How to permanently remove advertising on Xiaomi phones: proven methods

Why Xiaomi’s VK ads are more annoying than other phones

Xiaomi smartphone owners regularly face aggressive advertising in the official VK app — banners in the tape, pop-up windows when scrolling, advertising posts marked “Recommended.” The problem is exacerbated by the features of the MIUI firmware: the system actively collects data about user preferences, which leads to personalized advertising even in third-party applications. For example, if you searched in the Mi Browser browser for information about loans, in an hour VK will begin to show bank offers.

According to a 4PDA study (2023), Xiaomi users see 28 percent more social media ads than owners of clean Android devices, which is due to the integration of Mi Advertising and User Experience Program services, which transmit data about behavior in applications. Even after disabling personalization of ads in MIUI settings, banners in VC continue to appear — just become less relevant.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to remove VKontakte ads on Xiaomi – from standard settings to using alternative clients. All methods are tested on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13T with MIUI 14/15 firmware.

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI

The first step is to limit the collection of data to a system that doesn't eliminate the ads completely, but it reduces the amount of advertising and makes it less intrusive.

Settings → Privacy → Advertising → Personalized Advertising

Turn off all the switches in this section. Pay special attention to the items:

• 🔍 Interest Analysis – Collects data about your actions in apps
• 📊 Relevant advertising display – responsible for targeted banners
• 🌍 Geolocation offers – Shows ads based on your location

Once turned off, reboot your phone, which will have an effect in 12 to 24 hours: VK ads will become less frequent but will not disappear completely, a method that works on all Xiaomi models, including Redmi and POCO, but does not affect banners in the VK app itself.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI Ad customization settings may reset. Check them after each major system update.

Method 2: Settings of the VKontakte application

The official VC client allows you to partially manage the display of ads. Go to the application, open the menu (three horizontal lines) and go to:

Settings → Advertising and statistics

Options are available here:

• 📵 Disable interest shows – reduces the number of targeted banners
• 🚫 Hide advertising posts – removes promotional content from the feed (but not banners between posts)
• 🔄 Reset the advertising ID — Resets your profile for targeting (you need to do it every 1-2 months)

The important thing is that these settings don't take away ads completely, they just make them less intrusive. For example, instead of credit banners, you'll see generic offers (games, services), and the effectiveness of the method is about 30-40% of ad reduction.

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If the number of banners has not decreased after resetting the advertising ID, try to delete and reinstall the VK app. This will reset the targeting cache.

Method 3: Use of alternative clients of VC

The most reliable way to get rid of advertising is to use third-party clients for VKontakte, which do not contain official advertising SDKs and often offer additional features.

To install alternative clients:

1. Download. APK-file from official source (see table).
2. In Xiaomi settings, allow installation from unknown sources: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Installation settings → Allow APK installation
3. Install the application and log in.

⚠️ Note: Using modified clients (e.g. VKontakte Mod) can lead to temporary account blocking. VK actively fights against such applications. API and not suspicious.

Download APK official website|Check the hash file (MD5) virus-like|Allow installation from unknown sources|Make a backup copy of VC data|Delete the official annex (optional)-->

Method 4: Blocking Advertising via DNS (without root)

The method is suitable for users who do not want to install third-party clients, the essence of which is to redirect VK advertising domains to “empty” servers through changing the DNS. This does not require root rights and works on all Xiaomi models.

Instructions:

1. Install the DNS Changer app from Google Play.
2. Open the app and select Custom DNS.
3. Enter the following addresses (block VK and MIUI ads): 176.103.130.130 176.103.130.131
4. Press Start and confirm VPN connection (this is required to change DNS).

Effect:

• 🚫 Banners between posts in the tape will disappear
• 📵 Advertising posts will remain, but will be less frequent
• ⚡ Increase the speed of downloading the tape (not loaded advertising elements)

Important: This method may conflict with some banking applications (Sberbank, Tinkoff).If payment services have stopped working after the DNS change, return the standard DNS settings or add them to exceptions.

Method 5: Disabling Advertising through ADB (for Advanced Advertising)

If you're prepared for more complex manipulations, you can turn off VK advertising services via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that doesn't require root rights, but requires connecting your phone to your computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
2. Activate debugging over USB in the developer settings.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and install ADB Tools.
4. Execute at command line: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.vk.ad adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.vk.core.ads
5. Reboot the phone.

Result:

• 🎯 Banners in the tape and history will disappear completely
• 📉 Advertising posts will remain, but will be without pictures (text only)
• ⚠️ After updating VKontakte, the commands will have to be executed again.

⚠️ Attention: Some Xiaomi users 13/14 Report failures in the work of VK after disabling advertising packages through ADB. If the application starts to fly, return the settings with the command: adb shell pm enable com.vk.ad adb shell pm enable com.vk.core.ads

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The ADB method is the most effective for removing banners, but requires re-execution after each update to VKontakte.

What doesn’t work (common myths)

On the web, you can find dozens of “advice” on removing VC advertising on Xiaomi, which in practice do not work or harm the device.

• ❌ "Clearing the VC cache removes ads" - the cache contains temporary files, but does not affect targeting.
• ❌ "Disabling autoload media files blocks banners" - this only saves traffic, advertising elements are loaded separately.
• ❌ "Installation of the old version of the VK (2019-2020) removes advertising" - outdated versions do not support current ones API They stop working after 1-2 days.
• ❌ "Root rights + removal MIUI" — This disrupts the firmware and can lead to a phone brick (breakdown.

Another dangerous tip is to use apps like Lucky Patcher or Freedom to hack into VKontakte.

• Violate the VK user agreement (risk of blocking the account).
• They contain malicious code (according to Kaspersky Lab, 67% of APKs hacked for social networks are recognized as viruses).
• MIUI 14/15 is not used due to the system's enhanced protection.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing VK ads on Xiaomi