Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter intrusive content that appears when unlocking a device — not a virus, but an embedded feature of MIUI or the new HyperOS system designed to monetize the affordable cost of gadgets. However, persistent banners can be annoying, distracting from important notifications and visually contaminating a personalized interface.
Fortunately, the developers have left it to users to manage this aspect themselves, so you don't have to have super-user rights or reflash your phone, you just need to go through a few hidden menus consistently and disable specific services that are responsible for targeted advertising, and in this article we'll look at all the current methods that work in 2026-2026.
The process of disabling may vary slightly depending on the operating system version and firmware region. Global versions often contain fewer built-in banners than Chinese ones, but even in them you need to perform manual configuration. Let's take a look at the basic tools that will help you clear the lock screen.
Main source: MSA service shutdown
At the heart of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is the MIUI System Ads process (often referred to as msa), which collects data about your behavior and uploads ad units to various parts of the interface, including the lock screen and application folders.
The first step is always to deactivate this service, and without that, the rest of the settings may not be fully effective.
- 🔍 Open your smartphone settings and search for “Advertising” or go to the Passwords and Security menu.
- 🔍 Find the access point for personal data (Authorization & revocation).
- 🔍 In the list, find the msa and turn off the switch opposite it.
After turning off the switch, the system will ask you to wait 10 seconds, then prompt you to confirm the action. Press "Cancel". If the first time there was an error "failed to recall", just repeat the procedure 2-3 times - Xiaomi servers are often overloaded.
💡
If the MSA switch is constantly returning to its original position, try to turn off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) before performing the procedure, and then turn the network back on.
It’s important to understand that disabling MSA doesn’t remove the app completely, but it does prevent it from running and downloading content, a standard method the manufacturer provides for users who value privacy.
⚠️ Attention: After the service is disconnected MSA Some features, such as recommendations in the Music or Video app, may stop updating or work correctly, as they depend on advertising algorithms.
Setting up the wallpaper carousel (Glance)
Most often, the lock screen ads appear via the wallpaper carousel (in some regions called Glance), which replaces the static screensaver with shifting images, which often contain advertising inserts from brand partners.
To remove banners, but leave the ability to change images, you don't have to completely disable the function. You can just remove the advertising component.
- Go to Settings → Lock screen.
- Select the wallpaper carousel item.
- Find the "Receive recommendations" or "Enable ads" switch and deaktivate it.
If you want to get rid of the changing images completely, just turn off the main wallpaper switchboard, in which case only your static image and widgets will appear on the locked screen.
Newer versions of HyperOS may have more privacy than they have, and sometimes you need to go to the Security app → Cleanup → Settings (cogs) → Wallpaper carousel. You should also check if you have active content subscriptions.
Glance's Hidden Settings
Cleaning system applications from advertising
Advertising modules are embedded not only in the lock screen, but also in the standard utilities: Explorer, Music, Video, Downloads and even Themes. Each of these applications has its own personalization settings, which must be disabled separately.
Let’s look at the main applications where banners are hidden:
- 📁 Explorer: Open the app, click on three menu bars → Settings → About the annex → Turn off "Recommendations".
- 🎵 Music: Click on the menu → Settings → Advanced settings → Turn off "Show ads".
- 🎬 Video: Menu → Settings → Turn off "Online recommendations" and "Show ads".
Also worth checking is the Topics app. Go to profile (human icon) → Settings → turn off Personal Recommendations and Show Ads. This will prevent banners from appearing when viewing the directory.
⚠️ Note: The menu interface may vary depending on the version MIUI. If you don’t find the “About App” item, look for the “Advanced Settings” section or simply “Settings” within the app itself.
Remember that after major system updates, settings may be reset, and periodic checks of these settings will help keep the phone clean.
Removing personal ads in the browser and Mi Video
The standard Mi Browser browser and Mi Video video player are among the most aggressive sources of advertising, and they often use push notifications and pop-ups that can appear even on top of other apps.
For the browser, the algorithm of actions is as follows:
Menu (three dots) → Settings → Privacy and Security → Advertising Services → Disable “Personalized Advertising”.Also in the browser settings, you should find the "Home Page" item and disable the display of the news feed, which is often oversaturated with advertising articles. In the Mi Video (Mi Vidi) video player, you need to go to "I" (profile) → Settings → and disable all items related to online content and recommendations.
☑️ Checking system cleanliness
It is also recommended to check the GetApps app (Xiaomi app store) and its settings should disable notifications and auto-update apps, as it often sends spam notifications about “discounts” or “new games”.
Comparison of disconnection methods
There are several approaches to combat intrusive content: some users prefer to disable only the most noticeable elements, others go to the end using the most visible elements. ADB-Below is a table comparing the effectiveness of different methods.
| Method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Low. | Tall. | Minimum |
| Setting up the Carousel | Low. | Medium | No. |
| Disconnection in the annexes | Medium | Tall. | No. |
| ADB team | Tall. | Maximum | Bootloom possible. |
As you can see from the table, the combination of the first three methods allows you to remove 95% of all advertising without using a computer and complex technical manipulations, the use of ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is required only in extreme cases when system restrictions do not allow you to disable a particular service.
💡
A comprehensive approach, including disabling the MSA and configuring each system application, gives the best result without the risk of system damage.
Advanced Level: Using ADB
If standard methods don’t work, you can use the ADB tool to remove or freeze system packages that are usually hidden from the user, which will require a computer, a USB cable and installed ADB drivers.
Procedure:
- Enable USB debugging in the Developer Menu (Settings → About Phone → 7 times click on the MIUI version).
- Connect your phone to your PC and enter a command to remove the advertising package in the command line:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.globalYou can also remove the package responsible for advertising in the system:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.personalassistant⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Removing critical system components (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter) may make it impossible to boot your phone%.
This is a nuclear option, and once you do it, the ads disappear completely, but you lose the ability to restore the standard features without flashing or resetting the settings.