Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive ads that appear in system apps and even on the desktop.The Xiaomi Mi 9, despite its flagship status and powerful hardware, is no exception to the rule, as the MIUI shell is default set to monetize user traffic.This can be annoying, especially if you're used to pure Android or more expensive solutions where such aggressive marketing is absent.
Fortunately, the company's engineers have made it possible to disable most of the ad units, even though they've hidden those settings deep enough in the system, so you don't have to have superuser rights or reflash the device to regain comfort. 15-20 minutes, if you consistently walk through all the hidden menus and toggles.
In this article, we will take a look at how to completely clean up the Xiaomi Mi 9 from advertising junk. We will go from global account settings to specific apps like Music or Explorer so that no pop-ups bother you anymore. It is important to act consistently, since disabling one service may not remove all ads altogether.
Disabling MSA System Advertising
The main source of intrusive offers in the system is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is responsible for collecting data about your preferences and showing personalized advertising in the interface. To block it, you need to find the appropriate item in the authorization and advertising menu. Note that the disable button may be inactive in the first few seconds after opening the menu.
Go to your phone settings and find the Password and Security section. You are interested in Authorization and Advertising. In the menu that opens, you will see the Receive References switch. When you try to turn it off, the system will show a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds), after which you will click "Disable" in the dialog box that appears. If the ad appears again, repeat the procedure 2-3 times until the system permanently disables the service.
⚠️ Attention: After disconnection MSA Advertising in system applications may not disappear instantly, but within 24 hours.
Also on the same menu, you should disable the “Receive recommendations” option if it is active separately.This action will prevent the collection of data about your use of the device for creating advertising profiles. For the Xiaomi Mi 9, this is a critical step, since the Snapdragon 855 processor is easy to cope with background tasks, but we do not need extra battery load from advertising modules.
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Disabling MSA is the first and most important step, removing about 80% of all system advertising in MIUI.
Setting up the desktop and folders
Another source of visual noise is recommendations in app folders and on the desktop. When you open a folder with games or utilities, a "Recommended" block often appears at the bottom, which loads unnecessary shortcuts. To remove this, open any folder on the Xiaomi Mi 9 desktop and click on its name.
In the folder settings menu that opens, you'll see the Recommended Switch, put it inactive, and now when you open the folder, you'll only see the apps you've installed, without intrusive suggestions to download new games or services, which makes it much faster to access the right programs and makes the interface cleaner.
Also, check the settings of the Glance widget if you have it installed on your desktop. This widget often shows the news feed and banner ads when you unlock the screen or swipe to the left. To turn it off, pinch the empty space on your desktop, select Settings and find the Wallpaper Carousel, then turn off the feature or remove the widget from the screen.
Cleaning the application Security
Xiaomi’s Security app is one of the most functional, but also the most overloaded, ad modules, and this is where most often windows pop up to clean up memory or speed up the phone, which is actually a disguised ad, and to get rid of that, you need to log into the settings of the app itself.
Launch the Security app and tap the gear in the top right corner. In the settings menu, find Receive recommendations and turn it off. It is also recommended to scroll through the list below and disable notifications from various modules such as Cleanup or Antivirus, unless they are critical to you in the background.
☑️ Checking security settings
Pay special attention to the Cleanup function. Often, after scanning the memory, the phone suggests "speeding up" by showing full-screen ads. Disabling the recommendations in the settings should remove this block. If you use third-party cleaners, the built-in module can not be used at all, relying on standard Android memory management.
Setup of system applications: Music, Video, Explorer
Xiaomi’s standard multimedia apps, such as Music, Video and Explorer, also contain built-in ad modules, which can appear as banners at the bottom of the screen or pop-ups when launched, and each requires a separate approach through the settings menu within the app itself.
To start with, we'll work with Explorer. Open the app, click on the menu (three bars) and select Settings → About. Here, you need to quickly click on the app icon several times to open the hidden menu. In it, turn off Receive recommendations. A similar procedure is often required for the Video app: go to profile, then to the settings and find the online recommendation switch.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What's off? |
|---|---|---|
| Music. | Profile → Settings → Advanced settings | Displaying Advertising, Recommendations |
| Video | Profile → Settings | Online Recommendations, Autoplay |
| Conductor | Menu → Settings → About the program (stamp on the icon) | Receive recommendations |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Showing Recommended Content |
In the Music app, the situation is similar. Go to your profile (human icon), click on the menu and go to the settings. Here you need to find the section related to the content and disable all items related to advertising and recommendations, this will allow you to enjoy your favorite tracks without visual debris on the Xiaomi Mi 9 screen.
Secret code for the conductor
Notifications in the browser and Mi Video
Users often confuse system advertising with notifications from sites they accidentally subscribed to or content from aggregators. In the Mi Browser (or standard Xiaomi browser), you need to separately disable personalization. Go to your browser settings, find the Privacy and Security section or Additional, and turn off ad personalization.
The Mi Video app (not to be confused with a simple video player) is an online content aggregator that is flooded with ads by default. If you use it only as a player for local files, it is better to delete it altogether or deny access to the network. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Mi Video, select Other permissions and deny Internet access (Wi-Fi and mobile data).
⚠️ Note: Prohibiting network access for system applications may disrupt their functionality if they are used for online streaming.
Also, check notification settings in general. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Go through the app list and turn off notifications for programs you don’t use all the time, especially for app stores like GetApps.
Disconnection of the statistics and analytics service
In addition to explicit advertising, Xiaomi collects device usage statistics through its Analytics service, which will not only increase your privacy, but also reduce the background load on the Xiaomi Mi 9 processor and battery.
To disable statistics collection, go to Settings → Password & Security → Access to Personal Data (or Privacy). Find Analytics (or Statistics) on the list and turn off the switch. The system will warn you that this will help improve the product, but you can safely agree to disconnect.
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For maximum privacy, it is also recommended to disable the User Experience Program service in the same privacy settings menu.
After completing all of the above steps, it is recommended to restart the smartphone.This is necessary in order for all changes to take effect, and the background advertising processes to be finally stopped by the operating system. Xiaomi Mi 9 after the reboot should work much quieter in terms of notifications.