How to disable advertising on an Honor 20 phone

Smartphone owners Honor 20 often encounter intrusive notifications and pop-up windows that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. This is not a virus, but a built-in system function EMUI, designed to monetize the device, but causes a lot of inconvenience during everyday use. It’s quite possible to get rid of this digital noise if you step by step through all the hidden settings of the operating system.

The process of clearing the interface of marketing content requires attention to detail, as developers periodically change the location of menu items in firmware updates. You will have to disable personalized recommendations, limit the operation of system applications and configure the browser. Below we will analyze each step in detail so that your Honor 20 becomes a fast and clean tool for work again.

Disabling personalized recommendations in the system

The first and most important step is to deactivate the service that collects data about your preferences to display targeted advertising. This function is deeply integrated into the shell EMUI and is responsible for the appearance of banners in folders, on the lock screen and in system utilities. Without disabling this module, the remaining settings will be ineffective.

First, you need to go to the main settings of the device and find the section responsible for data security and confidentiality. The path may differ slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same: the system should stop analyzing your actions for commercial purposes.

Follow the following steps to disable the advertising service:

• 🔍 Go to the menu Settings and select Security.
• 🛡️ Find the subsection Additional settings or Privacy.
• 🚫 Disable the switch opposite the item Receive recommendations or Personalized advertising.
• 📱 Confirm the action in the pop-up window by clicking Disable.

After completing these steps, the number of pop-ups should be significantly reduced. However, some system apps may continue to show content unless individual restrictions are set for them. It is important to check each pre-installed application separately.

⚠️ Attention: In some firmware versions, the “Get recommendations” item may be called “Participate in the user experience improvement app.” Disabling this option also reduces the amount of data collected, but does not always completely remove advertising.

Customizing the lock screen and theme magazine

The lock screen on smartphones Honor often turns into an advertising platform thanks to the “Theme Magazine” function (Magazine Unlock). This feature automatically changes the wallpaper and adds information widgets, which are essentially disguised news feeds and promotional materials.

To return a static image and remove unnecessary elements, you need to go to the lock screen settings. You should be careful here, as the system will try to convince you to leave the function enabled by offering beautiful pictures.

The disabling process is as follows:

1. Open Settings and go to the section Screen blocking.
2. Find the item Theme log (or Magazine Unlock).
3. Move the slider to the inactive position.
4. If necessary, delete downloaded themes through the app Themes.

It is also worth checking the notification settings on the lock screen. Often, advertising push messages from system services are displayed there, creating the illusion of a system failure. Limit the display of notifications to only important applications.

Managing notifications from system applications

Even after disabling global advertising, individual system utilities can continue to send notifications. These include Phone Manager, Gallery, Music and the application store. These apps often inform the user about. “helpful tips” or new features that are actually advertising integrations. AppGallery. These apps often inform the user about “helpful tips” or new features that are actually advertising integrations.

For a complete cleanup, you need to manually go through the list of installed applications and disable notifications for those that are not critical. This will not remove the applications, but will make them silent.

It is recommended to disable notifications for the following system components:

• 📂 Phone Manager: Frequently sends tips on cleaning and optimization.
• 🎵 Music: can suggest subscriptions and new tracks.
• 🛍️ AppGallery: notifies about discounts and new games.
• 🌤️ Weather: sometimes adds news blocks to notifications.

Go to Settings → Applications → Application management, select the desired utility and click NotificationsHere you can completely prohibit the display of information in the curtain or leave only critical system ones. notifications.

Application	Advertising type	Recommended action
Phone manager	Optimization tips	Disable all notifications
Security	Virus scanner (promo)	Leave only critical ones
Themes	New wallpapers and fonts	Disable completely
Gallery	Stories and memories	Disable marketing

⚠️ Attention: Do not turn off notifications from the Phone, Messages, and instant messenger applications, as this will cause you to miss important calls and messages from contacts.

Cleaning the browser and blocking pop-ups

A significant portion of advertising garbage arrives not from the system, but through the web browser. The built-in browser Honor or Chrome can be configured to show push notifications from visited sites. This looks like system advertising, but in fact it is permission that the user accidentally gave to some site.

You need to carefully check the list of sites. authorized to send notifications, and clear it. It is also recommended to install an ad blocking extension if the browser supports this function, or change the browser to a more private one, for example Brave or DuckDuckGo.

Instructions for clearing permissions in a standard browser:

Settings → Applications → Browser → Notifications → Additional → Sites

In this list you will see all the resources that can send notifications. Ruthlessly delete all unfamiliar domains.

Why do ads appear even after cleaning?

Often sites use workarounds by creating shortcuts on the desktop that look like applications. the presence of strange icons without names and delete them.

Resetting the advertising identifier and tracking restrictions

In Android there is a unique advertising identifier (GAID), which is used by marketing networks to build a user profile. Resetting this identifier and enabling tracking restrictions makes you less “interesting” for advertising display algorithms, although not. guarantees the complete disappearance of banners.

This setting is located deep in the system menu and is responsible for how applications can use your data for targeting. Regularly resetting the identifier breaks the connection between your current activity and past browsing history.

To complete the setting:

1. Go to Settings → Google (or Google Services).
2. Select item Advertising.
3. Click Reset advertising identifier.
4. Activate the switch Disable ad personalization.

After this procedure, advertising networks will begin to perceive your device as new, which will temporarily reduce the frequency of displaying relevant (and therefore more intrusive) advertising.

⚠️ Attention: The Google menu interface may vary depending on the version of Google Play services. If you don’t find the “Advertising” item, try using the search inside your phone settings.

Using third-party blockers and DNS

If built-in settings are not enough; the most effective method is to block ads at the network connection level. This can be done in two ways: by installing a specialized blocker application or by changing the private DNS settings.

The DNS method is the most preferable for Honor 20as it does not require the installation of unnecessary software, does not consume the battery and works at the level of the entire system, including browsers and some applications. To do this, use the service AdGuard DNS or similar.

How to set up private DNS:

1. Go to Settings → Wireless networks (or Connections).
2. Find section Other connection settings or Private DNS.
3. Select mode DNS provider hostname.
4. Enter the address: dns.adguard.com and save.

This simple step cuts off most advertising requests before they even reach your screen. However, it is worth remembering that some free applications may stop working correctly if their functionality is completely dependent on display. advertising.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why did advertising appear again after resetting the settings?

When A factory reset returns the phone to its out-of-the-box state, where all marketing features are enabled by default. You'll need to go through the process of disabling recommendations and setting up DNS again when you first set up your device, without connecting to Wi-Fi right away if possible.

Is it safe to use ad blocking apps?

Using proven solutions such as AdGuard (version from the official website, not from the Play Market), safe. However, avoid dubious "cleaners" and "boosters", which themselves are often a source of advertising spam and viruses.

Can advertising be a sign of a virus on Honor 20?

Yes, if advertising appears on top of all windows when you are not using the browser, or if at work. unknown icons have appeared on the table, this is a sign of malware. In this case, you need to scan your phone with an antivirus and remove recently installed suspicious applications.

Does disabling advertising affect the speed of the phone?

Indirectly - yes, blocking advertising scripts and disabling background loading of promotional content frees up RAM and processor time, which can do the job. interface EMUI a little smoother and more responsive.