How to permanently remove ads on Xiaomi Redmi 9

Xiaomi smartphones are deservedly hugely popular due to their excellent price-performance ratio. However, owners of budget models such as the Redmi 9 often encounter intrusive ads built into the MIUI shell. This annoys many users who are used to a clean interface and can slow down the device.

Fortunately, it allows you to disable most ad units without getting root rights and flashing the device. You don't have to be a programmer or an experienced engineer to return comfort to the gadget, you just need to go through several settings menus consistently and change the settings of system applications.

In this article, we will take a closer look at each step needed to completely clear the interface of marketing content. We will look at both standard settings and more advanced methods of blocking through DNS. Following the instructions, you can enjoy the speed of the Redmi 9 without unnecessary visual interference.

Disabling the MSA system advertising service

The main source of intrusive offers in the system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) process, which analyzes your actions and selects the relevant content for display, the first and most important step is to force it to stop.

First, you need to go to the settings menu of your smartphone. Find the About Phone section and click on the MIUI shell version several times to activate the developer mode if it's not already on. Then move on to special features management.

In the settings menu, find Passwords and Security and select Data Access. In the app list that opens, find msa and turn off the network access slider. The system will warn you of the consequences, but you need to do this to remove ads.

⚠️ Attention: When disconnected MSA The system may display a countdown timer several times (usually 10 seconds) requiring confirmation of action. Don't give up and wait for the timer to end, then press the switch off button again.

After successfully disabling network access for msa, it is recommended to also find in the list of MIUI Daemon and GetApps applications, limiting their background activity, which will help reduce the load on the processor and battery.

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If the MSA shutdown slider returns to its original position immediately, try to turn off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) before performing the procedure, and then try again.

Setup of the built-in browser Mi Browser

Xiaomi’s standard browser often becomes a source of pop-ups and news feeds, and to make it a convenient surfing tool, you need to change several privacy settings.

Open the browser app and click on the three menu bars at the bottom of the screen. Go to Settings, then select Privacy and Security. Here you are interested in the Recommendation option, which should be converted to an inactive state.

Then go back to the main browser settings menu and find the Notifications section. Disable all items related to news and promotions, leaving only the necessary system notifications if you need them, which will clear the start page of information noise.

Also worth checking the homepage settings. Make sure that the homepage is a clean search engine, not a Yahoo or Google Discover news aggregator with inlays, which will significantly speed up the browser loading at launch.

• 🚫 Disable "Receive recommendations" in the Privacy section.
• 🔔 Prohibit notifications from news services.
• 🏠 Set a clean start page without widgets.

Cleaning the application Security and Downloads

The Security app is the smartphone's control center, but by default it also broadcasts ads. To remove banners from this section, you need to dig into its internal settings.

Launch the Security app and click on the settings gear in the top right corner. Find Receive recommendations and turn it off. This action will remove the ad blocks from the main window of the cleaning and antivirus application.

The Download app deserves special attention, and often it is through it that advertising notifications about “wonderful” offers get to the phone, go to the download settings (usually three dots in the corner) and turn off the option to Show recommended content.

Also, be sure to check the settings of the antivirus built into the system. In some versions of MIUI, it may offer the installation of additional applications or cleaning the memory with ads, deactivating these features will make the phone more predictable.

Blocking Advertising through Private DNS

One of the most effective methods of combating advertising in all applications is the use of private DNS. This method does not require the installation of third-party software and works at the network connection level.

Go to Settings of your Redmi 9, then select Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi). DNS (Private DNS). Select the mode "Host Name of the provider" DNS" (or "manually").

In the field you enter, you need to specify the address of a special server that filters advertising traffic. The most reliable and verified option is the address dns.adguard.com. Enter it carefully, without unnecessary spaces and symbols.

dns.adguard.com

After saving the settings, the phone can lose its connection to the Internet for a few seconds, after which the connection will recover. Now most banners in games, free apps and browsers will stop loading, as requests to ad servers will be blocked.

⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-servers may slightly increase ping in online games.If you are a professional esportsman, test this method carefully.

It’s worth noting that this method doesn’t block ads inside YouTube or Instagram apps, as it loads from the same domains as the main content, but for web surfing and simple games, it’s a great solution.

Disabling recommendations in system folders

The MIUI shell likes to add "Recommended Apps" to folders on the desktop, which is the folder where you shortcut and at the bottom of which (suddenly) icons of other programs appear.

To remove this item, open any folder on your desktop. Click on the folder name (or three dots, or just an empty space inside the folder, depending on the version of MIUI). In the menu that opens, find the Recommended Applications switch and turn it off.

Now, the folder will only contain apps you put in it yourself, and the interface will be cleaner, and random clicks on advertising icons will be a thing of the past, especially for users who are used to minimalism.

Managing Google’s Personalized Advertising

Even after setting up Xiaomi, there is still an ad from Google that is based on your search history and location, and you can reduce the amount of it through your account settings.

Go to Settings → Google → Advertising. Here you can click Reset Ad ID. This will create a new ID, and the ad networks will start collecting data about you again, which will temporarily reduce the relevance (and quantity) of ads.

And there's also the option on this menu to turn off personalization of ads. Activate them. It won't take away the ads completely, but it won't be intrusively tailored to your interests, which often makes them less annoying.

• 🔄 Reset your advertising ID once a month.
• 🚫 Turn off personalization in Google settings.
• 📍 Check Location History for Targeting Accuracy.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, configuring DNS and cleaning system applications, eliminates 95% of all ads on Redmi 9 without loss of functionality.