How to Remove Ads From Xiaomi Phone: The Complete Guide

Ownership of the Xiaomi brand is often overshadowed by intrusive advertising notices that pop up in the most unexpected places. Users may encounter banners in standard apps, when unlocking the screen, or even in system utilities, a consequence of the company's policy of subsidizing the cost of devices by monetizing user attention.

However, there are many ways to minimize or completely remove ads from Xiaomi’s phone without having to resort to complex manipulation of superuser rights. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the available methods, from simple switches in settings to more advanced techniques for blocking system processes.

Before you start taking action, it is important to understand that some advertising modules are deeply integrated into the MIUI shell. Therefore, to achieve maximum effect, you will need to perform a series of actions in different sections of the menu.

Disabling personalized advertising in the system

The first step that every device owner needs to take is to turn off the personalization service, which collects your preferences and generates promotional offers from it, and without it, all other activities may not be effective enough.

To start, you should go to the basic settings of your smartphone. Find a section that can be called Passwords and Security or just Security in different versions of the firmware. Inside this menu, you should find the "Access to Data" or "Special Features" item where the desired switch is hidden.

Find the line "Stop Personalization Service" (or msa) and put the slider inactive. The system will require you to wait 10 seconds, then prompt you to confirm the action. Importantly, you need to press the "Stop" button quickly until the countdown time has expired, otherwise the process will have to be repeated.

⚠️ Warning: If the Personalization Service switch doesn't turn off the first time and returns to its original position, try turning off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) before trying again.

Once the service is successfully disabled, the system will stop collecting analytics for targeted advertising, but this will not remove all banners instantly, since cached ads can still be displayed in the interface for some time.

Setup of the system application Security

One of the main sources of intrusive notifications is the standard Security app, which regularly offers “clean up garbage” or “speed up work” with banner ads, and to get rid of them, you need to change the internal settings of this application.

Open the Security app and click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen. In the menu that opens, look for the Settings section and look for Receive Recommendations. Turn off this feature to stop seeing promotional offers in the antivirus and optimizer interface.

Also worth paying attention to is the Cleanup section, which often hides a separate switch inside it that is responsible for showing ads after the scan is completed, and make sure that all sliders containing the words "Recommendations" or "Advertising" are translated into the "Off" position.

Once these steps are done, the Security app will work quietly, performing its direct functions without unnecessary information noise, which will significantly improve the user experience with regular smartphone maintenance.

Removing Advertising in Standard Applications

System applications such as Explorer, Music, Video and Downloads can also contain advertising modules, and each has its disabling settings in different locations, requiring careful attention to each case.

In the File Manager app, you click on the three-bar menu, select Settings, and find the "About Recommendations" item. In the Music and Video app, a similar option is usually found in the profile settings or in the general settings menu called "Show Ads."

For Downloads, the situation is similar: open the menu, go to settings, and look for the About or Recommendations section. You also need to uncheck the ad display box. In some versions of MIUI, this item may be called Get Recommendations.

Don't forget to check the Themes app, too. Even if you don't use third-party designs, it can work in the background. Go to the user profile (the person's icon), click on the settings, and turn off all notifications and ad impressions.

Blocking Advertising through DNS (Private DNS)

One of the most effective and versatile methods, which works not only in the browser but also within many applications, is to use private DNS filtering, which allows you to block requests to known ad servers at the network level.

To implement this method, go to your smartphone settings, select Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi and the Internet). DNS» (Private DNS). By default, there is a mode “Auto” or “Disconnected».

Select Manual mode (or Host Name of the Provider) and enter the address of a dedicated server. One of the most popular and reliable options is dns.adguard.com. After entering the address, save the settings.

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Use only verified DNS-Services such as AdGuard DNS. Entering unknown addresses may result in loss of internet access or leakage of your data.

Once you have set up the settings, the phone can lose the network connection for a second and then restore it, and you'll notice that the number of banner ads in the browser and some games has decreased significantly or disappeared completely, and this method does not require the installation of additional applications.

Disabling MSA and other system services

Other system processes are responsible for advertising, besides personalization, including MIUI Daemon, which collects data about the device's usage, and while it can be difficult to completely shut down, restricting its Internet rights is good.

Go to the settings, find the Apps section, and select All Apps. You will need to find processes named msa, MIUI Daemon, Mi Credit, Mi Video, Mi Music. When you go to each of them, turn off network access (Wi-Fi and mobile data) if this option is available on your firmware version.

Also worth noting is GetApps (formerly Mi Apps), an app store from Xiaomi that often sends notifications about discounts and new items, and if you don’t use this store, preferring Google Play, its notifications can be completely disabled in the app’s notification settings.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when disabling system processes. Do not remove or freeze components that you are not sure of, so as not to disrupt the stability of the operating system.

For more advanced users, there is a possibility of using ADB-commands to remove system ad packages. However, this method requires a connection to a computer and the presence of drivers, so it is recommended only for advanced users.

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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, configuring DNS and cleaning system applications, gives a 95% guarantee of getting rid of advertising in MIUI.

Resetting the advertising identifier

Even after all the settings, a unique advertising ID can be stored in the phone that allows advertisers to track your device, and periodically resetting this ID helps break the tracking chain and reduces the amount of targeted advertising.

To reset, go to settings, select Passwords and Security, then Privacy. In this section, look for Advertising Services or Advertising ID. Click on Reset Advertising ID.

Also on this menu, it is recommended to disable Personalized Ads, which will prevent apps from using your ID to select ads, combined with previous steps, creating a powerful barrier to marketing algorithms.

This procedure is recommended every few months, especially if you notice a rise in pop-ups, and it’s a simple but effective measure of digital hygiene for Android users.

Use of third-party blockers

If the built-in tools are not enough, specialized blocking applications come to the rescue, and they work on the principle of a local VPN, allowing all traffic through their filter and sifting out advertising requests.

One of the most popular solutions is the AdGuard app, which allows you not only to block ads in the browser, but also to filter traffic in other applications. HTTPS-filtering.

Another option is to use browsers with built-in locking, such as Brave or Samsung Internet with plugins connected, which is ideal for those who are mainly faced with advertising when surfing the Internet, rather than in system interfaces.

⚠️ Warning: Installing third-party blockers from unverified sources may pose security risks. Use only official app stores or trusted developer sites.

The choice of a particular tool depends on your needs and level of technical training. For most users, a combination of system settings and a combination of system settings is enough. DNS-filtering.

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