Blocking Ads in Apps on Xiaomi Redmi: A Complete 2026 Guide

Mobile ads have become a real problem for Xiaomi Redmi users: they distract from games, slow down social networks and spoil the impression of even the most useful utilities. Especially annoying banners that suddenly appear when opening menus or between levels, as well as mandatory videos. In this article, we will analyze all the working ways of blocking ads on Redmi smartphones, from built-in MIUI functions to third-party solutions, including settings for users without root rights and with them.

It's important to understand that not all ads are equally harmful: some developers monetize their apps solely through impressions, and blocking them can deprive them of revenue. However, aggressive ad networks that collect user data or display fraudulent banners deserve to be blocked. We'll focus on methods that do not disrupt legitimate applications, but effectively remove intrusive ads.

Why is Xiaomi Redmi so much advertising?

Xiaomi smartphones out of the box contain a lot of pre-installed services, some of which are integrated with ad networks. Even if you remove all unnecessary apps, ads can appear through:

• 📱 System services MIUI: For example, msa (Mi System Ads) or Analytics, which collect data about user behavior and show targeted advertising.
• 🎮 Third-party apps: especially free games and utilities that use AdMob, Unity Ads or AppLovin.
• 🔄 Firmware updates: after updates MIUI You can return previously disabled advertising modules.
• 📡 DNS-Interception: Some mobile operators are replacing traffic-level advertising.

Making matters worse, Xiaomi is actively monetizing its firmware, embedding ads even into system utilities like Security or Themes, and fortunately, most of these impressions can be disabled without installing additional software.

Method 1: Disabling Advertising in MIUI Settings

The first step is to deactivate the built-in MIUI ad mechanisms, which requires no third-party software installation and works on all Redmi models (from Redmi Note 7 to Redmi 13C).

Go to Settings → About Phone and click on the MIUI version several times to activate Developer Mode.

1. Return to Settings → Additional → Special Opportunities.
2. Find Ads (or Personalized Ads in New Versions).
3. Turn off the sliders: 🔘 Personalized recommendations 🔘 Showing interest-based advertising

Reboot the phone.

These settings will reduce the amount of targeted advertising, but not completely eliminate it.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search, type in msa and select Mi System Ads.
3. Click Disable (if the button is inactive, click Stop first).
4. Repeat the steps for applications: 📊 Analytics (collection of statistics) 🛡️ Mi Browser (if not used) 🎨 Topics (often showing ads on the lock screen)

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system applications may cause malfunctions MIUI. If after deactivation of msa no longer updated weather widgets or calendar, return settings back.

Method 2: Using Private DNS (without root)

One of the most effective ways to block ads at the network level is redirection. DNS-This method works for all applications, including games and browsers, but requires a stable Internet connection.

Instructions for Xiaomi Redmi:

1. Open Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS
2. Select the host name of the Private DNS provider.
3. Enter one of the addresses: 🔒 dns.adguard.com (AdGuard DNS, Blocks advertising and trackers) 🛡️ security.cloudflare-dns.com (Cloudflare, blocks malicious domains) 🚫 doh.centraleu.pi-dns.com (Pi-hole, aggressive filtering)

Save the settings and restart the phone.

To check the Private DNS, open your browser and try to go to http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com – if you see a connection error, the lock is working.

⚠️ Note: Some apps (such as YouTube or Facebook) use encrypted connections (HTTPS) can pass DNS-Filtering: additional measures will be required to block them (see Method 4).

Method 3: Blocking ads via Blokada (without root)

If system settings and private DNS But it didn't help, but try Blokada, which is a free, open source ad blocker that doesn't have root rights. It creates a local ad blocker. VPN-Tunnel and filter traffic at the device level.

How to install and configure:

1. Download Blokada from the official website (https://blokada.org) or via F-Droid (avoid clones on Google Play!).
2. At the first launch, allow creation VPN-Connections (this is necessary for filtering traffic).
3. In the application settings: 🔄 Select Automatically Block Mode. 📥 Update the lock lists (click Update hosts). 🛡️ Enable Block Tracking to Protect against Analytics.

Add to the whitelist applications that have stopped working (for example, banking).

Blokada blocks ads across all apps, including YouTube, Instagram and games, but it has limitations:

• ⚡ Increased battery consumption (due to constant operation) VPN).
• 🌐 Does not block embedded ads in some Chinese apps (e.g. Mi Video).
• 🔄 May be in conflict with others VPN-service.

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If push notifications stop working after installing Blokada, try disabling the “Block tracking” option or adding the problem app to the whitelist.

Method 4: Install AdAway (root required)

For root-right users, the most powerful tool is AdAway, which modifies the hosts file in the system, redirecting requests to ad domains to 127.0.0.1 (local host), and works at the entire OS level, including MIUI system applications.

Instructions for setting:

1. Install AdAway from F-Droid (not available in Google Play).
2. When you first start, provide root access (the application will request superuser rights).
3. Click Download files and apply – this will update the lists of blocked domains.
4. In the settings, turn on: 🔄 Automatic update (once a week). 🛡️ System mode (to block advertising in the MIUI). 📱 Local. VPN-The mode (if root is not stable).

Reboot the phone.

Important: On some Redmi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or Redmi 12) the hosts file may be reset after the MIUI update. To avoid this, make it immutable via Root Explorer:

chmod 444 /system/etc/hosts

⚠️ Note: If you stop opening sites or apps after installing AdAway, check the error log in the AdAway itself (the Logs section.

Method 5: Alternative firmware (for advanced)

If you’re willing to take drastic measures, installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) will completely remove all MIUI ad modules.This method is suitable for Redmi models that no longer receive official updates (like the Redmi 5/6 series).

Advantages of alternative firmware:

• 🚀 Clean Android without ads and Bloatware.
• 🔄 Long-term support (security updates even for older models).
• 🛡️ There is no advertising system (unlike the MIUI).

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (unlocking the bootloader resets the Xiaomi counter).
• 🔧 Installation Difficulty (bootloader unlock required, TWRP experience with ADB).
• 📱 Possible bugs (not all functions) MIUI They will work, for example, IR Blaster or Game Turbo).

If you do, follow the official instructions on the XDA Developers forum for your Redmi model, for example, the Pixel Experience firmware for the Redmi Note 9 Pro and LineageOS 20 for the Redmi 7.

Additional measures: blocking in the browser and games

Even after applying the basic methods, ads can seep through browsers or specific applications.

In the browser (Chrome, Mi Browser, Firefox)

• 🔍 Install extensions: uBlock Origin (for Firefox or Kiwi Browser) AdGuard Content Blocker (for Samsung Internet)
• 🛡️ In Chrome, enable Light Mode (compresses traffic and partially blocks ads).
• 🔄 Use a browser with a built-in lock, such as Brave.

In games (such as Free Fire or PUBG Mobile)

• 🎮 Turn off the Internet while playing via Airplane Mode (some games allow you to play offline without advertising).
• 🛠️ Use Lucky Patcher (requires root) to remove advertising modules from your site. APK-file.
• 💰 Buy a premium version of the game (if it’s worth your money).

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The most reliable way to block ads in games is by combining Private DNS + Blokada, which removes 90% of banners and videos without root.

FAQ: Frequent questions about ad blocking on Xiaomi Redmi