Xiaomi’s smartphones, including the popular Redmi 9C, are known for their excellent value for money. However, ownership of the device is often overshadowed by intrusive advertising content that is embedded in the MIUI shell. These can be pop-ups when you launch apps or banners in the system menus, which annoys many users and slows down the gadget.
Fortunately, there is a proven way to neutralize most sources of ad traffic without having to obtain superuser rights or flash the device.The process of turning off requires care, since the settings are scattered across different parts of the system. In this article, we will detail the algorithm of actions that will help make your Redmi 9C interface clean and free from unnecessary visual noise.
Disabling the MSA System Recommendation
The main source of advertising in Xiaomi devices is the system process MIUI System Ads, often referred to as msa. This component is responsible for collecting data about your actions and displaying advertising blocks in regular applications.
To start, you need to go to the smartphone settings menu and find the password and security section. In some firmware versions, this item may be simply called “Security” or have a shield icon. Inside this section, you should look for the “Access to Data” or “Authorizations” subsection, which displays a list of all the processes that have access to the Internet.
Find a process called msa on the list and turn off the network access slider. The system will warn you that a shutdown may affect the operation of certain functions. Don't be afraid to agree, because for the basic operation of the phone this process is not critical. It is recommended to repeat the shutdown several times if the system gives a delay timer error the first time.
⚠️ Note: After disabling msa advertising may disappear not instantly, but during the 10-15 If pop-ups keep popping up, try restarting the device.
In parallel with msa, it’s worth checking GetApps (formerly known as Mi Apps) – an embedded app store that also generates notifications and banners. Restricting network access for this component will significantly reduce the amount of incoming advertising debris.
☑️ Preparation for system cleanup
Setup of embedded applications
In addition to the system core, the ad modules are embedded in every standard Xiaomi app. Explorer, Music, Video, Themes and Calendar all have their own recommendation settings. To completely clean your smartphone, you need to go through each of them separately.
Start with the Explorer app. Open it, go to settings (usually three bars or dots in the corner) and find About or Settings. You need to deactivate the option Get recommendations. Similar actions are required for Music and Video apps, where banner ads often overlap album covers.
Pay special attention to the Themes app, which is where new wallpaper and fonts are often loaded, but also where most of the visual spam is streamed, and in the theme settings, look for the "General" section and uncheck "Get promotions" or "Show ads."
- 📱 Open the "Conductor» → Settings → About service → Turn off "Get recommendations».
- 🎵 Go to "Music» → Settings → Advanced settings → Turn off "Receive recommendations».
- 🎬 In the annex “Video» → Profile → Settings → Remove the box from the “Online Recommendations».
- 🎨 IN THE THEMS» → Profile → Settings → Disable "Receive promotions».
Remember that system updates can bring some of these settings back to factory values, and checking these points periodically will help keep the device clean, especially after major updates to the MIUI version.
Removal of advertising identifiers
To target ads, the system uses a unique advertising ID assigned to your device, and resetting that ID and disabling its use is an important step to improve privacy, and it doesn't completely remove ads, but it makes them less personalized and intrusive.
Go to the basic smartphone settings and select Passwords and Security. In the list of options, look for Privacy. Here you will see the section related to advertising services. Click on Advertising Services or Advertising ID.
In the menu that opens, you need to activate the switch “Disable Ad Personalization” and click the button “Reset Ad ID” to create a new random ID, breaking the link with previously collected data about your preferences.
⚠️ Note: Resetting the advertising ID does not remove the already installed advertising trackers, but resets the profile created on their basis.
Also in this section, check the settings for Special Features, and often ad modules request access to the lock screen or other system features through this section, to make sure that suspicious or unknown services do not have active permissions there.
Cleaning Notifications and Browser
Users often confuse system advertising with notifications from sites they accidentally subscribed to in the browser. If the lock screen or notification curtain constantly appears messages about “wins” or “viruses”, the problem lies in the settings of the Mi Browser or Chrome browser.
To solve the problem, open the browser settings you use most often. Find the Notifications or Site Settings section. In the permission list, turn off access to all suspicious resources.
Also, it is worth clearing the cache and the data of the browser itself.This will delete the stored cookies that can be used for targeting. Go to the phone settings, select "Apps", find your browser and click "Clear Data".
| source of advertising | Where to look for settings | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| System Advertising (MSA) | Security → Access to data | Shut down the internet |
| Appendices (Music, Video) | Settings within the application | Remove the “Recommendations” box |
| Advertising ID | Passwords and security → Privacy | Reset the ID |
| Site notifications | Browser settings → Notifications | Ban everything |
After these steps are done, the amount of spam in the notification curtain should be reduced to zero.If notifications continue to come from a particular application, check its internal settings or consider removing it.
What to do if the advertisement returns?
Using DNS to block
One of the most effective methods that works at the network level is to use a private DNS with ad filtering, which does not require third-party applications to be installed and works even when system settings are lost after an update.
To set up, go to Connection and Sharing or Wi-Fi and the Internet. DNS» (Private DNS). The default is Auto or Disconnected, and you have to select the option "Host Name of the Provider." DNS» (manually).
You enter the address of the server that filters advertising traffic into the field, and one of the most reliable and free options is dns.adguard.com, enter this address carefully, without errors or unnecessary characters, then save the settings.
dns.adguard.comAfter saving the settings, the phone can lose the Internet connection for a few seconds, and then restore it. From now on, most requests to advertising servers will be blocked at the DNS level, which will speed up the loading of pages in the browser and remove banners in many applications.
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Use it. DNS-filtering as the main method of protection, it not only removes advertising, but also blocks access to known phishing and malicious sites, increasing the overall security of the device.
Additional measures and advice
If standard methods don't eliminate annoyances completely, you can resort to more radical but safe measures, such as turning off Mi Video or Mi Music if you don't use them. In your application settings, find these services and click "Disable".
You also have to look at the Download folder, and you have to look at the Download folder, and it's often the ads that get there. APK-Files that can run pop-ups. Regularly cleaning this folder through Explorer will help avoid inadvertent installers running.
Remember to check the Advanced Settings section of the phone menu, which may contain an "Authorization and Security" or similar item, which sometimes hides permission to send diagnostic data, which can also be used for advertising purposes.
- 🗑️ Regularly clean the Downloads folder of unknown files.
- 🚫 Disable unused system applications through settings.
- 🔒 Set a strong password or biometrics to avoid installing hidden modules.
A comprehensive approach, including disabling msa, configuring DNS and cleaning notifications, ensures comfortable use of the Redmi 9C. Your smartphone will work faster and the battery will be spent more economically, as background advertising processes will no longer consume resources.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party DNS-In some cases, the Internet speed may decrease slightly in servers. If you notice connection problems, return the settings. DNS in the position of “Auto».
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The combination of disabling the MSA process and setting up a private DNS blocks up to 95% of all ads in the system without losing the functionality of the smartphone.