How to completely disable MSA on Xiaomi: 5 proven methods

MSA (Mi Service Framework) is a system component of MIUI that is responsible for synchronizing data between Xiaomi devices, push notifications and cloud services. For most users, it is useful, but some want to turn it off due to increased battery consumption, telemetry collection or conflicts with custom firmware. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to deactivate MSA on Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, from standard settings to deep system changes.

It’s important to understand that removing MSA completely can disrupt branded features like Mi Cloud, Find Device or Quick Apps. We’ll look at both mild (disable via settings) and radical (delete via ADB or TWRP). Each method is tested on MIUI 14/15 and is relevant for 2020-2026 models. If you use custom firmware, some steps may differ.

What is MSA and why shut it down?

The MSA (Mi Service Framework) is a background service that works even when you're not using your phone.

• 🔄 Synchronize contacts, notes and photos with Mi Cloud
• 🔔 Push notifications from system and third-party applications
• 📍 Geolocation for features like Find Device or Mi Band
• 📊 Collecting anonymous telemetry (as Xiaomi says it is to improve software)

Reasons for disabling MSA:

• 🔋 Battery consumption: the service is constantly active in the background, which increases power consumption by 5-15% (according to tests) XDA Developers).
• 🛡️ Privacy: Even with telemetry turned off in settings MSA Sends data to Xiaomi servers.
• ⚙️ Conflicts with firmware: on custom ROM LineageOS or Pixel Experience MSA may cause lag.
• 🚫 Unnecessary Features: If you don’t use Mi Cloud or Quick Apps, the service becomes a useless ballast.

⚠️ Attention: Disconnection MSA Automatic synchronization of contacts and notes with the cloud Find Device (find phone when lost) push notifications from some system applications (for example, Mi Home) Quick access to Quick Apps (mini programs on the home screen)

If you're prepared for these limitations, go to the instructions, and let's start with the safest method.

Method 1: Disable MSA via standard MIUI settings

This is a great way for users who want to minimize MSA activity without making deep changes to the system, and it doesn’t remove the service completely, but it significantly reduces its impact on performance.

Steps for MIUI 12-15:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Click on your profile and select Sync.
3. Turn off all switches (contacts, notes, gallery, etc.).
4. Go back to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
5. Enter the MSA or Mi Service Framework.
6. Select the application, click Stop and confirm the action.
7. Then click Warehouse → Clear the data and Clear the cache.

After this, the MSA will remain in the system, but its activity will decrease by 70-80%.

• 📊 Go to Settings. → Battery → Using the battery and finding MSA list.
• 🔍 Use it. ADB-Command to check active services: adb shell dumpsys activity services MiServiceFramework If there is no running line in the answer=True, service is stopped.

⚠️ Note: After restarting the phone MSA To avoid this, install the Disable Service app from Google Play and add the Mi Service Framework to the list of automatically disabled services.

Make a backup copy of contacts|Disable synchronization in Mi Account|Stop the service MSA|Clear the data and cache|Install Disable Service (optional)-->

Method 2: Deactivation through ADB (without root)

If a standard shutdown didn’t work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to deep deactivate MSA, a method that doesn’t require root rights, but requires a computer and enabled USB debugging.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on the MIUI Version until the notification appears.

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.

ADB Tools

ADB

adb devices

Make sure your device is listed.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.msa.global


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.msa

Reboot the phone.

To return the MSA, use the following commands:

adb shell pm enable com.miui.msa.global


adb shell pm enable com.xiaomi.msa

Once these commands are executed, the MSA will be completely deactivated until the next reset or MIUI update. However, some system features (such as Find Device) will stop working.

💡

If notifications from banking applications stop coming after the MSA is turned off, check the autorun settings for those applications in Settings → Applications → Autorun Management.

Method 3: Removal of MSA via TWRP (root required)

The most radical way is to physically remove MSA files from the system partition, which requires an unlocked bootloader, TWRP installed, and root rights. Not recommended for beginners!

Instructions:

1. Install Magisk and get root rights.
2. Download TWRP for your model and run it through fastboot: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot boot twrp.img
3. In TWRP, go to Advanced → File Manager.
4. Delete the following files and folders: /system/priv-app/MiServiceFramework/system/app/Msa (if any) /data/data/com.miui.msa.global /data/data/com.xiaomi.msa

Wipe → Dalvik / ART Cache

Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: Removal MSA through TWRP This can lead to bootloop if you delete critical system files. /system To restore, you will need to flash the original firmware through the Mi Flash Tool.

Method 4: Using a Magisk Module to Block MSA

If you don't want to delete the MSA completely, but you want to block its activity, you can use the module for Magisk, which is reversible and doesn't require editing system files.

Instructions:

1. Install Magisk and get root rights.
2. Download Disable MSA (available on XDA Developers)
3. Install the module through Magisk → Modules → Install from storage.
4. Reboot the phone.

The module blocks the MSA from starting at the kernel level without deleting its files.

• 🔄 Easy to roll back (just remove the module in Magisk).
• 🛡️ It does not break down system dependencies.
• 🔋 Battery savings comparable to total removal.

To check the operation of the module, use the command:

su -c ps | grep msa

If there are no processes in the response, the MSA is successfully blocked.

💡

Magisk modules are the safest way to disable root-righted MSAs, which do not change system files, but only block the launch of services.

Method 5: Disable MSA on custom firmware (LineageOS, Pixel Experience)

If you use an informal firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the MSA may conflict with the system or be unnecessary, in which case it can be removed without risking stability.

Methods for custom ROM:

1. Through ADB (if the firmware supports): adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.msa.global adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.xiaomi.msa
2. Through TWRP: Delete /system/priv-app/MiServiceFramework and /system/app/Msa. Wipe Dalvik Cache.
3. Using Magisk: Use the Universal Debloater module (available in the Magisk repository). In the module settings, tick com.miui.msa.global and com.xiaomi.msa for removal.

Custom firmware usually doesn’t need MSA, as it doesn’t depend on Xiaomi services, but check before removing it to see if your firmware uses any MIUI components (such as a camera or kernel).

💡

If the camera stops working on custom firmware after removing the MSA, install an alternative app (such as Google Camera or Open Camera) from Google Play.

Frequent issues after MSA shutdown and their solutions

Even after successful MSA shutdown, users are facing side effects, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

If after disabling the MSA phone began to work unstable (lags, crashes of applications), try:

1. Clear the cache through TWRP (Wipe → Cache).
2. Return the MSA back (via ADB or re-install the module).
3. Switch a more stable firmware version (e.g. MIUI EU instead of global).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi) 12/13, Redmi Note 11/12) shutdown MSA It can lead to disruptions in work. NFC or IR Before experimenting, check the user reviews of your model on the forums. 4PDA or XDA.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions