How to permanently remove ads after watching a video in the Xiaomi gallery

You just watched a video in the standard Xiaomi gallery, and instead of returning to the album, there is an annoying ad? This problem is familiar to millions of smartphone users on MIUI, the brand's brand shell. Advertising in the gallery after playing the video not only interferes with, but also collects data about your preferences for targeted ads, even if you turned off personalization in the settings.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to remove ads, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features that aren’t mentioned in the official documentation. Importantly, the methods work on shell versions from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14 (including HyperOS), but the effectiveness may vary depending on the firmware region. If you use a smartphone with a global version of the software (MI in the model name), some menu items may be called differently — we’ll specify alternative paths.

So, we warn you beforehand, the manufacturer is actively blocking bypasses through updates, so after the system is upgraded, the ads may come back, so you have to repeat the procedure or combine several ways, and let's start with the simplest, and gradually move on to radical measures.

Why is there an ad in the gallery Xiaomi after the video

The reason is because Xiaomi has monetized its services, and it has integrated the MSA (Mi System Ads) ad module directly into its system applications, including the gallery.

• 📊 Analyzes your activity: what videos you watch, how long, which albums you open more often.
• 🎯 Selects ads based on the data collected (even if you have disabled “personalized ads” in your account settings).
• 🔄 Updated via Google Play Services or system updates, so blocking through hosts often stops working.
• 💰 Xiaomi brings millions of dollars annually — according to the company’s reports, up to 30% of smartphone profits are formed due to advertising in services.

It's important to understand that post-video ads are not a bug, they're a feature. In Chinese firmware (CN), they can be disabled through hidden settings, whereas in global (MI/EU), the manufacturer specifically limits these capabilities. Moreover, with the release of MIUI 14 and HyperOS, advertising mechanisms have become even more aggressive: they can now show banners even when viewing photos on the album "Favorites".

Method 1: Disabling personalized advertising in MIUI settings

The first and most obvious step is to deactivate targeted ads in your system settings, which will not remove banners completely, but will reduce their frequency and aggressiveness.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Click Reset Ad ID (this will reset your profile for targeting).
3. Activate the switch to Turn off personalized advertising.
4. Return to the main settings menu and go to Memory → Cleanup (or Applications → Manage applications in new versions).
5. Find the Gallery app, open its settings and click Clear Cache and Clear Data.

After this action, the ads may disappear for 1-2 days, but then return, because Xiaomi ignores Google's settings and uses its own data collection mechanism through the Mi Account, and you need to block it:

• 🔧 Go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Account → Privacy.
• 🚫 Disable items Personalized recommendations and usage analytics.
• 🔄 Sign out of your Mi Account and re-enter (this will reset the cache of services).

💡

If the gallery is slower after cleaning the cache, restart the phone and the system will automatically restore the thumbnails of the albums within 5-10 minutes.

Method 2: Blocking Ads through Hidden MIUI Settings (without root)

MIUI has a Hidden Settings hidden menu where you can turn off the ad modules, which works on most devices, but the path to the menu may be different.

For devices with MIUI 12-13:

Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times in a row until the message “You became a developer” appears)


Settings → Additional → Special features → Hidden Settings → Ad Services




Turn off all switches in this section.

For MIUI 14/HyperOS, the path is different.

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three points (menu) → Show system


Find "MSA" (Mi System Ads) → Disable and clean the cache




Find "Analytics" → Disconnect and clean the cache

If there is no Hidden Settings option, try an alternative method via ADB (no superuser rights):

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Connect your phone via USB, activate debugging via USB in the developer settings.
3. Enter in the command line: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

USB debugging enabled in the developer settings

Installed drivers Xiaomi on PC

Downloaded and unpacked by ADB Tools

The phone is connected in the file transfer mode (MTP).

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⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI To keep the lock on working, create a task in Automation (Xiaomi's automation app) with the team ADB, which will be performed after each switching on the phone.

Method 3: Use of alternative galleries (with MIUI functions retained)

If standard methods don't work, the most reliable option is to install a third-party gallery, but here's the caveat: most alternative applications don't support:

• 🖼️ Transition animations (the effect of "unfolding" photos, as in the MIUI).
• 🔍 Search by content (object recognition in the photo).
• 🎥 Video editor with overlay of music and effects.
• 📁 Cloud Albums (Sync with Mi Cloud).

We tested 10 popular galleries and selected the ones that are as close to the functionality of Xiaomi as possible:

Our choice is A+ Gallery, which is an app that replicates MIUI design, supports gestures and animations, and has a built-in video editor to completely replace the standard gallery:

1. Install A+ Gallery from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings → Applications → By default → Gallery.
3. Select A+ Gallery as the default app.
4. Open the standard Xiaomi gallery, go to its settings and turn off auto-start.

Method 4: Blocking Advertising via DNS (for advanced users)

This is a method that is suitable for those who are willing to sacrifice Internet speed for the sake of no advertising, and we will redirect queries to Xiaomi ad servers to the black hole through Private DNS.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Private DNS.
2. Select the Private DNS Host Name and enter one of the addresses: dns.adguard.com or one.one.one.one.one
3. Save the settings and restart the phone.

For more aggressive blocking, use AdGuard Home on your router or the Blokada app (no rooting permissions required) to filter network-level traffic and block:

• 📵 Advertising banners in the gallery and other system applications.
• 🔗 Tracking pixels that collect data about your activity.
• 📱 Push notifications from Mi Video, Mi Browser and other Xiaomi services.

⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS It may lead to problems with:

• 🔄 Update system applications (they may stop loading).
• 🎮 Online Games (possible lags due to traffic redirection).
• 📺 Streaming video (some services block access when using the service) VPN/DNS).

💡

Private DNS blocks network-level advertising, but does not affect Xiaomi system notifications.To completely remove banners, combine this method with disabling MSA via ADB.

Method 5: Radical measures – removing system applications (requires unlocking the bootloader)

If you're willing to go to extreme lengths, you can completely remove the advertising modules from the firmware.

• 🔓 Unlocked bootloader (bootloader).
• 🛠️ Superuser rights (root).
• 📱 Backup of data (procedure may result in resetting).

Step-by-step:

1. Install Magisk and get root access.
2. Download App Systemizer or Titanium Backup from XDA Developers.
3. Find and remove the following packages: com.miui.systemAdSolution com.xiaomi.midrop com.miui.video com.android.browser (if you don't use Mi Browser)
4. Reboot your phone in Recovery Mode and do wipe cache.

⚠️ Note: Removal of system applications may result in:

• 🚨 Stopping services (for example, stop working Mi Cloud or Quick Share).
• 🔄 Cyclical reboot (bootloop) if critical components are removed.
• 📵 Loss of warranty (unlocking the bootloader will void the official Xiaomi warranty).

The alternative is to freeze unnecessary apps through Magisk or Lucky Patcher, which is less risky but requires regular updates to the frozen packet list after system updates.

What to do if the ad returns after the MIUI update

Xiaomi regularly releases patches that restore ad modules. If banners reappear after the update, follow the following steps:

1. Check MSA version: Settings → Applications → Application management → Three points → Show system → MSA If the version has changed (for example, from 4.5.6 to 4.7.2), then the module has been updated through Google Play.
2. Updates rolled back: Settings → Applications → MSA → Three points → Remove updates
3. Block Automatic Updates: Google Play → Menu → Settings → Auto-Update Apps → Never
4. Re-disconnection via ADB: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

If neither method works, there are two options:

• 🔄 Reverse to the previous version MIUI (via Fastboot or Recovery).
• 📱 Install custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) where there are no built-in ads.

💡

After each major MIUI update (for example, from 13 to 14), the ad mechanisms become more aggressive. If you are not ready to fight them all the time, consider switching to a smartphone of a different brand or custom firmware.

FAQ: Frequent questions about advertising in the Xiaomi gallery