How to permanently remove ads on Xiaomi Redmi: from system banners to push notifications

Why is there an ad on Redmi and can it be removed?

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi smartphones often face one annoying nuance: system advertising penetrates anywhere — in the settings menu, on the lock screen, in notifications and even in standard applications like Weather or Music. The reason lies in the proprietary shell MIUI, which collects user data by default and shows targeted ads. It is not a virus and not a failure — so Xiaomi monetizes its devices by selling cheap smartphones with a “hidden fee” in the form of advertising.

The good news is that most banners can be disabled without root rights or third-party software. The bad news is that some types of ads (such as the Theme or Browser) require drastic measures. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways for 2026, including hidden MIUI settings that are not dokumented in the official help. Importantly, after updating the firmware, some of the settings may reset — they will have to be reconfigured.

Before you start, check the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone. The instructions below work for MIUI 12/13/14, but may be different for older versions (e.g. MIUI 11 and below). If you have Redmi on Android One (models like Redmi A1), there are no ads there by default - the problem is only with clean MIUI.

📊 Which advertisements annoy you the most?
Banners in settings
Push notifications
Advertising in apps (Weather, Music)
Advertising on the lock screen
All of the above.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in your Mi Account

The first step is to limit the collection of data about you. Xiaomi uses information from Mi Account to serve targeted ads. Even if you are not logged in, the system collects anonymous data, but with the account, ads become more accurate (and intrusive).

How to turn it off:

  • 📱 Open the Settings. → Mi Account (if not authorized, skip this step).
  • 🔍 Go to Mi Account. → Account settings → Personalization of recommendations.
  • 🚫 Turn off sliders: Personalized recommendations (master switch) Recommendations based on the use of Interest-Based Advertising
  • 🔄 Restart your phone – changes will apply after restart.

This method reduces the amount of advertising in system applications (for example, in the Weather or Calendar), but does not remove it completely.

⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Account to sync notes, contacts, or photos, disabling personalization will not delete the data you have already collected. To completely reset your ad profile, you will have to delete your Mi Account and create a new one — but this will result in the loss of synchronized data.

Personalized recommendations|Recommendations based on use|Interest-based advertising|Collection of location data (in Settings) → Confidentiality)-->

Method 2: Hidden MIUI settings (without root)

Xiaomi hides some of the ad settings in the developer menu, which are undocumented but work on most Redmi devices (checked on Redmi Note 10/11/12, Redmi 9/10, POCO X3/X4).

Instructions:

  1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on the MIUI Version (you will be notified "You are a developer").

Settings → Additional → For Developers

Debugging

  • Disable MIUI ads (if any)
  • Limit background activity (reduces push advertising)
  • Go back to the basic settings and open Settings → Special features → System settings.
  • Find Remove Ads or Limit System Notifications and activate it.
  • Connect Redmi to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
  • Open the command line (cmd) in the folder with Platform Tools and execute the commands in turn: adb devices adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution If the first command does not show your device – install Xiaomi drivers or try another one. USB-cable.

After execution, the advertisement will disappear from:

  • 📱 Lock screen
  • ⚙️ Settings menu (banners at the top)
  • 🌦️ Weather Annexes
  • 🎵 Music applications

⚠️ Note: The pm hide command only works on MIUI 12.5+. For older versions, use the alternative: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution But this method can cause malfunctions in some system applications (for example, Theme or Browser).

What if the ADB can’t see the device?
1. Check if debugging is included on USB (Sometimes you need to restart your phone after activation. 2. Install Xiaomi drivers from the official website (Support section). → Drivers). 3. Try another one. USB-cable (original better). 4. Select Configuration from the Developer Menu USB → File transfer (MTP). 5. If you are using Windows, run cmd on behalf of the administrator.

Method 4: Remove system applications without root (for advanced)

Some MIUI apps (Msa, Analytics, MiuiDaemon) are directly responsible for displaying ads, and can be removed without root, but this requires caution – incorrect actions can lead to a bootloop.

List of safe apps to remove (checked on Redmi Note 11):

  • 🗑️ com.miui.analytics – statistics collection
  • 🗑️ com.xiaomi.midrop – an unnecessary file sharing service
  • 🗑️ com.miui.systemAdSolution – the main module of advertising
  • 🗑️ com.miui.bugreport – sending error reports (not critical)

How to delete:

  1. Connect via ADB (see previous section).
  2. Execute the command for each application: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics
  3. Reboot the phone.

If you have problems after deleting (for example, the Topic or the Browser does not work), restore the application by command:

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.miui.analytics

💡

Removing system applications without root is temporary, and after resetting or updating MIUI, they will recover. Permanent removal requires root or custom firmware.

Method 5: Alternative firmware (for power users)

If you're not just annoyed by ads, but by the MIUI shell itself with its "chips" (like not having an appbar or aggressively optimizing your battery), consider installing custom firmware. It's a radical method, but it's guaranteed to remove all ads and give you more freedom to customize.

Popular firmware for Redmi:

  • 📱 Pixel Experience – pure Android with Google Pixel features.
  • 🔄 LineageOS - stable firmware without excess software.
  • ⚡ Xiaomi.eu – modified MIUI Advertising-free and Chinese-based.
  • 🛡️ ArrowOS – Lightweight firmware with a focus on privacy.

What you need to install:

  1. Unlocked bootloader (instructions on the Xiaomi website, requires a wait of 7-30 days).
  2. Castomic recovery (e.g., TWRP)
  3. Download firmware (check compatibility with the Redmi! model).

Installation process:

  1. Make a backup of data (firmware wipes everything from the phone).
  2. Boot in TWRP (button combination depends on the model, usually Power + Vol Up).
  3. Run Wipe → Advanced Wipe (mark Dalvik, Cache, System, Data).
  4. Install the firmware through Install.
  5. Restart (the first launch can take 10-15 minutes).

⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware will void warranty and may result in a brick device. Before the procedure, check if your model is supported on the forums. XDA Developers or 4PDA. Some banks (for example, Sberbank) block access to applications on uncertified firmware.

How to return the official MIUI after custom firmware?
1. Download the official firmware for your model from MIUI Downloads. 2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root of the phone's memory. 3. Download to TWRP and select Install → update.zip. 4. Once installed, run Wipe Cache/Dalvik and restart. 5. If the phone doesn't boot, use the Flash Mi Tool to run through Fastboot (instructions on Xiaomi's website).

Method 6: Blocking Advertising via DNS or VPN

If previous methods didn’t help or you don’t want to dig into the settings, you can block Xiaomi’s ad servers at the network level.This won’t remove banners completely, but it will significantly reduce their number.

Option 1: Change the DNS on your phone

  1. Go to Settings → Connections → Private DNS.
  2. Select the Private DNS Host Name and type in: dns.adguard.com (blocks ads and trackers) or 1.1.1.3 (Cloudflare with malicious sites blocked)

Save and restart the phone.

Option 2: Use a VPN with ad blocking

Apps like AdGuard or Blokada filter traffic and block ad domains. Install them from Google Play and activate the protection. Minus: some VPNs can slow down the Internet.

List of Xiaomi domains that can be blocked manually (for advanced users):

api.ad.xiaomi.com


sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com




tracker.ai.xiaomi.com




data.mistat.xiaomi.com




sa.api.intl.miui.com

Add them to the blacklist in AdGuard or similar settings.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users have trouble trying to remove ads, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

  • 🔄 "After updating MIUI commercials are back" → Repeat the settings from Method 1 and Method 2. Xiaomi resets some settings when you update.
  • 🚫 "I can’t turn off personalized recommendations – the button is inactive" → Log in to Mi Account or reset its settings (Settings) → Mi Account → Get out).
  • 📵 "ADB can't see the device" → Install Xiaomi drivers and check the cable (see spoiler in Method 3).
  • 🔧 "After removing system applications, notifications stopped working" → Restore com.miui.analytics (Team in Method 4).
  • 🔒 "I can't unlock the bootloader" → Xiaomi requires an account to be linked to a device and wait (7 to 30 days.

If none of these methods worked, your Redmi model may be using a special version of MIUI (for example, for China or India), in which case only Xiaomi.eu firmware or other custom build will help.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

❓ Why after disabling advertising in the settings it still appears in the app "Theme"?
The Theme app (com.android.themes) uses separate ad-show mechanisms to remove banners: Open the Theme app. Go to Profile → Settings → Recommendations. Turn off all personalization sliders. Clear the app cache (Settings → Apps → Theme → Storage → Clear cache). If that doesn't work, delete app updates or disable it via ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.themes.
❓ Can I remove the ads on the lock screen?
Yes, for that: Open the Settings → Lock screen. Turn off the weather and the recommendations. If the ads are still there, use them. ADB-On some models (Redmi Note 12), the lock ads disappear after installing an alternative launcher (for example, Nova Launcher).
❓ Will there be any warranty issues if I remove system applications through ADB?
No, using ADB to disable applications does not violate the warranty, as it does not require unlocking the bootloader or root. However: If you uninstall a critical application (for example, com.android.phone), the phone may stop working. When you contact the service center, it is better to return all settings to the original state (adb shell cmd package install-existing command).
❓ How to Check Which Apps Show Ads?
Install the App Inspector app or Package Name Viewer from Google Play, which shows: List of all installed apps (including system ones) and access rights for each application (look for suspicious permissions like: INTERNET or ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE). Background processes (e.g. com.miui.analytics) You can also use NetGuard to show which applications are connected to ad servers.
❓ Are these methods working on POCO and Black Shark?
Yes, all the methods in this article apply to: POCO X3/X4/X5 (based on MIUI for POCO), Black Shark 4/5 (using a modified MIUI), Redmi K40/K50 and other flagship models. Except for Android One devices (such as Redmi A1 or POCO M5), where there are no ads by default.