How to permanently remove ads on your phone Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

Why is Xiaomi getting ads and can it be removed?

Xiaomi smartphone owners (including the Redmi, POCO and Black Shark line) often face intrusive ads in system apps, notifications, and even on the lock screen. This is not a coincidence, but part of the company’s business model: MIUI contains built-in ad modules that show targeted ads in exchange for lower device prices.

The good news is that Xiaomi ads can be completely removed, both by legal means through settings and radical methods such as disabling advertising services through ADB or installing custom firmware.Bad news: some methods require unlocking the bootloader or superuser rights, which voids the warranty. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, from the simplest to the most effective, and also tell you which ones are safe for beginners and which ones are better to trust to experienced users.

Before you start settings, it is important to understand: advertising in MIUI is of three types:

• 📱 System Advertising – banners in apps (Browser, Music, Themes), notifications from Mi Video or GetApps.
• 🔔 Push notifications – pop-ups with suggestions to install games or apps (often masquerading as “helpful tips").
• 🔒 Hidden Advertising – Integrated modules in firmware that load ads in the background (e.g., msa service or analytics).

The first two types are removed through the MIUI settings, and the third will require deeper interventions. Let's start with the simplest.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The safest and most official method is to deactivate targeted ads through the settings menu, which won't delete all banners, but will significantly reduce their number. MIUI 12/13/14 (including the shells POCO Launcher and HyperOS).

Open Settings → Google → Advertising (or Settings → Additional → Privacy → Advertising Services on Older Versions) Here you need:

1. Disable the Personalized Advertising switch (this will stop collecting your preferences).
2. Clicking “Reset Ad ID” will reset your profile for targeting.
3. Go back to the basic settings and go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → All applications.

Next, manually disable the display of advertising for each system application:

This method reduces the amount of ads by 40 to 60 percent, but it doesn't eliminate them completely. For example, banners in the Weather or Calendar can stay.

Method 2: Blocking Advertising Notices

If you’re most annoyed by pop-up notifications offering to install games or apps, you can turn them off separately, and these notifications come from the Mi Push Service and Download Manager system services, as well as the GetApps app (Xiaomi’s app store).

Instructions for unsetting:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
2. In the list of applications, find GetApps, Mi Video, Browser and Themes.
3. For each of them, turn off the "Show notifications" switch.
4. Scroll through the list to the System Notifications section and disable:

• 📌 Mi Push Service (responsible for push advertising).
• 📌 Download Manager (shows notifications about “useful” downloads).
• 📌 Security (sometimes sending antivirus ads).

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If important alerts (such as viruses) stop coming after Security has disabled notifications, return settings back and block only advertising channels. To do this, turn off categories with the words “recommendations” or “offers” in the app notification menu.

Third-party apps like Notisave or Notification History can be used to block advertising notifications completely (e.g., “install”, “discount”, “free”), but these apps require permission to access notifications, which may not be secure.

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Disabling notifications from GetApps and Mi Push Service removes 80% of pop-up ads, but does not affect banners inside apps.

Method 3: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If the system settings didn’t work, the next step is to disable advertising services through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which doesn’t require root rights, but you need to unlock Developer Options and connect the phone to a PC, the advantage of which is that even hidden advertising modules that are not visible in the interface are blocked.

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Developer Options: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable “Debugging by USB”.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB-Drivers and open the command line in the folder with the platform-tools.
4. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is displayed, execute the following commands in turn:

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution # Disables the system ad module


adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop # Block ads in Mi Drop




adb shell pm hide com.miui.analytics # Disables analytics collection (reduces targeted advertising)




adb shell pm hide com.miui.msa.global #Blocks Mi Advertising




adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.service # Removes ads in Game Center




adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1 # Allows hidden API

After completing the commands, restart the phone. Ads should disappear from most system applications. If any banners remain, check if the applications have been updated after the shutdown (updates can restore ad modules).

Install ADB-PC drivers|Enable debugging on USB phone-on|Allow debugging in the dialog window on Xiaomi|Download platform-tools from the official Android website|Connect the phone to USB (file transfer)-->

Important: pm hide commands temporarily hide applications, but do not delete them. After resetting or updating MIUI, ads can return.

Method 4: Install custom firmware (for experienced users)

If you're willing to sacrifice a guarantee for the sake of no advertising, custom firmware is the most radical and effective method. Firmware like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or Xiaomi.eu removes all MIUI ad modules, leaving only pure Android.

• 🔓 Unlocking the bootloader (cancellates the warranty).
• 🛠️ Custom recovery installations (TWRP Or OrangeFox).
• 📱 Compatible with your model (not all firmware supports new devices).

Step-by-step process:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a binding Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
2. Install TWRP via fastboot: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot boot twrp.img
3. Download the firmware Xiaomi.eu (recommended for beginners) or LineageOS (for pure Android) from xiaomi.eu.
4. In TWRP, run Wipe → Format Data (this will delete all data!), then run the firmware and Magisk (for root rights).

Advantages of custom firmware:

• ✅ No advertising at all (including hidden modules).
• ✅ Faster system operation (no background advertising processes).
• ✅ Regular security updates.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Loss of guarantee.
• ❌ Risk of "bricking" in case of firmware error.
• ❌ Certain functions (e.g, IR-blaster NFC) They may work unstablely.

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Before you run your firmware, make sure to backup your phone via TWRP! Save copies of your Boot, System, and Data partitions to an external drive, which will help you recover your phone if something goes wrong.

Method 5: Blocking ads through hosts file (without root)

If ADB seems too complicated and custom firmware is too risky, you can go another way: modify the hosts file to block ad domains, which doesn't require root rights, but you need to install additional software.

Instructions:

1. Install the DNS66 or Blokada app from F-Droid (they don't require root).
2. In the application settings, select the lock list "Adaway" or "Energized Protection".
3. Activate. VPN-Mode (this is necessary to redirect traffic).
4. Manually add the following domains (if not listed): tracker.ai.xiaomi.com sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com data.mistat.xiaomi.com api.brs.intl.miui.com

This method blocks up to 90% of ads, including targeted banners in apps, but it has drawbacks:

• 🔋 Increased battery consumption (due to work) VPN).
• 🌐 Some websites may open more slowly.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI The lock list may be reset.

For maximum efficiency, combine this method with disabling ads in the settings (Method 1).

Method 6: Remove system applications with advertising (root required)

If you have root rights (like Magisk), you can completely remove the apps that are responsible for displaying ads, which is the most reliable way, but it requires caution: removing critical system components can lead to unstable phone operation.

List of safe packets to remove (checked on MIUI 14):

Use Root Explorer or the command in ADB to remove:

adb shell


su




pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

⚠️ Note: Do not remove packages with the names com.android or com.qualcomm - this can cause the phone to fail).

Method 7: Alternative launchers and shells

If you're tired of advertising on the home screen (like in the Weather or Calendar widget), you can simply change the launcher. Most third-party shells don't contain ads and offer more customization options.

The best options for Xiaomi:

• 🏆 Nova Launcher – supports gestures, icons and has no advertising.
• 🎨 Lawnchair – open launcher with the function of “Pixel-style".
• ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – Optimized for Performance.
• 🔄 POCO Launcher (official) – minimalist, no ads (but requires disabling updates via GetApps).

After installing an alternative launcher:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher and select a new one.
2. Disable the original com.miui.home via ADB (pm disable-user com.miui.home command).
3. Remove the Weather and Calendar widgets from the home screen (they can continue to load ads in the background).

The downside of this method is that system applications (like Browser or Music) will still show ads when they open, so to remove them completely, combine this method with a hosts or ADB lock.

What if the advertisements returned after the update?

MIUI updates often restore ad modules, even if you have disabled them.

• 🔄 Turn off automatic updates MIUI: Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → ⚙️ → Auto Update and select "Never".
• 📵 Block updates for system applications: in Settings → Annexes → App management find GetApps and System Update, then turn off the Internet for them (under the menu "Mobile data and Wi-Fi").
• 🛡️ Use Magisk modules like this. MIUI Bloater Remover or DeBloat MIUI, Automatically remove advertising packages after update.

If the update is already installed and the ad returns, repeat the steps from Method 3 (ADB) Or Method 5 (hosts) - in extreme cases, you can roll back to the previous version. MIUI via Fastboot.

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MIUI updates via OTA (over the air) often restore ads. To avoid this, download the full firmware from Xiaomi Firmware Updater and stitch them manually through TWRP.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi

If neither of these methods worked, it's probably integrated into the firmware level of your particular model, and then you have two options: you can either accept banners or you can switch to custom firmware, which is guaranteed to solve the problem, but it takes time and technical skills.

Remember: Xiaomi does not provide an official way to remove ads completely, so all of the methods described are workarounds found by the community. Use them at your own risk, but remember to backup!