Xiaomi’s MIUI custom ROM is one of the most popular among smartphone users, partly due to its wide presence in the budget segment. The company is also known for its honest pricing, but it was apparently made possible not because of hardware swaps but because of intrusive ad placement.
If you’ve ever used a MIUI supported device, you know that Xiaomi has lowered prices and made profits through software links (unwanted bloatware) or system apps like Mi Music, MIUI Security app, and lately ads. Even the settings.
This is getting annoying very soon and you may be looking for a way to turn off these ads. Today, you’ve come to the right place as you explore different ways to completely disable ads in System apps on your Xiaomi device.
Disable Ads in MIUI System Apps
- Disable Ads In Each App
- Disable Apps Promoted in Home Screen Folders
- Revoke Authorization for System Ads
- Disable Ad Tracking
- Using Third-Party Ad Blockers
note: We tried disabling ads on our budget Redmi 6A running MIUI 9.6 and the popular Redmi Note 5 Pro running MIUI 9.6.
Disable Ads In Each App
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Scanner
If you’re used to Google Chrome, Mi Browser will look like a cluttered mess to you. Then, with its access to your Internet usage patterns and constant access to mobile data, the experience is interrupted by a large number of advertisements among the news on the start page.
You can disable these ads, but apparently Xiaomi doesn’t really want you to do that because the option to do so is hidden deep in the settings. So, to disable them, simply follow the steps below:
1. Open the Mi browser app and Go to the ‘Settings’ menu by tapping the ‘three lines’ icon in the bottom right.
2. Now scroll down and Go to ‘Advanced > Top sites ranking’ To view the ‘Get Suggestions’ option
3. Simply Disable ‘Get Suggestions’ to stop seeing ads and unlock a smoother browsing experience.
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File Explorer
Xiaomi is not planning to leave any system apps behind and next step is Mi File Explorer at the top of the homepage which also shows ads (as seen below). Them not intrusive like other native apps, but you notice the ad when you open the app. So, to disable ads, follow these steps:
1. Open the File Explorer app and jump to Settings from the hamburger menu.
2. Next, Go to the ‘About’ section (yeah, weird) Find the ‘Suggestions’ option sits at the top. To stop seeing ads while browsing through your files, you need to turn this off.
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music
Xiaomi may have recently updated Mi Music to let you stream music online, but that’s just another app. Displays in-app banner ads on the homepage. If you want to disable these ads, open ‘Settings’ from the hamburger menu and scroll down to ‘Get Suggestions’ to turn it off.
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MIUI Security
You may not see any ads right away when you open MIUI Security, but running the system scan’s cleaner will end with your results and an ad. The process for disabling them is the same. You have to jump to the Settings of that app by tapping the cog in the top right. Search for ‘Get Suggestions’ and turn it off.
Here you will also need to go to the ‘Cleaner’ option in settings and disable the suggestions to avoid seeing ads after clearing unnecessary storage.
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Downloads
Even the native Downloads app is full of ads. You don’t just see a single banner ad, which would be nice, but tons of recommended apps too much for everyone in the app. So, you can tap on the ‘three dots’ icon in the top right to open the Settings menu where you need to disable the ‘show recommended content’ option and get rid of the ads.
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Application Installer and Security Check
Xiaomi didn’t even protect the security control screen that appears when you install an app from an unknown source — even this shows big ads as well as viewing whether the application is safe or not.
However, disable this ad again by following the same method as before, and by going to the settings menu (press the gear icon in the top right) and disabling the ‘Get Suggestions’ option.
Disable Apps Promoted in Home Screen Folders
Well, Xiaomi’s ad placement is not limited to system apps only and even showing you ads promoted in folders – this always gets on my nerves. If you feel the same way, you can disable the promoted apps by simply tapping on the name of the folder and disabling the ‘Promoted apps’ options under the same.
Revoke Authorization for System Ads
Congratulations! You’ve removed a lot of ads from system apps on your device, but if you want to completely remove ads (even those that appear in the shortcuts menu or before apps) from your MIUI powered device, do this one nifty little trick.
To completely disable all system ads on your Xiaomi device, follow the steps listed below:
1. Open Settings and Go to ‘Additional Settings > Authorization and Revocation’.
2. Under the given authorization section, you will see the MSA (MIUI System Ads) application. So, you would already know that you need close and revoke access to the MSA application to disable ads.
note: To revoke access to this app, you must have created and logged in to your Mi account.
3. You will see a popup when you try to close it, Tap on ‘Cancel’ and you won’t see any other ads across the device. It is possible that you will see a ‘Authorization Failed’ notification, but don’t worry, try again and it will be disabled this time – very strange, to say the least.
Disable Ad Tracking
Now that you have disabled ads on your Xiaomi device, it would also be a great idea to not let the company access your usage patterns to determine the type of ads that should be shown to you. To stop Xiaomi from serving personalized ads on your device, simply follow the steps below:
1. Open the Settings app and Go to ‘Additional Settings > Privacy’ to change your ad preferences
2. Find the ‘Ad Services’ menu in the Privacy section and Turn off ‘Personalized ad suggestions’ inside. This means that the ads will not see your usage data and cannot customize the ads accordingly.
Using Third-Party Ad Blockers
Finally, if you don’t want to skip all those hoops and tire yourself out, you can opt to disable ads using a third-party ad-blocker app. Named AdGuard and Blokada, we have two suggestions to help you disable all system-wide ads – without rooting your device.
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AdGuard
AdGuard is a no-root ad blocker service for Android. Remove all system ads (whether text or video ads) in apps, browsers and games. It gives you back the privacy of your device through special filtering which is updated regularly and is also highly customizable, protecting you from online trackers.
You need to press the center power button (as seen above) to activate the ad blocker and get rid of the intrusive ads on your Xiaomi device. You can also view all filtering logs, manage which apps should show ads or not, and much more.
Download AdGuard (FreePremium subscription starts at Rs 19+VAT per month)
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on the block
You can also turn your attention to Blokada, a free and open source ad blocker app for Android. This is one of the best apps out there. blocks all ads (along with tracking and malware services) on the entire systemIt gives you a complete and ad-free experience.
As you can see above, Blokada has a clean interface that allows you to access all the necessary information directly from the home screen. It is easy to use by showing you whitelist or blacklist apps, the number of blocked ads and VPN connection upfront.
Download Blokada (Free)
SEE ALSO: 10 New MIUI 10 Features You Should Know
Use MIUI Ad-Free!
Xiaomi may have sold its soul to the devil to market its devices at low prices and spam them with annoying and annoying ads throughout the system. That’s not something we look forward to on an already low-spec budget device, from the likes of a multi-billion dollar company.
However, if you follow the steps mentioned above, you can eliminate the ads on your Xiaomi device and make the experience a little friendlier and less frustrating. Do you have any other ad-blocking tips to share with us? Let us know in the comments below.
