How to remove pop-up ads on Android Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that can appear in the most unexpected places of the interface.It is annoying, distracting from work and sometimes even consumes traffic in the background. Fortunately, the company's aggressive marketing policy allows users to turn off most of these features on their own, returning the device to a clean look.

In this article, we will take a detailed look at all the available ways to deal with advertising debris on the MIUI shell. You will learn which system applications are responsible for impressions, how to configure DNS to lock at the network level and which hidden switches should be activated. Following the instructions, you will be able to significantly improve the comfort of using your gadget.

Reasons for Advertising in MIUI

The main source of intrusive impressions is a system service called MSA (MIUI System Ads), which collects data about your preferences and demonstrates targeted banners in standard applications, and by default it is activated on all devices sold with preinstalled global firmware.

And then, individual applications like Explorer, Music, or Cleanup have their own built-in ad modules, which can pop up when you open folders, when you finish scanning your memory, or just when you're using the interface, and understanding which application is generating content helps you pinpoint the source of the annoyance.

Often users install programs themselves from unreliable sources that embed ad modules deeper into the system, and these viruses can create floating windows on top of other applications, so the first step should always be to check the list of installed programs and disable suspicious permissions.

Disabling MSA System Advertising

The most effective way to remove global advertising is to deactivate the MSA service.This is a system process that does not require root permissions to disable, but requires care, since the disable button can be hidden or require re-confirmation.

You first need to go to the settings menu and find the password and security section, and there are key switches that control data collection and content display, and be prepared for the system to try to dissuade you from doing so by offering an “enhanced experience.”

• 📱 Open Settings and go to Password and Security.
• 🔍 Find the item Access to personal data or Special. options depending on the version MIUI.
• 🚫 In the list, find the msa and switch the switch to the “Off” position».
• ⏳ Wait 10 seconds and click “Cancel” to confirm the action.

If you can't turn off the service the first time, repeat the procedure several times, and the system is designed to make it more difficult, but user persistence usually leads to success, and after you turn off the number of banners in the system will be reduced by 90%.

Set up standard Xiaomi applications

Even after MSA is disabled, some built-in utilities can continue to show recommendations, including the Security, Downloads, Music, and Video apps, each with their own privacy settings that need to be checked separately.

The app Security is the app that most often shows pop-ups with suggestions to install antivirus or clean up memory, and to remove that, you have to go to the settings of the app itself through three dots in the corner of the screen.

Don't forget to check out the Themes app, too. Even though it's customized, its algorithms are actively promoting paid content and affiliate wallpaper. Disabling personalized profile recommendations will help clean the feed.

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After disabling advertising in the “Downloads” files will still be downloaded, but without pop-up windows with suggestions to install other programs.

Blocking Advertising through DNS (Private DNS)

One of the most elegant and effective methods of combating intrusive content is using Private DNS. This method works at the network connection level and blocks requests to known ad servers even before they reach your phone.

You don't have to install third-party apps or get root rights. It's built into Android since version 9, making it available for Redmi devices. You just need to write in the network settings for a dedicated server address.

Go to Settings, select Connection and Sharing (or "Wi-Fi and Internet"), and find Private DNS. Select Host Name of Provider mode and enter dns.adguard.com. Save the changes.

⚠️ Attention: After Enablement of Private DNS Some apps or sites may stop uploading images or not work properly if they use the same domains as ad networks».

The advantage of this method is that it not only clears the system from advertising, but also the browser and most games, but it is worth remembering that it does not block YouTube’s own advertising or sponsored integrations within apps, since they come from the same domains as the main content.

Management of notifications and authorizations

Often, what users mistake for viral ads is the result of too generous permissions given to regular apps: Browsers, game stores and even flashlights can request the right to display notifications that turn into spam.

You need to audit installed programs. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Go through the list and turn off notifications for all applications that are not vital (messengers, mail, calls).

Pay special attention to your browser. If you see an ad on your desktop, chances are you accidentally signed up for a site's notifications, go to your Chrome or Mi Browser settings, look for Sites or Notifications, and delete suspicious addresses.

• 🛑 Disable notifications for the Cleanup app (Clean Master and analogues).
• 📂 Disallow access to contacts for simple games and utilities.
• 🔒 Check the Application Manager app for hidden processes.

It is also worth disabling the “Receive recommendations” function in the global settings of MIUI. It is on the Settings path → Password and Security → Privacy → MIUI Improvement Program. Sending statistics here is not necessary for stable operation.

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Regularly checking the list of app permissions is the best prevention of sudden advertising on the desktop.

Search and Remove Malware Applications

If the ads appear as pop-ups on top of other apps or on a locked screen, and none of the above methods worked, an adware virus is likely to have taken root, often disguised as system processes or with a transparent icon.

To find the pest, look at a list of newly installed apps. Often viruses don't have an icon on the menu, but show up in the list of installed programs. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps and look carefully at the list.

Look for apps without a name or with an empty icon, if you find one, delete it immediately, and a sign of infection can be a sharp increase in battery consumption or traffic by an unknown application.

⚠️ Note: If the malicious application is not removed in the usual way (the Remove button is inactive), it may have received device administrator permissions. → Password and security → Confidentiality → Special features or device administrator applications and remove rights from suspicious software.

In extreme cases, when the virus cannot be removed, it may be necessary to reset to factory settings.Be sure to save important data before that, as all files will be deleted. This is guaranteed to clear the system of any hidden miner or advertising module.

Additional tools and FAQ

For advanced users, there are more powerful tools like AdGuard (full version) or Blokada. VPN-Tunnels and filter traffic more flexibly than standard tunnels DNS. They allow you to create your own lock lists and monitor the network activity of each application.

However, for most users, the settings described above are enough, and the main thing is not to ignore the system updates, since in new versions of MIUI Xiaomi sometimes changes the location of the switches or adds new ways of monetization, which need to be separately disabled.