How to turn off ads on Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro: the full guide

Owners of Xiaomi flagship devices often encounter intrusive banner ads that can appear in system applications, folders and even on the desktop. For the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro model, which has a transparent back panel and powerful hardware, this behavior may seem strange, but this is standard practice for the MIUI shell, aimed at monetizing budget and medium-budget devices. Eliminating this stimulus will not only improve the visual perception of the interface, but also significantly increase the speed of the gadget, freeing up system resources.

The process of deactivation of advertising modules does not require obtaining superuser rights (root) and can be performed by regular means of the Android operating system with the shell MIUI. In this guide, we will consistently analyze all the necessary steps, from disabling the MSA system service to fine-tuning the built-in browser and file manager. Following these instructions will make using your smartphone comfortable and safe.

Disabling the MSA System Service

A key component in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system application, which collects your preferences and broadcasts targeted ads to various parts of the interface, and completely disabling this service is the first and most important step in the fight against intrusive marketing.

To deactivate the service, you need to go to the settings section, find the appropriate item and uncheck the consent box for receiving recommendations. The system can ask you several times about your decision or simulate a delay, but persistence is mandatory. After successful disabling, the number of pop-ups and banners in standard utilities will be reduced to a minimum.

⚠️ Attention: When attempting to disconnect the service MSA The system can show a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds) before confirming the action. Wait until the countdown is completed and press the confirmation button again, otherwise the setting will not remain.

It is important to understand that msa is tightly integrated into the shell, so sometimes it can try to reactivate after rebooting or updating components. If you notice the return of advertising, the procedure must be repeated. Also, it is worth considering that completely removing this component without root rights is impossible, but its forced stop and prohibition of autorun give the desired effect.

Customization of personalization and recommendations

In addition to the MSA service, the personalization mechanism is used to show content in folders, lock screens and the Security app, and it analyzes your actions and suggests “recommended” apps or news that are essentially disguised ads, and disabling this feature makes the interface static and predictable.

To get started with personalization settings, go to Settings → Password & Security → Access to Personal Data, and find a list of system applications like Security, Downloads, Music and Explorer and deny them access to personalization data, which breaks the link between your actions and the company’s advertising algorithms.

• 📱 Open the settings and select the Password and Security section to access privacy.
• 🔒 Find the item “Access to personal data” and carefully study the list of system services.
• 🚫 Consistently disable toggles for all apps related to content and recommendations.

In addition, you should check the settings of the desktop itself. In some versions of MIUI, there is a separate "Receive recommendations" switch that activates the news feed to the left of the main screen, deactivating this option clears the swipe panel of information noise and speeds up the opening of the desktop.

Cleaning the built-in browser Mi Browser

Xiaomi’s standard browser is known for its aggressive policy on advertising content, offering news and promotional material on the homepage.If you use this particular surfing app, it needs to be carefully configured to avoid constant visual debris.

Log in to your browser settings by tapping the menu icon and look for the Privacy & Security section, where you should turn off the Personalized Recommendations and Site Notifications option, which will prevent pop-ups with suggestions to install games or go to questionable resources.

It is also recommended to clear the browser’s cache and data if it has already accumulated many temporary files that may contain advertising scripts. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Browser → Memory and select Cleanup. After this, the start page will become minimalist, and the speed of loading web pages will increase.

Remember that even after setting up, the browser may periodically suggest becoming the default search engine or install additional extensions.Be careful when installing new applications from third-party sources, as the browser may mark them as dangerous, even if they are not.

Managing Notifications and Push Services

Advertisements on the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro often come in the form of push notifications from system applications such as "Mi Videos," "Mi Music" or "Themes," which can appear even when you're not using the relevant apps, creating a sense of constant intrusion into your personal space.

To combat this, go to the notification settings for each suspicious app. In the app list, find Xiaomi system services and disable notification categories marked as Ads, Promotions or Recommendations. Leave only critical notifications, such as when you have finished downloading or updating your system.

⚠️ Warning: Do not completely disable notifications for system applications like “Security” or “Google Play Services”, as this can disrupt antivirus protection and account synchronization.

An effective method is also to use the Do Not Disturb feature at night, but with the right exception configuration. However, to completely defeat advertising, it is better to pinpoint the noise sources, in some cases, completely banning notifications for media content applications if you do not use them daily helps.

Setting up the “Security” and “Downloads” application

The Xiaomi Security app is a powerful tool, which is unfortunately one of the main sources of advertising, and it regularly offers “clean up garbage” while showing banners of games or offers from partners.

To counteract this effect, open the Security app, click on the settings gear in the top right corner, and find Get Recommendations. Disabling this option will remove ad blocks from the main window of the virus scanner and memory cleaner, and it is also worth turning off notifications about hot applications.

The situation is similar in the Downloads app, so go to its settings and turn off the recommended content, which is especially true because the download folder is often used to find downloaded files, and the extra information there only gets in the way, and after these changes, the utility interface will become strict and functional.

It’s worth noting that regularly updating these apps through the GetApps store may return some default settings, so after a major system or app update, it makes sense to recheck those settings to make sure the ads aren’t back.

Additional measures and resetting of advertising identifier

To fix the result, it is recommended to reset your device’s advertising ID, a unique string that advertisers use to track your interests, and resetting this ID breaks up the accumulated profile and makes the ads less targeted, although it does not remove it completely.

Go to Settings → Google → Advertising and select Reset Ad ID, which also allows you to disable Google Ad Personalization, which is a good practice for any Android user, which does not affect the system, but increases privacy.

• 🔄 Check system updates regularly, as new security patches often close holes used for intrusive advertising.
• 🛡️ Install a reliable antivirus or use a built-in scanner to avoid installing apps that contain adware modules.
• ⚙️ Consider using alternative launchers that completely replace the desktop and don’t have built-in Xiaomi ads.

As a last resort, if the ad continues to annoy, you can perform a full factory reset, but before that, make sure to back up important data. Clean installation often helps to get rid of software errors that cause incorrect behavior of advertising services.

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Use it. DNS-Ad-blocking servers (e.g. AdGuard) DNS) in Wi-Fi settings or through the Private app DNS Android 9+ Blocking Advertising at the Network Level.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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A comprehensive approach to setup – disabling MSA, personalization and notifications – ensures the complete disappearance of advertising and speed up the interface.