Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear in the most unexpected places: when unlocking the screen, in standard applications or even on top of the interface of other programs. This phenomenon has become a side effect of the company’s strategy to offer devices at an affordable price, offsetting costs by monetizing MIUI software. However, for many users, this approach becomes a serious obstacle, reducing the comfort of using the gadget and distracting from basic tasks.
Fortunately, the current versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14 provide enough tools to minimize or eliminate this digital noise. You don't have to have superuser rights or reflash your device to get back a clean interface. In this article, we'll go into detail about all the known methods of blocking advertising content, from system settings to advanced methods of controlling network queries.
Before we make any changes, it’s important to understand the nature of these notifications. Often, it’s not just Xiaomi’s system services that are annoying, but also third-party apps that have been over-authorized. A comprehensive approach to security and privacy settings will get you rid of 99% of unwanted content. Let’s start with the most important thing: disabling the built-in ad module of the system.
Disabling the MSA system advertising module
The main source of intrusive offerings in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which is responsible for collecting data about your actions and displaying targeted advertising in the interface. To limit its impact, you need to find the appropriate item in the authorization menu and turn it off. It is worth noting that the disconnect button may be inactive from the first time, and the system will try to keep the user by offering to wait or showing a timer.
The deactivation process requires care, because the interface may not be obvious. If the "Disable" button does not respond or becomes gray after a few seconds, just try again. Usually on the second or third attempt, the system allows you to complete the procedure. It is not a bug, but a specially implemented mechanism for keeping the user in the advertising ecosystem, which, however, is easily bypassed by persistence.
⚠️ Attention: After the service is disconnected MSA Advertising in standard applications may not disappear instantly, but within 24 hours.
To do this, go to the settings menu and find the password and security section, and you'll need to find the authorization and advertising section, and the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic remains the same: you're looking for a switch that allows the system to display personalized ads, and turning that off is the first and most important step to a clean interface.
☑️ Checking the ad-off
Set up standard Xiaomi applications
Even after the core MSA module is disabled, individual system utilities can continue to show ad units, including apps like Explorer, Music, Video, Cleanup and Themes, each with its own hidden settings that need to be activated manually, ignoring this step will leave your phone vulnerable to pop-ups when running specific programs.
Consider an example of setting up a popular security app, which often shows third-party service offers when checking the system. Go to the app, click on the settings gear in the upper right corner and find "Get recommendations." Move the switch to the inactive position. Similar actions must be repeated for the Explorer (setting menu) → About the annex → Advertising) and Appendices Topics (Profile) → Settings → Showing ads).
- 📱 Topics: Requires a separate profile login to disable wallpaper shop recommendations.
- 🧹 Cleanup: often offers to install additional antivirus or accelerators that should be prohibited in the settings.
- 🎵 Music and Video: have hidden items in the About app menu, where advertising is also hidden.
- 🔒 Security: The main gateway for system notifications, requiring thorough verification of all subsections.
Keep in mind that system updates may return some default settings, checking these settings periodically will help keep your device clean, especially after major Android updates or a change in MIUI version, when the company may change its privacy policy.
Blocking notifications from browsers and websites
Users often confuse Xiaomi’s system ads with intrusive notifications from sites they accidentally subscribed to in the browser. If you have windows popping up with news, weather forecasts or game offers at random, chances are the problem lies in the permissions of the Chrome browser or MIUI Browser. This is not a virus, but a standard push notification mechanism that requires manual control.
To fix this problem, you need to go to the notification settings of a particular browser. In Google Chrome, the path looks like this: three dots in the corner. → Settings → Site settings → Notifications. Here you'll see a list of all sites that are allowed to send pushi. Ruthlessly delete or block any suspicious domains. For built-in browser MIUI The action is similar: the menu → Settings → Notifications and blocker.
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Use Incognito mode to visit suspicious sites – this will prevent you from saving permissions to send notifications after you close the tab.
It is also recommended to install a reliable ad blocker that works at the DNS or browser level, which will create an additional barrier for malicious scripts.
| Locking method | Efficiency | Difficulty setting up | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | High (systemic) | Low. | No. |
| Private DNS | Medium (network) | Medium | Minimum |
| Blockers (AdGuard) | Maximum | Tall. | Notable. |
| Manual shutdown in applications | Partial | Tall. | No. |
Using Private DNS to filter traffic
One of the most elegant and effective ways to remove ads on Android, including Xiaomi devices, is to use the Private feature. DNS (Private DNS). This method allows you to redirect everything. DNS-requesting your phone through a server that automatically blocks domains known for spreading ads and trackers.This works globally for all apps and browsers without requiring the installation of additional software.
To activate this feature, go to your phone's settings, select Connect and Sharing (or Advanced Settings in older versions of MIUI) and find Private DNS. The default is Auto. You need to select Host Name DNS Provider and enter a trusted server address. One of the most popular and trusted solutions is dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comOnce you enter the address, save the settings. Now your phone will filter traffic at the request level. If a site or app tries to download an ad banner from a known server, the request will be blocked and you will see an empty space or an accelerated page loading. However, it is worth remembering that this method is not ideal: it can sometimes conflict with public Wi-Fi networks that require authorization through the browser.
What to do if Wi-Fi stops working?
Analysis and removal of malicious applications
If the ad appears suddenly, covers the entire screen or occurs when the phone is lying idle, chances are that you have encountered Adware malware. Unlike Xiaomi system advertising, such programs are often disguised as useful utilities: flashlights, scanners. QR-They may not have an icon on the desktop, hiding in the back of the system.
To find the culprit, look at the device behavior. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps and look carefully at the list. Look for programs without a name, with an empty icon or those that you did not install consciously. Often these applications have an installation date that coincides with the moment the problem occurred. It is also useful to check the section "Special features", where malware often requests permissions to overlay windows on top of others.
- 🔍 Checking the App List: Look for weird names or missing icons.
- 🛡️ Google Play Protect: Run a crawl through the Play Market Store to find known threats.
- 📉 Consumption analysis: see the battery statistics, which application is actively working in the background.
- 🚫 Installation prohibition: disable the ability to install applications from unknown sources for all programs.
⚠️ Note: If the malicious application is not removed in the standard way (the Remove button is inactive), go to the settings of this application and click "Revoke device administrator permissions.
In difficult cases, when a virus blocks access to settings, try to start the phone in Safe Mode. To do this, press the turn off button, and then (hold) the "Switch off" option on the screen until the prompt to go to Safe Mode appears, in which only system applications are downloaded, allowing you to safely remove malicious software.
Specificity of work in the mode of the developer
For advanced users who want to get maximum control over their Xiaomi Mi device, there are methods available through the developer menu. Although the standard methods described above help in 95% of cases, sometimes more fine-tuning is required. However, be extremely careful: changing the parameters in this section can lead to unstable system operation.
One of the useful features is the ability to view running services, which helps to identify hidden processes that consume resources and can be associated with advertising modules. To get to the developer menu, you need to quickly click 7 times on the build number in the About section. Once the corresponding notification appears, the menu will open in additional settings.
You can find the "Do Not Stay Activity" option or the background process limit here. Setting a background process limit of 1 or 2 can prevent hidden ad units from running in the background, but it will also lead to more aggressive closure of the apps you want, such as instant messengers. Use these settings only if you understand the consequences. Also, you can turn off animations in this section, which will visually speed up the interface, although it will not directly affect advertising.
There is a myth that you can completely cut out ad packages through ADB (Android Debug Bridge). Indeed, you can freeze system components with the pm disable-user command. For example, the Mi Video disable command looks like pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer. But remember, freezing system components can disrupt other parts of the MIUI, so do it only with an understanding of what the specific package is responsible for.
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Use of the ADB-commands to remove system applications are a powerful tool, but it requires accuracy. A mistake in the name of the package can lead to a cyclic restart of the phone (bootloop).