How to remove recommended applications on Xiaomi: remove advertising and garbage

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often encounter an intrusive recommendation system that appears in standard folders, desktops, or lock menus, a feature designed to promote third-party software, but for many users, it becomes a source of irritation and visual noise. Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS allow you to flexibly customize the interface, hiding the extra.

The process of cleaning the screen from garbage does not require root rights or complex software, just go through several sections of system settings and specific applications, and in this guide we will discuss all the current ways that will help you make the interface clean and personalized.

Disabling recommendations in desktop folders

The most common place for intrusive icons to appear is in the application folders on the desktop. Once the system is installed, the Recommended Apps block is automatically activated in each folder, which downloads content from the Internet, and to remove it, you need to open any folder on the screen and click on the folder name or three dots in the corner (depending on the shell version).

In the folder settings menu that opens, you'll see the Recommended Applications switch. Put the slider inactive. Now, when you open the folder, you'll only see the apps you installed yourself, and you'll need to do this for each folder separately if you've already created them.

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If you create a new folder, the system may suggest that you turn on recommendations again, so be careful when grouping icons and turn off this option immediately.

It is worth noting that on some global firmware, this item may be called Promoted apps or Featured apps. The essence of the function does not change: it is responsible for displaying third-party content inside system containers.

Removal of the widget "Wallpaper Carousel" and locking the screen

Another source of visual noise is the Glance, which changes images on a locked screen and often contains banner ads, which cannot be removed entirely through the standard app menu, as it is integrated into the system, but it can be turned off.

Go to Settings and find the Always On and Lock screen section. Select the Wallpaper Carousel and click the Disable button. After that, only a static image or standard clock will remain on the lock screen, and the advertising slides will stop appearing.

In some firmware versions, to completely remove the widget from the desktop, you may need to pinch your finger on the blank space of the screen, select Widgets, and remove the Glance or Wallpaper element from the list of active widgets.

Setting up the “Security” application and cleaning

The system app Security is the control center of the smartphone, but also serves as a platform for notifications and recommendations. To stop receiving news feeds and optimization tips, you need to change the internal settings of the utility.

Open the Security app, click on the gear in the top right corner, find the Receive recommendations section and turn it off, and check the Cleanup section inside the security settings and remove the tick from Show recommendations.

After these actions, the application will stop downloading news and offer the installation of “useful” programs when scanning the system, and the interface will become stricter and more functional, without unnecessary distractions.

Disconnection of MSA (Mi System Ads)

A key component of Xiaomi’s advertising ecosystem is the MSA (Miui System Ads) system service, which collects usage data and generates promotional offers, and disabling the service is the most effective way to reduce the amount of advertising.

Go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to Personal Data. Find the msa app in the list and turn off the switch. The system will alert you that some features may stop working and trigger a 10-second countdown timer.

When the timer expires, press Turn it off. If the first time fails (the system may give an error), try repeating the procedure 3-4 times in a row. Usually, on the third attempt, the permission to reject is given.

Cleaning standard applications: Browser, Music, Video

Individual multimedia apps and utilities have their own recommendation settings. For example, Mi Browser often shows the news feed on the homepage. To fix this, go to the browser menu (three bars), select Settings → Homepage and turn off the news display.

The Music and Video app also has sections with online content, and in the settings of these apps (usually available through the profile or settings menu within the app itself), you need to find items like Show recommendations, Online services or Hot songs and deactivate them.

This will allow you to use applications exclusively for local file playback or simple surfing without unnecessary information noise built into the developers.

Using ADB for deep cleaning

For advanced users who want to completely remove system components, there is a method using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to uninstall applications that are not removed by standard methods, including some advertising services.

To work, you will need a computer, a USB cable and enabled USB debugging on your smartphone (activated in Settings → About Phone → 7 times click on the MIUI version, then in Advanced Settings → For developers). Connecting the phone to a PC, execute a command to remove a specific package.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys

It is important to understand that removing system packets can lead to unstable device operation. For example, removing com.miui.analytics is safe, but removing com.android.vending (Google Play) will break the installation of applications.

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Using ADB gives you complete control, but it requires caution: Always check the name of the packet before you delete it, so as not to turn the phone into a brick.

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