How to permanently remove Android pop-ups in Xiaomi phone: the full guide 2026

Pop-ups on Xiaomi smartphones are one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware. Even after buying a new Redmi or POCO, users are faced with intrusive ads, banners from Mi Browser, notifications from system applications and “useful” prompts that interfere with work. Unlike “pure” Android, where there are almost no ads, Xiaomi aggressively monetizes its shell by embedding advertising modules at the system level.

Compounding the problem, there can be multiple sources of pop-ups, from standard notifications to hidden advertising SDKs in branded applications (Mi Video, Mi Music, Themes). Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to turn off notifications in the settings — but this only works with part of the windows. To completely remove it, you will have to dig deeper: disable system services, block ad domains through hosts, and in some cases even remove embedded applications without root rights.

In this guide, we will analyze all possible sources of pop-up windows on the Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO and give step-by-step instructions for disabling them - from simple methods (through settings) to advanced ones (using them). ADB We will focus on hidden advertising mechanisms. MIUI 14/15, which are not documented in official instructions.

1. Disabling advertising in Xiaomi system applications

The first step is to remove ads from standard notifications and branded apps (Mi Browser, Mi Video, Security). Xiaomi embeds banner ads even in tools like File Manager or Cleaner, so they need to be disabled separately.

You can do this through the hidden Advertising Preferences menu, which is available in MIUI 12-15 firmware.

1. Settings → About the phone (click 5-7 times on the item Version) MIUI, activate the developer mode).
2. Return to the main settings menu and find a new section Additional → Advertising Services.
3. Turn off the sliders: 🔘 Personalized recommendations (the main source of targeted advertising). 🔘 Advertising Notifications (Banners in the Curtain). 🔘 MSA (Mi Security Ads – Advertising Ads SDK, built-in security and cleaner.

Important: After disabling these items, the ads will not disappear immediately - the system may take up to 24 hours to apply the changes. If banners continue to appear, move to the next method.

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To speed up the application of changes, restart your phone or clear the Settings app cache (Settings → Apps → App Management → Settings → Storage → Clear the cache).

2. Block notifications from specific applications

Many pop-ups don't come from the system, but from individual applications, both system (Mi Browser, Themes) and third-party (games, social networks), which can be disabled individually:

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
2. In the list, look for an app that shows pop-ups (like Mi Browser or Google Play Services).
3. Turn off the sliders: 🔔 Pop-up notifications (responsible for banners on top of the screen). 📱 Notifications on the lock screen. 🚫 Priority notifications (if any).

Categories of notifications

Pay special attention to these applications (they are most often responsible for the appearance of pop-ups):

Disable notifications in Mi Browser

Check Security Settings (disable MSA)

Remove banners in Themes

Limit background activity of Google Play Services

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Warning: Some system applications (e.g., Security) cannot be completely disabled, causing your phone to crash. Instead, use the ADB method described in Section 5.

3. Disable smart tips and MIUI Optimizations

Xiaomi is actively using the Smart Recommendations mechanism, which analyzes your behavior and shows “useful” banners – for example, an offer to turn on Game Turbo when you start a game or a reminder to clear the cache – these tips are often confused with advertising, but they are disabled separately.

How to clean up:

1. Go to Settings. → Home screen.
2. Select Smart Tips and Turn off All Sliders: 🎮 Game Tips (Game Turbo Advertising). 📱 System Tips (Reminders of Updates). 🔄 Performance optimization (memory cleanup banners).

Settings → Additional → Special features → Special features

MIUI Optimization

Warning: Disabling MIUI Optimization can lead to minor bugs in animations and gestures. If you notice lags, return the settings back.

Advertising at Mi Browser

Banners from Security (cleaning up garbage)

MIUI's Smart Tips

Notifications from games/social networks

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4. Blocking ads through the hosts file (without root)

If previous methods didn't work, it's likely that the ads are downloaded from external Xiaomi servers, which can be blocked by editing the hosts file, which is the system-level ad-blocker, which works without root rights, but requires a PC connection.

Instructions:

1. Download the archive with the ready-made hosts file for Xiaomi (for example, from here).
2. Connect your phone to your PC via USB and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 5 Clicks → Additional → For Developers → USB Debugging).
3. Open the command line on your PC and execute: Adb devices (your device should appear).
4. Copy the hosts file to the system folder: adb push path to file hosts /data/local/tmp/hosts adb shell "su -c 'mount -o rw,remount /system &&cp /data/local/tmp/hosts /system/etc/hosts &&chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts'"
5. Reboot the phone.

Note: After the MIUI update, the hosts file may reset, so to avoid this, back up or use apps like AdAway (requires root).

5. Removal of system applications via ADB (without root)

Some pop-ups are shown with built-in apps that cannot be disabled through standard settings. For example, Mi Browser or Mi Video can continue to send notifications even after the ad has been turned off. ADB.

List of “harmful” packets and commands to remove them:

How to do this:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and activate Debugging via USB.
2. Open the command line and enter alternately commands from the table.
3. After each command, check if the pop-up windows have disappeared.

Important: Do not delete the com.miui.securitycenter or com.android.settings packages, this will cause your phone to fail! Also, make a backup via adb backup before you delete it.

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Removal via ADB does not require root rights, but is valid only for the current user.

6.Use of third-party ad blockers

If manual methods didn't work, you can install specialized ad-blocking apps that work at the VPN or DNS level, intercepting ad requests.

The best options for Xiaomi:

• 🛡️ Blokada (blocks advertising at the level) DNS, You can download it from the official website.
• 🔒 AdGuard (there is a free version with restrictions).Install via F-Droid to avoid advertising in the blocker itself.
• 🌐 DNS66 (Open-blocker, which works as VPN). Supports custom domain listings.

How to set up Blokada:

1. Download and install the APK from the official website (not from Google Play – there is a stripped-down version).
2. Launch the application and turn on the protection (Enable button).
3. Go to Hosts Lists and activate lists: 📋 Adaway (blocks ads in apps). 📋 EasyList China (specially for Chinese services, including Xiaomi). 📋 Miui Ad Block (Target List for the MIUI).

Reboot the phone.

Note: Some blockers (such as AdGuard) may conflict with Mi Browser or Security. If you have lags after installation, add these applications to the exceptions.

7. Resetting Advertising Settings and Notifications

If pop-ups appeared after updating MIUI or resetting the phone, the settings of the advertising SDK may have gone wrong.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Click Reset Advertising ID.
3. Go back to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
4. Find and clear the data for: 📱 Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms). 🔍 Miui Daemon (com.miui.daemon). 🛡️ Security (com.miui.securitycenter).

Reboot the phone.

This method resets all personalized ad settings, including:

• 🎯 Targeted banners (based on your actions).
• 📊 App usage statistics (which Xiaomi collects to display ads).
• 🔔 Subscriptions to Notifications from System Services.

Warning: After resetting your advertising ID, some apps (like Google Play) may temporarily run unstable. If you notice errors, restart your phone again.

8. Extreme measures: custom software firmware

If none of these methods worked, the radical solution is to install custom firmware without ads, which will completely remove all MIUI advertising mechanisms, but require unlocking the bootloader and potentially strip you of warranty.

The best options for Xiaomi:

• 📱 LineageOS – “clean” Android without unnecessary add-ons.
• 🔧 Pixel Experience – firmware with Google Pixel interface.
• ⚡ MIUI Advertising-free versions of modified versions MIUI, wherever SDK (for example, MIUI EU).

How to stitch:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
2. Install TWRP Recovery (instructions are available on XDA Developers for your model).
3. Download the firmware (for example, LineageOS for your device) and transfer it to your phone.
4. Boot in. TWRP and sew ZIP-firmware.

Warning: Custom firmware will void the warranty and may result in a brick phone. Before you start, back up via TWRP and make sure the firmware is compatible with your Xiaomi model.

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Custom firmware removes ads completely, but requires technical skills. If you're not sure, use the methods in the previous sections.

FAQ: Frequent questions about pop-ups on Xiaomi