How to permanently remove app recommendations from Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Advertising banners and intrusive application recommendations in MIUI are one of the most annoying features of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. Even after buying a new smartphone, users are faced with constant offers to install games, messengers or little-known services that not only clutter the screen, but also consume traffic in the background. In this article, we will analyze all the working ways to disable recommendations, from standard settings to hidden features that are not covered in the official documentation.

The problem is compounded by Xiaomi’s aggressive integration of ads into system applications: Security, Themes, Music, and even Settings, with the MIUI updates changing the shutdown paths and some options hidden deep in the menu. We tested all methods on current firmware versions (including MIUI 14 based on Android 13/14) and selected only those that work without root rights and do not require third-party utilities to be installed.

Why Xiaomi is showing app recommendations?

The main reason for MIUI advertising is the monetization of firmware, and unlike pure Android, where Google only advertises on its services (like the Play Store), Xiaomi embeds promo content directly into its system utilities, allowing the company to lower the price of smartphones through affiliate programs.

Appendix recommendations may appear in the following places:

• 📱 Desktop: Recommended Apps widgets or banners at the bottom of the screen.
• ⚙️ Settings: the "Recommendations" tab at the top of the menu.
• 🔒 Security: blocks with suggestions for cleaning or installing antiviruses.
• 🎵 Music/Video: Advertising before playback or in playlists.
• 📥 Downloads: Banners with “popular” apps next to files.

It’s important to understand that some of the recommendations don’t come directly from Xiaomi, but through partner networks (like Huawei’s AppGallery or GetApps), which makes it harder to disable them, since blocking one source doesn’t guarantee that all ads will disappear.

Method 1: Disabling recommendations in MIUI settings

The most obvious method is to use the firmware options built in. Unfortunately, Xiaomi moves these settings regularly, so the path may vary depending on the version. MIUI and the smartphone models. Below are the current instructions for MIUI 12/13/14:

For most devices (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13 and newer):

1. Open the Settings. → Desktop.
2. Go to Desktop Settings (or Additional).
3. Turn off the slider Show app recommendations.
4. Go back to the basic settings and select Applications → Application Management.
5. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Reset application settings (this will remove the cache of advertising modules).

For older models (Redmi Note 10, POCO F3 and similar):

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Recommendations.
• 🔕 Turn off the option Personalized recommendations.
• 📵 In the Applications section, by default, uncheck the tick with Show recommendations for system utilities.

An important nuance: after updating MIUI, some settings may be reset, and we recommend checking them every 1-2 months or after installing new versions of the firmware.

Method 2: Blocking through "Security" and "Optimization"

Security (or Global Firmware Security) is one of MIUI’s primary advertising sources, not only showing banners, but also collecting data about your actions for targeted recommendations to limit its activity:

1. Open Security. → press the gear icon (⚙️) top-right.
2. Select Settings → Advertising Recommendations.
3. Turn off all sliders related to personalization and ad impressions.
4. Go back to the main Security menu and go to Optimization.
5. Press three points (⋮) → Settings → Turn off the recommendations.

If your version of MIUI doesn’t have explicit options to disable ads, try the following workaround:

• 🛡️ Go to Security. → Autostart control.
• 🔍 Find the msa (Mobile Security Ads) and MiuiDaemon apps in the list.
• ❌ Turn off auto-start and background activity for these processes.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling msa may cause some security features to function in an unstable way, such as scanning for viruses. If you notice a failure, return the settings back.

Method 3: Using ADB to Deeply Disable Advertising

If standard methods don't work, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer, but allows you to disable ads at the system level without root rights.

Preparation:

1. Download Google’s Platform Tools and unpack the archive.
2. On your smartphone, turn on Developer Mode: go to Settings → About Phone → Press 7 times on the MIUI Version.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
4. Connect your smartphone to your PC via cable and confirm the debugging permission.

Commands to disable ads:

adb shell pm hide com.miui.systemAdSolution # Hide system ad module (MIUI 12+)


adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1 # Allows access to hidden API




adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop # Removes Mi Drop (often showing ads)




adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.analytics # Disables analytics collection

To restore the standard settings, use:

adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution # If the cover-up failed


adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 0 # Returns restrictions API

⚠️ Note: pm hide and pm uninstall --user 0 They don't delete applications completely, they just hide them for the current user. This is safe, but after resetting or updating the firmware, you may need to re-execute the commands.

Method 4: Configure constraints for system applications

Some recommendations are shown through system utilities that cannot be removed or disabled by standard methods, but you can limit their access to the Internet and notifications, which will significantly reduce the amount of advertising.

Steps to limit:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the top menu, select All Apps and find:

For each of them:

• 🚫 Turn off the notifications.
• 🌐 Select Mobile Data and Wi-Fi → Set a restriction to Prohibit background traffic.
• 🔄 In the Battery section, select Limit background activity.

This method doesn't remove ads completely, but it makes them less likely to be displayed, for example, banners in Security can only appear when you manually open an application, not in the background.

Method 5: Installation of an alternative launcher

If you're tired of fighting ads in the standard MIUI launcher, you can install a third-party interface, which is a radical but effective method that completely removes recommendations from the desktop.

• 🏆 Nova Launcher supports gestures, icons and no ads. The free version is limited but functional enough.
• 🎨 Lawnchair is an open launcher with support for themes and adaptive icons. Suitable for weak devices (Redmi). 9A, POCO C31).
• ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – Optimized for performance, there is built-in ad blocking.
• 📱 Microsoft Launcher – Windows integration, minimalist design.

How to determine:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play or APKMirror (if you don’t have access to Google services).
2. After installation, click the Home button and select the new launcher as standard.
3. In the launcher settings, disable all options related to recommendations (for example, Discover in Nova Launcher).

Important: When using a third-party launcher, system notifications from MIUI (such as updates) may not display correctly. To correct this, in the notification settings, enable the "Show system alerts" option.

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Before installing an alternative launcher, back up your home screen through Settings → Desktop → Backup. This will help quickly restore the location of the icons if the new launcher does not fit.

Additional measures: DNS and host level blocking

For advanced users who want to completely block Xiaomi ad servers, a method of changing the hosts file or using a private DNS is suitable. This will prevent the smartphone from connecting to domains that distribute advertising.

Method 1: Private DNS (without root)

1. Go to Settings → Connections → Private DNS.
2. Select the host name of the private DNS provider.
3. Enter one of the addresses: dns.adguard.com (blocks ads and trackers), family.adguard-dns.com (filters 18+ content additionally) doh.centraleurope.cloudflare-dns.com (Cloudflare with malware protection)

Save the settings and restart the smartphone.

Method 2: Edit hosts (requires root or ADB)

If you have root access, you can manually add it to the file. /system/etc/hosts ad domains are blocked. Example of a list MIUI:

127.0.0.1 ad.mi.com


127.0.0.1 data.mistat.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com




127.0.0.1 tracking.miui.com




127.0.0.1 api.brs.intl.miui.com

Without root, you can use the Blokada app (available on Google Play), which creates a local VPN and filters traffic.

⚠️ Note: changing the hosts file without root can cause system applications to malfunction. DNS.

What if the advertisements returned after the update?

Xiaomi regularly releases updates that can reset settings or add new ad mechanisms. If the firmware update update has made recommendations again, follow these steps:

1. Check your desktop settings: often after the update, the option to Show recommendations is turned on.
2. Clear the cache of system applications: 🧹 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management. 🔍 Find Security, Themes, GetApps and click Clear Cache.

Repeat ADB commands

Check the permits.

If the problem persists, try rolling back on the previous version of MIUI (if it was stable) or install custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience. It's a radical solution, but it's guaranteed to remove all ads.

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After each major MIUI update (e.g., version 13 to version 14), it is recommended to manually check all ad blocking settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about MIUI recommendations