Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones running MIUI 13, MIUI 14 or the latest HyperOS offer incredible functionality to users, but often suffer from excessive intrusiveness. Device owners regularly face a flood of system recommendations, news reports and promotional offers that appear in the notification curtain or on a locked screen. This is not just annoying, but significantly reduces productivity, distracting attention at the most inopportune moment.
Many users mistakenly believe that it is impossible to completely get rid of this digital noise without obtaining superuser rights (Root), but this is not true. Engineers have provided many hidden and explicit switches that allow you to fine-tune the behavior of the Android operating system. The correct configuration of privacy settings and special features will allow you to regain control of your gadget.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods for cleaning the interface from unnecessary visual debris. We will go from basic application notification settings to the deep system configuration that affects the operation of MSA services and the built-in browser. Disabling the MSA service (MIUI System Ads) is a critical step to completely stop advertising in system interfaces. Let's start putting things in order in your smartphone right now.
Basic setting of application notifications
The first step to a clean interface is to audit the rights of third-party programs, often installing apps from Google Play or GetApps without noticing that when installed, they ask permission to display information in the curtain, and dozens of such permissions accumulate over time, turning the lock screen into a news feed.
To get things in order, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. This is a complete list of all programs that have the right to disturb the owner. It is recommended to carefully study each item, especially those that are marked as “Recommended” or have high priority.
It is important to distinguish between notification types, some apps categorize them into important (messages, calls) and marketing (promotions, news) and new versions of HyperOS have a feature called "Important Notifications" that should be activated for instant messengers to keep messages from loved ones from being missed even if the overall sound is turned off.
- 📱 Go to the settings of a particular application and find the item "Notifications".
- 🔇 Disable the categories "Promotions", "Recommendations" and "News".
- ⚙️ Use Do Not Disturb mode to automatically turn off the sound at night.
- 🚫 For compulsive games, completely ban the display of banners on the lock screen.
And pop-ups, too. Some programs can display content on top of other applications. Check the permission list in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Display on top of other applications. Leave that access only to navigators and instant messengers where it's really necessary for video calls.
Disabling system advertising and MSA service
One of the most painful topics for Xiaomi owners is embedded advertising, which is the responsibility of the system process MSA (MIUI System Ads). Although it can not be completely removed without a deep modification of the system, you can turn it off, which will significantly reduce the number of advertising integrations in standard applications such as “Conductor”, “Music” or “Themes”.
First, you need to turn off personalized recommendations. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Here you need to switch the Personalized Ads switch to an inactive state. The system will warn you that this action can take up to 10 seconds - this is normal, the process of resetting the ID is underway.
⚠️ Attention: After the service is disconnected MSA The system caches some data, so it may require a device reboot or a 24-hour wait to be fully effective.
Next, you should restrict the service itself from accessing the Internet, which effectively paralyzes its work. Find msa in the list of applications (may be called "MIUI Daemon" or "Advertising Service"). Go to "Data Use" and turn off data transmission over both Wi-Fi and mobile networks. When you try to turn off, the system will persistently ask for confirmation several times - you need to be patient and press "OK".
☑️ Checklist for disabling ads
It's also worth checking the settings of standard applications. Explorer, Downloads and Music often have separate "Get recommendations" switches, which you need to find and deactivate manually in the settings menu of each particular application. It will take time, but the result is worth it.
Setting up the lock screen and wallpaper carousel
The Glance feature is another source of constant information noise, automatically changing wallpapers on a locked screen and often showing news headlines, weather and banner ads. It seems useful to many users, but for those who only want to see time and notifications, it becomes a problem.
To turn off the Carousel, go to Settings → Lock screen. Find wallpaper carousel or Glance for Mi. Inside the menu, turn off the wallpaper carousel switch. If the standard way to disable fails (which happens on some global firmware), you can try to remove updates to this component through the application menu.
In addition, the lock screen can display pedometer widgets, weather or brief news bulletins. In the Settings → Lock screen → Watch format and widgets, you can choose a minimalist style of display time and remove all additional blocks. This will not only remove excess information, but also potentially save battery power.
| Function | Where to find out. | Action. | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Lock screen | Turn off the switch. | Static wallpaper, no news. |
| Widgets on screen | Clock format | Choose a style without widgets | Clean lock screen |
| Notification log | Notifications on the lock screen | Hide the contents | Data confidentiality |
| Double tap. | Additionally. | Turn off the wake-up. | Battery savings |
What if the carousel doesn't shut down?
Remember that some widgets may come from installed launchers or design themes. If you use a third-party theme from Themes, it may have its own lock screen settings that prioritize the system, in which case only changing the theme to the standard one will help.
Cleaning the browser and news feed Mi Video
The built-in Mi Browser browser and Mi Video app are known for their aggressive content policies, often sending notifications about "hot news" or "trend videos" even if you don't use them. These apps are system-based, so you can't just delete them, but you can "detach them."
For the browser, you need to go to its settings (three bars in the bottom corner → Settings). Find the Notifications section and disable all items related to news, recommendations and notifications from sites. Also in the Privacy and Security section, you should disable advertising personalization. Similar actions should be repeated for the Video application.
Spam is often caused by news subscriptions that you may have accidentally allowed to access online sites, and your browser settings include Site Notifications or Site Settings, and go through the list and delete any suspicious addresses that have permission to send push notifications.
- 🌐 Open the browser, click the menu and select Settings".
- 🔕 Go to the "Notifications" section and turn off "News" and "Recommendations".
- 📺 In the video app, turn off auto-start and notifications of new videos.
- 🧹 Clear app data through phone settings if notifications continue.
An alternative solution is to install a third-party browser (like Via, Firefox or Chrome) and install it as the default application, in which case the system browser can simply hide in a folder or disable its notifications globally through the system settings, as described in the second section of the article.
Special facilities and accessibility
The Accessibility section hides features that can generate unnecessary notifications or sounds, such as Memory Cleanup, which may pop up periodically to offer space, and Game Acceleration to show overlays, which are useful for people with disabilities, but often interfere with the average user.
Go to Settings → Settings → Special features. Check the Download Services tab here. If there are active services that you haven't used consciously (like antivirus cleaning services or optimizers), you better turn them off. Also check the Visual Improvements section - some effects can be perceived as visual noise.
⚠️ Warning: Be careful when disabling system services under "Special Features." Do not disable voice or gesture services if you actively use them, as this may disrupt basic smartphone functionality.
The feature, called Quick Notes, allows you to record when the screen is off, but it is often activated accidentally when you remove your smartphone from your pocket, creating false recording notifications. If you are not using this feature, turn it off in the Quick Notes section of the special features menu.
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Expert advice: If you don't know what a particular service is responsible for in the special features section, take a screenshot of the name and search the Internet before you turn off. Blindly disabling system components can lead to unstable interfaces.
You can also find TalkBack settings and zooms in this section. Make sure they're turned off if you're not using them specifically. The random activation of these features (often occurring with a quick sequence of taps) completely changes the logic of the phone's management and generates a lot of audible and tactile signals.
Deep Cleaning through ADB (for Advanced Users)
For those who are not afraid of a computer and want to achieve maximum results, there is a method to disable system components through USB debugging and ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utilities, which allows you to “freeze” or remove system applications that are not removed in the usual way, including some components of the advertising infrastructure.
To start, activate the developer mode. Click 7 times on the build number in About Phone. Then in Advanced Settings → For developers, turn on "Debugging USB." Connect the phone to your computer, install drivers and the ADB platform. Using the adb shell pm list packages command, you can find packages related to advertising (for example, com.miui.misys, com.android.browser).
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.daemon
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browserExecuting these commands will remove components for the current user without affecting the system partition. This is safe in the sense that the phone can be returned to its original state by simply resetting the settings. However, beware: removing critical system packets can lead to a "bootloop".
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Use of the ADB-The most radical, but also the most effective way to remove system debris, requires caution but gives you complete control of the device, which is not available through the standard settings menu.
Once you have completed the commands, it is recommended to restart the device, and you will notice that not only the notifications, but also some system applications that previously could not be removed are missing. If something goes wrong, you can always execute the command adb shell cmd package install-existing to restore the deleted component.