The banner ads and unnecessary recommendations in the standard Xiaomi gallery annoy many users. Instead of quickly viewing photos, you are forced to flip through offers to buy cloud storage, app ads or “useful” tips from MIUI. Worst of all, these elements appear even in offline mode – the system downloads them in advance and demonstrates them every time the album opens.
Compounding the problem, Xiaomi is actively integrating ad mechanisms into system applications, including gallery. According to research by XDA Developers, the latest versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS have seen a 30 percent increase in the number of embedded ads compared to 2022. But the good news is that all of these recommendations can be disabled in at least five different ways, from simple tweaks to radical measures like removing system components.
In this guide, we will analyze all the current methods, including hidden MIUI settings, editing configuration files and using ADB. Separately, we will dwell on the nuances for different versions of firmware and smartphone models - from budget Redmi to flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra. If you are tired of intrusive banners in the gallery - read on.
Why are recommendations appearing in the Xiaomi Gallery?
The reason for the advertising and “useful” hints lies in the business model of Xiaomi, which monetizes its smartphones not only through sales, but also through built-in advertising in the MIUI brand shell. Gallery is one of the most visited applications, so it is actively used for display:
- 📢 Advertising banners (applications, games, services Xiaomi)
- 💾 Offers to buy cloud storage Mi Cloud
- 🔍 «Useful Photo Editing Tips (links to Mi Photo Editor)
- 🎁 Promotional offers from partners (for example, discounts on AliExpress)
Technically, recommendations are loaded through the system service msa (Miui System Ads), which works even without an active Internet connection, the data is cached in advance and shown when you open the gallery. Interestingly, on devices for the European market (EEA), some of the ads are disabled by default due to local data protection laws, but the “useful” tips remain.
It's important to understand that the gallery recommendations are not a virus or a smartphone infection. It's a regular MIUI feature that can be deactivated. But Xiaomi doesn't make this process obvious: there's no direct "Disable Ads" switch in the settings. You'll have to use workarounds.
Method 1: Disabling personalized recommendations in MIUI settings
The easiest and safest way to do this is to deactivate personalization through the settings menu, which won't eliminate ads completely, but it will significantly reduce the number of impressions. MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to the About Phone (or About Device) section.
- Switch to All settings (or additional settings).
- Choose Personalization and Recommendations (on some firmwares – MIUI Recommendations).
- Turn off all the switches on this menu, especially: 🔄 «Personalized recommendations» 📊 «Analysis of application use» 🔍 «Show recommendations in the gallery (if any)
After that, restart your smartphone. The effect will not be noticeable immediately - the system can show cached banners for another 1-2 days. If the recommendations remain, move to the next method.
☑️ Preparing for the Advertising Disconnection
⚠️ Note: Some firmware for the Chinese market (China) ROM) The item "Personalization and recommendations" may not be available, in which case use Method 3 or Method 5.
Method 2: Reset gallery settings to factory
If you've got recommendations after you've updated the Gallery app or changed the firmware, resetting it will help, and it won't delete your photos, but it will return all the app settings to default.
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find the Gallery (or Mi Gallery) in the list and tap it.
- Choose a storage (or memory)
- Click Erase Data and Clear Cache.
- Confirm the action and restart the phone.
Instructions:
- Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
- Turn on the smartphone Developer Mode (7 times tap the build number in Settings → About the phone).
- Activate Debugging by USB in the Developer Menu.
- Connect your phone to your PC and execute at the command line: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.global
- Reset the device.
If the recommendations remain after the reboot, execute an additional command to disable the second advertising module:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop💡
Before using ADB, check if the "Allow debugging over USB" option is enabled on your smartphone in the developer settings. Without this, commands will not work.
⚠️ Note: On some firmware, disabling msa may cause Mi Cloud malfunctions and contact synchronization. If you notice problems, return the service with the command: adb shell pm enable com.miui.msa.global
Method 4: Remove system APKs (root only)
If you have root rights, you can completely delete the files that are responsible for displaying ads, and this method gives 100% results, but you need to be careful - wrong actions can lead to system failure.
List of files to delete (use Root Explorer or ADB with superuser rights):
- 📁 /system/priv-app/Msa (folder)
- 📄 /system/priv-app/MiuiSystemAdSolution.apk
- 📄 /system/app/MiuiDaemon.apk
- 📄 /data/app/com.miui.msa.global-*/base.apk
Before deleting, back up the folders! For example, through the command:
adb backup -f msa_backup.ab -apk -obb -shared com.miui.msa.globalWhat happens if you delete the wrong file?
Once deleted, clear the gallery cache and restart the device. There will be no more ads, but remember: the next MIUI update, deleted files can be restored.
Method 5: Use of an Alternative Gallery
If all the previous methods didn’t help or seem too complicated, install a third-party gallery. This is a radical, but the easiest solution.
| Annex | Pluses | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Google Photo | Automatic sorting, cloud storage, no advertising | Requires a Google account, high battery load |
| Simple Gallery | Easy, no advertising, support for dark topics | No cloud synchronization |
| A+ Gallery | Minimalist design, gesture support | Paid version for advanced functions |
To make a third-party gallery the default app:
- Install the selected application from Google Play.
- Open Settings → Applications → By default.
- Slip on the item Gallery and select a new application.
💡
Installing an alternative gallery not only removes ads, but often improves performance – third-party apps are optimized better than the system Mi Gallery.
If you still want to return the standard gallery, just repeat the steps and choose Mi Gallery as the default app.
Frequent problems and solutions
When you turn off recommendations, users experience common errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:
- 🔄 Advertising returns after update MIUI Solution: Repeat Method 3 (disconnecting via ADB) Or install an ad blocker like Blokada.
- 📵 The debugging doesn't work. USB Solution: Install official Xiaomi drivers from mi.com and reconnect the device.
- ⚠️ After removal APK Phone does not turn on Solution: Load to Fastboot (Power button) + Volume down) and reflash the device via the Mi Flash Tool.
If none of the methods worked, check if your smartphone has custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), in which case the ads can be built into the firmware itself, and removing it will require manual editing of files in /system.