How to remove ads on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 T: the complete guide

Owners of the popular Redmi Note 8 T series of smartphones often encounter intrusive advertising content that is integrated into the shell of MIUI. These are not viruses in the classical sense, but a system function designed to monetize the affordable cost of the device. However, the constant appearance of banners in folders, news feeds and even when unlocking the screen significantly reduces the comfort of using the gadget.

Fortunately, the developers have left users the ability to manage these settings themselves, although they hid them deep enough. Complete removal of ads on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 T requires sequentially disabling several services responsible for collecting data and displaying content. In this article, we will analyze each step in detail so that you can enjoy a clean system.

The setup process will take no more than 10-15 minutes of your time, but the result is worth it. We will look at both standard methods through the settings menu and more advanced methods if standard options are not available in your firmware version. It is important to perform all actions consistently, since some menu items can be linked.

MSA service shutdown is the main source of banners

The main culprit behind the appearance of ads in the system is the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads), which analyzes your actions and selects relevant commercial content, the first step to a clean interface will be to deactivate it through the standard settings menu.

To start, you need to go to Settings and find Password and Security, and in the list that opens, select Access to Personal Data, and here you can see a list of all the apps that request access to your information, and that's where you want to find msa.

Once the service is found, the switch is inactive, and the system will alert you that some features may stop working correctly, and will prompt you to wait 10 seconds before confirmation, which is a standard procedure for protecting against accidental changes.

⚠️ Warning: If the switch is back to its original position after the first attempt, don't panic. This is a known feature of the shell. 3-5 once in a row until the timer expires and the system accepts your choice.

After successful disabling of msa, the number of pop-ups should be drastically reduced, but to achieve the ideal result, it is also necessary to prohibit the personalization of advertising in other system applications, as will be discussed in the next sections.

Setup of System Applications: Security and Downloads

Even after the main service is disabled, some of Xiaomi’s built-in utilities continue to show recommendations, most often with the Security app, which is the control center of the system, and the download manager, and their settings require separate attention.

In the Security app, you need to click on the gear icon in the top right corner. In the settings menu, you should find Receive recommendations and turn it off. It's also worth checking the Cleanup section inside the same app - there may also be a hidden Receive recommendations switch.

Then we go to the standard file manager. Open Explorer, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings. In About Service or Information, find the Recommendation option and deactivate it. This will remove the news and suggestion banners from the bottom of the file manager screen.

• 📱 Open Downloads and in the settings, disable Show Recommended Content.
• 🧹 In the Cleaner app, also check the settings and remove the ticks from the promotional offers.
• 🔒 In the Antivirus section of the Security app, disable receiving updates and recommendations if you don’t need them.

Once you do this, the interface of standard utilities will be much cleaner, and you will no longer see offers to install games or subscribe every time you clean up your memory or scan your system for viruses.

Removing Advertising in Standard Apps

Ad integrations have also affected other standard apps, such as Music, Video, Themes and even the Calculator. To completely clean the Redmi Note 8 T, you need to go through each of them. This may seem tedious, but ensures there are no surprises in the future.

Start with the Topics app. Go to the user profile (human icon), then to Settings. Here you need to find and disable the option to Show ads or Personal Recommendations. Similar actions are required in the Music and Video apps: go to the settings, find the Additional or Advanced Settings section, and remove the boxes associated with recommendations and auto-start videos.

The calculator and scanner app are particularly worth paying attention to. The calculator settings often hide the Receive recommendations item, which is responsible for pop-ups with news or offers after calculating the amount. QR-It is also necessary to disable the collection of statistics of use.

Remember that after updating these apps through the GetApps store, settings may reset, and it is recommended to periodically check these points, especially after major system updates.

Disable personalization in Mi Browser and GetApps

Xiaomi’s own browsers and app stores are among the most aggressive sources of advertising.If you use the standard Mi Browser, without careful customization, it will be turned into a news feed with commercial buzz.

To clean your browser, open it, go to settings (three bars) and select Privacy and Security. Scroll down to Advanced Settings and disable Personal Guidelines. Also, in the main browser settings, find News and remove sources that you are not interested in, or completely disable the news feed.

The GetApps app store (formerly the Mi Store) also requires intervention. Go to My profile -> Settings. You need to turn off App Auto Update over Wi-Fi (if you prefer to do it manually or through Google Play) and, most importantly, remove the ticks from Personal Recommendations and Show Notifications.

If you do not use these applications and prefer third-party analogues (for example, Chrome or Yandex.Browser), they can simply be removed or disabled in the system settings so that they do not consume resources in the background.

Cleaning the desktop and widget tape

The left screen on the Redmi Note 8 T desktop, known as Google Discover or Wallpaper Carousel, is often crowded with news and ad units.Many users mistakenly believe this is part of a system that can't be changed, but it's not.

To remove the news feed to the left of the main screen, swipe right on the desktop (or pinch the screen with two fingers) to go into page editing mode. At the bottom of the screen will appear the Settings button or Additional. In this menu, you need to find the Widget Ribbon switch or -1 screen and turn it off.

Special attention should be paid to the Wallpaper Carousel feature, which changes the wallpaper on the lock screen and displays advertising logos. To turn it off, go to Settings -> Lock screen -> Wallpaper carousel and click Disconnect. It is also recommended to go to the settings of this application through the application menu and clear its data.

⚠️ Warning: After turning off the wallpaper carousel, make sure you have static wallpaper installed, otherwise the lock screen may turn black or display a standard low-quality image.

Also in the desktop settings (long-click on empty space -> Settings), you can turn off Recommended widgets and Click Increase if you don't need these features, making navigation more rigorous and predictable.

Advanced methods: DNS and ADB

If standard methods have not completely eliminated advertising, or if it appears in unexpected places (for example, in third-party applications), you can use more powerful tools. DNS-server-level system-wide.

Go to Settings -> Connection and Sharing -> Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save settings. This method blocks known ad servers at the network connection level without requiring additional applications to be installed.

For power users, a method is available to disable ads via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from a computer, which allows you to remove system packets that cannot be disabled through the menu, but it requires caution.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.global

This command forcibly disables the MSA service. Similarly, you can disable the com.miui.personalassistant (left screen) and com.miui.analytics (analytics) packets. Use this method only if you are confident in your actions, as improper removal of system components can lead to unstable operation of the Redmi Note 8 T.

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Use the adb shell pm list packages | grep miui command to see a list of all Xiaomi system packages and find those that contain the words ad, analytics or marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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A comprehensive approach to setup – disabling MSA, cleaning system applications and changing DNS – guarantees maximum comfort of using a smartphone without intrusive advertising.