Many users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones face intrusive ads in system applications. Usually, gadget owners tend to turn off this feature to enjoy a clean interface. However, there are specific scenarios when it becomes necessary not to remove, but to activate advertising mechanisms on the device.
The most common question about how to turn on ads on Xiaomi is asked by application developers, ad integration testers or users who want to maximize revenue from installing special aggregator applications. In the MIUI operating system and the new HyperOS, hidden or semi-hidden personalization settings are responsible for this.
In this article, we will discuss the technical aspects of activating advertising identifiers, configuring system services and working with MSA (MIUI System Ads).We will look not only at standard menus, but also at deeper levels of customization that require careful attention to detail.
Why you may need to activate advertising
The main reason users are looking for a way to turn on ads is to test their own apps or ad campaigns. Developers need to see how their banners are displayed on real MIUI-enclosed devices. Standard emulators don't always give an accurate picture of how the system behaves in real-world conditions.
The second scenario is monetization, where there are applications that pay users to see ads, and when they work properly, they often require that the system level allow user interest data to be collected, and without that, algorithms can't find relevant ads, and the returns drop to zero.
⚠️ Attention: Activating all advertising features results in increased traffic and battery consumption. background processes will constantly request data about your location and activities.
Also, setting up ad identifiers is important for digital security professionals who study tracker behavior, and understanding how a system collects data for targeting helps to better protect yours in the future, and you should be clear that enabling these features makes your digital footprint more visible to corporations.
Advertising ID settings in the system
The centerpiece of the Android and MIUI advertising ecosystem is the advertising ID, which is a unique code that is assigned to your device and used by advertisers to track interests, which can be reset or restricted by default, but can be activated to work properly.
To access the settings, go to the Settings menu, then select the Passwords and Security section (in some versions Privacy). Next, look for Advertising or Advertising Services. This is where the master switch is located, often referred to as "Delete Advertising ID" or "Disable Personalization."
To enable advertising, you need to perform the following actions:
- 📱 Find the Ad Personalization Switch and activate it.
- 🔄 If the tick "Delete the advertising ID", uncheck it so that the system starts generating new code.
- 🔍 Click Reset Advertising ID if you want to start collecting data from scratch.
After that, the system will begin to actively collect data about the apps and sites visited, Google Play Services and MIUI algorithms will begin to form your profile, this process is not instantaneous, it usually takes several days of active work with your smartphone to accumulate statistics.
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Periodic reset of the advertising identifier (once a month) allows you to “reset” the accumulated profile, which can be useful for testing the display of advertising for new users.
Management of MSA System Service
The MSA (MIUI System Ads) process is responsible for displaying ads in standard Xiaomi applications (Conductor, Music, Themes, Security). Unlike Google's advertising ID, this service controls internal shell advertising. Disabling it is a popular way to combat banners, but we need to do the opposite.
Make sure that msa is not disabled. Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find it in the msa list. If you have previously disabled it, click Launch. It is also important to check permissions: the service must have access to the network and, preferably, location data for geo-targeting.
In some regions and firmware versions, there is a hidden menu of engineering tests that allows you to adjust the frequency of ad requests, but this is difficult to do with standard methods.
Where can I find msa?
It is important to note that fully enabling all MSA features can lead to ads even in the screen lock menu, which is the normal behavior of the system when personalization settings are activated. Stream can only be controlled through resetting the ID or installing third-party blockers, which contradicts the purpose of this article.
Activation of recommendations in system applications
Individual Xiaomi apps have their own independent recommendation settings. Even if a common advertising identifier is enabled, a particular application (such as "Music" or "Themes") may not show content if it has the corresponding option disabled.
Let’s consider an example of setting up the application “Security” and “Conductor”:
- Open the Security app.
- Click on the settings gear in the upper right corner.
- Find the item Get recommendations and turn on the switchboard.
- Repeat similar actions in the Explorer app (menu → Settings → About the application → Get recommendations).
In Themes, the settings are in the user profile. Click on the person's icon, then the settings gear. Make sure the "Show Ads" and "Personalized Recommendations" options are active, so you can see promo banners when you search for wallpaper or fonts.
☑️ Checking application settings
It is worth remembering that the menu interface may differ depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14) or HyperOS. The logic remains the same: look for the words "Recommendations", "Advertising" or "Promote" in the settings of each system application separately.
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Comparison of settings in different versions of MIUI
Xiaomi’s advertising policy has changed over the years, with the old versions of the shells being scattered chaoticly, the new ones (MIUI 13/14 and HyperOS) being partially unified but deeper, and understanding the differences will help you find the right switch.
| MIUI version | Location of Advertising Settings | Name of service | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI 11 and older | Settings → Additional | Advertising services | Basic targeting, little settings |
| MIUI 12 / 12.5 | Passwords and security → Advertising | MSA / Advertising Services | There was a separate menu item. |
| MIUI 13 / 14 | Confidentiality → Special permits | Advertising services | Enhanced privacy controls |
| HyperOS | Additionally. → Special facilities | Personalization | Integration with the IoT ecosystem |
In the HyperOS version, the company bet on an ecosystem: Advertising IDs can now sync between a phone, tablet and TV if they are linked to a Mi Account, meaning that the inclusion of ads on the phone could affect the content displayed on other devices.
Global ROM users should be more careful, and in some regions (Europe) the default settings of the adverts may be severely restricted due to GDPR laws, and it may not be possible to include them in full through the standard menu without changing the region.
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In the new versions of HyperOS, advertising settings are integrated into general privacy settings, which requires a more careful search for the right switches.
Changing the region to expand opportunities
One of the most effective, but not obvious, ways to influence a device’s advertising policies is to change the region, and the number and type of ads depends heavily on which country is selected in the settings, for example, in India or Indonesia, ads in Xiaomi’s system applications are presented most aggressively.
To change the region:
- 🌍 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Region.
- 🇮🇳 Choose a country with an active advertising market (India, Indonesia, Russia).
- 🔄 Wait for the interface to reboot (may take a minute).
After changing the region, recheck the MSA and advertising ID settings. Often after this procedure, the system forcibly updates the advertising modules and offers to accept new terms of the user agreement, where you can explicitly agree to receive personalized advertising.
⚠️ Warning: Changing the region to countries with aggressive advertising policies may lead to the appearance of pre-installed junk software (bloatware) when updating applications.
Keep in mind that changing regions also impacts some services (such as Mi Video or Mi Music) that may not be available or change to comply with the licensing restrictions of the country in question.