Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive advertising and unwanted offers that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface, such as pop-ups in standard applications, banners in folders or notifications from the MSA system service, which is formally responsible for marketing but actually creates discomfort when using the gadget. Many users mistakenly believe that it is a virus, but such recommendations are built into the shell of MIUI and HyperOS by default.
Fortunately, the company's engineers have made it possible to disable most ad modules without having to obtain superuser rights (Root), a process that requires care, as some settings are scattered across different menu sections, and individual services can return after a reboot if you do not follow all the steps sequentially. In this article, we will detail each step of cleaning the system from digital noise.
It is worth noting that completely disabling system recommendations may have a slight impact on some built-in analytics functions, but for most use cases this is not noticeable. The main thing is to act carefully and not remove critical system components, but only limit their activity or access to the network.
Disabling the MSA service, the main source of advertising
At the heart of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is MIUI System Ads, known as msa, which collects your preferences and generates personalized offers that will be displayed in the interface, and the first and most important step is to limit the functionality of this component.
To start, you need to go to the phone's settings menu. Find the Passwords and Security section and select Data Access. From the app list that opens, find msa and turn off the sliders for both types of connectivity (Wi-Fi and mobile network), and the system will warn you that the app will not be able to run in the background - that's exactly what we need.
⚠️ Warning: After the network is disabled, the system may require you to wait 10 seconds before confirming an action.
The next step is to completely remove permissions. Go back to the main settings menu, go to the Apps → All Apps. Find msa (or MIUI System Ads) on the list. Click on the Disable Ads (or Revoke) button. The process may take some time, and the button may be inactive if the connection is poor, so make sure the Internet is stable before you start.
If you fail to turn off the service the first time, repeat the procedure 2-3 times, a common feature of the shell that requires persistence from the user. Once the action is successfully completed, the status of the service will change, and it will no longer receive new advertising data.
Customization and recommendations in the system
In addition to explicit advertising, Xiaomi actively uses recommendation algorithms that offer apps or content based on your behavior. These settings are hidden in the personalization section. To disable them, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data.
Here you need to find the switch that handles Personalized Recommendations, which you need to put inactive, which will prevent the system from analyzing your actions to form a sentence feed, but this is not the only hidden parameter that is worth checking.
You should also look at the settings of your Mi Account. Go to Settings → Mi Account → About the system (or similar item depending on the version of MIUI). Find the Advertising Services section and disable Personalized Ads. This will reduce the relevance of the ads shown if they do appear on third-party services.
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Check this section periodically after major system updates, as Xiaomi may reset privacy settings to factory values.
It is important to understand the difference between personalization and system notifications: disabling recommendations does not guarantee that all notifications will disappear completely, but makes them neutral.
Cleaning up from advertising in standard applications
Even after disabling the msa service, some embedded apps may continue to display banner ads or offers, as is typical of the standard browser, the Security app, Music and Themes, each with its own independent ad settings.
Consider the action algorithm for the most popular system utilities. In the Security app, click on the gear in the upper right corner, find Receive recommendations and turn it off. In the Topics app, go to profile (the person at the bottom), click on settings, and also find the Show Ads or Personalized Recommendations switch.
☑️ Verification of system applications
For the standard Mi Browser, the situation is similar: Open the menu (three bars), select Settings → Privacy and Security. You need to disable all items related to Personalized Recommendations and Notifications, and it is recommended to turn on the built-in ad blocker if it is available in your version.
Remember that some applications may require re-entering settings after updating, and checking these settings regularly will help keep the interface clean. If you don't use standard apps, you can simply uninstall or disable them through the application management menu.
Managing notifications and folders on the desktop
One of the most annoying elements of the interface is the application recommendations folder on the desktop, and when you open the installed folder, the system often shows the Recommended Applications block, which can be easily fixed.
Open any folder on your desktop. Click on the folder name (or the three dots/cogs inside it, depending on the launcher version). In the menu that appears, find the Recommended Apps switch or Card Display and turn it off. Now the folder will only show the shortcuts of installed programs.
It's also worth checking the global desktop settings.Clasp the blank space on the screen or pinch the two fingers to enter edit mode.Click on the launcher's gear settings.Make sure Wallpaper Carousel options (if not in use) and Recommendations are turned off. Wallpaper carousel is often a source of banner ads on the locked screen.
| System component | Where to look for settings | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| MSA Service | Passwords and security → Access to data | Wi-Fi and network access |
| Personalization | Passwords and security → Access to personal data | Personalized recommendations |
| Desktop | Launcher settings (long pull) | Wallpaper carousel, Recommendations |
| Security Annex | Settings (cogs inside the application) | Receive recommendations |
After making all the changes, it is recommended to restart the device, this is necessary to ensure that all the background processes are finally completed, and the new settings take effect. If after the reboot the ad appears again, check whether the msa service is activated automatically.
Disabling notifications from system services
Sometimes ads are distributed not by explicit applications, but by system services with neutral names, which may be disguised as Services and Feedback, MIUI Daemon or GetApps, and may send notifications about hot new products or promotions.
To block this channel, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Scroll through the list and find suspicious system applications. In particular, look at GetApps (Xiaomi app store). Even if you don't use it, it can be active.
Once you have access to the notification settings for GetApps, completely disable the Allow Notifications slider. Also, inside the store itself (if installed), you need to remove the ticks from the Push notifications and Automatic Updates (if not necessary).
Hidden System Processes
A similar procedure is worth doing for Mi Video and Mi Music if you don't use them, and they often become the source of pop-ups offering to subscribe or watch new content, and it's better to spend time checking all system utilities once than constantly closing intrusive windows.
Additional measures: Browser and special features
There's another hidden mechanism that's sometimes used to display ads, which is called Accessibility, which some system modules use to layer on top of other applications, and checking this section can reveal extra active services.
Go to Settings → More → Special. features. Check the list of services enabled. If you see MIUI Daemon or other suspicious system services with screen access, try turning them off. However, do so with caution, as some features may be necessary for the interface to work properly.
⚠️ Warning: Do not disable services you are not sure about (such as Android System or input services) and this may cause your phone to function unstable or your screen to lock.
Also, remember the default third-party browsers: If you use Chrome, Firefox or Yandex.Browser, go to their settings and find the Privacy section. There are often Safe browsing or filtering options for sites that help block ad scripts on pages visited.
For advanced users, you can use DNS with ad filtering (e.g. AdGuard DNS). This can be configured in Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. By entering dns.adguard.com, you can cut off system-wide advertising queries, which is a very effective method of dealing with intrusive banners.
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A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, customizing personalization and blocking DNS, ensures almost no advertising in the Xiaomi system.