How to turn off ads in apps in Xiaomi: Guide to clean MIUI

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are famous for their powerful hardware and affordable price, but users often pay for this availability with intrusive banner ads. Advertising integrations are built deep into the shell of MIUI and can appear in the most unexpected places, from system utilities to standard applications like Music or Conductor.

Fortunately, the company's engineers have designed the ability for users to manage this flow of information themselves, so you don't have to have super-user rights or reflash your device to get a clean interface. Disabling ads is a process that takes only a few minutes, but it dramatically changes the experience of interacting with the operating system, making it more responsive and enjoyable.

In this article, we will take a look at every step you need to completely clean up your system from intrusive offers. We will look at system services settings, application-specific settings, and even the deeper DNS settings that allow you to block ad servers at the connection level. Get ready to turn your smartphone into the perfect tool for work and entertainment.

Basic MSA Service Setup

The foundation of the entire advertising system in the shell of MIUI is a system application called MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data about your preferences and displaying banners in various sections of the interface, and to block the main stream of advertising, you need to revoke the permission to work this service.

Go to your device’s settings menu and find the password and security section. Depending on the firmware version, the path may vary slightly, but the logic remains the same for all models, whether it’s a budget Redmi Note or a flagship Xiaomi Mi. You need to find the “Special Features” (or “Data Access”) item where the switch for the MSA service is hidden.

Once you have found the msa slider, try to disable it. The system can warn you several times about the consequences of this action, claiming that some functions will stop working correctly. Don't pay attention to this - the standard phone functions will remain fully functional, only advertising modules will disappear. Click Stop for 10 seconds and confirm the action.

⚠️ Warning: If after turning off the slider it automatically turned back on after a few seconds, repeat the procedure 3-5 This is a well-known feature of system protection that requires persistence from the user.

It's important to understand that disabling the MSA doesn't remove the app completely, it just stops it from showing content. It's the most effective method, and it should be the first step in your fight for a clean screen, and without that, other settings may be less effective.

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After the MSA is disabled, it is recommended to restart the device so that the changes take effect in all system processes.

Cleaning system applications from banners

Once you block the main (advertising service) you should go through individual built-in utilities that have their own personalization settings. Often, a global shutdown does not affect the internal settings of specific programs, such as Explorer, Downloads or Music, in which ads can be broadcast through separate channels.

Consider the example of the Security app, which is the control center of the system. Go to it, click on the settings gear in the upper right corner, and find the option "Get recommendations." Disabling this option will remove the antivirus and game promotions that usually appear on the app's home screen.

The same situation is observed in Explorer and Downloads, where the settings menu of these applications (usually called by three dots or stripes) should find the About or Settings section and uncheck the "Receive recommendations" box, which will stop banners from appearing when you open folders or complete downloading files.

Also, be sure to check the Themes app, which is often a source of aggressive marketing: Go to the user profile, select settings, and disable the display of ads and personalized recommendations, which will free the theme store interface from intrusive banners.

Set up personalized advertising in your account

Xiaomi, like many other tech giants, collects data on user behavior to create an advertising profile, and even if you turn off banner displays, the data collection process can continue in the background unless you change the appropriate privacy settings, which is important for those who value their digital privacy.

To limit data collection, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to Personal Data. Here you will see a list of all the apps that have access to your advertising identity, search for msa and other analytics-related system services on the list and revoke their access.

Next, go deeper into the system settings. Find the Privacy section (or Advanced Settings in older versions of MIUI) and select Advertising Services. This is the important option, Personalized Advertising. The slider should be turned off. It is also recommended to click Reset Advertising ID to clear your accumulated profile of interests.

Regularly checking these settings after major system updates is a good habit, and sometimes after changing the Android version or the MIUI shell, privacy settings can be reset to factory values, which activates data collection again.

Blocking Advertising through DNS (Advanced)

For users who want to maximize their results and block ads not only in the system, but also in the browser and some games, there is a method of configuring DNS. Private DNS allows you to redirect requests to ad servers to nowhere using special filter addresses. It is a powerful tool that does not require the installation of third-party software.

To use this method, open the settings and search for settings by type in the word “DNS”. You need the item “Private DNS” (usually located in the section “Connect and share” or “Wi-Fi”). Select the mode “Host Name of the DNS provider” (or “Manual”).

dns.adguard.com

Enter the specified address dns.adguard.com in the input field and save the settings. After that, all traffic on your device will pass through AdGuard filters, which will cut off most known advertising domains, this method is effective for both Wi-Fi connections and mobile Internet.

It is worth noting that using a third-party DNS can rarely cause problems connecting to some specific LANs or corporate Wi-Fi that require authorization through the portal. If you encounter problems accessing the Internet after enabling this feature, simply return your DNS settings to the Auto position.

Managing Notifications and Push Services

Even after disabling system advertising, many apps continue to bother the user with push notifications, which often contain advertising in nature. MIUI has a convenient notification management mechanism for each installed application separately, which allows you to fine-tune the information noise.

Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Application Notifications. This is a complete list of all installed programs. Go through the list of socially important applications (banks, instant messengers) and leave notifications on, and for games, stores and delivery services, the best thing to do is completely ban notifications.

There's also a "Recommendations" section in the notification settings, and some versions of the shell hide tips from the system on how to use the phone, or suggestions to install new apps. Make sure all the switches in this section, such as "Recommendations" or "Get Tips," are off.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when disabling notifications for system applications such as Calendar or Alarm to avoid missing important events.

The Tools folder on the desktop is worth a special attention, and it often has a lot of system utilities going inside it, and check the settings of each one individually, as a global MSA shutdown may not affect their internal news and promotion preferences.

Specifics of different versions of MIUI and Global ROM

The procedure for disabling ads may vary slightly depending on which version of the software is installed on your device. Global ROM users experience less advertising compared to China ROM users, where marketing integrations are much more developed.

Owners of Chinese firmware devices may find that some menu items are called differently or located in other sections. For example, the MSA service in Chinese versions may be called differently or combined with other Xiaomi services. In such cases, it is recommended to use a search by settings, entering keywords in English or Chinese (if the translation is known).

Also worth considering is the version of Android that runs the shell. In the newer versions of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and the newer HyperOS, the menu structure has become more logical, and many ad switches have been brought into a single privacy center. If you can't find the item described above, try using the search bar at the top of the settings menu.

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Users of Chinese firmware versions (CN ROM) often need an additional step: changing the region in settings, and installing a Russia or India region automatically reduces the amount of advertising in system applications.

Keep in mind that security updates and system patches can bring some settings back to their original state.Regular configuration checks after a phone update will help keep the system clean.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)