Redmi 9 smartphones are deservedly popular due to their excellent price-to-performance ratio, but users are often annoyed by the intrusive advertising built into the MIUI shell. It can appear as pop-ups after running applications, banners in system utilities or recommendations in desktop folders. Fortunately, the Android operating system and Xiaomi’s proprietary add-on provide tools to completely eliminate this visual noise.
The process of clearing the device from advertising modules does not require deep knowledge of programming or obtaining root access rights. All the necessary actions are performed through a standard settings menu that is available to every owner. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to deactivate the MSA system service, disable personalized recommendations and configure the browser to make your Xiaomi Redmi 9 work clean and fast.
Before we make any changes, it is important to understand that some interface elements may be called differently depending on the firmware version. We will use the current menu item names that occur in global versions of MIUI. Disabling the MSA system service is a key step, as it is responsible for loading and displaying advertising content in the interface.
Disabling MSA Service and Advertising Personalization
The first and most important step is to deactivate MIUI System Ads (MSA), a system process that is responsible for receiving and displaying advertising material in embedded applications, and without disabling it, other settings may not be effective as the system will constantly try to download new banners.
To start, you need to find the appropriate item in the settings menu. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data. In the list that opens, find msa and turn the switch to the “Switched off” position, the system will warn you that some functions may stop working correctly, and will suggest waiting 10 seconds before confirming.
⚠️ Attention: After the service is disconnected MSA In some cases, banner ads may disappear within 24 hours, not instantly. If the ads remain a day later, repeat the deactivation procedure again.
Next, disable personalization of ad recommendations, which allows the system to collect your preferences to show more relevant, yet intrusive, ads, and it is located along the Settings path → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services.
Setup of Xiaomi system applications
After a basic security setup, you need to go through key system applications that are often used by Redmi 9 owners, and the ads are built into them in the form of recommendations in folders, news feeds and start pages, disabling these features will significantly clean the interface.
Start with the Security app, which is the control center of the system, and open it, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find the Receive Recommendations section. The switch needs to be set to an inactive state. Similar actions are required for the Downloads app, where the settings menu also requires you to remove the tick from the Show Recommended item.
Special attention should be paid to the Themes app, as it often offers paid content and banner ads on the store’s home screen. Go to the user profile (human icon), select Settings, and disable the options “Show Ads” and “Personal Recommendations”, which will make the store even more neutral directory.
☑️ Verification of system applications
Remember to check the folder settings on your desktop. Often when you open the application folder at the bottom of the screen, you see a tape with recommended games. To remove it, open any folder, click on its name and turn off the "Recommended" option in the menu that appears.
Managing notifications and pop-ups
Even after the core services are disabled, some apps can continue to send advertising notifications or pop-ups on top of other programs. Android and MIUI have effective mechanisms to control this behavior, which allow you to block specific sources of annoyance.
To combat pop-up ads (when a window suddenly appears on the screen with an offer to install a game or buy goods), the application manager function is used. Go to Settings → Annexes → App Manager, find a suspicious app (often memory cleaners, flashlights, or simple games), select Other Permissions, and disable Display on top of other apps».
Also worth checking is the notification settings for system services. Sometimes ads are broadcast by Mi Credit or Mi Video services. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management, find these applications and turn off notifications completely for them or leave only critical ones.
| source of advertising | Where to turn off | Type of lockdown |
|---|---|---|
| MSA Service | Access to personal data | Complete shutdown of service |
| Security Annex | Settings within the application | Disabling recommendations |
| Pop-ups | Application Manager | Prohibiting display over others |
| Folders on the desktop | The name of the folder | Disabling the recommendation tape |
| Mi browser | Settings → Notifications | Blocking push notifications |
What if the advertisement appears at a random moment?
Cleaning up the Mi browser and third-party browsers
The standard Mi Browser browser preinstalled on Redmi 9 is often a source of news feeds and push notifications from affiliate sites. If you prefer to use it, you need to carefully customize it. If not, consider alternatives.
To minimize ads in Mi Browser, open the app, go to the menu (three bars) → Settings → Notifications. You should turn off all items related to news, promotions and recommendations. Also, in the "Main" section, you can turn off the display of the news feed, leaving only the search bar, which will make the start page clean and fast.
However, the most effective solution to completely get rid of advertising on the Internet is to install a third-party browser with a built-in blocker, such as Brave, DuckDuckGo or Firefox with addons. After installing such a browser, it is recommended to make it the default application. To do this, go to Settings → Applications → Default Applications → Browser and select the option you installed.
⚠️ Note: When you install a new browser, the system may ask for confirmation of the default application change several times and suggest that you return the Mi Browser settings. Be persistent in choosing so that the system remembers your preferences.
Using DNS to block advertising at the network level
One of the most effective and elegant ways to remove ads from the Xiaomi Redmi 9 smartphone is to use a private DNS. This method allows you to block advertising requests at the Internet connection level without requiring the installation of additional applications and without consuming the battery.
The way the technology works is that when an app tries to load an ad banner, it goes to a server with a specific address. Private DNS redirects that request to nowhere, and the ads simply don't load. In modern versions of Android (starting with version 9), this feature is built into the system.
To activate, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the “DNS Provider Host Name” option and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Once you save the setting, restart the device. This step blocks ads not only in the browser, but also in many free games and applications.
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If some websites or applications (such as carrier services) stop loading after enabling a private DNS, temporarily disable this feature or add an exception to your router settings if you have such an option.
Resetting the advertising identifier and additional measures
Even after all the settings, the system still has an advertising ID (AAID), which is used by marketers to track your actions, and its periodic reset helps confuse data collection algorithms and reduce the frequency of targeted advertising.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → Privacy → Advertising (the path may vary depending on the version of MIUI, sometimes found in Google → Advertising). Click Reset Advertising ID or Delete Advertising ID. This procedure is recommended to be done every few months.
Also worth paying attention to is the Cleaner app if it is installed separately or is part of the Security app. Its settings often hide items about getting recommendations and displaying news. Check all tabs inside the cleaning app and remove all ticks associated with content.
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A comprehensive approach that includes disabling MSA, configuring DNS and checking application permissions ensures that 99% of ads on the Xiaomi Redmi 9 are removed.
And the final touch is to install specialized blocking apps like AdGuard, which create localization. VPN-You can tunnel the device and filter traffic, but remember, you can use a constant tunnel. VPN-Connections can slightly increase battery consumption.