How to permanently remove pop-up notifications on the Xiaomi screen: the complete guide

Pop-up notifications on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO can make smartphone use a nightmare: banner ads from MIUI, update reminders, suggestions to connect Mi Account or activate Mi Cloud appear at the most inopportune moment. Even after closing, they come back in a few minutes, blocking important elements of the interface. In this article, we will analyze all possible sources of pop-ups — from system notifications to viruses — and show how to get rid of them once and for all.

Complicating the problem is that Xiaomi is actively integrating advertising modules into MIUI firmware that disguise themselves as useful tips. For example, the “Optimize your phone” notification actually leads to a page offering to buy a premium version of Cleaner. We tested all methods on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5 models with MIUI 13-14 versions and confirmed their performance. If after applying the instructions, pop-ups continue to appear, it is most likely the fault of third-party software (this is detailed in the section on viruses).

1. disable system pop-up notifications MIUI

The first step is to block the built-in notifications from MIUI that appear on top of all windows, which can advertise firmware features, offer software updates, or connect a Xiaomi account to disable them:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notifications from apps.
2. Scroll down and find System Notifications (or MIUI System in English firmware).
3. Turn off the Allow Notifications slider and uncheck the pop-up notifications and icons on the lock screen.

On some versions MIUI 14 Ways may be different: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Three points (⋮) → System applications → MIUI System. You also need to disable all permissions to display notifications.

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If there is no MIUI System in the app list, try to find System UI or Android System – sometimes notifications come from there.

After disabling the system notifications, check if there are still pop-ups. If so, move to the next section.

2. Blocking advertising in branded Xiaomi applications

Xiaomi embeds ads in its standard apps: Mi Browser, Cleaner, Mi Video, Music, and even Settings, often in pop-ups offering to install a new game or buy a premium version of the service, to remove them:

• 🔧 Mi Browser: Open your browser → ⋮ → Settings → Additionally. → Advertising and recommendations → Turn off all sliders.
• 🧹 Cleaner: Launch the application → ⚙ → Settings → Advertising → Turn off Personalized Ads and Show recommendations.
• 🎬 Mi Video/Music: In the application settings, find the Recommendations or Personalization section and deactivate all options.

Important: on MIUI Global Region (EEA) firmware, some of the ads are automatically disabled due to European data protection laws, and if you have a Chinese or Indian version of MIUI, there will be a lot more ads.

Open every Xiaomi branded app|Find the "Settings" or "Advertising" section"|Disable all sliders with mention of advertising|Reboot your phone to apply changes-->

If after these actions pop-ups continue to appear, check if there are suspicious apps installed on the phone (see the next section).

3. Search and remove viruses showing pop-up ads

If system settings don’t help, there’s a good chance your Xiaomi has adware installed, programs that show annoying ads, often masquerading as useful utilities (e.g., Battery Pro, Cache Cleaner) or infiltrating pirated games.

To find them:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Sort the list by installation date (⋮ → Sorting → By installation date).
3. Check out apps you haven't consciously installed. Note titles like System Update, Android Helper, or Fast Cleaner, which are typical adver programs.
4. Click on suspicious application → Delete. If the button is inactive, first turn off the device administrator in the security settings.

For a deep check, use antivirus scanners:

• 🛡️ Malwarebytes (free version finds adver software better than standard antiviruses).
• 🔍 Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus (paid but effective against hidden threats).
• 🧬 ADB AppControl (for advanced users – allows you to remove system applications without rooting).

⚠️ Note: Some adver programs recover after rebooting. If the virus returns after deleting, reset to factory settings (section 6).

4. Disable notifications from Google and third-party services

Pop-ups can come not only from Xiaomi, but also from Google (for example, offers to enable backup) or third-party services like Facebook, AliExpress.

Pay special attention to push notifications from browsers (such as Chrome or Mi Browser), which can show pop-ups from sites where you once allowed notifications, to remove them:

1. Open the browser → ⋮ → Settings → Site settings → Notifications.
2. Remove all sites from the list or turn off notifications globally.

Advertising from Xiaomi|System notifications MIUI|Spam from apps|Notifications from Google|Viral advertising-->

5. Configure permissions for applications (Android 10+)

Starting with Android 10, the system allows you to flexibly manage application rights, including showing notifications on top of other windows. If an application abuses pop-ups, limit its rights:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose an app that shows annoying notifications (like Clean Master or UC Browser).
3. Click Permissions → Find Show over other apps (or Display over other apps) and turn it off.
4. Also disable AutoRun permission so that the application does not start with the system.

For mass disabling of permits:

• 📱 Use the App Ops app (requires) ADB-access) to block permits SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW and NOTIFICATION_LISTENER.
• 🔧 V MIUI 14 Special access function (Settings) → Confidentiality → Special access where you can centrally manage pop-up rights.

⚠️ Note: Disabling permissions for system applications (e.g, MIUI Systems can cause the phone to malfunction, and only do so if you are sure of the consequences.

6. Resetting to factory settings (last resort)

If none of these things worked, and the pop-ups keep popping up, you probably have a stable advert software that's not being removed by standard methods, and then you can just reset the settings completely:

Create a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts)|Record logins/passwords from accounts|Make sure your phone is at least 50 times charged%|Unplug your Google account (if you plan to sell your phone)-->

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Erase All Data (on some models – Delete All Data and Reset Settings).
3. Confirm the action by entering a password or pattern lock.
4. After rebooting, set up your phone as new without restoring data from a backup (it may contain a virus).

If the reset didn’t work, it’s likely to be a firmware with pre-installed adver-software (often found on gray phones from China), which can only be done by flashing it to the official global version of MIUI.

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Setting reset removes all data from your phone, including photos, messages, and installed apps, and only use this method if other methods have failed.

7. Additional measures: DNS and host level lock

For advanced users who want to completely block ad servers, network-level methods are suitable:

• 🌐 Change of change DNS: use 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare or 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS) customized Wi-Fi/This blocks some of the ad domains.
• 📜 Editing the hosts file: add to /system/etc/hosts Blocking Xiaomi Advertising Domains (requires root rights or ADB). Example: 127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com 127.0.0.1 tracking.miui.com
• 🛡️ Blocking Apps: Blokada or AdGuard can filter advertising traffic without root.

These methods are effective against network advertising, but will not help if pop-ups are generated locally (e.g., by a virus).

FAQ: Frequent questions about pop-up notifications on Xiaomi