Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often encounter intrusive banners that overlap the desktop or suddenly appear in the browser.This problem is annoying and distracting from the basic tasks, making use of the device uncomfortable. Fortunately, most cases of pop-up ads can be eliminated without deep technical knowledge.
In this article, we will discuss the main reasons for the appearance of advertising windows on Android devices, you will learn to distinguish MIUI system notifications from malicious software, and we will also look at secure blocking methods that will not disrupt the operation of your smartphone.
Understanding the source of the problem is the first step to solving it, and most often, the culprits are newly installed applications or special services of the system, and let's go through each type of threat in detail and how to neutralize it.
Diagnostics: System Advertising or Virus?
Before we take any drastic action, we need to pinpoint the nature of pop-ups. Xiaomi has a built-in MSA (MIUI System Ads) ad platform that handles legal but annoying notifications in standard apps. However, if banners appear randomly on the desktop, Adware is likely to have infiltrated the device.
Viral advertising is often disguised as useful utilities: memory cleaners, flashlights or scanners. QR-These programs may not have icons on the menu, but they can actively generate traffic, and they can be distinguished by their behavior: system advertising is usually tied to opening applications, and viral advertising pops up at any time.
For accurate diagnosis, it is recommended to check the list of newly installed programs. Often the user installs the application himself, forgetting about it, and it begins its activity after a while.
- 📱 System Advertising: Appears in standard applications (Conductor, Music, Cleanup) and has a closing button.
- 🦠 Viral Advertising (Adware): It pops up over any windows, often doesn’t close, or leads to betting sites and casinos.
- 📢 Notifications from sites: Come from the browser after allowing push notifications on questionable resources.
⚠️ Note: If the advertising window is blocking the entire screen and does not close with the Home button, in no case enter any data or call the specified numbers.
Disabling MSA System Advertising
Xiaomi is giving users the ability to disable personalized ads at the system level, which won’t remove all banners, but will significantly reduce the number of banners in native applications.
The first step is to deactivate msa. To do this, go to the settings menu and find "Password and Security." In the list of authorized applications, find msa and turn off the switch. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds before confirming cancellation, which is the standard procedure for protecting against accidental actions.
Once the service is disabled, it is recommended to clear its data to delete accumulated cached ads. Find the Security app in the list of all programs, go to Memory and click Clear Data. This action is safe and will not affect your personal files or contacts.
☑️ Checking the shutdown MSA
It's also important to disable ad personalization in other system services, and go through standard apps like Music, Video, and Explorer, which often have "Receive recommendations" or "Advertising Notifications" hidden in their settings, and disabling those options will make the interface cleaner.
Finding and Removing Hidden Viruses
If the system services were not disabled, then malicious Adware has settled on the phone. Such programs often do not have an icon, so you need to search for them through the Application Manager. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications and carefully scroll through the list.
Look for apps without a name or with an icon that looks like an empty square or a standard Android. Often they are located at the bottom or top of the list because they don't have a name. When you try to open an application, it may not run, but in the background continue to show ads.
To remove the suspicious item, click on it and select "Delete." If the delete button is inactive, first press "Permissions" and disable all accesses, then try to delete again. In rare cases, you need to log into Safe Mode for a complete virus removal.
How to get into Safe Mode on Xiaomi?
- 🔍 Anomalies in the list: Apps with strange names consisting of a set of characters.
- 🕵️ No icon: Empty space where the app picture should be.
- 📉 High traffic consumption: Check data usage statistics – a virus often consumes a lot of internet.
Blocking Advertising via DNS and Browser
One of the most effective and safest methods of combating intrusive banners is the use of a private DNS. This method does not require the installation of additional applications and works at the network connection level, blocking requests to known ad servers.
To set up, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Private DNS. Select DNS Host Name and enter dns.adguard.com. Once saved, restart the device. Now most of the ads will be cut off before they even load on the screen.
You should also look at your browser settings. Chrome or standard MIUI browsers can block pop-ups. Go to your browser settings, find the Privacy and Security section, and activate pop-up blocking, which will prevent new tabs from opening when you visit sites.
| Locking method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA shutdown | Medium | Low. | No. |
| Virus removal | Tall. | Medium | Positive. |
| Private DNS | Very high. | Low. | Minimum |
| Browser blockers | High (web only) | Low. | No. |
⚠️ Attention: Use of third-party DNS-servers may cause some local services or children's Internet from the operator to fail. If after setting up the mobile Internet stopped working, return the settings DNS "Automotive".
Set up notifications in applications
Often the source of irritation is not viruses, but the permissions you gave to regular apps. Stores, games and news aggregators like push notifications with ads. Control over them is in your hands.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management. This is a complete list of apps that can display information on the screen. Go through the list and turn off notifications for programs that you don’t care about, such as games or marketplaces.
Pay special attention to the browser. Sites often ask permission to display notifications. To clear this list, go to your browser settings, look for the "Site settings" → "Notifications" section, where you can see a list of all authorized resources and delete the extra ones.
There's also an iOS-style notification feature that groups messages, and you can find it in the notification settings, and while it doesn't remove ads completely, it makes them less visible by hiding them in a neat stack in the notification curtain.
Use of specialized blockers
When built-in tools are not enough, third-party solutions come to the rescue. Ad-blocking apps work like a local VPN, filtering traffic. AdGuard is one of the most popular and reliable Android solutions.
Installing such an app requires care. Only download blockers from official developer sites or trusted stores, such as F-Droid. Google Play does not have many full blockers because of company policies.
Once installed, activate the protection. The application will create a local one. VPN-connection, which is normal behavior for this type of software. HTTPS-filtering for deeper traffic analysis, although this may require the installation of a special certificate.
💡
When you install an ad blocker, the system can alert you to a potential threat. This is the standard Android response to apps that use it. VPN-If you downloaded a program from an official website, ignore the warning.
However, modern algorithms are optimized for the background and are almost invisible in everyday use.
Prevention and safety of the device
To keep the problem from coming back, you need to be digitally hygiene-- the main cause of infection is installing applications from unknown sources. APK-file