How to completely remove ads on Xiaomi with MIUI 12: proven methods

Why does MIUI 12 show ads and can it be turned off?

Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 shell is known not only for its striking design and useful features, but also for the intrusive ads that appear in system apps, on the lock screen and even in the settings menu. Many users consider this a violation of the user experience — especially when banner ads take up space on the home screen or interfere with the work with the phone.

The main problem is that MIUI monetizes free software through integrated advertising. In MIUI 12 (and newer), the ad modules are embedded in applications like Security, Themes, Downloads, Music, and even Settings, and fortunately most ad units can be turned off — at least on the system level, and in some cases, removed entirely.

It is important to understand that not all ads in MIUI 12 are “viruses”; this is an official feature of the firmware, and disabling it does not violate the license agreement, but some methods (such as using ADB) require caution to avoid damaging system files.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest way to reduce the amount of advertising is to disable personalization in system settings.This method does not require super-user rights (root) and is suitable for all devices on MIUI 12, including Redmi Note 9, Poco X3, Mi 10 and other models.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → The phone.
• 🔄 7 times press the version MIUI, to activate the developer mode (you will be notified that you have become a developer").
• 🔙 Back to Settings → Additionally. → Developer settings.
• 🔍 Find Personalized Advertising and turn it off.

This method does not remove ads completely, but it significantly reduces the amount of ads as the system stops selecting banners based on your data, for example, advertising notifications about “recommended topics” or “popular applications” will disappear.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI Personalization settings may reset. Check this setting after each major update.

Method 2: Manual disabling of advertising in system applications

Many of the built-in MIUI 12 apps have their own ad settings that can be turned off separately, including Security, Themes, Downloads and Music.

1.Security appendix (com.miui.securitycenter)

• 🛡️ Open the Security app.
• 🔧 Press on. ⚙ Settings (upper right corner).
• 🚫 Find the Advertising Recommendations and disable it.

Annex "Themes" (com.android.themes)

• 🎨 Launch Themes.
• 👤 Go to Profile. → Settings.
• 🔕 Disable Advertising Notices and Personalized Recommendations.

Similar settings are available in the Downloads (com.android.providers.downloads.ui) and Music (com.miui.player) apps, and the main thing is to look for items with the words "advertising", "recommendations" or "notifications".

⚠️ Note: In some regional versions MIUI (For example, for India or China, menu items may be called differently. If you do not find the right option, check the language of the system (should be Russian or English).

Method 3: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If the system settings didn’t work, you can use a more radical method, which is to turn off ads via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to a computer, but does not violate the warranty or require root rights.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔧 Disables Advertising at System Application Level.
• 🚀 It works even after the updates. MIUI.
• 🔒 Does not require unlocking the loader.

Instructions:

1. 💻 Install. ADB-PC drivers.
2. 📱 On the phone, activate the debugging by USB (Settings → Additionally. → For developers).
3. 🔌 Connect the phone to the computer and execute in the command line:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

These commands disable the main modules responsible for displaying ads in MIUI. Once executed, restart the phone.

⚠️ Note: Some commands may cause an Operation Not Allowed error on new versions MIUI. In this case, skip the problem line and do the rest.

Method 4: Remove ads through hosts file editing (without root)

Another effective method is to block ad servers by editing the hosts file, which does not require root, but requires additional software.

Algorithm of action:

1. 📲 Install Termux app from Google Play.
2. 📝 Take the commands in turn:

pkg update && pkg upgrade


pkg install wget




wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts




mv hosts /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/etc/

Then do this:

su -c "mount -o rw,remount /system"


su -c "cp /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/etc/hosts /system/etc/hosts"




su -c "chmod 644 /system/etc/hosts"




su -c "mount -o ro,remount /system"

If you don’t have root, use an alternative method – the Blokada app, which blocks ad domains via a VPN.

cp /system/etc/hosts /system/etc/hosts.bak

This will allow you to restore the original file in case of errors.-->

Method 5: Install custom firmware (for power users)

If you're willing to take drastic measures, you can install custom firmware without advertising.

• 🌍 Xiaomi.eu – European version MIUI Advertising-free and Chinese-based.
• 🔄 LineageOS or Pixel Experience – firmware based on pure Android.
• 🛡️ Havoc-OS - custom firmware with advanced settings.

The installation process shall include:

1. 🔓 Unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock).
2. 📥 Installation of custom recaveri (TWRP).
3. 📦 The new version is being updated through TWRP.

Installing custom firmware voids the warranty and can lead to data loss, a method only recommended for advanced users.

💡

Castom firmware not only removes ads, but also improves performance, adds new features and updates more often than official versions of MIUI.

What to do if the advertisement remains?

If after all the manipulations, the advertisement continues to appear, check the following points:

• 🔄 Update. MIUI up to the latest version - in new builds sometimes correct bugs with intrusive advertising.
• 🧹 Clear the cache of system applications (Settings) → Annexes → Select an application → Clear the cache).
• 📱 Check your regional settings – some ad units are only active in certain countries (e.g. India or China).
• 🛡️ Use an ad blocker like AdGuard or Blokada.

If the problem persists, you may have a modified version of MIUI installed on your device (for example, from third-party developers), in which case only flashing to the official version will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising in MIUI 12