Owning a MIUI or HyperOS shell device is often overshadowed by intrusive ad integrations that appear in system apps, folders, and even lock screens. Smartphone makers Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO use this monetization method to keep their gadgets low in the market. However, for most users, persistent pop-ups and banners become a serious distraction from work and entertainment.
Fortunately, the architecture of the Android operating system in conjunction with proprietary settings allows you to completely or partially get rid of this digital noise without the need to obtain super-user rights. The process of deactivating advertising modules does not require deep knowledge of programming, but involves sequential execution of a series of actions in different sections of the menu. In this article, we will discuss in detail each step necessary to clean the interface of your device.
It is important to understand that completely removing advertising identifiers requires disabling multiple system services at once. Simply switching one toggler will not be enough, since the advertising engine is duplicated in different firmware components. We will look at both standard methods through settings and more advanced ways to clean up traffic.
Disabling the MSA System Advertising Service
The central element in charge of displaying banners and recommendation content on the system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which collects data about your preferences and translates targeted advertising into standard applications, the first and most important step being to force the suspension and withdrawal of permissions from this component.
To start, you need to go to the device settings menu and find the partition responsible for managing installed applications. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same. You need to find a system application called msa on the list and enter its detailed description.
When you're in the app menu, find the Receiving Recommendations switch and deactivate it. The system may try to hold you back by showing a countdown timer or suggesting you leave the function on, in which case you wait for the timer to end and re-press the turn off button, confirming your decision.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
After successful disabling, it is also recommended to clear the data of this application to remove the accumulated cache of advertising identifiers.This action ensures that the old settings will not be preserved in the device memory.
⚠️ Attention: After the service is disconnected MSA Hot Apps or Recommendations widgets in folders may stop updating or display empty cells, which is normal system behavior.
Set up personalized advertising in your account
Even after the system service is disabled, advertising identifiers may continue to be used by third-party Google apps and services, and to minimize the digital footprint, you must manually manage privacy settings that allow data about your activities to be collected.
Modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS have a separate section dedicated to advertising and privacy. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy → Advertising Services. Here is a key switch Personalization of advertising, which should be switched off.
In addition, the Advertising ID reset feature is available in the same menu. Regularly resetting Advertising ID breaks the link between your current activity and accumulated interest profile, making the ad less relevant and, as a result, less intrusive.
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Periodic reset of the advertising identifier (once a month) effectively “confuses” targeting algorithms, reducing the frequency of annoying banners.
Don’t ignore your Google account settings, as they also affect how content is displayed in the Android ecosystem: Open Google’s settings on your device, find the Ads section, and disable personalization there, creating a double barrier for data collectors.
Cleaning Standard Applications from Banners
Advertising integrations are deeply embedded in the standard set of utilities that come with the phone: Explorer, memory cleanup, music and themes — all of these applications can display pop-ups or banners on the home screen of the interface. Each component requires customization.
Start with the Security app, which often shows ads when you complete your scan. Open the app, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find Receive recommendations. Disable this option to remove banners from the scanner interface.
The same is true for the Themes app: Go to the user profile (human icon), select Settings, and disable the Show Ads setting, which will remove the ad slides from the theme store's homepage and widgets from the control menu.
For Explorer, the following algorithm is: open the menu (three bars), select Settings → About the application, and turn off receiving recommendations. In some firmware versions, this item may be called simply Recommendations in the main Explorer settings menu.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | Parameter for deactivation | The effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations | No ads after scanning |
| Conductor | Menu → Settings → About the application | Recommendations | Clean file interface |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Receive notifications | No pop-up windows |
| Music. | Menu → Settings → Additional | Receive recommendations | No banners in the player |
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Each system application has its own independent ad switch, so you need to turn them off in each case.
Elimination of Advertising on the Lock Screen
One of the most annoying forms of marketing is the appearance of advertising carousels and news on the lock screen, which the user sees every time you turn on the smartphone, which is responsible for the service Wallpaper Carousel (Glance) or similar widgets depending on the region of the firmware.
To get rid of this, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. Find the section associated with the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance for Xiaomi. Inside this menu, you need to completely disable the function by switching the corresponding switch to the off position.
If a simple shutdown is not available or the feature returns, try changing the lock type to the standard Classic style, removing any subscriptions to news feeds. In some cases, you need to remove updates to the Wallpaper Carousel app itself through the application management menu, returning it to the factory version that does not know how to display ads.
What if the advertisement returns after the reboot?
Also check the settings of the widgets on the desktop. Often users accidentally install the News or Browser widgets that broadcast advertising headlines. Remove any suspicious widgets from the home screen, replacing them with a standard watch or weather without ad substrate.
Blocking Advertising through DNS (Advanced Method)
The most effective way to cut out advertising not only in the system, but also in browsers and some games is to use private advertising. DNS-This method redirects requests to ad servers to nowhere without downloading content to the device.
To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name (or Manual) mode. In the box that appears, you must specify the address of the trusted blocker, for example: dns.adguard.com.
dns.adguard.comOnce you save your settings, the device may require you to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network or mobile Internet, a universal method that works at the network connection level, so it is effective even in applications that do not have internal advertising settings.
⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS It can cause some local services to fail or slow down page loading if the server you choose is far from your region.
It is important to note that this method does not require the installation of additional applications and consumes a minimum amount of battery resources. However, if you use a corporate Wi-Fi network, the network administrator can block the use of third-party devices. DNS-servers, and then the method will not work.
Disabling notifications from system services
The last line of defense is push notifications, which come from system services, offering to install games, subscribe or watch a promotion, often disguised as system messages, requiring careful analysis of the source.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management. Carefully review the app list. Pay special attention to apps called Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps (app store) and Plugin System Services.
For each suspicious app, go to notification settings and turn off Marketing Notifications, Recommendations or News categories. Leave only critical notifications such as download status or update installation completion enabled.
Also, check the Access to Notifications section in the special features settings, and make sure there are no activated apps from unknown developers who can use that access to display pop-up ads on top of other windows.
Regularly reviewing installed applications will help keep the system clean, and remove those programs that you do not use, especially if they were preinstalled by the manufacturer and are not critical to the operation of the phone.