Smartphone owners in China often face intrusive ads that appear in system applications, not a bug, but a feature of MIUI and the new HyperOS, designed to monetize budget devices, and fortunately most of these elements can be deactivated manually without obtaining superuser rights.
The process of cleaning the interface requires sequential access to multiple settings menus. Removing recommendations at Xiaomi is a complex procedure involving system services, browsers and embedded utilities. We will break down each step in detail so you can enjoy a clean interface.
Some users mistakenly believe that the ads are only browser-based, but in fact, the notification sources are much deeper and often hidden in system processes like msa. Below is a complete guide to clearing the device of information noise.
Disabling the MSA System Service
At the center of the advertising ecosystem is MIUI System Ads, known as msa on the process list, which is responsible for (push) ads in various corners of the interface, and to stop it from working, you need to find the appropriate switch in the authorization settings.
Go to the Settings menu, then select Password and Security. In the list that opens, look for Access to Personal Data or Authorization and Security. You will need to find the msa string and put the slider inactive. The system will warn you about the consequences of disconnection.
When you turn off the slider, you'll see a 10 second countdown timer. Attention: often the first time you can't turn off the service because of software constraints. If the switch is back in its original position, repeat the procedure 3-5 times in a row. Usually, on the 4th or 5th attempt, the system allows you to complete the action.
⚠️ Attention: After the msa service is disabled, background activity may be maintained for 24 hours. Complete cache cleaning and device reboot will accelerate the application of changes. APK-file manually ADB, unless they are sure of their appointment.
Disabling this service is a fundamental step, because without it, other settings may not have a full effect.
Setting up the desktop and folders
One of the most visible areas for posting promotional materials is the desktop, in particular, folders with applications and a tape of widgets. MIUI activates the Recommended function by default, which loads icons of popular games and applications from the GetApps store.
To turn off, tap the empty area on your desktop and select Settings (or gear). In the menu, find the Recommendation item and deactivate it. This will remove the sentence block, which is usually located at the bottom of open folders. It is also worth checking the widget tape called by the swipe to the right.
- 📱 Click on the empty space on the desktop.
- 📱 Select the gear icon in the lower corner.
- 📱 Find the "Recommendations" switch and turn it off.
- 📱 Check folders to make sure that advertising icons disappear.
In newer versions of the HyperOS shell, the logic of folders may have changed, but the principle remains the same: If the folder displays a line "Get more apps," that is the target element, and removing it greatly improves the visual experience of the interface and prevents unnecessary software from accidentally running.
Cleaning the "Security" application and conductor
Security is another channel for broadcasting advertising content, and every time you scan a device or clear a memory, you see banners or suggestions to install antivirus software, and you have to change the settings of the application itself to get rid of this.
Open the Security app, click on the settings gear in the top right corner. Scroll down to Get Recommendations or Recommendations and turn off that option. Also, look inside the security settings for Cleanup and remove the tick from Get Recommendations.
☑️ Checklist cleaning utility
A similar situation is observed in standard Explorer: the file manager often offers to “clean up” with ads or recommends cloud storage. Go to the Explorer menu (three bars), select Settings -> About Application (or just Settings) and find Receive recommendations. It must be deactivated.
⚠️ Note: In some regions, the firmware names of items may vary slightly. Look for phrases that contain the words "Recommendations", "Ads" or "Receive". If the item is blocked, try changing the region of the device to "India" or "USA", perform the configuration, and then return your region.
Disabling advertising in the browser and Mi Video
The standard Mi Browser browser and Mi Video player are separate ecosystems within the phone, and they have their own privacy settings, independent of the overall system settings, and ads can appear as push notifications and a homepage.
For the browser, open the menu (three dots), go to Settings -> Privacy and Security. Here you need to turn off the option Personalized recommendations. Also in the Notifications section, you should prevent sites from sending push notifications so that news feeds do not bother you in the curtain.
In the Mi Video (or Mi Music) app, the algorithm is similar. Go to the profile or settings of the app, find the Settings section, and turn off the Receive Recommendations or Push notifications, which will prevent pop-ups from showing you a new movie or clip.
What to do if the settings are reset?
Removal of the Mi GetApps app
The GetApps app store (formerly Mi Apps) is the main source of installing ad modules and imposing paid services. If you use the Google Play Store, you don't need it. It can not only be stopped, but also removed, although the system will resist.
Go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps. Find it in the GetApps list. Click on it and select Remove. If the delete button is inactive, click Remove Updates, and then try to delete again. In some cases, you will need to disable the app if complete removal is not possible.
| System component | Location of settings | Name of the switch | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| System (MSA) | Password and security | msa | Blocking system advertising |
| Desktop | Desktop settings | Recommendations | Clean application folders |
| Security | Security settings | Receive recommendations | Absence of banners during scanning |
| Conductor | Conductor settings | Recommendations | Clean file interface |
💡
If you don’t use Xiaomi’s standard apps (Browser, Video, Music), you can remove them completely through the app management menu, which will free up space in memory and ensure that the source of advertising is removed from these categories.
Frequent questions and additional methods
Even after completing all the steps, there may be nuances that depend on the Android version or the specific smartphone model, and users often wonder if more radical methods can be used to remove ads, such as through DNS or ADB.
Using a private DNS (e.g., dns.adguard.com) in your connection settings helps block ads in your browser and some applications, but it can cause some legitimate services to malfunction or slow down your Internet speed, a method that should be used with caution.
For advanced users, there is a method of disabling components through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), by connecting the phone to a PC, you can command pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.misys to disable the system ad service, but this requires a computer and minimal command-line knowledge.
💡
The comprehensive approach, which includes disabling MSA, cleaning the settings of individual applications and removing the GetApps store, allows you to eliminate 99% of all built-in advertising in Xiaomi smartphones without losing warranty.