Pop-up banners and advertising windows on the main screen of the Redmi 9 smartphone are a common problem faced by many MIUI users. It can be caused either by built-in services of the Xiaomi shell itself, or by accidentally installed malicious applications. The sight of full-screen casino or betting advertisements appearing when you unlock a device or open a folder causes irritation and reduces productivity.
Solving this problem requires an integrated approach. You don’t just have to delete one file, but check the settings of system applications, disable personalized advertising in your Mi account, and conduct in-depth diagnostics of the installed software. In this article, we will analyze all the possible reasons for the appearance of annoying banners and provide step-by-step guide for eliminating them.
The problem cannot be ignored, since some types of advertising can not only consume traffic, but also collect your personal data. We'll start with the most common culprit, the MSA system service, and then move on to more complex virus infections. Follow the instructions carefully to restore the cleanliness of your interface Redmi 9.
Disabling the MSA system advertising service
The main source of legal but intrusive advertising in the MIUI shell is the system application MSA (MIUI System Ads). It is responsible for displaying banners in standard utilities such as Explorer, Music and Themes. Complete removal of this component is impossible without root access, but it can be effectively disabled through the settings.
First, you need to go to the advanced settings of your smartphone. Follow the path Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. In the list that opens, find the application msa. Switch the toggle switch to the inactive position. The system will try to dissuade you from this action by showing a pop-up window with a countdown timer.
You will need to wait 10 seconds, after which the button Disablewill become active. Click it. If the shutdown does not happen the first time and an error message appears, repeat the procedure 2-3 more times in a row. Usually, after several attempts, the service is successfully deactivated.
⚠️ Attention: After disabling MSA, advertising in system applications may not disappear instantly, but within 24 hours. This is due to data caching on Xiaomi servers.
In parallel with disabling the service, it is recommended to prohibit receiving personalized recommendations. Go to Settings → Passwords and security → Privacy → Special permissions → Ad personalization. Disable this option to stop the algorithms tailoring content to your interests.
☑️ Check whether ads are disabled
Search and remove malicious applications-viruses
If advertising appears chaotically, overlapping working applications or appearing directly on the desktop without launching any apps, most likely a virus has appeared in the system. Often, users accidentally install such applications along with useful software from unverified sources.
The insidiousness of such viruses is that they can masquerade as system services or do not have an icon in the application menu. To find the pest, open Settings → Applications → All applications. Scroll through the list carefully. Look for applications without a name, with a blank icon, or with suspicious names like “Flash Player”, “Cleaner”, “Battery Saver” that you did not install.
Pay attention to the installation date. If you see an app that was installed on the day the ad problems started, it's a candidate for removal. Click on the suspicious element and select Delete. If the delete button is inactive, it means that the virus has received device administrator rights.
- 🔍 Go to
Settings → Passwords and security → Confidentiality → Special permissions → Device administrator applicationsand uncheck the suspicious software. - 🗑️ After depriving administrator rights, return to the list of applications and remove the virus in the standard way.
- 🛡️ Install an antivirus, for example, Dr.Web or Malwarebytes, to conduct a deep scan of the system.
In some In cases, malware may block entry to settings. If this happens, try starting your smartphone in safe mode. To do this, hold down the power button, and when the menu appears, press and hold the “Power off” option until you are prompted to switch to safe mode. In this mode, only system applications work, which will allow you to safely remove the virus.
What to do if the virus is not removed?
If standard removal does not help, you may need to reset the settings to factory settings. Before doing this, be sure to save important contacts and photos to the cloud or to your computer, as all data will be deleted.
Setting up notifications and push mailings
Users often mistake aggressive push notifications from browsers or news aggregators for advertising. You may have accidentally allowed a site to send notifications, and now it is spamming you with offers to buy a product or download a game directly in the notification shade and on the lock screen.
To solve this problem, you need to check your browser permissions. Go to the settings of the specific browser (Chrome, Yandex, UC Browser) that you use most often. Find the section Site settings → Notifications. Here you will see a list of all resources that are allowed to send messages. Ruthlessly delete or block all suspicious sites.
It is also worth checking the global notification settings for all applications. Go to Settings → Notifications and status bar → Notification Center. Sort apps by importance and turn off notifications for apps you don't need, especially free utilities, flashlights, or QR code scanners.
Tip: If ads come from a specific site, copy the address from the notification and blacklist it in your browser to block access to the resource in the future.
Do not forget that some applications may use “floating windows” to display advertisements. Check the list of applications that have permission to display on top of other windows. Path: Settings → Applications → Access to personal data → Display on top of other applications. Leave this permission only for instant messengers and navigators.
Clearing the cache and data of system services
Sometimes advertising junk accumulates in the cache of system services responsible for the work of the worker tables and search. Even after disabling MSA, old banners may continue to appear from the device memory. A deep clean helps reset these temporary files.
You need to find the applications that are responsible for the interface. Typically these are “Themes”, “Music”, “Video” and “Explorer”. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Select an application, for example Themes. Click Clearand then select Clear all (or "Clear cache and data"). Repeat this procedure for all standard Xiaomi media applications.
Pay special attention to the application "Safety". It is through it that advertising offers in the form of virus scanners or memory boosters are often broadcast. Clearing the data of this application will reset its settings to the initial ones, which is also useful for getting rid of intrusive advice.
| Application | Type of cleaning | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Themes | Cache and data | Reset the theme to standard |
| Music | Cache and data | Delete downloaded covers |
| Security | Cache and data | Reset settings scanner |
| Explorer | Cache only | No file loss |
After cleaning, be sure to restart the device. This will allow the system to reinitialize services without the accumulated advertising garbage. If the problem returned immediately after a reboot, it means that the advertising source is active and running in the background.
Ad blocking via DNS and hosts
A more advanced method of combating advertising is to block ad servers at the network connection level. This method is effective not only for system advertising, but also for banners inside browsers and some free games. For Redmi 9, this can be done without installing third-party apps.
Use the “Private DNS” feature available in Android 9 and higher. Go to Settings → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. Select the “DNS Provider Hostname” mode and enter the address in the field: dns.adguard.com. Save your settings.
This simple step will redirect all requests to known ad networks into the void. Your phone will try to load the advertisement, but the AdGuard server will not give it an IP address, and the banner simply will not load. This will significantly speed up the Internet and save traffic.
⚠️ Attention: Using a third-party DNS can sometimes lead to unstable operation of some specific applications or games that are tied to their advertising network. If an application stops working, temporarily return the DNS setting to Auto.
An alternative option for advanced users is to install a local VPN filter such as AdGuard or Blokada. These apps create a local tunnel on the device and filter traffic even more thoroughly than DNS. However, they require constant work in the background and can slightly increase battery consumption.
Extreme measures: Reset to factory settings
If none of the above methods helped remove pop-up ads on the main screen of Redmi 9, the system may be deeply damaged, or a virus has entered the system partition. In this case, the only reliable solution is to completely reset the device.
Before starting the procedure, it is critical to create a backup copy of all data. Resetting will delete absolutely everything: contacts, fotos, messages and installed applications. Use Mi Cloud or Google Drive, or connect your phone to your computer and copy the files manually.
To perform a reset, go to Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Delete all data. You will need to enter your screen unlock password and Mi Account password to confirm. The process will take a few minutes, after which the phone will turn on as if out of the box.
A full reset is a guarantee of removing 99% of viruses, but remember that if you restore a backup, the infected application may come back with it. It is better to set up your phone again.
After the reset, do not rush to install all applications in a row. Set up your phone, check that the screen is clean, and only then begin to gradually install the necessary software from the official store Google Play. This will help you understand which application caused the problem if it happens again.
Preventing the appearance of advertising in the future
To prevent the problem with pop-up banners from returning, you need to change your smartphone usage habits. The main reason for infection is the installation of applications from unverified sources. Never download APK files from dubious forums or sites with “hacked” games.
Carefully read the permissions that the application requests during installation. If a simple flashlight asks for access to your contacts, microphone, and location, this is a clear sign of malware. Uninstall such apps immediately.
- 🚫 Disable installation from unknown sources in your security settings if you do not use this feature regularly.
- 📲 Update your system and applications regularly, as updates often contain patches for security vulnerabilities.
- 🧹 Once a month audit installed applications and remove those that you do not use.
You should also be careful when surfing the Internet. Don't click on bright flashing banners that say "Your phone is infected" or "You've won an iPhone." These are classic deception schemes that lead to the installation of adware.
Why do advertisements appear even after uninstalling the application?
Some advertising modules may remain in the system cache or be installed as separate hidden services. It's also possible that the ad is being shown by another app that you don't suspect. Check the list of recently installed apps.
Is it possible to permanently remove MSA without root access?
You cannot completely remove the MSA system application without root access, since it is protected by system rights. However, disabling it through the data access settings completely blocks its functionality, which is tantamount to deleting it for the user.
Is it safe to use DNS AdGuard on Redmi 9?
Yes, it is absolutely safe. DNS AdGuard only filters requests to ad servers. It doesn't completely encrypt your traffic like a VPN, but it doesn't share your personal data with third parties either. This is a standard network setting.
What to do if the "Delete" button is inactive for a virus?
This means that the application has received administrator rights. You need to go to the security settings, find the "Device Administrator Applications" section, uncheck the virus, and only after that the delete button will become active.
Does disabling advertising affect the operation of the phone?
Disabling advertising has a positive effect on the operation of the phone. The device begins to work faster, since it does not waste processor and RAM resources on loading and displaying advertising banners, and also saves battery power.