Ownership of the modern Xiaomi smartphone is often overshadowed by intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. Many users face a situation where banners pop up when unlocking the screen, opening folders or even while using standard applications, a consequence of the built-in marketing system that is designed to monetize the affordable cost of devices.
Fortunately, MIUI and its more recent version of HyperOS provide flexible tools to manage these processes, and you can remove ads completely without getting super-user rights or flashing the device on global versions, and you only need to go through a few different settings to get the interface back clean.
In this guide, we will go into detail all the steps of cleaning your smartphone from digital noise. We will touch not only on system settings, but also on hidden menus available through engineering codes. Contextual advertising will no longer interfere with your comfortable use of the gadget, if you carefully follow the steps described below.
MSA Disconnection: The Main Source of Advertising
The main driver of advertising traffic in the shell Xiaomi is the system application msa (MIUI System Ads), which is responsible for collecting data about your actions and the subsequent issuance of targeted offers. Without disabling this service, all other settings will be ineffective, as the system will constantly try to restore advertising modules.
First, you need to go to the password and security settings menu, and there's a key switch that blocks the ad agent, and it's important to understand that the system can resist this action by suggesting that you wait or cancel. When you try to turn off an MSA, the countdown timer is exactly 10 seconds, during which the "Disable" button remains inactive, and it's a special retention mechanism that you just have to wait.
If you fail to turn off the service the first time, repeat the procedure several times in a row. Sometimes it takes 3 to 5 attempts for the system to finally agree to suspend the ad module, and after successful execution of the action, the corresponding status will appear in the list of services.
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Without deactivating the Msa service, other settings can be reset automatically when you update your system or restart your device.
Set up personalized advertising in your Mi Account
In addition to system services, advertising algorithms rely on your Mi Account profile, collecting preferences to create more accurate offers, but also increases the number of pop-ups, disabling personalization does not remove ads completely, but makes them less intrusive and random.
Go to the Mi Account settings and find the privacy section, and you'll need to find the ad personalization section, and the switch needs to be put in an inactive state, and this action breaks the link between your activity on the apps and the company's ad servers.
It is also recommended to check authorization settings. Often advertising identifiers are tied to a login session. Signing out and re-entering after all settings can help reset cached ad profiles. This is especially true for older devices that have not updated authorization tokens in a long time.
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Mi Account. → Advertising.
- 🚫 Find the Personalized Advertising Switch and Turn It Off.
- 🔄 If necessary, log out of the account and re-authorize.
- 🔒 Check the privacy settings in the Security section».
It is worth noting that the changes do not take effect immediately. Servers can take from a few minutes to several hours to update the status of your device, during which time advertisements may still appear, but their frequency should decrease significantly.
Cleaning system applications from advertising
Even after the core services are disabled, some embedded apps can continue to show advertising content, as standard tools such as Explorer, Music, Video, and Security each have their own settings that need to be adjusted separately.
In the Security app, which is the control center of the system, ads are often found in the memory or antivirus cleaning section. To remove them, open the app's settings (usually the gear icon in the corner) and find "Get recommendations." Disabling this feature will clear the interface of news feeds and promotional materials.
Similar situations exist with the Music and Video app, which also have a setting for displaying recommendations and banner ads. In some versions of MIUI, these items may be called “Show ads” or “Recommendations.” Carefully examine all tabs on the settings menu of each app.
☑️ Verification of system applications
Remember that system updates can return some default settings, and checking these settings periodically will help keep the device clean, especially for large shell updates that often reset user preferences.
Managing notifications and push messages
Push notifications from Xiaomi’s system services, which may offer to buy a subscription, read store updates or install recommended games, are a frequent source of irritation, and these notifications require special attention because they are often disguised as system messages.
In the notification settings, find the section responsible for marketing emails, you can turn off news from MIUI, and you can also go through the list of installed applications and prevent notifications from displaying for suspicious system processes, such as Mi Browser or GetApps, if you do not use them.
Multiple clicks on the MIUI version opens up additional possibilities, but standard ways are more important for disabling advertising. In some cases, disabling auto-update system applications through the GetApps store helps, which prevents the return of advertising modules.
| Annex | The path to adjustment | What to turn off | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conductor | Settings → About the annex | Recommendations | Clean file interface |
| Security | Settings (cogs) | Receive recommendations | No banners when cleaning |
| Downloads. | Three points → Settings | Showing content | List of files without advertisements |
| Music. | Settings → Additional | Showing ads | Absence of banners in the player |
What to do if the settings are reset?
Using DNS to Block Advertising
One of the most effective methods of combating advertising at the operating system level is the use of private DNS. This method does not require the installation of third-party software and works globally for all connections.
To set up, go to the Connection and Sharing menu or Wi-Fi and the Internet. DNS» (Private DNS). Select the mode "Host Name provider" DNS» And you can type in the address of a special server. A popular and proven option is dns.adguard.com.
Once you save the settings, all requests to ad servers will be blocked at the network level, which means that ads will disappear not only in the system, but also in most browsers and applications. However, be careful: some legitimate services may not work properly when using aggressive filters.
dns.adguard.comIf you notice problems connecting to certain sites or apps, try changing the app. DNS-server or temporarily disable this function. For most users, this method is the optimal solution, since it does not load the device processor, unlike blocking applications.
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Use it. DNS-filtering as the main method of protection, but leave the possibility of quick shutdown in case of problems with access to corporate resources.
Additional measures and hidden settings
For those who want to maximize results, there are additional steps: they concern disabling unnecessary system services that can broadcast content, for example, Analytics is responsible for collecting usage statistics and can also be disabled in the application menu.
It is also recommended to disable the Get References feature in Google search if it is set as the primary.While this does not directly apply to Xiaomi's system, it improves the overall experience.In the Google App settings, find the General section and check the box from Google Card or similar.
⚠️ Note: Disconnect system components through ADB or hidden menus may cause the device to function in an unstable manner, and be careful when removing or freezing system packages whose names you do not know.
Another measure is to avoid using the Standard Theme with promotional modules. Some design themes contain built-in ads on the lock screen. Themes on a clean or third-party from the Themes store can solve the problem with banners on the lock screen.
Finally, the importance of updates is worth mentioning: While new software versions sometimes bring back advertising features, they also contain security patches; balance the desire to have a clean system with the need to protect data; and auditing settings regularly after each major update is the best strategy.
⚠️ Note: Use of third-party apps to block ads (not DNS-method) may require permanent permissions to access traffic, which reduces the security of your personal data.