Advertising in Yandex Browser on Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi and POCO lines) has become one of the most annoying problems for users. Even after the MIUI 13/14 updates, many people are faced with banners on the home screen, pop-ups when new tabs are opened and ad blocks in search results. Unlike the desktop version, the mobile browser is more aggressive in implementing advertising, and standard settings often do not allow it to be completely disabled.
In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to remove ads in the Yandex Browser on Xiaomi – from basic settings to radical methods using alternative browsers and modified versions. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden parameters of MIUI, which the manufacturer does not advertise, but allows you to block ads at the system level. All instructions are relevant for devices based on Android 11-14 with the shell MIUI 12.5-14.
Before you get to the point, consider that some methods require superuser rights or third-party apps to be installed. If you're not ready for experimentation, focus on the first three methods that work without any additional manipulation.
1. Disabling advertising through the settings of Yandex Browser
To start with the obvious, built-in browser options. Unfortunately, Yandex does not provide a direct "disable all ads" function, but you can minimize the display of ads through several parameters.
Open Yandex Browser and follow the following steps:
- 📱 Go to the menu (⋮) → Settings → Main screen screen.
- 🔄 Turn off the “Show recommendations” option – this will remove banners with news and promo content.
- 🛡️ Go back to the basic settings and select Privacy → Ad personalization. Turn off all target-related tumblers.
- 🚫 In the Settings section → Additionally. → If it is older than 23.7.0, update your browser through Google Play - there are fewer ads in new versions of the browser.
These actions will reduce the amount of ads, but they won’t completely eliminate them, such as search ads (labeled “Ads”) and banners at the bottom of the screen will remain, and additional measures will be needed to block them.
⚠️ Note: After disabling personalization of advertising, some browser functions (for example, quick access to frequently visited sites) may not work correctly. This is not a mistake - so Yandex encourages users to return settings back.
2. Blocking ads through MIUI Optimized Setup (hidden mode)
Xiaomi is building a tool called Optimized Setup into MIUI that allows you to manage application system resolutions, including ad modules, which works without root, but requires activation of the developer mode.
Instructions:
- Activate the Developer Mode: 🔧 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI. 🔘 Click on Version. MIUI 7 times in a row until the notice "You became a developer" appears".
Settings → Additional → For Developers
"Debugging by USB"
QuickShortcutMaker
Google Play
QuickShortcutMaker
com.miui.optimizedsetup
.activities.OptimizedSetupActivity
Yandex Browser
"Advertising."
"Personalization."
This blockes the ad modules at the system level, but it may not work on all firmware, so if the ad returns after the reboot, repeat the steps or try the next method.
Developer mode activated | QuickShortcutMaker | Created shortcut for OptimizedSetupActivity | All Advertising Permits for Yandex Browser-->
3. Use of alternative browsers with ad blocking
If standard methods don’t work, the most reliable way is to install another browser with built-in ad blocking.
- 🦊 Mozilla Firefox + uBlock Origin extension (requires manual installation via about:config).
- 🛡️ Brave Browser – blocks ads and trackers by default, supports Tor mode.
- 🔍 DuckDuckGo Browser – a private browser without data collection, with built-in protection against advertising.
- 🌐 Kiwi Browser – Chromium-based, supports extensions from the Chrome Web Store (including AdBlock).
To install Firefox with uBlock Origin:
- Download Firefox from Google Play.
- Open your browser and enter in the address bar about:config.
- Take the warning and find xpinstall.signatures.required. Set false.
- Go to uBlock Origin and install the extension.
After installing uBlock Origin, ads will be blocked on all sites, including Yandex. However, some resources (for example, VKontakte or YouTube) may require disabling the blocker for proper operation.
Why does Yandex Browser ignore the ad blocking settings?
| browser | Blocking ads | Support for extensions | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brave | Built-in (AdBlock) | Yes (Chrome Web Store) | High RAM consumption |
| Firefox + uBlock | Through expansion | Yes (limited) | Tough setup |
| DuckDuckGo | Built-in | No. | No synchronization with the account |
| Kiwi Browser | Through expansion | Yes (full) | Unstable work at MIUI 14 |
4. Blocking ads through the hosts file (without root)
The method is suitable for users who do not want to install third-party browsers, the essence of which is to redirect advertising domains to "empty" IP-address (127.0.0.1) via editing the hosts file:
- Download the Hosts Go app.
- Open the app and click Download Hosts. Select the list "Adaway" or "StevenBlack".
- Apply the changes and restart the phone.
This will block most ad networks, including Yandex.Direct, but may cause problems with the operation of some applications (for example, Yandex.Maps or Navigator). If after using the site stopped opening - return the standard hosts through the same application.
⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi firmware (especially global versions) MIUI) Reset hosts after the update. To avoid this, disable automatic system updates in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
💡
If after editing the hosts file, banking applications (for example, Sberbank or Tinkoff) stopped working, add their domains to the exceptions in the Hosts Go settings.
5. Radical methods: removal of Yandex Browser or firmware
If the advertising brings to white heat, and the previous methods did not help, extreme measures remain:
- 🗑️ Removal of Yandex Browser through ADB (without root: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.yandex.browser Note: Some Xiaomi firmwares have a browser that is protected from removal. In this case, use the command to disable: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.browser
- 🔄 Reflashing to custom MIUI (For example, Xiaomi.eu or PixelExperience. These firmware removes all pre-installed applications of Yandex and MIUI-promotion.
- 🔓 Getting root rights and removing advertising modules via Titanium Backup or Lucky Patcher.
Delete via ADB is the safest way, but requires connecting the phone to your computer and installing the Android SDK Platform-Tools. Once the command is executed, the browser will disappear from the menu and all its data will be deleted.
If you decide to re-flash, consider:
- 📱 Xiaomi.eu is a stable firmware without ads, but with weekly updates.
- 🤖 PixelExperience – pure Android without shell MIUI, but may not support certain functions, for example, IR-blaster NFC).
⚠️ Warning: Flashing will void the warranty and may cause the device to blink if you do not follow the instructions. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
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Removing Yandex Browser via ADB is the only way to get rid of it forever without any consequences for the system, but after resetting the phone to factory settings, the browser can return if it was preinstalled in firmware.
6.Extra tips: How to reduce ads in other Xiaomi apps
Advertising in Yandex Browser is just the tip of the iceberg. In MIUI, advertising blocks are integrated into:
- 📱 Launcher (banners in search of applications).
- 📂 File Manager (cloud service advertising).
- 🔍 Search by system (sponsored results).
- 🎵 Music player (banners on the playback screen).
To turn them off:
- Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup and turn off “Recommendations”.
- In Settings → Lock screen deactivate “Show recommendations”.
- Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair).
- Use MiXplorer instead of the standard file manager.
To remove ads from MIUI completely, you can use MIUI Debloater, which removes unnecessary system applications, but this method requires root rights.