How to remove ads in the Xiaomi Topics app: the full guide

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear when using standard applications of the system. Especially annoying is the situation when pop-ups block content in the Themes store, preventing you from choosing a design. This is not a bug, but part of the monetization of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, but the situation can be fixed.

There are several levels of blocking: from simple settings within the application itself to system restrictions through the application. DNS-The most effective method for 2026 is the combination of shutdowns. MSA private use DNS. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways that will help make the interface clean.

Don't worry, the phone's functionality will deteriorate after the ad is turned off. On the contrary, the device will start to work faster because it stops loading ad modules in the background. Let's look at which services are responsible for displaying banners.

What is the MSA Service in MIUI?

The main source of annoying banners is a system service called MSA (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your preferences and translates advertising content into standard applications, including Themes, Explorer and Music, and disabling this component is the first and most important step to clean the system.

The thing about the MSA deactivation process is that the system can fail to shut down several times, giving a timeout error, and this is done specifically to make the user give up. However, if you persist and try again 3-5 times in a row, the permission will be successfully withdrawn, and it is important not to miss this step, because it blocks the main stream of advertising.

In addition to MSA, personalized offers in the theme store are often managed by mdapp. If you are actively using widgets or recommendation cards, check their status, and disabling these services does not disrupt the basic functions of the phone, such as calls or messages.

Disabling advertising directly in the application Topics

Even after system settings, the Themes app itself may still have ad integrations, so to remove them, you need to go to the user profile, open the app, click on the person icon in the lower right corner, and then select Settings.

In the menu that opens, look for General, where you're interested in two key switches: the first one is responsible for showing recommendations, the second one is for personalized advertising, both of which need to be put into an inactive state, which will remove banners from the recommendation feed and pop-ups when downloading themes.

Note that the interface may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell. In HyperOS, the privacy settings are placed in a separate menu sub-item. If you do not find the right switches at once, carefully study all the tabs in the application settings section.

⚠️ Warning: After disabling the ads in the app settings, restart your smartphone.Without rebooting, the changes may not take effect and the cached banners will continue to appear.

Using Private DNS to block at the network level

The most radical and effective way is to use DNS-This method blocks requests to ad servers before they even reach your phone, and it doesn't require third-party apps, it's built into Android since version 9.

To activate protection, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name and enter dns.adguard.com. Save settings. Now all traffic will pass through filters that cut off ads.

The advantage of this method is that it's versatile, it removes ads not only in topics, but also in the browser, games and other applications, but if you use corporate Wi-Fi or specific networks, you may have connection problems, in which case DNS will have to be temporarily disabled.

Table: Comparison of blocking methods

Different methods have different degrees of effectiveness and affect the operation of the device in different ways. Below is a comparative description of the main ways to combat intrusive content.

As you can see from the table, a comprehensive approach works best, and using just one method can leave loopholes for advertisers, for example, disabling MSA without DNS can lead to ads in the newsfeed.

Adjustment of recommendations in the security system

Security is also a source of advertising noise, and it often suggests "clean up the trash" or "speed up the phone" with banner ads, so to turn it off, launch the app and click on the gear settings in the top right corner.

In the settings menu, find Receive recommendations and turn it off. It's also worth checking the About app section and unchecking the Show ads if there's one. In some versions of MIUI, this switch is at the bottom of the list.

Remember, the Security app is very much about cleaning up the cache, and once you turn off the ad, the cleaning process will be a little less visual, but faster, and you won't see any more colorful, but useless, garbage-collection animations.

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Check system app updates regularly, and after the MIUI update, privacy settings may reset and ads will have to be turned off again.

Features of work in HyperOS

With the release of the HyperOS shell, Xiaomi has slightly changed the structure of the menu, but the principle remained the same. In the new system, advertising settings have become more fragmented. These can now be duplicated in the common menu Passwords and security → Privacy → Advertising services.

New flagships should look to GetApps, an app store that often flies discount and new notifications, go to its settings and turn off all notifications and recommendation personalization, which will significantly reduce noise.

The Theme interface in HyperOS has become more minimalistic, but the ad integrations have not gone away. They have become more native, fitting into the design of the cards. So visual inspection of the tape after setting is mandatory — if you see the "Advertising" tag, then the settings are not fully applied.

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In HyperOS, privacy settings are placed in a separate system section, which makes advertising management more centralized, but requires careful search.

To sum up, getting rid of ads in Xiaomi themes and systems is a simple process, but it requires consistency. Start by disabling the MSA, then set up the Tem app itself, and finish by writing DNS. These three steps ensure that you can use your smartphone comfortably.