How to permanently remove pop-ups on your Xiaomi phone: 7 proven ways

Pop-ups on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are one of the most common user problems. Even after buying a new device, many people face intrusive MIUI ads, system notifications about “useful” services or random banners from installed applications. Unlike standard push notifications that can be disabled in settings, some pop-ups appear on top of all windows, interrupt work and are difficult to block.

The reasons for these windows are diverse, from built-in ads in the MIUI shell to viruses in third-party applications. For example, owners of Xiaomi 12T or Redmi Note 11 often complain about banners offering to activate Mi Cloud or update firmware that pop up even when the screen is locked. In this article, we will analyze all possible sources of pop-ups on Xiaomi — from system services to malware — and show how to turn them off once and for all, including hidden settings that are not written in the official documentation.

1. How to determine the source of the pop-up window

Before you block pop-ups, you need to know which app or service is generating them, and 80 percent of the time, it's the fault of:

• 📱 System services MIUI (Mi Browser, Security, Cleaner)
• 🛒 Promotional SDK In pre-installed applications (e.g. Mi Video or Mi Music)
• 🦠 Malware that has penetrated through third-party APK-file
• 🔔 Notifications from legitimate apps with permission to display over other windows

To identify the culprit:

1. Wait for the pop-up window to appear and don’t close it.
2. Press and hold your finger on the banner for 2-3 seconds – if this is a notification, a menu with information about the app will appear.
3. If the window is not responsive to retention, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management and sort the list by the date of last use.

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In some models (for example, POCO F5) pop-up windows from system applications can be identified by the icon 🔒 in the upper right corner of the banner – this means that the window is generated by the service with administrator rights.

2. Disable Advertising in MIUI through Hidden Settings

The MIUI shell is known for its built-in advertising, which Xiaomi displays even in the system menu, to turn it off:

Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times to activate Developer Mode.

1. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → Special features → Developer settings.
2. Find the option to Disable MIUI Ads (some firmwares call it Personalized Ad Recommendations) and deactivate it.
3. Reset the device.

If the item is not on the menu, use an alternative method:

Connect your phone to your PC and enable debugging. USB|Install. ADB-Drivers and open the command line|Enter adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1|Reset the device-->

3.Blocking pop-up windows from third-party apps

If pop-ups appear from programs you have installed (such as games or instant messengers), act as follows:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management, select a suspicious app and:

• 🚫 Prohibit the display of notifications (Notifications) → Shut it down).
• 🔍 Check Permits: Turn off Showing over Other Windows and Auto Run.
• 🗑️ If you don’t need the app, delete it and check your phone for viruses (for example, through Malwarebytes).

⚠️ Note: Some apps (such as AliExpress or Wildberries) may show pop-ups even after disabling notifications, in which case only removing or using an ad blocker like Blokada will help.

For advanced users:

4. Removal of viruses that cause pop-ups

If pop-ups appear even after all notifications are turned off, your device may have been infected with an adver (advertising virus).

• 📛 Pop-ups with a suggestion to “win iPhone” or “install an update".
• 🔄 Advertisements appear even in the settings menu or on a locked screen.
• 📱 Unknown applications in the installed list (e.g. com.android.system.update).

To clear the phone:

1. Install an antivirus (Kaspersky, Dr.Web) and do a full check.
2. Go to Settings → Apps and remove any suspicious programs (especially those with names like System Update or Android Helper).
3. If the virus is not removed, reset your phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Reset settings).

⚠️ Note: Some viruses are disguised as system applications (e.g. com.android.settings). Before deleting, check the name in Google - real system applications can not be removed without root rights.

5. Disabling MIUI system notifications

Xiaomi aggressively promotes its services through pop-ups: Mi Cloud, Mi Pay, firmware updates, etc. To disable them:

Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management and:

• 🔕 Disable notifications for Mi Cloud, Security, Cleaner, and Download Manager.
• 📵 In the System Notifications section, deactivate the Updates MIUI Recommendations.
• 🔄 If after updating the firmware notifications returned - repeat the procedure (Xiaomi resets these settings when updates).

For models with MIUI 14 and newer:

Settings → Google → Google Services → Advertising → Disable “Personalized Advertising”

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Even after all notifications are turned off, some system windows (such as low battery alerts) will remain.This is normal - they cannot be removed without modifying the firmware.

6.Use of third-party ad blockers

If standard methods don’t help, install specialized apps to block pop-ups:

Blokada setting:

1. Download the app from the official website (not from Google Play!).
2. Turn it on. VPN-mode in the Blokada settings.
3. Activate the lock lists: EasyList, EasyPrivacy and Xiaomi Ad Block.
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Some blockers (such as AdAway) require root rights to work properly, and without them, they only block some ads.

7. Radical-methods: resetting settings and custom firmware

If nothing has worked, there are radical ways to:

Reset to factory settings (delete all data!):

1. Make a backup copy of important files.
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Delete all data.
3. After reset, do not restore data from the backup - the virus or setting could have been saved in the backup.

Install custom firmware (for example, LineageOS or Pixel Experience):

• ✅ Completely removes embedded advertising MIUI.
• ⚠️ Requires unlocking the bootloader and may deprive the warranty.
• 🔧 Look for instructions on the forum XDA Developers for your model.

FAQ: Frequent questions about pop-ups on Xiaomi