinese filter (blocks Chinese ads) 📱 MIUI Ad block (specially for Xiaomi)

Restart your phone and check the result.

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Third-party ad blockers (such as AdGuard) can reduce Internet speeds by 5-10% due to traffic filtering, and if you notice brakes, try turning off unnecessary filters or use Low Consumption Mode in your app settings.

7 What to do if spam is returned

If after all the manipulations, spam appears on the lock screen again, the problem may be deeper:

• 🔄 Automatic Application Recovery: Some viruses recover after removal. check in Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize applications and disable it.
• 📦 Pre-installed apps: Some Xiaomi models have secure system applications that cannot be removed without root.
• 🕵️ Spyware: If spam contains personalized offers (such as your name or data), a keylogger may be installed on the phone, in which case a full reset to factory settings is required.

Instructions for complete reset (if other methods do not help):

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose Delete all data (or Full Reset).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the completion (it will take 5-15 minutes).
5. After the reboot, do not restore data from the backup – first check if spam appears on the clean system.

If the spam came back even after the reset, it's a 100% firmware-level infection.

• 🛠️ Install custom firmware (section 5).
• 📞 Contact the Xiaomi service center (if the phone is guaranteed).

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After resetting, take your time to install all the apps back, add them one by one, and watch for spam, so you find the culprit.

FAQ: Frequent questions about spam on Xiaomi lock screen