How to permanently remove ads in games on Xiaomi Android smartphones (including Redmi and POCO)

Advertising in mobile games on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO can ruin the entire gameplay: sudden banners, forced videos before fights, pop-up offers. Especially annoying when advertising appears at the most critical moment — for example, during a PvP battle or going through a difficult level. Many users believe that the only way to get rid of it is to buy premium accounts, but this is not true.

There are actually several legal and illegal methods of blocking ads, from simple MIUI settings to deep system interventions. It is important to understand that some methods can violate the rules of games (account ban risk) or the system stability of a smartphone. In this article, we will analyze 7 proven methods - from the safest to the most radical - and also tell you which ones work on Xiaomi with MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS.

We warn you right away that no one method guarantees 100% blocking — game developers are constantly updating their ad-show mechanisms, but a combination of several methods can reduce the number of ads by 80-90%.

📊 How often do you get annoyed by advertising in games?
All the time, it's unbearable.
Sometimes, but tolerably.
There's almost no advertising.
I buy a premium so I don't see her.

1. Built-in MIUI settings: background and notification limitations

The safest and most official way is to use MIUI tools, which will not remove ads completely, but will reduce the amount of ads, especially in games with aggressive pop-ups.

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, find the game you want and open its settings. There are several options available here:

  • 📵 Limit background activity – reduces the number of sudden banners, but can lead to game departures.
  • 🔔 Disable notifications – blocks advertising flies (e.g., “Go back to the game and get a bonus!").
  • 🔄 Resetting settings – sometimes helps if the game has started showing too many ads after the update.

This method works best on smaller studio games (like Casual games like Gardenscapes or Homescapes). For top-end projects (PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, Call of Duty: Mobile), it is useless – there advertising is built-in at the level of the game engine.

⚠️ Attention: Background restriction can lead to loss of progress in games that do not store data to the cloud. Before changing settings, check if the game supports sync via Google Play Games or Mi Account.

2. Blocking advertising through DNS (without root)

Change of change DNS-And the thing is, you can actually use a smartphone server to block ads in games and apps, and it works at the network level, and it doesn't require root rights, and the bottom line is you redirect your ad server requests to empty addresses.

Instructions:

  1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS.
  2. Select the Private DNS Host Name and enter one of the addresses: dns.adguard.com (AdGuard DNS) doh.cleanbrowsing.org (CleanBrowsing) security.cloudflare-dns.com (Cloudflare)

Save the settings and restart the smartphone.

The effectiveness of the method depends on the game, for example, in Among Us or Brawl Stars. DNS-The lock removes up to 70% of ads, and in Clash of Clans it only 30-40.

💡

If after changing the DNS, some sites (for example, banking sites) stop opening, return the settings to the standard ones or use a VPN with the “Separate Tunneling” function.

3. Blocking applications (Blokada, AdGuard, NetGuard)

Specialized ad blocking applications work on the principle of a local VPN or firewall, they intercept network requests and filter advertising domains.

  • 🛡️ Blokada – Free, Open Source, Blocks Advertising at Level DNS + IP.
  • 🔒 AdGuard – paid version supports keyword filtering (for example, you can block all queries from “ads.").
  • 📡 NetGuard – Firewall with the ability to manually lock domains (requires more settings).

How to set up Blokada:

1. Download the app from the official website (not from Google Play!).


2. Launch and allow the creation of a VPN- connection.




3. In the settings, select "Block Ads" and "Block Trackers".




4. Activate the defense.

These apps block not only ads in games, but also in the browser, YouTube, TikTok. However, some games (such as Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings) can detect VPNs and block logins, in which case you will have to disable the blocker before launching.

Located. VPN-linkage|Advertising filtering is activated|The game does not betray errors of the network|Advertising in a test game (such as Subway Surfers) has disappeared.-->

4. Modified APK (MOD-Games – risks and where to download

The most radical way is to install a modified version of the game (MOD APK) where the ads are removed at the code level, and these versions are distributed on third-party sites like APKMirror, Mobilism or PlatinMods.

  • ✅ Complete removal of advertising (including forced video).
  • ✅ Bonuses are often added: unlimited currency, unlocked skins.

But there are also serious risks:

  • 🚨 Account Ban – Most online games (e.g, PUBG Mobile or Clash Royale is being discovered MOD and block the profile.
  • 🦠 Viruses and spyware – many MOD APK contain Trojans or mining scripts.
  • 🔄 No updates – modified versions are rarely updated, leading to compatibility errors.

If you decide to take a risk, follow the rules:

  1. Download MODs only from trusted forums (e.g. XDA Developers).
  2. Before installing, check the file through VirusTotal.
  3. Do not use your primary Google or Mi Account to log in.

⚠️ Note: On smartphones Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ HyperOS installation APK from unknown sources can be blocked even after permission in settings.To circumvent the restriction, temporarily disable Mi Protect in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Protect.

5. Root access: Full ad blocking via hosts and AdAway

If you have root rights (or are willing to get them), you can block ads at the system level, and this method works for all games, including those that resist. DNS-blocker.

The most popular tool is AdAway, which edits the hosts file on the system, redirecting requests to the ad servers to 127.0.0.1 (local host).

  1. Install AdAway from F-Droid.
  2. Launch the application and click "Download files and apply".
  3. Reboot your smartphone.

For maximum efficiency, add additional lock lists to AdAway:

  • 📋 https://adaway.org/hosts.txt (mainline).
  • 🛡️ https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts (extended).
  • 🎮 https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Perflyst/PiHoleBlocklist/master/SmartTV.txt (play-specific).

Cons of the method:

  • 🔧 Requires root, which cancels the warranty and increases the risk of “bricking” the smartphone.
  • 🔄 After updating MIUI The hosts file may be reset.
  • 🚫 Some games (such as Genshin Impact) check the integrity of system files and refuse to run.
How to get root on Xiaomi without the risk of bricks?
1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires Mi Account binding and waiting) 7–14 days). 2. Install custom recovery (TWRP Or OrangeFox). 3. Squeeze Magisk to get root rights without SafetyNet trigger. ⚠️ On new models (Xiaomi) 13/14, Redmi Note 12) Unlocking the bootloader may result in loss of camera functions or NFC.

6.Alternative methods: VPN with filtering and emulators

If none of the above methods worked, try these options:

VPN with ad blocking

  • 🌍 ProtonVPN (free rate) + enabled option "NetShield".
  • 🛡️ Windscribe – blocks ads and trackers, but is limited to 10GB of traffic per month.

Disadvantages: Many games are blocked VPN-compounds, especially MOBA shooter.

Android Emulators on PC

  • 🖥️ BlueStacks or LDPlayer with AdGuard installed for Windows.
  • 🎮 MuMu Player – Optimized for gaming and supports ad blocking via hosts.

Plus: on PC, it is easier to block ads by system means.

Offline mode.

Some games (such as Subway Surfers or Temple Run) only show ads when connected to the Internet.Switch off mobile data and Wi-Fi before launching - but note that this will also turn off online competitions.

MethodEfficiencyDifficultyRisks.It is powered by MIUI 14/HyperOS.
MIUI settings⭐⭐⭐No.Yes.
DNS-blocking⭐⭐⭐⭐Network errors in gamesYes.
Blokada/AdGuard⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐VPNs can be in conflict with gamesYes.
MOD APK⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Account ban, virusesYes (but risky)
Root + AdAway⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Loss of warranty, brickYeah (requires unlocking)

If you don’t want to risk your smartphone stability or gaming account, consider legal options:

Purchase of the premium version

Many games offer a one-time purchase to remove ads, such as:

  • 💎 Angry Birds 2 – 300 rubles for removing ads forever.
  • 🏆 Asphalt 9: Legends – 500 rubles for a premium account without advertising.
  • 🧩 Monument Valley - paid game without advertising (costs 300-500 rubles.).

Games without ads

Some genres do not initially contain advertising:

  • 🎮 Games: Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Terraria.
  • 🖥️ Emulators: RetroArch (for classic games), Dolphin (GameCube/Wii).
  • 🃏 Cards/Desktops: Hearthstone, Gwent, Slay the Spire.

Subscription services

Some platforms offer ad-free access to games for a monthly fee:

  • 🎮 Google Play Pass (300 rubles / month) – more than 800 games and apps without advertising.
  • 🕹️ Xbox Game Pass (700 rubles / month) – includes Minecraft, Forza Street and other projects without advertising.

💡

Buying a premium account is the only legal way to remove ads forever without the risk of bans or smartphone issues.

FAQ: Frequent questions about ad blocking in Xiaomi games

❓ Can you remove ads in games without root and without risk to your account?
Yes, but not completely. The safest methods are: DNS-blockers (AdGuard DNS), applications like Blokada (no VPN mode for games that block it), buying a premium version of the game, which does not produce 100% results, but reduces the amount of advertising by 50-70%.
❓ Why not after the shift? DNS Some games have stopped running?
Some games (especially online shooters like Call of Duty: Mobile) check the connection to their servers. If DNS blocks their domains, the game can give an error "No Internet connection." Solution: Add the game domains to the whitelist in the locker settings. Use separate tunneling in the VPN (for example, in AdGuard you can exclude the game from filtering).
❓ How to know if my game is blocking VPN or MOD?
Check it out: Start the game with an active one VPN after installation MOD. If a message appears like "Discovered" VPN" or "Customer Invalid Version" - the game blocks the bypass. Try another method (for example, instead of using the game). VPN use DNS-List of games that actively block ad circumvention: PUBG Mobile Free Fire Genshin Impact Clash of Clans MOD) Pokémon GO (block VPN modified APK)
❓ Can I return the standard settings? MIUI, If after blocking advertising, the games began to slow down?
To roll back the changes: DNS: Return the settings to Settings → Connections → Private DNS to the meaning of "Automatically." Blokada/AdGuard: Turn off the security in the app or remove it. MOD APK: Remove the game and install the original version from Google Play. + AdAway: Run AdAway and click "Restore Default Hosts." If the games continue to slow down, clear the cache in Settings → Annexes → [play-name] → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
❓ What games on Xiaomi most often show ads, and can it be removed?
Top.-5 Games with the most intrusive advertising and the chances of blocking it: Game Type of advertising Can I remove? Best method Subway Surfers Banners, forced-video Yes (on the Internet) 90%) DNS + Blokada Gardenscapes Pop Ups, Videos for Bonuses Partially MOD APK Premium Clash of Clans Banners in the menu No (risk ban) Buying a premium package Among Us Pop-ups between matches Yes (on the 80%) AdGuard + Hosts Candy Crush Saga Video for Lives Yes (on) 70%) DNS-lockdown