Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter intrusive content in the most unexpected places of the interface. One of the most annoying manifestations is advertising in the system Explorer, which opens when managing files. Instead of a clean list of folders and documents, the screen is filled with banners, news feeds and offers to download applications, which significantly slows down work and distracts from tasks.
Fortunately, aggressive marketing can be turned off by returning the device to its original appearance. The deactivation process does not require obtaining superuser rights or flashing the gadget; it is enough to change several settings in the security menu and the parameters of the Explorer application itself.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at the algorithm for current versions of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS. You will learn to block the MSA service, disable personalized recommendations and find hidden switches that return the system to utilitarianity and speed.
The nature of advertising in system applications
MIUI's advertising integrations are implemented at the system service level, which is formally responsible for content personalization, and the main source of banners is MSA (MIUI System Ads), which analyzes your actions and loads your ad units into your calendar, music, theme and, of course, into your file manager.
Additionally, apps like Explorer or Music have their own internal recommendation settings, so even if you turn off the global MSA service, local settings can continue to stream content unless you manually change them, so that a user unfamiliar with the system’s intricacies doesn’t accidentally miss an “important offer.”
It is worth noting that with the release of the HyperOS shell, Xiaomi has slightly changed the approach to monetization, making the interface “cleaner out of the box”, but the mechanisms of hidden advertising have not gone anywhere. They simply became less noticeable or moved to other sections of the menu.
Why does the advertisement appear after the update?
Disabling MSA Service and Personalization
The first and most important step is to deactivate the system, and without that, the rest of the manipulations may not be effective, so you need to find the settings that are responsible for authorizing and operating the ad modules.
To start, go to the smartphone settings menu. Find the Password and Security section (some versions may simply call it "Security"). Next, select Access to Personal Data or Special Permits. In the list that opens, find the msa service and turn off the slider.
The system will try to dissuade you by running a countdown of 10 seconds and suggesting that you stay. This is the normal behavior of the interface. After the time has expired, press "Disable." You may have to repeat the procedure 2-3 times, since the server may not respond the first time.
☑️ Shutdown algorithm MSA
In parallel, it is recommended to disable ad personalization. Go to Settings → Password and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Here you need to deactivate the option “Receive personalized advertising.” This action will reset your advertising ID, and the algorithms will begin to show less relevant, but also less intrusive content.
⚠️ Note: After disabling the msa service, in some rare cases, desktop widgets or themes that depend on Xiaomi's online services may stop working correctly. If you notice a failure, temporarily turn the service back on.
Configure the built-in application Explorer
After the global settings, you need to tame the file manager application itself, which has its own set of parameters that duplicate the system, but work independently. Open the Explorer application (folder icon).
Click on the menu icon (usually three bars or dots) in the top corner of the screen and select Settings. Find the About section or just scroll down. You need to find the Get Recommendations switch and turn it off. This is the setting responsible for the news feed and banners on the homepage.
Also worth checking is the Cleanup section inside the Explorer settings, which often hides items that suggest speeding up the phone, which are actually disguised ads for optimizer apps, and turning off those options makes the interface highly functional.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Recommended value | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receive recommendations | Conductor → Settings | Off. | Remove banners on the main screen |
| Show hidden files | Conductor → Settings | By choice. | Affects the visibility of system folders |
| Autoboot | Phone settings → Applications | Forbidden. | Saves battery and traffic |
| Internet access | Security → Network access | Limited. | Blocks ads loading |
It is important to understand that the names of items may vary slightly depending on the regional firmware (Global, China, EEA) and the version of Android.
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Use Flight mode to check, and if you turn on the air mode and open the conductor, and the ads disappear, it's loading online, and blocking network access for this application will solve the problem radically.
Blocking through security settings and network
If standard methods didn’t help clean the interface completely, you can apply tougher measures through the system application Security, which is an built-in antivirus and optimizer that every Xiaomi device has.
Open the Security app, scroll down to Network Access (or Traffic Control → Network Access). In the list, look for the Explorer app (or File Manager).
Blocking Internet access for the system conductor completely eliminates the possibility of downloading advertising banners, since they simply have nowhere to get content, while local work with files (copying, renaming, deleting) will continue to function normally.
However, this method has a side effect: you won’t be able to use cloud-based Explorer features if you need them, such as downloading wallpaper from a directory or checking files for viruses in an online database.
⚠️ Note: Do not disable network access for system components named "Security","MIUI Daemon or System UI" without a clear understanding of the consequences, it can disrupt notifications and synchronization.
Use of Third-Party File Managers
The alternative and often most effective solution is to completely abandon the standard application in favor of third-party counterparts. Third-party developers, as a rule, do not embed aggressive advertising in the basic functionality, since their business model is based on premium versions or donations, rather than selling user data.
Popular options such as Files by Google, Solid Explorer or Google FX File Explorer, offer more powerful functionality, support for cloud storage, FTP-They don't have news feeds or hot videos on the home screen.
- 📂 Files by Google – Minimalist, clean design, excellent garbage cleanup, deep integration with Android.
- 🔒 Solid Explorer – dual-panel mode, support for plugins, file encryption, beautiful Material Design interface.
- ⚡ FX File Explorer – powerful engine, support for network protocols, built-in media player and text editor.
To replace the standard Explorer, install the selected analog from Google Play. When you first start, ask which application to use by default to open files. Select a new manager and click "Always".
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Installing a third-party explorer is not just an icon replacement, but a move to a higher level of file system management with better performance.
Radical methods and ADB-team
For advanced users who want to securely remove advertising modules, there is a method of using debugging by USB tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method allows you to delete or freeze system applications that are not removed in the standard way.
You'll need a computer, USB-cable and installed drivers ADB. On the phone, you need to activate the developer mode (7 times click on the build number in "About the phone") and turn on "Debugging by USB".
Connecting the smartphone to the PC, execute the command to remove the MSA component:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misysYou can also remove or freeze the conductor itself if you plan to use a third-party:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.fileexplorerThis method requires caution: an error in the name of the package can lead to unstable operation of the system. Always check the name of the package before entering a command.
⚠️ Note: Removal of system components through ADB This can cause loss of warranty or software failures (bootloop.