How to permanently disable ads on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Why is there so much advertising on Xiaomi and can it be removed?

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO have long proven to be great price-performance devices, but their MIUI firmware has one major drawback: aggressive built-in advertising, which appears in system applications, notifications, lock screens, and even settings menus, and the problem is relevant for both budget models (Redmi Note 12, POCO M6 Pro) and flagships (Xiaomi 14 Ultra).

The main reason for this approach is monetization. Xiaomi makes money not only by selling devices, but also by showing ads in its ecosystem. However, users do not have to put up with intrusive banners. In this article, we will examine all possible ways to block ads, from standard MIUI settings to radical methods for obtaining root rights. It is important to understand that the effectiveness of each method depends on the firmware version (MIUI 14/15) and regional build (global, Chinese, European).

Before you start settings, check your firmware version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. If you have a Chinese version (with the CN suffix), some methods may not work without additional manipulations. Also note that after major MIUI updates, advertising may return - you will have to repeat the settings.

1. disable personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest way is to use firmware tools built in, and Xiaomi officially allows you to disable some of the ad mechanisms, but not all users know where to look for those settings, and importantly, this method will reduce the amount of targeted ads, but it won't eliminate them completely.

Instructions for MIUI 14/15:

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising (if there is no item, skip the step).
2. Click Reset Advertising ID and confirm the action.
3. Go back to the basic settings and go to Settings → Privacy → Special Permissions → Personalized recommendations.
4. Turn off the slider Personalized recommendations.
5. Then go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account → Advertising and deactivate Personalized Advertising.

After this, the ads in the system applications (Weather, Calendar, Themes) should be reduced by 30-50%, but the banners in the Mi Browser, Music and lock screen will remain.

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If your version of MIUI does not have Personalized Guidelines, try changing the region to Europe: Settings → Additional → Region and select Italy or Germany.

2. Manual disabling of advertising in system applications

Many of Xiaomi’s built-in apps have their own ad settings hidden in the depths of the menu, and let’s look at the most problematic services and how to “clean them up.”

Mi (Mi Browser) browser

This is one of the most spammed apps, to remove ads:

1. Open the Mi browser and tap the three-point (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Settings → Additionally.
3. Turn it off: 🔘 Show recommendations on the main page 🔘 Showing news on the main page 🔘 Booting recommendations

Settings → Confidentiality

Personalized recommendations

Annex “Themes” (Themes)

And here, the ad is built into the very structure of the app, to reduce it.

• 📱 Open Topics, tap on the avatar in the upper right corner.
• 🔧 Select Settings → Recommendations.
• 🚫 Turn off all sliders associated with recommendations and notifications.

Unfortunately, you can’t completely remove ads in Topics without root – banners will appear when you view collections. Alternatively, install a third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher) and refuse to use the built-in themes.

Recommended in the Mi Browser

Deactivated personalization in "Temes"

Resetting Advertising ID in Google Settings

Notifications from Mi Video and Mi Music are disabled-->

3. Blocking ads via DNS (without root)

One of the most effective ways is to redirect advertising requests to “empty” servers using privately owned services. DNS. This works at the network level and does not require changing system files. MIUI any version, but may conflict with some VPN-applications.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS.
2. Select the hostname of the private DNS.
3. Enter one of the addresses: 🔗 dns.adguard.com (AdGuard DNS) 🔗 doh.centraleu.pi-dns.com (Pi-hole) 🔗 family.adguard-dns.com (with adult content blocked)

Save the settings and restart the phone.

The effect will be noticeable in 5-10 minutes: ads will disappear in the browser, some system applications and on sites, but banners in Mi Video and on the lock screen may remain – they are blocked by other methods.

4.Use of ADB-commands for deep disabling advertising

If standard methods do not help, you can use the debugging bridge. ADB (Android Debug Bridge. It's a semi-official way to disable the system components responsible for displaying ads. ADB This can cause firmware to malfunction.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers and turn on USB Debugging.

ADB-tool

File transfer

adb shell


pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.analytics




pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop




pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.browser




pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution

After you've done the commands, restart your phone, and this will turn off the main ad modules, but some system applications (Mi Video, Mi Music) may not work properly. If something goes wrong, return the apps with the command:

cmd package install-existing com.miui.analytics

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ADB-commands remove advertising modules only for the current user (flag) --user 0). This is safer than a complete deletion because system files remain intact.

5. Install custom firmware (for advanced users)

If you’re willing to take drastic measures, installing custom firmware (like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or Xiaomi.eu) will solve the advertising problem once and for all.These firmwares lack Xiaomi’s built-in ad modules and offer a “clean” Android. However, the process requires unlocking the bootloader, which resets the phone to factory settings and can take away warranties.

Main stages:

• 🔓 Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account binding and wait 7-30 days).
• 📱 Install custom recovery (TWRP Or OrangeFox).
• 🖥️ Sweep through the selected firmware (we recommend Xiaomi.eu to save the functionality of the camera).

Advantages of custom firmware:

• ✅ No system advertising.
• ✅ Regular security updates.
• ✅ Ability to fine-tune the interface.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (if you do not return the stock firmware before contacting the service).
• ⚠️ Risk of “bricking” in case of errors during firmware.
• ⚠️ Certain functions (e.g, IR-The blaster or Always-on Display may not work properly.

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Before installing custom firmware, check compatibility with your model on the XDA Developers forum. For example, the Pixel Experience firmware for the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is suitable, and LineageOS 20 is suitable for the POCO F5.

6 Root access and modification of system files

The most powerful, but also the most risky, method is rooting and manually removing ad units, which allows you to remove all ads, including banners on the lock screen and in system notifications.

⚠️ Attention: Root access violates system security, blocks updates OTA It can also cause banking applications to fail (due to the SafetyNet trigger), and Xiaomi can block certain features (e.g. Mi Pay) on rooted devices.

If you are prepared for the risks, follow the instructions:

1. Unlock the bootloader (as in the section about custom firmware).
2. Install Magisk to manage root rights.
3. Download Disabler for Xiaomi or Xiaomi Debloater from Magisk repository.
4. Activate the module and restart the phone.

After that, you can manually remove advertising packages through Root Explorer or Titanium Backup.

After removing packets, clear the cache to Settings → Apps → App Management and restart the device. There will be no ads, but be prepared for possible bugs (such as broken weather widgets).

7. Alternative ways: from VPN to launcher replacement

If the previous methods seem too complex, there are a few alternatives: they are less effective, but easier to implement.

7.1 Use of VPN with ad blocking

Some of them VPN-Services (e.g. AdGuard) VPN or proton VPN) They have built-in ad blockers, they work at the network level and filter out ad requests, and they can slow down the Internet connection.

7.2. Replacement of system applications with analogues

Many of Xiaomi’s built-in apps can be replaced with third-party apps:

• 🌐 Mi browser → Google Chrome or Firefox with uBlock Origin extension.
• 🎵 Mi Music → Spotify, VLC poweramp.
• 📺 Mi Video → MX Player or Kodi.
• 📱 Launcher MIUI → Nova Launcher or Lawnchair.

7.3 Disabling notifications from advertising services

Some of the ads come through push notifications to turn them off:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
2. Find and disable notifications for: 📢 MiuiDaemon 📢 System Ad Service 📢 Download Manager (if you show download ads)

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Replacing system applications with third-party ones is the safest way to get rid of advertising without risk to the system. IR-The blaster may be lost.

FAQ: Frequent questions about ad blocking on Xiaomi