Owners of popular smartphones Xiaomi i Redmi often encounter annoying pop-up messages windows that overlap the desktop or appear directly while using applications. This is annoying, disruptive, and may indicate the presence of malware. Sometimes such banners are part of the corporate shell MIUI, and in other cases - the result of installing dubious software.
Solving the problem requires an integrated approach. You will have to check the settings of system applications, analyze the list of installed apps and, possibly, change Internet access settings for individual utilities. You should not ignore this issue, since aggressive advertising often reduces the performance of the device and consumes battery power.
We will look at all effective methods, from simple switches in the settings to deep cleaning of the system. Follow the instructions carefully to return to comfortable use of your gadget.
The nature of the origin of pop-up ads on MIUI
Before you proceed with removal, it is important to understand where these windows come from. In the ecosystem Xiaomi there are two main sources of stimuli. The first is the built-in advertising modules of the system itself, the so-called MSA (MIUI System Ads). The company uses them to monetize budget devices, offering users free hardware in exchange for viewing promotional materials.
The second source is much more dangerous. These are third-party applications that you may have installed accidentally or that have entered the system along with other software. Often such apps are disguised as “memory cleaners,” “flashlights,” or “battery optimizers.” They work in the background and generate overlay an overlay on top of other windows.
It is not difficult to determine the type of advertising. If the banner appears only in standard applications (Explorer, Music, Themes), then this is a system advertisement. If the window crashes on the desktop or while playing in a third-party application, this is a virus or an aggressive addon.
Disabling system advertising through MSA settings
The most effective way to deal with branded banners is to disable the service msa. This is a system process responsible for displaying advertising content in the shell. To block it, you need to go to the advanced settings of your account and devices.
Go to menu Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. In the list that opens, find the item msa. Switch the toggle switch to the inactive position. The system will warn you about the consequences of the shutdown and start a 10-second countdown. You will have to wait and click the button Revoke.
Often it is not possible to revoke permission the first time due to server errors. If you see an error message, simply repeat the procedure 2-3 more times. Usually after 3-4 attempts the server accepts the request and the service stops. This is a critical step to clean up the interface.
⚠️ Warning: After disabling the msa service, some personalization features in themes and the app store may not work correctly. However, this will not affect the stability of the system.
If the “Revoke” button is inactive or displays an error, try switching the system language to English, revoking access, and then returning the Russian language. This trick often bypasses software bugs.
Searching for and removing malicious virus applications
If advertisements appear chaotically and block any windows, most likely a virus has entered the phone. Such applications often do not have an icon in the menu or are disguised as system services with an empty name. You can find them through the app manager.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Scroll through the list carefully. Look for apps with no name, no icon, or a suspicious name that you don't remember. Malware is often hidden at the very end or beginning of the list. If you find a suspicious element, delete it immediately.
It is also worth checking the access rights. Go to the Accessibility section (in the settings for people with disabilities). There should be no active third party applications here. Viruses often request these rights to simulate button presses or display windows on top of others.
- 🔍 Check the "Recent applications" section immediately after the ad appears - sometimes you can see the name of the process that launched the banner there.
- 🛡️ Use the built-in antivirus Security from Xiaomi for deep scanning of the system for threats.
- 📉 Pay attention to applications that consume a lot of energy in the background, but which you rarely use.
☑️ Malware diagnostics
Blocking notifications from specific applications
Sometimes pop-ups are not viruses, but simply aggressive push notifications from legitimate applications. News, games and delivery services often abuse this communication channel. You can disable them point-by-point without deleting the application itself.
When such a notification appears on the screen, hold it with your finger for a couple of seconds. In the menu that appears, select Notification settings or simply turn off the switch. You will be taken to a detailed notification management menu for a specific application.
In more complex cases, you need to go to Settings → Notifications and status bar → Application notifications. Here you can completely prohibit the display of information on the lock screen or curtain for selected apps. This will help clear the information noise.
Don't forget about notification categories. Within the settings of each application, you can disable only advertising mailings, leaving important system messages active. Look for items with the names “Promotions”, “Recommendations” or “Marketing”.
⚠️ Attention: The notification menu interface may differ depending on the version of Android (11, 12, 13, 14) and the version of the MIUI or HyperOS shell. If you do not find the item you need, use the search in the settings.
Setting up an ad blocker in the browser
If pop-up windows bother you exclusively while surfing the Internet, the problem lies in the browser settings. Standard browser Mi Browser or Chrome require a separate configuration to protect against pop-ups.
In the browser Chrome go to Settings → Site settings → Pop-ups and redirects. Make sure the slider is in the Locked position. It is also recommended to enable the item Advertising in the same menu to filter intrusive banners.
For users of the standard browser from Xiaomi, the path will be as follows: Settings → Privacy and Security → Ad Blocking. Activate this feature. In addition, in the “Site Notifications” section, it is worth prohibiting all sites from sending push notifications.
If the built-in tools do not help, it makes sense to install a specialized browser with a built-in adblock, for example Brave or DuckDuckGo. They automatically cut out advertising scripts at the page load level.
Secret DNS settings for blocking ads
You can block ads at the system-wide level by changing DNS. Go to Settings → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. Select "ISP Hostname" and enter: dns.adguard.com. This will remove advertising in many applications and browsers without installing additional software.
Resetting permissions and clearing the system cache
Sometimes the problem is software in nature and is associated with accumulated garbage or erroneous access rights. Resetting application settings will not delete your personal data (photos, contacts), but will return the apps to their factory state.
To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Click on the three dots in the upper corner and select Reset application settings. Confirm the action. This will revoke all granted permissions to access the microphone, camera and display windows on top of other apps.
It is also recommended to clear the system launcher cache. Find System launcher (or MIUI Homein the list of applications), go to memory and press Clear cache. Do not confuse this with the “Clear all” button, otherwise you will lose the arrangement of icons on the desktop.
| Action type | Impact on data | Effectiveness against advertising |
|---|---|---|
| Disable MSA | Safe | High (system advertising) |
| Uninstall applications | Uninstall a app | High (viruses) |
| Reset permissions | Reset access settings | Medium (permission failures) |
| Private DNS | Network change | High (in-app advertising) |
A comprehensive approach, including disabling MSA, checking for viruses and configuring DNS, guarantees elimination of 99% of types of pop-up advertising on Redmi devices.
Extreme measures: reset to factory settings
If none of the above methods helped, and advertising continues to poison your life, the malware may have gained superuser rights or become deeply embedded in the system. In this case, the only radical method left is a complete reset.
Before this procedure, be sure to create a backup copy of your important data. Photos, contacts and documents can be saved to the cloud Google Drive or to your computer. Remember that after resetting the phone will be like new, all installed applications will disappear.
You can reset through the menu: Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Erase all data. The device will reboot and begin the cleaning process. After setting up again, do not restore all applications at once from the backup, but install them one by one, monitoring the appearance of advertising.
⚠️ Attention: A full reset deletes absolutely all data from the internal memory. Make sure that you have saved important files to an external drive or cloud storage before starting the procedure.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why do advertisements appear even after removing all suspicious applications?
Perhaps you have not disabled the system service msathat responds for built-in Xiaomi advertising. The virus could also install a hidden file on the system partition, which is not visible in the regular list of applications. In this case, resetting permissions or changing DNS will help.
Is it safe to disable the msa service on Redmi?
Yes, it is completely safe. The service msa is responsible only for displaying advertising banners. Disabling it will not affect the operation of calls, messages, camera or other critical functions of the phone.
How to distinguish a virus from a system notification?
System notifications usually have a clear structure, an application icon and appear in the curtain. Viral advertisements often suddenly appear on the entire screen, do not have a close button or are difficult to close, and can also appear on a locked screen.
Can advertisements appear due to infected sites in the browser history?
Sites in the history themselves do not cause advertising. However, if you have allowed a site to send notifications, it may be spamming you. Go to your browser settings and revoke permissions for all sites in the “Notifications” section.
What to do if the “Delete” button is grayed out for a suspicious application?
This means that the application has device administrator rights. Go to Settings → Passwords and security → Privacy → Special access rights → Device administrator applications. Uncheck the suspicious app, after which you can remove it.