Pop-up Ads on Xiaomi Redmi 8: How to remove forever (without root)

Pop-up ads on Xiaomi Redmi 8 are one of the most annoying problems for owners of this budget smartphone. Even after buying a new device, users face intrusive banners in the notification curtain, full-screen windows when unlocked and push messages from MIUI system applications. The reason lies in the aggressive monetization of Xiaomi firmware: the company integrates advertising SDKs into branded services to compensate for the low price of the devices.

In this article, we will discuss 5 How to remove ads from Redmi 8 (model M1908C3JG/M1908C3JH/M1908C3JI) No need to get root rights or install custom firmware. MIUI 11–14 (Android 9–10) It doesn't require any special technical skills. MIUI, which Xiaomi does not advertise in the official documentation, but which allow you to disable advertising at the system level.

Why is there an ad on Redmi 8: is it the virus?

The first thing that comes to mind when you see pop-ups is a virus infection, but 90% of the time on the Xiaomi Redmi 8, there are two other reasons for advertising:

• 📱 System applications MIUI: Mi Video, Mi Music, Browser, Cleaner, and even Security have built-in ad units that show banners even if you've never run them.
• 📊 Xiaomi Analytics Services: MSA (Mi Service Analytics and Mi Push Service collect device usage data and upload targeted ads through notifications.
• 🔄 Firmware updates: After update MIUI Some settings are reset and advertising services are activated again.

Viruses can be a source of advertising, but they usually manifest themselves differently: redirecting in the browser to suspicious sites, installing unknown apps or showing porn banners. If you only have standard pop-ups with offers to install games or buy goods, the problem is almost certainly in MIUI itself.

⚠️ Note: Some Google Play cleaners (e.g. Clean Master or Google Play Clean Cleaners) DU Speed Booster) display ads themselves under the guise of "optimization." Delete them before setting up.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

Xiaomi provides an official way to reduce the amount of ads through the settings menu, which will not remove all banners, but will reduce their frequency by 40-60%:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi Account (if not authorized, skip this step).
2. Go to Mi Account → Account settings → Advertising.
3. Turn off the "Personalized Recommendations" slider.
4. Go back to the basic settings and select Settings → Additional → Special Options → Advertising settings.
5. Deactivate the "Show recommendations" option.

After this, the system will stop analyzing your actions for targeted advertising, but pop-ups from system applications (such as Mi Video) will still appear, and additional steps will be required to remove them.

Method 2: Block notifications from system applications

The main source of pop-up ads on Redmi 8 is notifications from pre-installed programs, which can be turned off individually:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select "Show all apps."
3. Find the following programs in the list and open each one in turn: 🎬 Mi Video (com.miui.videoplayer) 🎵 Mi Music (com.miui.player) 🌐 Browser (com.android.browser) 🧹 Cleaner (com.miui.cleanmaster) 🛡️ Security (com.miui.securitycenter) 📱 Mi App Store (com.xiaomi.market)

Notifications

For reliability, also prevent these applications from auto-starting: in the same application management menu, find the "Out-Start" item and deactivate it, which will prevent background activity of the ad modules.

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If the app stops working correctly after disabling notifications (for example, Security does not scan viruses), return the settings back and use alternative methods from the following sections.

Method 3: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

For users who are willing to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), there is a more radical method, which allows you to disable the system components responsible for displaying ads without rooting permissions.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. On your phone, activate Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to turn on Developer Mode).
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable “Debugging by USB”.
4. Connect Redmi 8 to your computer and execute:

Instructions for setting up Blokada:

1. Download the app from the official website (not from Google Play!).
2. Start Blokada and turn on protection.
3. Go to Settings → Blocked Hosts and add the following lists: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts https://adaway.org/hosts.txt
4. Activate the “Always On” mode in the VPN settings.

Blokada is building a local VPN-This is completely legal and does not violate Xiaomi’s policy, as the lock is at the level of your device.

Method 5: Reset to factory settings (extreme case)

If all the previous methods didn't work, there's a radical solution, hard reset, which will bring the phone back to its original state by removing all the settings and apps that could have been the source of the ads, and importantly, make sure to back up your sensitive data before resetting.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Select "Settings Reset."
3. Check the box "Clear internal memory" (optional if you want to delete all files).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 🔧 Do not restore data from backup MIUI — It may contain advertising modules.
• 📥 Install applications only from trusted sources (Google Play, APKMirror).
• 🔒 Turn off personalized advertising immediately (see Method 1).

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI After the reset, you automatically install updates to system applications that activate the ads again. To avoid this, immediately after setting up the phone, turn off auto-update in Settings. → Annexes → Mi App Store.

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Factory reset is the most reliable way to remove ads, but it requires a complete reconfiguration of the phone. Use it only if other methods have not worked.

More tips: how to prevent the return of advertising

Even after successful removal of the advert, it may reappear after updating the firmware or installing new apps to minimize the risks:

• 🔄 Turn off auto-update MIUI: Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update the system and deactivate automatic update downloads. Check the feedback on forums before manually updating (e.g., check the reviews on the forums, 4PDA) — sometimes MIUI More aggressive advertising.
• 📦 Remove unnecessary system applications: ADB You can safely remove up to 15 pre-installed Xiaomi programs that are not in use but show ads.
• 🔍 Check new apps: Read reviews about ad availability before installing. Avoid programs with suspicious permissions (e.g. access to the app). SMS or call for no reason).

If you're willing to take more drastic measures, consider installing custom firmware based on LineageOS or Pixel Experience. MIUI, including advertising modules, but require unlocking the bootloader and may deprive you of certain features (for example, IR-remote).

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising on Xiaomi Redmi 8