Owners of the popular Xiaomi Mi 9T smartphone often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear in standard applications and system interfaces, part of the company’s strategy to monetize budget and mid-budget devices, but for many users, this behavior becomes an annoying factor that reduces the comfort of operation.
Fortunately, the MIUI shell provides flexible customization tools that allow you to completely get rid of advertising junk without having to obtain superuser rights or flash the device. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods of blocking, from standard settings to disabling system services.
The steps below will take no more than 15 minutes to complete, but the result will last for the entire life of the device. It is important to consistently go through all the stages, since the advertising modules in Xiaomi’s system are distributed across different services and applications.
Disabling the MSA System Service
The main source of intrusive offers and pop-ups in the operating system is a service called MSA (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your actions and broadcasts advertising content to various parts of the interface, the first step to a clean screen will be to deactivate this service.
To start, you need to go to the smartphone settings menu. Find the Password and Security section and select Data Access. In the app list that opens, find msa and turn off the network access slider. The system will warn you that this may affect the operation of certain functions, but for the average user the consequences will be invisible.
Once you've turned off your Internet access, go back a step and find Advertising Services in the permission list. You need to switch the Receive Recommendations to the Inactive position. The system can ask you several times about your decision, suggesting that you wait 10 seconds before you try again to disconnect — be patient and wait for the timer to finish the procedure.
⚠️ Attention: When attempting to disconnect the service MSA The countdown timer can appear several times in a row, and it's an artificial delay created by the developers to get the user to give up their intention. Just wait until each interval ends and repeat the action.
Some users prefer not just to restrict access, but completely remove system packages, but for the Xiaomi Mi 9T, the procedure described above is enough, since it does not require a connection to a computer.
Configuring standard MIUI applications
Once the global advertising service is turned off, you should go through each standard application separately. Xiaomi developers implement advertising modules in Explorer, Music, Themes and other utilities, and the settings in them often do not synchronize with the common switch.
Start with the Security app. Open it, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find Receive recommendations. Turn off this feature to remove banners from the main window of the virus scanner and memory cleaner.
Then go to the Themes app. Click on the profile icon, select Settings, and turn off the Display Ads and Personal Recommendations options, which will remove pop-ups when you install new themes and in the store itself.
Similar actions must be performed in the Music, Video and Explorer apps, each of which must find a settings menu (usually hidden under three dots or a profile icon) and deaktivirovat's recommendation process is identical everywhere:
- 📱 Open the app and go to the settings menu.
- 🔍 Find a section related to privacy or additional features.
- ❌ Disable all items containing the words “advertising”, “recommendations” or “promotions».
It is worth noting that after updating the MIUI operating system, the settings may reset, so it is recommended to check these points after each major firmware update.
Removing Browser Advertising and Mi Video
Multimedia applications and browsers are often the main sources of irritation, and Mi Browser’s built-in browser and Mi Video player are set up to aggressively collect data and show news feeds by default.
To set up the video player, launch the app, go to the profile and select the settings. Here you need to find the Settings section and turn off the Receive recommendations item, this will remove the ad inserts when viewing local files and banners in the interface.
In the browser, the situation is similar. Open a three-bar menu, go to Settings → Privacy and Security. Here you should turn off ad personalization. It is also recommended to clear the browsing data to reset the accumulated advertising profile.
If you don’t use standard media apps, you can simply remove or disable them. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find an unnecessary service (such as Mi Video) and click Delete or Disable.
☑️ Multimedia testing
Users who prefer third-party solutions can install an alternative player or browser from Google Play, which completely eliminates the appearance of system advertising in these categories.
Blocking through DNS and additional settings
For those who want to securely block ad requests at the network level, using a private DNS is a great solution.This method does not require the installation of additional software and works for all applications at once.
Go to Connection Settings → Wi-Fi. Click on the arrow next to your network or select DNS Settings. Change mode from Auto to Manual and enter the address of a trusted ad-blocking server, such as dns.adguard.com.
An alternative method is available in newer versions of Android and MIUI. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the option “DNS Provider Host Name” and type in the address dns.adguard.com. Save the changes.
| Parameter | Meaning | Description of effect |
|---|---|---|
| Type DNS | Manual / Provider | Forced use of a given server |
| Server address | dns.adguard.com | Blocking Advertising and Tracking |
| Application | Global | It works on Wi-Fi and mobile Internet |
| Impact on speed | Minimum | Page loading speeds may even increase |
Use of the DNS-Filtering also improves security by blocking access to known phishing resources, but it is worth remembering that this method does not remove ads that are sewn directly into the application interface, but only prevents external content from downloading.
What to do if the DNS is not working?
Limitation of tracking and personalization
Even after the main services are disabled, the system continues to collect anonymous data to “improve the user experience.”To minimize the digital footprint of your Xiaomi Mi 9T, you need to turn off analytics services.
Go to Settings → Password and Security → Privacy. This is the Quality Improvement Program (or “User Experience Program”). Disable participation in this program by preventing the sending of diagnostic data to the company’s servers.
It is also recommended to check Google’s settings. Go to Settings → Google → Advertising and click Reset Ad ID, then turn off personalization.This will limit targeted advertising on Google apps and services that are also present on the system.
⚠️ Note: Disabling analytics may affect the Device Search feature and some diagnostic reports.If you’re actively using the Google and Xiaomi Cloud ecosystem, make sure your backup is working properly.
Regularly checking these settings allows for a high level of privacy, and in modern versions of MIUI, the privacy menu is becoming more detailed, giving the user more control.
Use of third-party blocking tools
If standard methods are not enough, you can use specialized software. Applications like AdGuard or Blokada create locally-based software. VPN-Tunnel on the device, filtering all incoming traffic.
Installation of such an application requires the issuance of a permit for the creation of VPN-Once activated, the filter starts to work in the background, cutting out advertising requests before they reach the application. This is especially effective for browsers and light games.
However, the use of permanent VPN-Filters can slightly increase battery consumption. for Xiaomi Mi 9T With its capacious battery, this is not critical, but users who demand autonomy should keep this in mind.
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For maximum efficiency, combine DNS-filtering in the system settings with local ad blocker, which will create a double barrier to unwanted content.
It is important to download such applications only from official stores or from trusted developers’ sites, so as not to install malware under the guise of a blocker.
Frequent Questions and Challenges (FAQ)
Could MSA Disabling Lead to Phone Breakage?
Why did the updates come back to the ads?
Do I need to get Root rights to remove ads completely?
Does blocking ads affect the speed of the smartphone?
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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, setting up applications and using DNS, allows you to completely eliminate advertising on Xiaomi 9T without losing warranty and functionality.