Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often face a nasty situation: the device suddenly begins to show banner ads that overlap the desktop or pop up on top of running applications. This problem can occur on both new and old models, causing irritation and reducing productivity, most often caused by hidden MIUI settings or randomly installed malware.
In this article, we will take a closer look at why Xiaomi’s phone is constantly getting ads, and provide a step-by-step guide to eliminating them altogether. You’ll learn to distinguish between system ads built into the MIUI shell and viral notifications from third-party software. Understanding the source of the problem is the first step to a clean and fast interface for your gadget.
Don’t ignore this signal, as intrusive banners can not only interfere with, but also pose a threat to the security of personal data. We will look at methods of disabling system services, searching for hidden applications and using specialized utilities for deep cleaning of the system.
Differences between System Advertising and Viruses
The first thing to do is to determine the nature of pop-ups. There are two main types of advertising in the Xiaomi ecosystem: legal, implemented by the manufacturer to monetize free features, and illegal, resulting from malware. System ads usually appear in standard applications such as Explorer, Music or Security.
Viral ads are more aggressive: they can appear on a locked screen, block the entire interface or require the installation of incomprehensible programs. Often these banners have small crosses to close or do not close at all. If the ads come out randomly and are not tied to the opening of specific menus, most likely, the system has an ad virus.
It is important to understand that system advertising is controlled by MSA (MIUI System Ads), which can be legally disabled in settings, while viral activity requires finding and removing a specific culprit application that may have masqueraded as a system process or calculator.
To diagnose the source of the problem, you can use the function of browsing running applications. Press the menu button and see which application is active when the banner appears. If the name is unknown or looks suspicious (character set), this is a sure sign of infection.
Disabling system advertising MIUI (MSA Service)
The main source of legal banners in the shell of MIUI is the system process msa. Its full name is MIUI System Ads. Disabling this service does not disrupt the smartphone, but only removes intrusive sentences. First you need to go to the settings menu.
Find the Password and Security section and go to Access to Personal Data. In the app list that opens, find the msa string and put the switch to an inactive state, the system will alert you to the consequences and start a countdown timer for 10 seconds.
⚠️ Attention: When you turn off the msa service, the timer may reset. Don't panic, just wait until the countdown ends and press "Stop" again. 3-5 successively.
After successful disabling of msa, it is also recommended to limit background activity for other system components.Look in the list of GetApps (Xiaomi app store) and Mi Credit applications, if installed, and also prohibit them from accessing personal data.
☑️ Checklist of ad-shutdown
Don’t forget to also turn off recommendations in the apps themselves. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Get recommendations and turn off this item. This action will remove the promotional offers in the folders on the desktop.
Finding and Removing Hidden Viral Applications
If the problem persists after the system services are disabled, it means that a third-party application has settled on the device, often such programs do not have an icon on the desktop or masquerade as system processes such as Flash Player or Update Service.
To detect hidden software, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. scroll through the list carefully. Look for apps without an icon (white blank space) or with a suspicious name. If you see an app without a name that can’t be removed immediately, try the following method.
Turn on Developer Mode if it is not already activated. To do this, click on the MIUI version number 7 times in About Phone. Then go to Advanced Settings → Developer For Developers and select Run Services. Here you can see active processes in real time.
- 🔍 Carefully examine the list of installed programs for empty lines.
- 🗑️ Remove any unknown utilities, especially those that have been installed recently.
- 🛡️ Check Access Rights: Apps should not have administrator rights without your knowledge.
Often viruses are hidden in the browser cache or installed as add-ons. If standard methods fail to remove the application, you may need to enter Safe Mode. To do this, press the power button, and when the "Stop" button appears, press and hold it on the screen until you go to Safe Mode. This mode only works system applications, which allows you to safely remove the malware.
Set up the built-in antivirus and clean up
Each Xiaomi smartphone has a Security app preinstalled, which is based on Avast or AVL antivirus engines. Regular use of this tool helps to identify and neutralize threats that cause pop-up ads.
Launch the Security app and select Antivirus. Press Check. The system will scan all installed applications and files for known virus signatures. If a threat is found, follow the instructions on the screen to remove it.
| Type of threat | Risk | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| Adware (Advertising Virus) | Tall (intrusive advertising) | Delete the appendix |
| PUP (Potentially Unwanted) | Medium (data collection) | Clear the data/Delete |
| Trojan (Trojan) | Critical (password theft) | Immediate removal |
| Riskware | Medium (vulnerability) | Update or delete |
In addition to virus testing, it is useful to perform a memory cleanup. In the Security app, select Cleanup.This will delete temporary files that are sometimes used by advertising modules to store banner cache.
💡
For maximum efficiency, conduct a full antivirus check immediately after installing new applications from unknown sources.
If the built-in crawler doesn’t find threats but the ads continue, try installing a third-party antivirus, such as Malwarebytes or Kaspersky, from the official Google Play store.
Blocking Advertising in Chrome Browser
Often, the source of pop-ups is not the app itself, but the web pages that you visit through the browser. If the ads come out while surfing the Internet, the problem is solved by settings on the Google Chrome browser or other browser you use.
Open Chrome, click on the three dots in the top right corner, and go to Settings. Find Site Settings (or Privacy and Security). Here you are interested in Pop-ups and Ads. Make sure the switches are in the Block position.
It is also useful to clear site data. In the same settings menu, select Privacy → Clear History. Select the time range "All the time" and tick "Cookies" and "Images and other files stored in cache." This will remove scripts responsible for targeted advertising.
⚠️ Warning: Don't ignore site requests to send notifications. If you accidentally allow a site to send notifications, it may spam you with ads even when your browser is closed. Check the permission list in site settings and delete suspicious domains.
For more advanced protection, you can use browsers with a built-in blocker, such as Brave or DuckDuckGo. They automatically cut off trackers and advertising scripts at the page load level, which significantly speeds up the network.
Resetting settings as a radical solution method
If none of the above methods worked and the ads on the Xiaomi phone continue to go out, the last but most effective way is a complete factory reset, which will bring the device back out of the box by removing all viruses and erroneous configurations.
Before starting the procedure, be sure to back up important data. The reset will delete all photos, contacts, apps and files. You can use Google's cloud service or the built-in Mi Cloud app to save a backup.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset. Select Reset and confirm the action. The phone will restart and begin the cleaning process, which can take a few minutes.
What if the phone doesn’t turn on after resetting?
After reset, take your time to install all the apps at once. Turn on your phone and check it in the clean state. If there is no advertising, start installing apps one at a time, watching the behavior of the system, which will help identify the culprit if the problem was in a particular downloaded file.
💡
Full reset is a guaranteed way to remove any software viruses, but it requires the prior storage of all personal data of the user.
Prevention of the appearance of advertising banners
In order to avoid wondering why Xiaomi is getting ads in the future, you should follow simple digital hygiene rules: first of all, refuse to install applications from unknown sources. APK-files from browsers and messengers.
Regularly update your MIUI operating system. With new firmware versions, Xiaomi often improves security mechanisms and adds new tools to combat advertising. Go to Settings → About your phone and check for updates.
- 🚫 Do not go over the dubious links in SMS messenger.
- 📱 Download games and programs only from the official Google Play Store.
- 🔒 Do not grant administrator rights to unknown applications.
Use DNS with ad blocking. Connection settings (Connect and Sharing → Private DNS) can include a server address that will cut off ad requests at the network level. For example, use dns.adguard.com. This is an effective way to remove ads from many apps and games without installing additional software.
Compliance with these guidelines will allow you to enjoy the speed and functionality of your Xiaomi smartphone without intrusive visual noise. Remember that the security of the device depends largely on the user’s care when installing new software.