Ownership of Xiaomi’s modern smartphone is often overshadowed by intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places on the interface. Users encounter banners in standard apps, pop-ups when cleaning up memory or even just unlocking the screen. This is a feature of MIUI’s proprietary shell (and its new version of HyperOS), which allows the manufacturer to subsidize the cost of the device through advertising integrations.
Fortunately, the system provides enough tools to get rid of this visual noise completely without having to get the Root superuser rights. You don't have to be a programmer to customize the gadget for yourself. In this article, we'll take a look at all the available methods in detail, from simple menu switches to more advanced ways to block traffic.
Before you start, make sure your phone is charged at least on the right side. 20-30%, Because it can take a while, and we'll go through all the systems services that are responsible for displaying content, and we'll turn them off sequentially, and that will give you a clean interface and make the device faster.
Disabling the MSA System Service
At the heart of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which collects your preferences and translates targeted ads into system applications, and without disabling the service, other settings may not work.
To find the right option, go to the Settings menu → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. In the list you open, find the msa item and put the slider inactive. The system will warn you that a shutdown may affect the operation of certain functions, and will suggest waiting 10 seconds before confirming.
It's important to know that you can't turn off the service the first time, and it's not a bug, it's a feature of protection against accidental shutdown. If the "Disable" button doesn't activate after the timer or an error pops up, just repeat the procedure another 2-3 times. Usually, on 3-4 attempts, the system is surrendered and allows you to deny access.
Why is MSA returning?
⚠️ Attention: After disconnection MSA Advertising does not disappear instantly. It takes 15 minutes to 24 hours for the system to apply changes and update the cache of advertising identifiers.
After a successful shutdown, you will notice that the number of pop-ups in the interface has decreased significantly, but to achieve perfect purity, you need to process other built-in applications that also have their own monetization settings.
Setting up the "Security" application
The standard app Security is one of the main sources of annoyance for users, and it shows ads after every virus check or garbage cleanup, suggesting that you speed up your phone or install recommended games, and disabling those notifications will greatly improve the experience.
Open the Security app and click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen. Here you are interested in General Settings. Find Receive recommendations and deaktivate it. Also, remove the tick from Connect to Wi-Fi automatically if you do not use this feature, as it is often accompanied by advertising banners of networks.
☑️ Checking security settings
Next, you have to configure each cleaning module separately. Go to Clean up inside the security application, click on the settings (three dots or gear) and turn off "Get recommendations" again. Repeat the same operation for the Antivirus, Battery and Memory Acceleration modules. Each of these sections has a hidden settings menu where manufacturers hide ad switches.
- 🛡️ In the Antivirus section, turn off auto-start scanning when installing apps if you want fewer notifications.
- 🔋 In the Battery section, remove the tick from "Receive recommendations" to save charge.
- 🚀 In the Acceleration section, turn off the ad impression after the cleaning process is complete.
- 📶 In the section "Wi-Fi" prohibit automatic connection to open networks with advertising.
Keep in mind that Security updates can reset some settings or return old menu items, and checking this section periodically will help keep the system clean.
Cleaning the desktop and theme “Carousel wallpaper”
The wallpaper carousel feature is often set by default and changes the image on the lock screen to show news feeds and banner ads, which for many users becomes the main source of visual noise that they want to eliminate in the first place.
To remove this, go to Settings → Lock screen. Find wallpaper carousel and turn it off. If you want to leave the change function but no ads, turn off "Show on lock screen" and "Recommendations" inside the carousel settings, but completely disabling the function ensures that no banners are available.
Advertising can also appear in folders on the desktop. MIUI sometimes offers "recommended apps" at the bottom of the open folder. To fix this, open any folder on the desktop, click on its name (to open the folder editing menu) and disable the Recommended Apps switcher.
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If you can’t find the wallpaper carousel settings, try searching for settings to type the word “carousel” or “Glance” – this will speed up access to the desired menu.
It’s also worth checking the settings of the theme itself. Some third-party themes, even free ones, may have built-in ads in the control panel or multitasking menu. If you notice suspicious banners only after you change the theme, go back to the standard Classic or Default theme.
| System component | Where to look for settings | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | Settings → Lock screen | Wallpaper carousel |
| Application folders | Open the folder → The name of the folder | Recommended annexes |
| Wallpaper. | Appendix Topics → Profile | Receive recommendations |
| browser | Settings → Confidentiality | Personalized recommendations |
| Conductor | Settings → About the annex | Receive recommendations |
| Music. | Settings → Advanced settings | Showing ads |
Removing Advertising in Standard Applications
Xiaomi's built-in apps like Explorer, Music, Video and Browser also contain ad modules.They're not as aggressive as MSA, but periodic pop-ups can be annoying. Each service requires a customized approach to setup.
Start with Explorer. Open it, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings → About the app. Here you turn off Receive recommendations. Then when you open files or folders, ads will no longer pop up. In the Music and Video app, the algorithm is similar: go to the settings, find the "Advanced Settings" or "General" section, and deaktiv get recommendations.
Special attention should be paid to the system browser. It is often used by default and can show the news feed on the home page. Go to the browser settings, select Privacy and Security, and disable Personalized Recommendations. It is also recommended to install an ad blocker, such as AdGuard, if you are actively using this browser for surfing.
There is also a hidden setting for Downloads. Open the app, click three dots in the corner, select Settings → About app, and remove the tick from Get Recommendations. This will save you from offering to download “useful” games or apps after you have finished downloading files.
Blocking through Private DNS (Private DNS)
One of the most effective and elegant ways to remove ads is to use Private DNS, which blocks ad requests at the network level without requiring third-party apps to install or using up battery power, and works for all applications at once, including those where it is difficult to find ad settings.
To implement this method, you'll need a server address that filters traffic, one of the most popular and trusted is dns.adguard.com, which automatically screens out requests to known advertising domains, leaving the rest of the Internet traffic unchanged.
To activate the function, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS (the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI). Select Manual mode (or DNS provider hostname) and enter in the box: dns.adguard.com. Save settings.
dns.adguard.comOnce this feature is enabled, the Internet can pause and recover for a second. If sites stop opening, check if the address is spelled correctly - extra spaces or symbols are unacceptable. This method is especially effective in browsers and simple games, but may not work in applications that download ads from the same domains as the main content.
⚠️ Note: When using a third party DNS-In theory, the server owner can see the list of domains you visit. Choose only trusted services with a good reputation, such as AdGuard or Cloudflare.
Resetting the advertising identifier and additional measures
Even after all the settings, the system continues to collect anonymous data for targeting. To minimize this trail, it is recommended to reset the advertising ID. This will not remove the ads completely, but will reset the accumulated profile of your interests, making the ads less personalized and possibly less frequent.
Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Here you will see the Reset Ad ID button. Click on it. Also on this menu, you should turn off Personalized Ads if it is active, which will signal the system not to use your data to select ads.
An additional security measure is to disable automatic updates for system applications via GetApps (Xiaomi App Store).Often, with the Security or Explorer app update, old ad settings can return. Go to the GetApps store, click on the profile and select Settings → App Auto Update by selecting Never or Wi-Fi Only (although it is better to manually control this process).
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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, configuring each application and using Private DNS, gives a 99% guarantee of no advertising on the system.
Remember to check the list of installed applications periodically. Sometimes, when you install programs from unverified sources, you may get miner viruses or ad modules that are not part of Xiaomi’s system, but behave similarly. If you see ads even on your desktop as separate icons, this is a sign of malware that you need to remove through the Application Manager.