Owners of POCO X3 Pro smartphones often face intrusive marketing built right into the shell of MIUI. Advertising banners can appear in system applications, when unlocking the screen or even in folders with programs. This is not a bug, but a feature of the manufacturer's software policy aimed at compensating for the low cost of the device.
Fortunately, you can remove ads in the regular way without having to get super-user rights or flash the device. You only need a little time and care when going through the settings menu. We will discuss all the current ways to make your POCO X3 Pro interface clean and comfortable for daily use.
Disabling ad modules will not only remove visual noise, but also save battery power and mobile internet traffic. In the following sections, we will describe in detail each step necessary to completely clean the system of marketing content.
MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising
The main source of pop-ups and banners in the system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for collecting data about your preferences and showing targeted advertising, and disabling this service is the first and most important step in the fight for a clean interface.
To start, go to the account authorization menu. Find Settings → Mi Account and log in if you haven't already. Then go back to the main settings menu and select Passwords and Security. Here we're interested in the Access to Personal Data section.
In the application list, find msa and switch the slider to an inactive state. The system will alert you to the possible consequences and start a countdown of 10 seconds. After the time has expired, click the "Cancel" button. If there is an error the first time, repeat the procedure 2-3 times - servers sometimes do not respond on the first attempt.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
After successful permission revocation, ads in system folders and widgets should disappear, but to consolidate the result, it is also recommended to disable receiving recommendations from Xiaomi itself.
Set up the system and disable recommendations
Even after the MSA is disabled, some interface elements can continue to offer content, so-called “recommendations” that are embedded in various system utilities, and must be manually disabled in each application separately.
Start with the Security app. Open it, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and you'll find Receive recommendations and deactivate it, and you'll do the same thing in the Music, Video and Download apps.
⚠️ Note: In some versions of the firmware MIUI The path to settings may vary slightly. If you do not find the switch immediately, carefully examine all subsections of the menu of the selected application.
Also worth checking the theme settings. Go to the Themes app, click on the profile avatar and select Settings. Find Updates and disable Auto Update Themes, and remove the tick from Get Recommendations.
Don't forget the lock screen. Often, that's where the wallpaper comes in. Go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. Find the wallpaper carousel section and turn it off completely so that when you unlock it, you don't load the advertising content.
What to do if the MSA slider does not turn off?
Cleaning folders and desktop
One of the most annoying things about the shell is that it has ad shortcuts in folders on the desktop, which usually contain recommendations for installing games or apps from partners, and you can remove them by changing the folder display settings.
Open any folder on your desktop that has advertising icons. Click on the folder name to call the edit menu. In the window that appears, find the Recommended (or "Promoted") switch and turn it off. After that, all intrusive shortcuts will disappear, and only the apps you install will remain.
If the ads appear as banners when swiping left (Google Discover or Yandex screen), they can also be removed. Click the empty space on your desktop to call the screen editing menu. Uncheck the unnecessary widgets or select the "No widgets" option for the left screen.
- 📱 Open the folder with applications on the desktop.
- 📱 Click on the folder name to enter edit mode.
- 📱 Find and disable the "Recommended" switch».
- 📱 Check if the advertising icons are missing from the list.
For users who want to go further, there is the option of using third-party launchers.Installing an alternative desktop, such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher, completely eliminates the appearance of system advertising on the desktop.
Managing personalization and advertising identifier
Android and MIUI use a unique advertising identifier to track your actions, and resetting this identifier and limiting personalization will help reduce the amount of targeted advertising not only on the system, but also on third-party applications.
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy. Go to Advertising Services. In the menu that opens, activate the option “Limit Advertising ID use.” You can also click “Reset Advertising ID” button.
You also need to check Google's settings. Go to Settings → Google → Advertising. You can also reset Google's advertising ID and prevent interest-based advertising from being personalized, a comprehensive approach that increases privacy.
It is important to understand that a complete refusal to collect data may lead to less relevant recommendations in the company’s services, but for many users, the purity of the system is more important than personalized delivery.
Blocking advertising in the browser and applications
Advertising in system interfaces is only half the problem, and often people encounter banners when surfing the Internet or using free apps, and there may not be enough regular funds to solve this problem.
The most effective method is the use of DNS-You don't have to install heavy applications. You just need to change the settings. DNS In the Settings section → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. In the field "Host Name of the provider" DNS» Please enter the address: dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comOnce you save your settings, most of the ads in Chrome, MI Browser and many games will be blocked at the network level, which will also speed up page loading, as the ad scripts will not load.
| Locking method | Efficiency | Impact on the battery | Difficulty setting up |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | High (systemic) | Positive. | Low. |
| DNS filtration | Medium (browsers) | Neutral. | Low. |
| Third-party launcher | High (desktop) | Minor. | Medium |
| Blocking applications | Maximum | Negative. | Tall. |
⚠️ Attention: When using private DNS Some apps or sites may stop working correctly. If you notice connection problems in specific programs, temporarily disable this feature or add exceptions to your router settings if possible.
Additional measures and advanced settings
For those who want to achieve the perfect result, there are deeper customization methods, which require caution, but allow you to remove even residual elements of marketing, one of which is the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) application for PC.
Using ADB, you can uninstall system applications that cannot be removed in the standard way, such as com.miui.misys or com.android.browser (if you don't use the MIUI browser), but removing system components through ADB can cause the device to run unstable, so do so only if you have experience.
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Before any deep interference, make a full backup of your data. Use Mi Cloud or local storage to your computer to keep important contacts and photos from being lost.
Also worth paying attention to notifications from app stores: In the settings of Google Play and GetApps (Xiaomi store), you can turn off push notifications about promotions and new products, which will save you from constantly ringing notifications with offers to download a new game.
Regularly cleaning the browser cache and system applications also helps. Accumulated temporary files sometimes contain advertising modules. Use the built-in Cleanup utility in the Security app, but make sure it doesn't suggest installing unnecessary programs in the process.
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The comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, setting up DNS and disabling personalization, allows you to remove 95-99% of all advertising on the POCO X3 Pro without losing warranty.
In conclusion, it’s worth noting that firmware updates may return some of the default ad settings. Check specified sections periodically after major system updates to keep your POCO X3 Pro free of intrusive marketing.