How to enable targeting on Xiaomi phone: a complete guide with pictures and tips

Have you ever noticed that after you search for a new smartphone or sneakers online, ads for these products start to follow you everywhere, from Instagram to YouTube? It's targeting, a personalized ad system that analyzes your interests. On Xiaomi smartphones with firmware. MIUI This feature can be disabled by default or blocked by privacy settings. In this article, we will discuss how to correctly enable targeting, which settings are responsible for this, and why sometimes ads are shown even when targeting is turned off.

It is important to understand that targeting on Xiaomi works through two key mechanisms – the advertising identifier (Advertising). ID) and personalized recommendations MIUI. The first is used by apps to show relevant ads, the second by the system itself to optimize content (for example, in Mi Browser or Mi Video), we will show how to manage both, and also reveal little-known nuances that are not written in standard instructions.

What is Xiaomi Targeting and Why You Need It

Targeting is a technology that allows advertising platforms to show you content that is as relevant to your interests as possible, and Xiaomi smartphones are responsible for this:

• 📱 Advertising ID — a unique device identifier that apps (such as Facebook, TikTok, Google Ads) use to collect data about your activity and display personalized ads.
• 🔍 Personalized recommendations MIUI — Built-in firmware that analyzes your behavior in system applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video, Mi Music) and adjusts the content to your preferences.
• 🌍 Google Services – if you use a Google account, your search data, websites visited and apps installed also affect your targeting.

Many users mistakenly think that disabling targeting will stop ads from showing up completely. In fact, ads will continue to appear, but they will become less relevant. For example, instead of ads for discounts on smartphones (if you recently searched for them online), you will see random banners about loans or games.

• 🛒 See relevant offers from stores that interest you.
• 🎬 Get recommendations for videos and articles on your topic (e.g., reviews of gadgets if you watch them frequently).
• 💰 Save time – no need to manually search for discounts or news on topics of interest.

But there’s a downside to targeting: some users feel that collecting data about their activity violates privacy, and if you fall into this category, at the end of this article, we’ll explain how to completely disable targeting and minimize data collection.

How to check if targeting is enabled on your Xiaomi

Before you start targeting, you should make sure it's actually off. Check two key parameters to do this:

1. Advertising status ID — If it is reset or disabled, apps will not be able to display personalized ads.
2. Personalization settings MIUI — If they are turned off, system applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video) will not tailor content to your interests.

To check out Advertising ID, Follow the following steps:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Press. 5-7 once-point version MIUI, Notice: “You have become a developer!".
3. Return to the main Settings menu and select Additional → For Developers.
4. Scroll down and find the Advertising section (or Advertising in English firmware).
5. If the item is Advertising (Advertising) ID) Gray or off – targeting doesn’t work.

To check personalized recommendations MIUI:

1. Go to Settings. → Confidentiality.
2. Choose Personalized Recommendations (or Personalized Recommendations).
3. If the slider is off, the system targeting is off.

If both are disabled, you'll see the most random adverts, and if one of them is active, the targeting is partially effective.

💡

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the way to Advertising ID If you can't find the "Developers" section, try searching by settings (the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner).

Step-by-step: how to enable targeting on Xiaomi

Now, let's get to the main thing - activation of targeting. The instructions are suitable for all Xiaomi, Redmi and other smartphones. POCO base MIUI 12-15 (including global and Chinese firmware versions) if you have an older version (e.g, MIUI 11), some menu items may be called differently - we will warn about this separately.

Step 1. Enable Advertising ID

This ID is required for most ad networks (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Audience Network) and without it, apps will not be able to display personalized ads.

Make sure your phone is connected to the internet (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

Battery charge of at least 30% (in case of failure)

Close all background apps (especially antiviruses that can block changes)

-->

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the MIUI version to activate the Developer Mode.
3. Return to the main Settings menu and select Additional → For Developers.
4. Scroll down to the Advertising (or Advertising) section.
5. Activate the slider Advertising Identifier (Advertising) ID).
6. Click Reset Advertising Identifier (Reset Advertising) ID) — This will clean up old data and allow you to collect new ones.

Important! After resetting Advertising ID It can take up to 24 hours before the ads become personalized, and during this period you will see random banners.

Step 2: Activate personalized recommendations MIUI

This setting is responsible for targeting within Xiaomi system applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video, Mi Music, etc.), without it, the content in these services will be displayed without considering your preferences.

1. Go to Settings. → Confidentiality.
2. Choose Personalized Recommendations (or Personalized Recommendations).
3. Activate the slider at the top of the screen.
4. In the window that appears, click Accept (or Agree) to confirm the collection of data.

Once turned on, the system will begin to analyze your activity in Xiaomi applications, for example, if you often watch smartphone reviews in Mi Video, the algorithm will recommend similar videos.

Step 3: Check your Google settings (if you use your account)

If you're logged in to a Google account, its settings also affect targeting, to make sure everything is set up correctly:

1. Open Settings → Google → Manage your Google account.
2. Go to the Data and Personalization tab.
3. Scroll to the Advertising Settings section and make sure that the Personalized Advertising slider is enabled.

If this option is disabled, ads in Google apps (such as YouTube or Google Play Store) will be displayed without regard to your interests.

💡

To fully target Xiaomi, you need to include all three components: Advertising ID, personalization MIUI Advertising settings in Google account (if used).

Common Problems and Their Solutions

Even after you turn on all your settings, targeting may not work properly, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting your network settings:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Network Reset.
2. Select Reset Network Settings (not to be confused with Resetting All Settings!).
3. After restarting, re-enable targeting according to the instructions above.

How to turn off Xiaomi targeting (if you change your mind)

If you're concerned about privacy, or you just don't want to see personalized ads, you can turn off targeting completely.

1. Turn off Advertising ID: Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Advertising → Advertising ID (translate slider to off position.).
2. Deactivate personalization MIUI: Settings → Confidentiality → Personalization of recommendations (turn off the slider).
3. Reset your Google Advertising Settings (if you use your account): Settings → Google → Managing a Google Account → Data and personalization → Advertising settings (turn off Personalized Advertising).

After that, the ad will show up, but it will be completely random.

⚠️ Note: Even with targeting disabled, some apps (such as Facebook or Instagram) may continue to collect data about your activity through other mechanisms (such as tracking your activity through other mechanisms). IP-address or cookies in the browser. For complete anonymity, you will need to use VPN, Ad blockers and regularly clear cache.

If you want to protect your privacy as much as possible, consider the following measures:

• 🔒 Install an ad blocker (such as AdGuard or Blokada).
• 🌐 Use a browser with tracking protection (such as Firefox Focus or Brave).
• 📵 Turn off tracking permission in application settings (Settings) → Confidentiality → Permits → Tracking).

Comparison of targeting on Xiaomi and other brands

Xiaomi’s targeting system has its own characteristics compared to other manufacturers, for example, there is no separate section for Advertising on Samsung or Google Pixel smartphones. ID — It's managed through Google's settings. And on iPhone, targeting works through Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Which can be reset in the privacy menu → Advertising.

On Xiaomi smartphones with firmware MIUI For the Chinese market (without Google services), targeting works exclusively through system mechanisms. MIUI If you use such firmware, personalized ads in Western apps (Facebook, Instagram) will not be displayed.

Security and Privacy: Myths and Reality

Many users are afraid to target for fear of privacy, so let's look at what data is actually being collected and what myths are unfounded.

What the targeting system for Xiaomi collects:

• 📱 Device Identification (Advertising) ID or GAID) — Anonymized code that does not contain personal information but allows you to link activity on your device.
• 🌐 History of visited sites (unless you use incognito mode or VPN).
• 🛒 Data on installed apps and purchases on Google Play or Mi App Store.
• 📍 Approximate location (if geoservices are included).

What does not collect targeting (common myths):

• 🚫 Your passwords, credit card numbers or private messages – this data is system-protected and not shared with advertising networks.
• 🚫 microphone or camera recordings – Despite conspiracy theories, advertising algorithms do not analyze your conversations (this is prohibited by privacy laws in most countries).
• 🚫 Contact list or call history – this data is not used for targeting (although some messengers, such as Facebook Messenger, may request access to contacts for other purposes).

If you are concerned about data collection, you can:

• 🔄 Reset Advertising regularly ID (every 1-2 months to clear the activity history.
• 🛡️ Use alternative services – for example, install Brave or DuckDuckGo instead of Google Chrome.
• 📵 Disable geolocation for applications that do not need it (for example, for games or instant messengers).

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi smartphones with firmware for the Chinese market (without Google Play Services), some data can be transferred to Chinese analytics services (for example, Mi Analytics.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions