How to permanently remove advertising in the gallery Xiaomi: from system settings to ADB-team

Advertising in the standard Xiaomi gallery is one of the most annoying features of MIUI firmware. Even after buying a smartphone, users encounter intrusive banners in the app, where only personal photos should be available. The problem affects all the brand’s devices, from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra. In this article, we will analyze all the working methods of removing ads, from simple settings to technical solutions using ADB.

It's important to understand that MIUI integrates ad units at the system level, so standard ad-cutting in settings often works incompletely. Some ways require superuser rights or a computer connection, but the result is worth it: a clean gallery without the banners "Mi Video", "GetApps" and other services. If you're willing to spend 10-15 minutes, follow the instructions below - and the ads disappear forever.

Why is there an advertisement in the Xiaomi Gallery?

The reason lies in Xiaomi's business model: the company monetizes its firmware through integrated advertising, even in Europe, where data protection regulations are stricter, banners in the gallery remain.

• 📱 Gallery System App (com.miui.gallery) – shows banners at the bottom of the screen when viewing a photo.
• 🎬 Mi Video service - embeds advertising in miniatures of video files.
• 🛒 GetApps – Xiaomi app store that puts up banners “Recommended apps".
• 🔄 Mi Cloud – sometimes adds promo banners when synchronized.

Fun fact: there's even more advertising on devices for the Chinese market, because there's different monetization rules, and in global versions of firmware, banners are less intrusive, but they're still there, and after MIUI updates, ads can come back, so it's important not only to remove them, but also to block the sources.

Method 1: Disabling Advertising in MIUI Settings (without root)

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI settings. It is suitable for most users and does not require technical skills, but does not work on all firmware versions (in MIUI 14 and later, some options can be hidden).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Password and Security → Authorization and Locking.
2. Find the option “Personalized Ads” (or Personalized Ads in English) and turn it off.
3. Return to the main settings menu and go to Settings → Additional → Special features.
4. Activate the option “Delete Advertising in System Applications” (if available).
5. Reboot your smartphone.

If these are not available, try an alternative route:

• 🔍 Open the Settings. → About the phone and tap 7 times according to the version MIUI, activate the developer mode.
• 🔧 Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers and find "Debugging by" USB" (Turn it on).
• 📱 Now in the settings of the gallery (Open gallery) → Three points. → Settings) may appear hidden option "Advertising" - disable it.

Method limitations: On some devices (e.g., POCO X5 Pro or Redmi K60), these settings may be missing or reset after the update.

Method 2: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If the system settings don't work, it's time to connect to the computer. ADB (Android Debug Bridge allows you to disable advertising modules at the system level without obtaining root rights.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📥 Utility. ADB Tools (download and unpack in any folder).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (see previous section).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your smartphone to your computer and select File Transfer Mode (not Charge).
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices If the device is displayed – you can continue.
4. Follow the commands one by one (after each press Enter): adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution adb shell pm hide com.xiaomi.midrop adb shell pm hide com.miui.analytics adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1
5. Reboot your smartphone.

Important: After the MIUI update, the ads may return, in which case repeat the procedure or use the method with the blocking through hosts (see the next section).

Method 3: Blocking ads through hosts file (without root)

This method intercepts requests to Xiaomi’s ad servers at the network level, doesn’t require root rights, but requires a computer and a little patience, and is suitable for all models, including the POCO F5 and Redmi Note 13 Pro+.

Instructions:

1. Download a modified hosts file for Xiaomi (e.g., from here).
2. Connect your smartphone to your computer and copy the file to the root folder of internal memory.
3. Install the Hosts Editor app from Google Play.
4. Open the app, import the downloaded hosts file and apply the changes.
5. Reset the device.

Alternative (via ADB):

adb shell "echo '127.0.0.1 ad.xiaomi.com' >> /system/etc/hosts"


adb shell "echo '127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com' >> /system/etc/hosts"




adb shell "echo '127.0.0.1 track.ad.xiaomi.com' >> /system/etc/hosts"

These commands will add entries to the system hosts, redirecting advertising requests to a non-existent address.

adb pull /system/etc/hosts hosts_backup.txt

Method 4: Install an alternative gallery (simple solution)

If previous methods seem complicated, the easiest way out is to install a third-party gallery, which not only eliminates advertising, but also offers additional features: cloud backup, improved photo editor and no surveillance of your data.

The best alternatives to the standard Xiaomi gallery:

How to install and configure:

1. Download the selected application from Google Play.
2. Open it and give access to the storage.
3. In the settings of the standard Xiaomi gallery, turn off auto-start (Settings → Applications → Gallery → Auto-Start).
4. Install the new gallery app by default (Settings → Apps → Default → Gallery).

💡

Third-party galleries not only remove ads, but also save battery life – the standard Xiaomi app often works in the background, consuming resources.

Method 5: Completely remove ads with Magisk (for advanced)

If you're ready to get root rights, this method is guaranteed to remove all ads in MIUI, including banners in the gallery, browser and even in the settings menu.

• 📱 Unlocked bootloader (instructions from Xiaomi).
• 🔧 Installed by Magisk (or other root manager).
• ⚙️ Disabler for Xiaomi or Xiaomi ADB Fastboot Tools.

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (can take up to 7 days to wait) SMS-code).
2. Install Magisk through Custom Recovery (TWRP).
3. In Magisk, install the Disabler for Xiaomi or Xiaomi Debloater module.
4. Restart the device and check for no ads.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Removes all ads in MIUI, not just in the gallery.
• ✅ Blocks telemetry and analytics collection.
• ✅ Allows you to remove unnecessary system applications (e.g. Mi Video, GetApps).

💡

Before unlocking the bootloader, make a full data backup via Mi PC Suite or TWRP. The process will reset the device to factory settings!

⚠️ Note: Getting root rights voids Xiaomi warranty and may lead to update issues OTA. Also, some banking applications (like Sberbank Online) may stop working, and only use this method if you understand the risks.

What if the advertisements returned after the update?

MIUI is known for returning previously deleted ad units after updates, and to avoid this, follow these tips:

• 🔄 Turn off automatic updates MIUI: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Settings → Deactivate "Car Update"
• 📥 Install updates manually by pre-checking reviews on forums (for example, 4PDA).
• 🔧 Repeat the ad blocking through ADB after each update.
• 🛡️ Use Magisk modules to permanently lock (e.g. Xiaomi Debloater).

If the advertisement appears again, check:

1. Have you reset your hosts file (see Hosts Editor)?
2. Have you been able to get back on the system services (com.miui.systemAdSolution)?
3. Have you seen any new advertising modules (check out ADB: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i ad)?

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T or Redmi K70) post-update MIUI 15 standard methods of blocking ads may stop working, in which case you only have to install an alternative gallery or roll back on the previous version of the firmware.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising in the Xiaomi gallery