Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive marketing content that comes at the most inopportune moment, especially when you pick up a phone to check a notification and instead see promotional material blocking access to the system. This is not a bug, but a regular, if controversial, feature of the MIUI shell aimed at monetizing the company’s free services.
There are a number of ways to remove ads on the Xiaomi lock screen, from simple switches in settings to deeper system intervention. In this article, we will look at all the available methods to help you return a clean and functional interface. You will learn to distinguish between system widgets and banner ads, and learn how to prevent them from reappearing.
A user who wants to enjoy a device without unnecessary visual noise needs to understand the structure of security settings and applications. We will look at not only standard methods, but also nuances that are rarely written about in official instructions, which will allow you to have full control over what is displayed on your device.
The Nature of the Appearance of Advertising Banners in MIUI
The main source of annoyance in the Xiaomi operating system is the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data on user behavior and targeting advertising content in various sections of the interface. It works in the background and is closely integrated with the shell, which makes it not always obvious to the beginner.
Beyond MSA, Wappalyzer or built-in Horizon widgets are often responsible for displaying content on a locked screen, which can show news, pictures of the day and promotions from partners, and it is important to understand the difference between system advertising of applications and news feed content, since they are disabled in different menus.
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Before making changes to your security settings, take a screenshot of the current settings so that you can return to the original state if necessary.
Xiaomi developers periodically change the location of the switches in new versions of the firmware. If you do not find the right item in the specified place, you should use the search by settings, typing keywords like “advertising” or “recommendations”, this will save time and help you find the relevant parameter for your version of MIUI or HyperOS.
Disabling system advertising through security settings
The first and most effective step is to work with the Security app, where the main switches that control the behavior of the ad units are located, and you need to find the Settings section inside the security application itself, not the general settings of the phone.
In the menu that opens, you should find the item responsible for receiving recommendations, which can be called "Receive recommendations" or "Recommendations", and once you turn off this slider, the system will stop requesting and displaying advertising offers in the system utilities.
Then you go to the settings of the MSA service itself. Find the "MSA" application list and open its settings. It is critical to turn off the "Receive recommendations" option. Without this step, even when the application is turned off, ads can continue to load through cached data.
⚠️ Attention: When attempting to disconnect MSA The system will show a pop-up window with a countdown timer several times, convincing you to leave the advertisement.
Also worth checking is the settings of the Explorer app, which often hides the Receive Recommendations switch, which is responsible for the banner ads at the bottom of the file list, and disabling this option will make the file system cleaner and faster.
Management of widgets and Horizon service (Glance)
Users often confuse ads with a feature called Horizon (global versions known as Glance), which changes the wallpaper on the lock screen every time the screen is turned on, adding news headlines and brand logos on top of the image, and is managed separately from system advertising.
To remove this content, go to the phone's main menu settings. Find the Lock Screen section. Here you'll need to find Wallpaper Carousel or Horizon. Inside this menu, you'll need to turn off the carousel activation function completely.
☑️ Checking the lock screen settings
Once the carousel is turned off, the system can suggest that you select a static image from the gallery or standard wallpaper. This is normal behavior. Make sure that the "Additional" section inside the carousel settings also removes the ticks from "Show Content" or "Recommendations."
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the wallpaper carousel will return the static picture to the lock screen, but will not remove the ability to display notifications from apps.
Set up personalization and advertising ID
To cleanse the system of marketing traces more deeply, you need to refer to the privacy settings. There is a special section in MIUI dedicated to advertising identifiers, which allows you to reset the unique code that is assigned to your device for targeting.
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Privacy. At the bottom of the list, you will find the item “Advertising Services.” Here you need to activate the “Delete Ad ID” switch. This action breaks the link between your device and advertising profiles.
What happens after the ID is reset?
Also in this section, it is useful to disable participation in the user experience improvement program, although this does not directly affect the number of banners, it reduces the amount of telemetry sent to the company's servers.
Table: Comparison of blocking methods
To show how effective different methods are, it is worth considering their comparative characteristics. Not all methods are suitable for each use case, and understanding their differences will help you choose the best strategy.
| Method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Tall. | Low. | Minimum |
| Security settings | Medium | Low. | Absent. |
| Turning off Glance | High (for lock screen) | Low. | Changes the wallpaper. |
| Resetting the ID of advertising | Low (temporary) | Low. | Absent. |
As you can see from the table, a comprehensive approach is the best thing to do, and using just one method can leave loopholes for content display.
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The most effective method is the combined method: disabling the MSA plus adjusting the security settings and lock screen.
Hiding widgets and widget “Video” on the lock screen
In recent Xiaomi firmware versions, a video player or news widget often appears right on the lock screen, even if the video is not played, which can take up useful space and distract attention.
To remove this element, go to Settings → Lock screen. Find the section associated with the widgets or slider. Here you can turn off the display of the camera shortcut, voice recorder or video player.
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If you can’t remove the widget with standard methods, try changing the theme to the standard one. Third-party themes often have their own hidden settings for displaying lock elements.
Also worth checking is the settings of Xiaomi’s Music and Video app, and their internal settings often include “Show widget on lock screen” or “Online services” that should be deactivated.