You turned on your Xiaomi Mi TV or unlocked your Redmi smartphone, and suddenly there was a little window on the screen with an advertisement, a notification or an offer to update the software. Close it — in a few minutes it pops up again. Familiar situation? This is the floating windows, one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware and PatchWall (shells for Xiaomi TV).
On the one hand, these windows are designed to inform the user about new features, promotions or system events. On the other hand, they interfere with watching movies, distracting during games, and often contain unobtrusive (and sometimes very intrusive) advertising. Worse, this feature is activated by default on most Xiaomi devices, and it is not always obvious how to turn it off.
- 🔍 What are floating windows and why do they need Xiaomi?
- 📱 On what devices they appear (smartphones, TV, tablets)
- ⚙️ All ways to disconnect - from standard settings to ADB-team
- ⚠️ Risks and consequences of deactivation (including possible bugs)
- 🛠️ What to do if the windows return after the update
What are floating windows on Xiaomi and why do you need them?
Floating windows (or pop-up notifications) are small dialog bars that appear on top of the main content on the screen.
- 📢 Advertising Xiaomi apps or services (e.g. Mi Video, Mi Home)
- 🔄 Suggestions to update firmware or applications
- 🎁 Information about new functions after the update
- 📊 System status notifications (e.g. low battery charge on the remote control)
- 💡 Tips for using the device (often duplicate background information)
On Xiaomi smartphones, these windows usually pop up at the bottom of the screen and disappear after a few seconds. TV/Redmi TV They can take up to a third of the screen and lock the controls until the user closes them. The main problem is that even after manually closing the window, it can reappear through the window. 10–30 minutes, especially if the device is connected to the Internet.
Why did Xiaomi implement this feature? Officially, the company has positioned it as part of a smart user experience. Unofficially, it is one way to monetize through displays and promotion of its own services. For example, in China and India, floating windows often contain targeted offers from local Xiaomi partners.
What Xiaomi devices have floating windows
Floating windows are available in almost all MIUI (smartphones, tablets) and PatchWall (TVs) devices, but there are nuances depending on the model and the firmware region:
| Type of device | Models with floating windows | Behavioral characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Smartphones | Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5, Mi 11/12/13, Mi Mix | Windows appear at the bottom of the screen, often duplicate notifications from the curtain, and are less common in global firmware than in Chinese ones. |
| Televisions | Mi TV 4S/5X, Redmi Smart TV, Mi TV Q1/Q2, Mi TV A2 | Windows block control, can block subtitles or elements of the application interface (YouTube, Netflix). |
| Tablets | Mi Pad 5/6, Redmi Pad | The behavior is similar to smartphones, but the windows are larger because of the larger screen. |
| Smart watches | Mi Watch, Redmi Watch 2/3 | There are no floating windows, but there are similar pop-up notifications (disable separately). |
Important: Global firmware devices (such as the Redmi Note 11 Global) tend to have fewer floating windows than the Chinese versions (Redmi Note 11 China), due to local advertising laws, but even in global firmware, windows can appear after updates or when using branded apps (Mi Video, GetApps).
⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi TVs with PatchWall firmware, floating windows can be activated even if you are not using the Internet. They load in the background when connected to Wi-Fi and are cached.
How to turn off floating windows on Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV, Redmi TV)
On Xiaomi TVs and set-top boxes, floating windows are disabled via the settings menu, but the path to these can vary depending on the PatchWall version.
Open Settings → Accounts and Security |
Select Advertising and Recommendations |
Turn off the slider Show advertising notifications |
Restart the TV (required!)|
Check the absence of windows in Settings → About the system → Notifications-->
If your firmware does not have an item called "Advertising and Recommendations", try an alternative way:
- Go to Settings → All settings → Personal → Privacy.
- Select Permissions Management → Notifications.
- Find PatchWall or Mi Home in the app list and turn off notifications for them.
- Return to Settings → About System → Software Update and turn off Automatic Update Check (this will reduce the number of pop-ups with suggestions to update).
For TVs with PatchWall 3.0 firmware and later (such as Mi TV Q2 2023), an additional step may be required:
- Open Settings → Accounts and Security → Data Synchronization.
- Turn off Personalized Recommendations and Usage Analytics.
- Restart the TV by holding the power button on the remote for 5 seconds.
💡
If windows continue to appear after shutdown, reset PatchWall to factory settings: Settings → Apps → PatchWall → Storage → Clear data. This will remove the cache of banner ads.
Disconnecting floating windows on smartphones and tablets Xiaomi
On Xiaomi mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), floating windows are controlled through the MIUI settings. The method depends on the shell version:
Method 1: Through notification settings (MIUI 12–14)
- Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar.
- Select Floating Notifications (or Pop-ups).
- Turn off the slider for Mi Video, GetApps, Browser and others that show ads.
- Go back and select Notification Permissions → find the same apps and turn off Pop-ups for them.
Method 2: Special Permissions (MIUI 13+)
In new versions of MIUI, floating windows can be hidden in the special permissions section:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Special Permissions.
- Find Show on top of other windows and turn off this permission for unnecessary applications.
Method 3: Disabling Advertising in MIUI (for all versions)
Some of the floating windows are disguised advertisements, to reduce the number of windows:
- Open Settings → About the phone and click on the MIUI version several times to activate the developer mode.
- Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
- Activate Debugging over USB and connect the device to the PC.
- Follow the command to ADB: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution This will disable the system module responsible for displaying ads.
⚠️ Note: Disabling system applications through ADB It can lead to unstable work MIUI. Before executing commands, make a backup copy of the data (Settings) → Additionally. → Backup and reset).
What to do if the floating windows return after the update
One of the most common problems is that windows reappear after a firmware update, which is because Xiaomi resets some of its default settings.
- 🔄 Reverse to the previous firmware version if the new one contains aggressive ads. To do this, download the old firmware from Xiaomifirmwareupdater.com and run through Fastboot.
- 🚫 Block ad domains through a hosts file, and you need root rights or an app like AdAway.
- 🛡️ Install alternative firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that doesn’t have floating windows.
- 📵 Turn off the internet for system applications: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management. Select Mi Video, GetApps or Browser. Click Mobile Data and Wi-Fi and turn off network access.