Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often face intrusive banner ads that appear in system applications and interfaces, which are a fee for the affordable cost of devices, but the situation can be radically corrected. Modern shells MIUI and HyperOS allow you to flexibly manage the digital space, if you know what switches you need to activate.
In this article, we'll look at proven ways to help you clean up the screen from unnecessary visual noise: you don't have to be a programmer or root-rights to achieve the desired result, just perform several actions consistently in the security settings and user accounts.
Ignoring the system's advertising modules is not only annoying, it also consumes traffic and your gadget's battery, and blocking these processes makes the device more smooth and enjoyable. Let's look at the detailed instructions for each level of protection.
Disabling system advertising through account settings
The first and most important step is to deactivate the marketing recommendation service, which is designated MSA (MIUI System Ads) in the system, which collects data about your preferences and displays banners in folders and applications.
First, you need to find the appropriate item in the authorization menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. Go to Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. In the list that opens, find msa and turn off the slider.
The system will try to prevent you from doing this by running a 10 second countdown timer, which is a psychological trick to change your mind, so you have to wait until the time ends and press the "Cancel" button, and if you don't do it the first time, try repeating the procedure 2-3 times until the system accepts the command.
- 📱 Find the Get apps item in the list of services and also revoke permission to access personal data.
- 📱 Disable Mi Video or Mi Music if you don’t use built-in players, as they often stream content.
- 📱 Check the Special Opportunities section for suspicious apps with rights over other windows.
☑️ Checking the ad-off
Once permissions are revoked, it is recommended that the smartphone be fully restarted, so that background processes associated with advertising identifiers are permanently stopped, and without a reboot, changes may not take effect immediately or partially.
Using a private DNS to block at the network level
A more radical and effective method is to use the DNS over TLS protocol, which allows you to filter traffic before it even reaches your device, and you connect not to the provider's servers, but to a specialized server that sifts out requests for advertising domains.
On modern versions of Android and the MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS shells, this feature is natively built in. You do not need to install third-party software. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select Host Name DNS Provider mode.
In the input field, you need to specify the address of a reliable filter. The most popular and stable service is AdGuard DNS. Type the following address into the line:
dns.adguard.comSave the settings. Now all browser and many applications requests will go through the filter, which will help remove banners even in programs where you can't turn off the settings, but it's worth remembering that this method can conflict with some LANs or corporate Wi-Fi.
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If after turning on private DNS, the Internet in public Wi-Fi (cafe, airport) stopped working, temporarily return the setting to Auto or Disconnected mode.
| Parameter | Default value | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNS mode | Automobile | Host name | High (blocks trackers) |
| Server address | - | dns.adguard.com | Traffic filtering |
| Security | Standard. | Encrypted (TLS) | Protection against interception |
Use of third-party DNS-The provider can't see which sites you're visiting, only seeing the encrypted data stream to the filter server, and it's a double benefit: clean interfaces and privacy protection.
Configuring embedded applications: Browser, Explorer, Downloads
Xiaomi’s system utilities often contain their own monetization modules. Even if you’ve turned off global MSA ads, individual apps can continue to show news and offers.
Start with Explorer. Open the app, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings. Find About and turn off Receive References. It's also helpful to turn off Popular ads in the basic settings.
In the Download app, the situation is similar: click on the three dots in the top corner, select Settings. Uncheck the box on Show Recommended Content. This will remove the news block that usually hangs on top of the file list.
⚠️ Note: In some firmware versions, the “Get recommendations” option may be hidden deep in the menu or not, in which case the only solution is to install an alternative application from Google Play, such as Files by Google.
The built-in Mi Browser is one of the main sources of advertising traffic. Go to your browser settings, select Privacy and Security, and activate the ad blocker. It is also recommended to disable Notifications and Popular in the homepage settings.
If you use a standard Mi Video player, go to the user profile (human icon), then to the settings and turn off Online Recommendations. This will remove banner ads from the video library.
Removal of Advertising in the “Security” and “Cleanup” App
Security is a control center that often displays partner ads when it launches, and to get rid of that, you have to change the settings of the app itself. Open Security, click on the gear in the top right corner.
In the settings menu, look for the General section, where you need to disable two critical settings: Get Recommendations and Automatically Update. The second item not only removes ads, but also prevents the background loading of virus database updates without your knowledge.
Why does the ad return after the update?
It's also worth checking the Cleanup tool inside the same app, and when you start scanning, you might see a window asking you to install a game or an app, and there's usually a little bit of a cross or a "Do Not Show Again" switch in the corner of that window.
You can use the deep-cleaning function to clean the ad cache completely, but make sure you save important data. Cache ads can take up hundreds of megabytes of memory, slowing down the device.
Hiding recommendations on the desktop and in folders
MIUI likes to offer "recommended applications" in folders on the desktop, which looks like a grid of four icons that says "Recommended." You can remove this element, but the path to it is not obvious.
Click on any folder that has recommendations. Then click on the folder name (or three dots if the name isn't edited) to open the folder management menu. In the window that opens, find the Recommended Apps switch and deactivate it. Now only your installed programs will remain in the folders.
Another source of visual noise is the Google Discover tape or Yandex to the left of the main screen. To turn it off, pinch it with two fingers on the desktop (edit mode). Click "More" (or settings) and uncheck "Tape" or "Google Discover".
- 🗑️ Remove the “My Apps” label if you don’t use the Xiaomi Store.
- 🗑️ Turn off news widgets on the home screen through widget settings.
- 🗑️ Check out the theme: Some third-party themes may contain built-in ads, go back to the standard theme.
Changing the theme to a standard one often solves problems with incorrect display of interface elements. Third-party themes may not be optimized for your version of Android, which leads to bugs and pop-ups.
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Changing the theme to a standard one is a quick way to eliminate visual glitches and built-in themes if other methods don’t help.
Solving problems with intrusive notifications from websites
Users often confuse system advertising with notifications from sites they accidentally subscribed to. If you constantly get messages about winnings or news, the problem is not with Xiaomi’s system, but with browser permissions.
To fix this, open the browser (Chrome, Mi Browser or another) you most often use to browse the Internet. Go to your browser settings → Site Settings → Notifications. Here you will see a list of sites that are allowed to send push notifications.
Go through the list and delete or block any suspicious resources, usually sites with news, horoscopes or questionable content, and after cleaning the list, the spam in the notification curtain should stop.
⚠️ Warning: Never click "Allow" on browser pop-ups if the site asks for "confirmation that you're not a robot" notifications.
For additional protection, you can install a blocker extension if you use a browser that supports them (for example, Kiwi Browser or Yandex with AdGuard installed), which will create an additional barrier to advertising traffic.
Additional methods and installation of blockers
If standard methods are not enough, you can use customized software, and AdGuard is the leader in this field, and it works as a local application. VPN-filter, passing all traffic through itself and cutting out advertising.
To install the full version (not from Google Play, but from the official developer's website), you will need to allow installation from unknown sources. After installation, activate the protection. VPN-Connections – This is necessary for the filter to work.
There is also a way to use DNS (Private DNS) through third-party applications if the built-in feature in Android is unstable, and applications like Intra or Nebulo allow you to flexibly configure filtering rules.
The command to check the DNS operation (via Termux or ADB):
nslookup doubleclick.netIf you get an AdGuard server address or an empty answer, then the filtering works. IP-Advertising server address means the blocking is not active.
Effect of blockers on the battery
Remember that completely blocking ads can disrupt the functionality of some free apps that exist solely through impressions, and in such cases you will have to find a balance between comfort and developer support.