Advertising in Xiaomi: visual review and blocking methods

Budget and mid-budget smartphone users often encounter intrusive banner ads that appear in the most unexpected places on the interface. Advertising integration in the MIUI and HyperOS shells is implemented at the system level, making it an integral part of the user experience on entry-level devices. Owners of Xiaomi Redmi and Poco devices notice pop-ups when unlocking the screen, in the memory cleanup menu or even in a standard calculator.

The main source of unwanted content is MSA (MIUI System Ads), which is active by default on all devices of the brand. Ad visualization can range from small text prompts in application folders to full-screen videos when running system utilities. Understanding exactly what these elements look like and where they hide is necessary to effectively remove them.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the appearance of the ad units in different parts of the system and provide a step-by-step algorithm for disabling them: Disabling the MSA service requires access to the Internet at the time of setting up, since the server must receive a command to change status. Without this condition, the switch can automatically return to its original position.

System notifications and lock screen

The first place a user sees an ad is the lock screen, and depending on the region and the firmware version, it can display what's called a wallpaper carousel, and the banner ads look like full-blown wallpaper with the brand logo in the corner or the text caption, "We recommend you try," often an offer to install an app from GetApps or click on a link to a partner's website.

If you see a large image of a product on a locked screen or a slogan overlapping part of the time and date widgets, it means that the function is active. To remove this, you need to go to the lock screen settings. The path usually looks like: Settings → Lock screen → Wallpaper carousel. Here you need to find the Receive Recommendations switch and deactivate it.

⚠️ Warning: After disabling the Carousel, standard wallpaper may be reset to a static image. Choose the desired image from the gallery in advance so that the lock screen does not become boring.

In addition, ads can come in the form of regular push notifications from system applications, which are often disguised as important security messages or updates, but when disclosed, offer to buy a subscription or install a game.

Advertising in menus and application folders

One of the most annoying types of ads is pop-ups inside the folders on your desktop. When you open the app folder, you might see a horizontal banner at the bottom suggesting you download a game or apply for a credit, visually looking like a native interface element, but with a bright action button.

These banners are controlled by msa. They may not appear every time you open the folder, which creates an illusion of security. However, if you notice such inserts, it is recommended to clean the advertising identifiers completely. To do this, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data and find in the msa list.

Also worth noting is the Tools folder, which is automatically created by the system, which often has shortcuts for installing third-party software labeled with a Hot or New icon, which are removed by a long tap, but the aggregator folder itself can persist after resetting.

Pop-up advertising in system applications

System utilities are the main channel for advertising distribution in the Xiaomi ecosystem.Security, Conductor, Music and Themes apps contain built-in advertising modules. The appearance of such blocks is most often a pop-up window in the center of the screen with background dimming, which appears immediately after the program launches.

For example, when you launch a Security app (a green shield icon), you might have a window that tells you to speed up your phone, which actually leads to the app store page. To avoid that, you should go to the app's settings. Click on the gear in the top right corner and find "Get recommendations."

In the Themes app, the ads look like banners at the top of the screen or in the Recommended section. Disabling here via the user profile. Click on the profile icon, select Settings and uncheck "Show Ads." Similar actions must be repeated for the Music and Video app.

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Use Do Not Disturb mode or third-party launchers if built-in locking methods stop working after a firmware update.

And remember, downloads. Once you download any file from the Internet, you often get a banner with recommendations. The interface of this block is standard for the entire system, so the methods for disabling it are universal: settings → general settings → uncheck “Receive recommendations.”

GetApps App Store and Mi browser

GetApps’ own app store is similar to Google Play, but with aggressive monetization. Ads are integrated into the SERPs and homepage. When you search for a particular app, the first 2-3 results are often advertising, marked with a small label “Ads”.

To minimize the impact, you need to turn off personalization. Go to the store profile, select Settings → General, and disable all items related to recommendations and auto-update over the mobile network. Visually, the interface will become cleaner, but completely remove advertising integrations from the search results is rarely possible.

The Mi Browser also contains news feed and ad units on the homepage. Setting up the homepage allows you to hide the news stream by leaving only the search bar. To do this, click on three dots in the search bar and select "Home Page," then turn off "News Feed."

⚠️ Warning: Complete removal of the system browser or GetApps store without installing an alternative may lead to errors in the operation of other applications that depend on the system components of WebView.

What does a disabled ad look like: checklist checklist

After all the manipulations, it is important to make sure that the settings are applied correctly. The effectiveness of the lock is checked by the absence of pop-ups during several days of active use of the smartphone. If the adverts appeared again, it is possible that the system update restored the resets.

The clean interface looks concise: folders contain only application icons, system utilities immediately move to functionality, and the lock screen shows only time and notifications. The performance of the device may also increase slightly, as the background processes of msa will cease to consume processor resources and traffic.

In some cases, especially on global firmware, ads may return after a reboot, indicating that the company's server policy requires reauthorization of the opt-out, the solution being one: periodically check the status of the msa service in the Access to Personal Data section.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Getting rid of advertising in Xiaomi requires a comprehensive approach: disabling MSA, configuring each system application and checking access rights to personal data.