How to remove ads on Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Smartphone owners of the Chinese brand often face intrusive marketing that is built right into the shell of MIUI or HyperOS. Constant pop-ups, banners in system applications and offers to install “optimizers” can annoy even power users. It is not a bug, but part of the company’s business model to keep iron prices affordable, offsetting costs through digital services.

But there's a lot of ways to minimize or eliminate this digital noise, and you don't have to be a programmer or a super-user to get the interface back clean, and we'll take a look at all the current techniques, from simple switches in settings to more advanced DNS locking techniques.

It is worth noting that after a major system update, some settings may reset and the procedure will have to be repeated. System advertising tends to return if you do not block its transmission channels at the network level. In this article, we will collect all the currently known ways to clean your device of unwanted content.

Disabling MSA System Advertising

The main source of intrusive offers is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which is responsible for collecting data about your preferences and showing banner ads in standard utilities, the first step to a clean interface will be to disable this component.

First, you need to find the appropriate item in the settings menu. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Data Access. In the list that opens, find the msa application and turn off the network access switcher. The system will warn you that without this service, some functions may not work correctly, but for the average user this is not critical.

When you shut down your network, you'll have a 10 second countdown timer, and then you'll have to press the "Disable" button, and if the first time you're on the system, you'll say "Disabled," don't panic. This is the standard shell defense response that requires you to try again.

⚠️ Warning: If the off button is inactive or gives an error, wait 5-10 I'll take a minute and repeat the procedure. 3 before 5 Attempts to get the server to receive a command to disable the service.

Additionally, you should disable receiving recommendations from the system. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to data and find the Get Catalog app. Disable Internet access for this service to prevent automatic installation of advertising applications.

Set up standard Xiaomi applications

Even after the MSA is disabled, individual system applications can continue to display ads in their interfaces, including Explorer, Music, Them, and other standard utilities, each with their own personalization settings that need to be manually disabled.

Start with the Security app, which often fails with junk notifications and suggestions to clear memory. Open the app, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find "Get recommendations." The switch should be inactive.

The same procedure is required for other embedded services. In the Themes app, go to the profile (human icon), then to the settings and turn off "Show ads" and "Personal recommendations." Download also has a settings menu where you need to remove the tick from "Show recommended."

Don't forget to use Explorer. Go to its settings, select About (or find a menu item right away), and turn off Get Recommendations, which will remove banners that appear when you open folders or start a file.

• 📁 Conductor: Settings → About the annex → Get recommendations (Off).
• 🎵 Music: Settings → Advanced settings → Receive recommendations (Off).
• 🧹 Cleaning: Settings → Receive recommendations (Off).
• 🌤️ Weather: Settings → Additionally. → Receive recommendations (Off).

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In the Weather app, ads often appear full screen at launch, and make sure you turn off not only the recommendations, but also the “WV Outbound” switch in the settings, if your version of MIUI has one.

Blocking Advertising through DNS (Private DNS)

One of the most effective methods, which works at the device level, is to use a private DNS filtered, which allows you to block requests to ad servers before they even reach your smartphone screen.

You don't need third-party apps to implement this method. Modern versions of Android (starting with 9.0) and MIUI shells have a built-in feature. Go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. The default is Auto or Off.

Select the DNS Host Name (or Manual) mode and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save settings. After that, all traffic going to known advertising domains will be cut off, which will remove banners in many games and applications, as well as in the browser.

It is important to note that using a third-party DNS can have a slight effect on page opening speed if the server is far away, but in the case of AdGuard, the difference is almost invisible. If Wi-Fi or mobile Internet suddenly stops working, just return the setting to Auto mode.

Cleaning the browser and notifications

Users often confuse system advertising with intrusive notifications from sites. If you constantly get messages about “viruses” or “wins”, chances are you accidentally allowed some site to send push notifications in the browser.

Consider the example for the standard Mi Browser and Chrome browser, where you click on three menu bars in Mi Browser, go to Settings → Notifications → Sites, and delete any suspicious addresses or disable notifications altogether.

In Chrome, the path looks like this: three dots in the corner → Settings → Notifications. Scroll down to the list of sites and turn off access for those you don't know or suspect. This will instantly remove pop-ups in the notification tray.

It is also recommended to clear the browser cache to delete saved scripts. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find your browser, select Memory and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Everything, otherwise you will have to re-enter passwords on sites.

• 🌐 Mi Browser: Settings → Notifications → Sites → Remove the excess.
• 🔍 Chrome: Settings → Notifications → Turn off suspicious.
• 🗑️ Cleaning: Application memory → Clear the cache (not data!).
• 🚫 Blocking: Enable “Pop-up lock” in browser settings.

Removal of advertising applications and widgets

New Xiaomi smartphones often pre-installed Tape widgets (Mi Video, Mi Music, Yandex.Zen) in their Tools folder or desktop, which stream a news stream oversaturated with advertising articles and videos.

To remove the tape from your desktop, just click on the widget and select "Delete" or drag it to the basket. If the widget is built into the lock screen or negative first screen, it needs to be turned off in the settings. Click on the empty space on your desktop, click "Settings" and turn off "Ribbon" or "Wallpaper Carousel".

It’s also worth checking the installed list. Often, when installing games or utilities, users quietly install “junk” optimizer or “memory cleaners.” Go to Settings → Apps → All apps and carefully review the list. Delete anything you don’t use, especially if the name of the app is unfamiliar to you.

To remove system applications that are not removed in the usual way, you can use a computer and debugging over USB, but this requires caution. The easier way is to disable them. In the list of applications, find an unnecessary service (such as Mi Video), click on it and select "Disable." It will disappear from the menu and stop wasting resources.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when disabling system components. Do not disable Google Play Services, System Frame, or apps with a gear icon without a kernel unless you know exactly what they are responsible for.

Use of third-party blockers

If built-in methods are not enough, specialized applications come to the rescue, with AdGuard leading the way, which can operate in local VPN mode, filtering traffic without sending data to external servers (in the paid version or with restrictions on the free one).

Another powerful tool is Blokada 5. It's an open source application that also creates local content. VPN-It effectively blocks ads in browsers and many applications without requiring root rights.

For advanced users willing to spend time setting up, there is an option using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), connecting the phone to a computer, you can remove advertising packages permanently by command prompt, however, this requires installing drivers and minimal command line knowledge.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser

Remember that the use of ADB-Incorrect removal of the system packet can lead to a "bootloop" (cyclical reboot.

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Disabling MSA + Private DNS + Browser Cleanup eliminates 99% of all ads on the device.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)