Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising in standard apps like Explorer, Music or Downloads, a feature of the MIUI shell that allows the company to sell devices at a competitive price, offsetting costs through digital services. However, for many users, the presence of banner ads becomes a critical factor, annoying and distracting from work.
There is a proven and legal way to minimize the amount of advertising content without having to root or flash the device, just change the region in the phone settings. This simple step changes the server from which the device receives content, and in many countries, the company's laws or policies prohibit aggressive marketing in system interfaces.
In this article, we will take a closer look at which region to choose on Xiaomi to clean up the interface as much as possible.We will analyze the impact of this setting on the performance of NFC, voice assistant and other system functions so that you can make an informed choice without compromising the functionality of your gadget.
Why changing the region is taking away advertising
The mechanism of advertising in MIUI is tied to geolocation and server settings, tied to the selected country. When you choose a particular region, the smartphone sends a request to the appropriate server updates and services. In countries with strict privacy laws or high requirements for digital ethics, Xiaomi simply does not implement advertising modules in system applications.
Indonesia has been the most popular choice among power users for years, a region that has become a kind of “gold standard” for Xiaomi owners around the world, changing location to Indonesia not only removes most banners, but often adds new features that may not be available in other firmware, such as additional themes or interface settings.
⚠️ Warning: Changing a region is not a complete guarantee of 100% ad absence, as some banners can be downloaded through third-party apps or cached data, but system advertising in standard utilities disappears in 99% of cases.
It's important to understand that changing location doesn't just affect ad integrations, it also changes the list of available widgets, the format of the date and time display, and the set of pre-installed services, for example, in some regions, the "Second Space" function or specific battery settings may be activated or disappear.
Top regions to disable advertising: list and comparison
Setting a country is a balance between not advertising and staying functional. Not all regions behave the same. Some may turn off important modules, such as NFC for payments, or change the voice assistant. We'll look at the most effective options below.
Indonesia is the safest and most functional option, as mentioned, and when you choose this region, the ads in standard apps (Conductor, Cleanup, Music) disappear completely, and users often notice new features in the settings menu that were previously hidden.
Singapore is the second popular option, and the region is also famous for its lack of intrusive marketing, but there is a caveat: some versions of MIUI may miss certain design themes when choosing Singapore, or change the way the store works, but for those who care about a clean interface, it is a great alternative.
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If you don’t see any changes immediately after changing the region, try clearing the Security and MIUI app cache in the application settings and then restarting the device.
The third option that is sometimes advised is India, where the situation is ambiguous: on the one hand, it is a huge market for Xiaomi, and advertising there can be even more aggressive than in the CIS. On the other hand, some specific advertising integrations that work in Russia or Europe do not work in Indian firmware, but you should choose India with caution, because there may be specific banners.
Nepal and Andorra are also worth mentioning, and these exotic locations sometimes pop up in recommendations, and they do take away ads, but they can lead to some of Google's global services being unstable or timing and weather misidentification.
The impact of the region on the work of NFC and Google Pay
One of the most common questions users have is, "Will NFC shut down after a region change?" The answer depends on the country and version of MIUI. In most cases, switching to Indonesia or Singapore does not affect the operation of the short-range contactless module.
However, there are exceptions: In some older firmware or smartphone models (especially Chinese global firmware versions), a change in region may have resulted in a temporary lock. NFC-module before rebooting or resetting network settings. MIUI 12, 13 and 14 are very rare.
As for payment via Google Pay (now Google Wallet), it is not the region of the phone that matters, but the region of the Google and bank account. If your card is issued in a Russian bank, and the phone settings are Indonesia, payment via NFC will still work if the NFC module itself is active. But if you use Mi Pay ( Xiaomi’s own payment system), then changing the region may require re-assigning the card or make the service unavailable altogether, since Mi Pay only works in a limited number of countries.
⚠️ Note: After changing the region, be sure to check the work NFC, Trying to count an access card or making a test payment before relying on this method in your daily life.
For users who are actively using Xiaomi’s smart home, changing the region can have consequences: Smart home devices are tied to the Mi Account region, not the phone region. However, some local automation scenarios may not show correctly in the Mi Home app if the regions of the device and phone are very different.
What if the NFC disappeared after a change in location?
Step-by-step instructions for changing the region
The process of changing the location in Xiaomi is as simple as possible and takes less than a minute. You do not need special programs or access to the engineering menu.
Follow the algorithm to change the system parameters:
☑️ Algorithm of region change
First, open the Settings app on your device. Usually the icon is a gray gear, scroll down the list, or search the settings by typing the word "Region."
Click on Additional (on some versions of MIUI it may be simply called "Advanced Settings"). In the list that opens, find Region. By default, your current country or "Russia" will be there.
In the list of countries, find Indonesia. The list is sorted alphabetically, so you can quickly scroll to the letter "I" or use the search bar at the top of the list, if available. Once selected, the screen may blink, and the phone will apply new settings.
After that, the system may suggest a reboot or update some services, and it is recommended to perform a full reboot of the device so that all background processes restart with new parameters.
| Parameter | Before shift (Region of the Russian Federation) | After shift (Indonesia) |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising in the Conductor | Present. | Absent. |
| Advertising in the Purge | Present. | Absent. |
| NFC work | Active. | Active (usually) |
| Mi Pay | Available. | Maybe unavailable. |
| Tham's shop | Standard. | They can be exclusive. |
Hidden nuances and possible problems
Despite the simplicity of the method, there are nuances to be aware of in advance: the voice assistant is one element that can behave strangely, and when a region changes to Indonesia, the voice assistant may stop understanding Russian or switch to English/Indonesian, requiring re-tuning.
Another important thing is to update the system. OTA-Updates (over-the-air updates) may be delayed, as Indonesian servers may receive firmware later than local servers. 1-2 days.
You also need to consider how the Mi Browser app works. Even when you change region, this browser can continue to show news feeds, as they are often set up separately within the app itself. To remove news there, you need to go to your browser settings and turn off Popular or News Feed manually.
⚠️ Warning: You should not choose China if you have a global smartphone, which can lead to conflicting system libraries, the emergence of Chinese applications and the inability to use Google services.
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Region change is a software switching of a content server that does not affect the user’s personal files, contacts, and installed applications.
Additional settings for complete cleanliness
Changing the region is a powerful tool, but for the perfect result, it should be combined with other settings. MIUI has a hidden msa switch (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data and displaying ads.
To turn it off, go along the path: Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. In the list, find msa and turn off the switch. The system will persistently ask for confirmation several times (usually you need to wait 10 seconds and press “Cancel” 3-4 times), but it is worth it.
It is also recommended to disable personalization of ads in your Google account. Go to Google settings on your phone, select Ads and disable personalization. This will reduce the number of targeted banners in apps and browser.
Don't forget to set the app itself. Music, Video and Themes often have separate "Receive recommendations" or "Show ads" switches that need to be manually disabled even after a region change.