Mi Picks on Xiaomi: what is this service and how to disable it

Many Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners are periodically confronted with unexpected pop-ups offering discounted items or new apps, a tool often referred to as Mi Picks, although technically part of the company’s broader system notification ecosystem. Understanding how this tool works is essential for anyone wanting to clean their device’s interface of unnecessary visual noise.

The essence of the phenomenon lies in the aggressive policy of monetizing budget and mid-budget devices, where the manufacturer’s margins are minimal. Unlike iOS or pure Android, the shell of MIUI and HyperOS is originally designed to collect data about user preferences and offer them personalized content. Mi Picks is just the tip of the iceberg, the visible part of a complex recommendation system that can annoy with its intrusiveness if not configured correctly.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the nature of these notifications, the differences between the system services MSA and Mi Picks, and provide a step-by-step algorithm for completely disabling advertising. You will learn what hidden settings affect the appearance of banners, and how to protect your smartphone from unwanted traffic without losing the functionality of the system.

The nature of advertising in MIUI and HyperOS

To effectively combat intrusive offers, you need to understand their source. In Xiaomi smartphones, the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads) is responsible for displaying advertising content. It is this service that analyzes your actions, your browsing history in the Mi Browser browser and the use of standard applications to form relevant, according to algorithms, offers.

The term Mi Picks is often used by users as a synonym for all ad pop-ups, but technically it is a specific type of notification often associated with the GetApps store or Mi Video service.The Mi Picks system is activated by default immediately after the first smartphone turn on and registering for a Mi Account, unless the user has unchecked the appropriate ticks during the initial setup process, which is rarely done due to rush.

Developers justify the availability of such services by providing devices at a lower price, subsidizing hardware through advertising revenues. However, for the experienced user, constant interruptions and traffic consumption are critical disadvantages. It is important to distinguish between system advertising embedded in the shell and banner ads in third-party applications downloaded from the Play Market.

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Xiaomi’s advertising services (MSA) work at the system level, so simply removing shortcuts won’t help – you need to disable them in depth settings or through ADB.

The main types of system notifications and their differences

Not all notifications are the same. There are several types of alerts in Xiaomi ecosystem that users often confuse. Understanding the difference between them will help to fine-tune the device. For example, push notifications from apps are one thing, and Mi Picks system banners are another.

The first type is a recommendation in the "Security" or "Downloads" folder, which appears inside the system utilities and suggests clearing the memory or speeding up the phone while promoting games or products. The second type is a pop-up that can block the interface of running applications. The third type is a notification in the curtain marked as "Recommendations".

Often users complain about ads in standard applications such as Mi Music or Mi Video, which is a separate layer of settings that is adjusted within each particular application, rather than through global system parameters. Disabling MSA does not always guarantee the disappearance of advertising within media players, since they can run their own modules for promoting content.

• 📱 Pop-ups: Appear on top of open applications, often with a countdown timer before closing.
• 🔔 Notifications in the curtain: Standard push messages that can be disabled through the notification center of a particular application.
• 📂 Banners in system folders: Advertising built into the interface of folders on the desktop or in system utilities.

How to disable Mi Picks and MSA through system settings

The most effective and safe way to get rid of advertising is to manually disable system services through the settings menu, which does not require root rights or install third-party software, which preserves the warranty on the device, and the first step is to deactivate the main ad module.

To do this, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data. In the list that opens, find msa and turn the switch to off. The system will try to convince you to keep the service active by running a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds), after which you will need to confirm the action. If you did not succeed the first time, repeat the procedure 2-3 times - this is a known feature of the shell.

Next, disable ad personalization. This won't completely remove ads, but it will make them less intrusive and stop collecting your preferences. Find the passwords and security section in the settings → privacy → advertising services and disable the ad personalization option. It's also helpful to check the settings of each system application separately.

⚠️ Note: After disabling the msa service, some system features, such as themes or widgets, may not work smoothly. If you notice a critical failure, temporarily return access to data for this service.

Setup of system applications: Security, Downloads, Explorer

Even after the main ad module is disabled, individual system utilities can continue to show recommendations, they have their own built-in switches, which are often hidden in the settings menu of the application itself.

Open the Security app, click three dots in the top right corner, select Settings, scroll down to Get Recommendations and turn off this switch. The same procedure is done for Downloads. Open it, click three dots, select Settings, and find Show Recommended Content, putting it inactive.

Don't forget the standard Explorer and Music. In the Explorer, the settings are usually in the Settings menu. → About the app (sometimes you need to quickly tap the version icon) or right in the main settings menu where you need to find "Recommendations." In a music player, the path may vary depending on the version. MIUI, But it's usually the settings. → Advanced settings → Receive recommendations.

Disable personalization in GetApps and Mi Video

The GetApps app store (formerly Mi Apps) is one of the main sources of discount and new product notifications. Even if you don't use the store, it's actively running in the background. To stop it from happening, open GetApps, go to the profile (human icon) and select Settings.

In the store settings menu, find General or Notifications, and you'll need to turn off a few items: "Application Auto Update," "Update Notices," and most importantly, "Personal Recommendations." Without disabling the last item, the store will continue to send offers based on your geolocation and installation history.

It's a similar situation with the Mi Video app. This player often shows ads when you run or as banners in the interface. Go to I → Settings and turn off the options "Online Recommendations" and "Push Notifications." If you use a third-party player (for example, VLC or MX Player), the functionality of Mi Video can be completely ignored, but the settings are still better checked.

• 🛍️ GetApps: Requires you to disable at least three different types of notifications in your user profile.
• 🎬 Mi Video: Hides your ad settings in the “I” tab, often changing the menu layout in updates.
• 🎵 Mi Music: Can display ads on the lock screen if the Wallpaper Carousel feature is enabled".

Using DNS to block advertising at the network level

For those who want to go further and block ads not only in the system, but also in browsers and some applications, the effective method is the use of private DNS. This method does not require the installation of applications and works at the network connection level, filtering requests to advertising servers.

The most popular and reliable solution is AdGuard DNS. To activate it, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select the option “Host Name of the DNS provider” and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. After saving the device, all requests to known advertising domains will be blocked.

This method is especially useful for blocking ads in free apps and games that are not system based. DNS-Filtering is not a panacea: it won’t be able to remove ads that load from the same domain as content (like YouTube or Instagram), and can slightly increase ping in games.

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Use Safe Search mode in your DNS settings if you want to block adult websites and phishing resources, and the address for this is dns-family.adguard.com.

⚠️ Note: When using a third party DNS Some local services or sites with a hard geographic reference may not work properly. DNS "Automotive".

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