How to disable VK advertising on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi smartphones are famous for their functionality, but the built-in MIUI system often offers users intrusive content that can interfere with the comfortable use of the VK app. News Feed banners, videos between messages and pop-ups can significantly reduce the performance of the device and annoy the owner. Many users are looking for ways to return a clean interface without losing the functionality of the social network.

The process of eliminating unwanted content requires a comprehensive approach, since the standard settings of the VK application itself do not provide a full “Stop All Ads” button. You will have to use Android system settings, browser capabilities or third-party utilities. In this article, we will discuss the most effective and safe methods to help clean your screen of visual noise.

It is worth noting that the methods may vary depending on the version of the HyperOS or MIUI operating system, as well as the version of the social network client itself. Some methods require minimal technical literacy, others are available even for beginners.

Using a Private DNS to Block Advertising

One of the most effective and safest ways to remove ads in apps, including VK, is to set up a private one. DNS-This method works at the level of the entire Android operating system, intercepting requests to ad servers and blocking them before the content reaches the screen of your smartphone.

To activate this feature, you need to go to your Xiaomi settings. Find the partition responsible for the connection and network. Depending on the version of the shell, the path may differ slightly, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the item associated with the DNS settings and manually write the address of a special server that filters traffic.

Enter the following commands or addresses in the appropriate fields if the system requires manual input:

dns.adguard.com

Once you save the settings, the system may require a reboot or simply reconnect to the network. The effect should be noticeable almost immediately: banners in the VK news feed will stop loading, making room for useful content. However, this method may not block native advertising, which the social network itself integrates directly into the page code, but it will remove a significant amount of external debris.

But for popular services like VK, the difference is usually subtle, and if you notice problems with Internet access, you can always return your settings to automatic mode.

Settings inside the VKontakte application

While you can’t completely remove ad integrations through the VK app’s settings, you can significantly reduce them and make them less intrusive. Social network developers provide tools for personalizing the feed that most users ignore. Customizing these settings is the first step to clean interfaces.

Go to the settings of the VK app on your Xiaomi. You're interested in the section responsible for general settings or settings of the tape. Here you can turn off autoplay videos, which are often disguised ads, not only will remove visual noise, but also save traffic and battery power of your device.

Pay attention to the following parameters that should be changed:

• 🚫 Autoplay: Set the value “Only via Wi-Fi” or completely disable the video so that it doesn’t run itself.
• 📉 Video quality: Decreased quality can prevent heavy ad inserts from being downloaded in some cases.
• 🔕 Notifications: Disable notifications about recommendations and promotions that often lead to advertising pages.

Also in the General section, you can find the "Preload" item. If you turn off the preload of photos and videos, the tape will scroll more slowly, but the ad units may not have time to load with fast scrolling. It's a kind of "crut" but it works on older Xiaomi models with a small amount of RAM.

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Use the lightweight version of the VK Lite app if the main client is too overloaded with advertising and is running slowly on your device.

Application of Ad Blockers for Android

If the system methods and settings within the application have not yielded the desired result, specialized blocking applications come to the rescue. For the Android platform on which Xiaomi smartphones are based, there are several powerful tools. VPN-tunnel through which all traffic of the device passes.

One of the most popular and proven solutions is the AdGuard app, which requires you to install a special certificate or grant rights through ADB for full operation, but the basic functionality is also available in simple mode. Once the protection is installed and activated, the application will begin to filter requests coming from VKontakte.

Advantages of using specialized software:

• 🛡️ Deep filtration: Blocks elements that are passed through DNS-server.
• ⚙️ Flexible rules: you can create your own filters for specific domains.
• 📊 Statistics: You will see how many ads were blocked in a day.

⚠️ Note: When installing security certificates for the work of blockers, make sure that you only download the application from the official developer website.Using modified versions from unverified sources can lead to theft of your personal data and passwords from your account. VK.

It is important to note that the presence of active VPN-A connection, even a local connection, can conflict with other applications using the network, such as games or encrypted messengers, in which case it is recommended to add exceptions to the settings of the blocker itself for trusted applications.

Use of modified VK clients

The most radical, but also the most effective way to get rid of advertising is to abandon the official application in favor of modified versions. There are many forks of the official VK client, created by enthusiasts specifically to remove advertising code and add hidden features, on Xiaomi devices such applications work steadily.

Popular versions such as VK Mod or Kate Mobile (for Android) offer built-in blockers, music and video downloads, and design themes, and installing such an app requires removing the official version or using them in parallel, as they occupy the same space on the system.

Comparison of the official client and the modified version:

When choosing a modified client, it is critical to find a reliable download source: Use only proven forums and developer channels with a long history to avoid introducing malicious code.

Blocking through the browser and web version

Many Xiaomi users prefer to use VKontakte via a browser to avoid installing heavy apps. In this case, the fight against advertising comes down to setting up the browser itself. The built-in Mi Browser browser or popular Chrome allows you to install extensions or have built-in locking features.

If you use Google Chrome on your smartphone, it's hard to block ads inside tabs with standard tools. However, there are alternative browsers like Brave or DuckDuckGo that block trackers and engine-level ads. Just open the web version of VK through them and you'll be surprised how cleaner the feed becomes.

For users who prefer Yandex.Browser or Opera, you need to activate the built-in protection:

• 🔒 Ad Blocker: Enable this feature in the browser security settings.
• 🚫 Banning pop-ups: Make sure the “Block pop-ups” item is active.
• 🧹 Cleaning up data: periodically clear cache and cookies to reset advertising identifiers.

The web version is often updated faster than the apps, and new ad formats may appear first, but they are blocked by browsers as quickly as possible, a good compromise for those who do not want to put unnecessary software on their Xiaomi.

Resetting the advertising ID and cleaning the cache

Advertisers use your device’s unique advertising ID to target content. Periodic resetting or deleting this ID may disorient VK algorithms, and the amount of personalized advertising will temporarily decrease. On Xiaomi smartphones, this is done through Google’s system settings.

Go to your phone's settings, search for the Google section, and select Ads. Here you'll see the option "Reset Ad ID." Pressing that button will create a new random number, and ad networks will start to consider your device a new user. This won't take away the ads completely, but it will make them less relevant and possibly less frequent.

Also, remember to clean the app's cache. The accumulated temporary files may contain elements of old ads that continue to appear. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → VKontakte → Storage and click on Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Everything, otherwise you will have to re-enter your password.

⚠️ Attention: Clearing the data (“Clean Everything”) will log out and delete the saved drafts and settings within the application. Use only Cache Clearing if you do not want to lose local data.

Regular maintenance of the device, including cleaning garbage files through the built-in “Security” app on Xiaomi, also helps to keep the system in good shape and minimizes the impact of background advertising processes on the speed of the smartphone.

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A comprehensive approach combining DNS setup, the use of blockers and regular cleaning of cache, gives the best result in the fight against advertising.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)