Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that appear not only in apps but also directly in the browser, a phenomenon that is linked to the features of the MIUI shell and the company’s built-in services that monetize the use of free software. However, the user experience should not suffer from constant pop-ups, redirects to dubious sites and banners that overlap content.
There are several effective ways to address this problem, from simple customizations within the browser itself to deeper system changes such as changing the browser. DNS-In this article, we will discuss all the current methods that will help you clean the Internet space on your device, you will learn how to configure the built-in Mi Browser, how to optimize Google Chrome and what system settings should be changed for maximum comfort.
It's important to understand that you can't completely ignore security when installing third-party blockers. Some methods require care, but the result is worth it -- your smartphone will run faster and traffic will be spent more efficiently. Let's look at step-by-step instructions for different use cases.
Setup of the built-in browser Mi Browser
Xiaomi’s standard browser, known as the Mi Browser, is one of the main sources of advertising traffic on the brand’s devices, and is set to display news and recommendations by default, which are often commercial in nature, and to minimize this flow, you need to go to the settings of the app itself.
Open your browser and click on the profile icon or three menu bars in the lower right corner. In the list that opens, select Settings. Here you are interested in Privacy and Security. This menu contains key switches that display ad units and collect data about your preferences.
Find the option to Receive personalized recommendations and turn it off, and remove the tick from Notification if you don't want to see news or promotions pop up, which will significantly reduce visual noise when surfing.
Why is the ad coming back?
In addition, in the General section, you can find the setting of the start page, replace it with a neutral search engine, such as Google or DuckDuckGo, instead of Xiaomi news aggregator, which will avoid downloading advertising widgets immediately after the program launches.
Using Ad Blockers in Chrome for Android
Google Chrome is the most popular browser on Android, and it offers built-in, albeit limited, tools to combat intrusive content. Unlike the desktop version, mobile Chrome does not support installing extensions directly, but it can provide basic protection.
Go to the three-dot menu in the top right corner and select Settings. Scroll down to Privacy and Security. You need to activate Safe Browsing. Select Advanced Protection mode, which not only checks sites for malicious code, but also blocks known sources of aggressive advertising.
Also in the settings is Site Settings -> Pop-ups and redirects. Make sure this slider is off (in the gray area) This will prevent sites from opening new tabs without your knowledge, which is a frequent reception of ad networks.
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For more advanced locking, Chrome can use experimental flags: Type chrome://flags in the address bar, find the Parallel downloading option and enable it, which will speed up page loading, minimizing banner display time.
If standard measures are not enough, consider alternative browsers that support extension installations, such as Kiwi Browser or Yandex Browser with Protect enabled, which allow you to install desktop blockers like uBlock Origin directly from the Chrome Web Store.
Blocking Advertising through DNS (Private DNS)
One of the most effective and elegant ways to remove ads is to set up a private DNS at the Android operating system level, which requires no additional apps and works across all browsers at once, including the system components of MIUI.
The essence of the method is that your phone does not access a standard server provider, but a special server that filters requests for known advertising domains. DNS.
To activate this feature, go to Settings of the phone. Search for settings, type the word "DNS" or find the Connection and Sharing section (the name may vary depending on the version) MIUI). Find a private item DNS (Private DNS).
Select the DNS provider hostname mode and enter the following line:
dns.adguard.comOnce you enter the address, click Save. Now all your device traffic will go through the filter, and you will notice that the number of banners in apps and browsers will be reduced to a minimum, and this method also increases security by blocking access to phishing sites.
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Using a private DNS dns.adguard.com is a “silver bullet” that blocks ads in all apps and browsers at once without having to configure each of them separately.
In such cases, the setting will have to be temporarily disabled.
Installation of specialized applications-blockers
If the system settings and DNS-There's not enough filtering, and specialized applications come to the rescue, and they work locally on the device, creating a virtual network interface to filter traffic.
The app is available for download from the official website of the developer, as Google Play versions often have limited functionality due to the store policy. Once installed, AdGuard will offer you to configure filters.
- 🛡️ Filtration HTTPS: Allows you to remove ads even inside secure connections, which is critical for modern websites.
- 🔋 Traffic savings: Blocking banner ads and videos can cut mobile internet usage by up to 30%.
- ⚡ Speed up loading: Pages open faster as the browser doesn’t need to load heavy ad scripts.
Another popular option is Blokada, which works on a similar principle, but has a simpler interface and is completely open source. VPN-connection.
While running these applications in the background may slightly increase battery power consumption, on today’s Snapdragon and MediaTek processors, this cost is virtually invisible to the user in everyday scenarios.
Comparison of Ad Blocking Methods
The best method depends on your technical skills and performance requirements of the device, and below is a comparison table that will help you determine the method.
| Method | Difficulty setting up | Efficiency | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Browser settings | Low. | Medium | Absent. |
| Private DNS | Low. | Tall. | Absent. |
| Annexes (AdGuard) | Medium | Maximum | Low. |
| Browsers with a blocker | Medium | Tall. | Average. |
As you can see from the table, setting up a Private DNS is the most balanced solution for most users: it does not require installing additional software and does not consume battery power.
However, if you want the maximum cleaning, including blocking ads on YouTube or inside games, then you can’t do without a full-fledged HTTPS filtering application, in which case you should choose the paid version of AdGuard or use its free open-source version.
Clearing permits and notifications
Often, the ads don't come from the browser, but through a notification system, where sites have accessed through user negligence, and if you accidentally let the site send notifications, it can spam you with offers at any time.
To fix this, go to Settings -> Notifications -> Notification Management. Find your browser (Chrome or Mi Browser) in the list. Inside the notification menu, find the Notifications section of the Sites or just scroll through the list of permitted sources.
Here you'll see a list of all the sites that are allowed to send messages, ruthlessly delete or block all unfamiliar domains, which are usually the source of annoying banners about "winning iPhone" or "viruses on the phone."
⚠️ Warning: Never click on links in these notifications or call the numbers listed there. This is a classic fraud scheme aimed at soliciting personal data or money.
It is also useful to clean site data periodically. In Chrome settings, this is done through Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Clear History. Select the All-Time time range and make sure that the box is ticked against the Cookies and Site Data.