Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, especially budget and mid-segment models, such as Redmi 9, are often faced with annoying advertising. It appears in the most unexpected places: when you unlock the screen, in standard applications like Explorer or Music, and even as pop-ups on top of other apps. This is the result of a proprietary shell MIUIthat monetizes available hardware by displaying advertising content.
Fortunately, most of this spam is not a virus, but a legal but aggressive function of the system. To return your phone to a clean interface and improve performance, you need to sequentially disable several system services. In this article, we will analyze not only the standard settings, but also hidden mechanisms that continue to show banners even after basic cleaning.
Ignoring this problem can lead not only to visual discomfort, but also to increased consumption of traffic and battery power. Advertising modules they constantly work in the background, downloading new creatives. Complete deactivation of these services will make using Redmi 9 much more pleasant and faster.
Disabling the MSA system advertising service
The main source of intrusive banners in the shell MIUI is a system application MSA (MIUI System Ads). It is this process that is responsible for loading and displaying advertising materials in standard utilities. The first step in the fight for a clean screen should be to disable autostart of this service.
To do this, you will need to go to the advanced settings of your phone. Find the item Passwords and security in the main settings menu. Next, select section Access to personal data. In the list of applications that opens, find the line with the name msa and set the switch to inactive.
⚠️ Attention: The system may display a pop-up window several times warning that Disabling the service may affect some features. You will have to wait for the countdown (usually 10 seconds) and confirm the action with the “Disconnect” button. This is standard protection against accidental shutdown, do not be alarmed.
After disabling MSA, advertising in system folders and the Security application should disappear. However, in some firmware versions, this process may automatically restart after some time. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically check this menu item, especially after major system updates.
☑️ Checking MSA disabling
Cleaning from pre-installed advertising software
In addition to the system service, your smartphone Redmi 9 often comes pre-installed with third-party applications that generate pop-up windows. These could be “cleaners”, battery optimizers, virus scanners from unknown developers, or browsers with aggressive policies.
Carefully study the list of installed apps. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Look for apps you don't use or whose names don't mean anything to you. Often, adware modules are disguised as harmless utilities such as “Flashlight”, “Cleaner” or “Battery Saver”.
If you find a suspicious application that cannot be removed in the standard way (the “Delete” button is grayed out), most likely it has administrator rights devices. In this case, you need to:
- 🔍 Go to the security settings and find the “Device Administrators” section.
- 🚫 Uncheck the suspicious application in this list.
- 🗑️ Return to the application menu and uninstall it as usual.
Particular attention should be paid to browsers. If you do not use the pre-installed MIUI Browser, it is better to disable it or replace it with a more private analogue, for example, Firefox or Brave, which have built-in tracker blockers.
How to find a hidden advertising application?
If advertising appears chaotically, try installing an application like App Inspector. It will show the name of the app that was launched last before the banner appeared. Often this turns out to be some kind of “Flashlight” or “Calendar” with a malicious module.
Setting up notifications and blocking push notifications
Often users confuse pop-up ads with regular push notifications from installed games and services. Applications may request permission to show notifications when first installed, and many agree without reading the request text.
To get rid of spam in the notification curtain, go to the Notifications and Control Centersection. Here you will see a list of all apps that have the right to send messages. Go through the list and turn off notifications for those applications where they are not critical (for example, games, stores, news aggregators).
There is also a special section in the notification settings Recommendations. This is where advertising offers are often hidden from the system itself Xiaomi. Be sure to turn off the "Receive recommendations" switch at the very top of this menu.
| Notification type | Where to disable | Risk of disabling |
|---|---|---|
| System recommendations | Settings → Notifications → Recommendations | Absent |
| Game notifications | Settings → Notifications → Game name | Skipping events in the game |
| Browser push notifications | Browser settings → Site notifications | Do not receive news from sites |
| Messages from stores | Settings → Applications → GetApps/Play Market | Skip discounts |
Do not forget that some applications may duplicate notifications through different channels. If spam continues after disabling the main channel, check additional categories within the notification settings of a specific application.
Use the Notification History feature in Android Settings. It allows you to see which app sent the notification, even if you've already swiped it off the screen. This helps to identify the hero of the occasion.
Disabling personalization and advertising identifier
To target advertising, the system MIUI collects data about your actions and uses a unique advertising identifier. Disabling this function will not remove advertising completely, but will make it less relevant and, as practice shows, will reduce the number of impressions.
Go to the menu Passwords and security, then select item Privacy. Find the section Advertising services. Here you need to activate the “Disable ad personalization” option. This action will reset your current advertising ID.
In addition, in the same section it is worth checking the “Accessibility” settings. Some services, such as GetAppsmay use these rights to monitor your activity. Disabling unnecessary services in the accessibility menu increases not only privacy, but also the overall security of the device.
⚠️ Attention: The privacy menu interface may vary depending on the version of Android and MIUI. If you don't find the "Advertising services" item, try searching in settings by entering the word "advertising" or "privacy".
After completing these steps, the system will stop building your profile based on your browsing history and installed applications. This is an important step for those who value their data and do not want to become a commodity for advertising networks.
Ad blocking at the DNS and network level
If software methods do not give one hundred percent results, you can use network settings. Changing the DNS server to the device level allows you to block requests to known ad servers before they even reach your phone.
Modern versions of Android, including the one on Redmi 9, have a built-in “Private DNS” feature. To configure it, go to Settings → Connection and sharing → Private DNS. Select the “ISP Hostname” mode and enter the address of a trusted blocker.
dns.adguard.comThis address belongs to the AdGuard service and is one of the most popular free solutions. After saving the settings, the phone will redirect all DNS requests through the filters of this service, cutting off advertising in browsers and many applications.
However, it is worth considering that using a third-party DNS can sometimes lead to slight delays when loading pages or connection problems on public Wi-Fi networks that require authorization through a browser. If you notice problems with the Internet, simply return the setting to “Auto” mode.
Setting up Private DNS is the most effective way to remove advertising in the browser and inside free applications without installing additional software and obtaining root access.
Searching for and removing malicious applications
Sometimes the source of the problem is not system settings, but really malware that you could accidentally install along with a useful app from an unverified source. Such viruses often do not have an icon in the menu, but work actively in the background.
Signs of the presence of such a virus: advertising appears even on the desktop (not in applications), the phone heats up without a load, the battery discharges abnormally quickly. In this case, standard removal of applications will not help, since the virus is hidden from the user.
To combat such threats, it is recommended:
- 🛡️ Install an antivirus from a well-known vendor (for example, Dr.Web or Kaspersky) and conduct a full scan.
- 📉 Check battery consumption in the settings. If there is a process with an unclear name that takes up a lot of resources, this is a cause for concern.
- 🔄 As a last resort, perform a factory reset, after saving important data.
Remember that installing applications from third-party sources (APK files from forums or file hosting services) carries the greatest risk. Try to use only the official store Google Play or proven alternatives.
What to do if the ads do not disappear after all the settings?
If you have completed all the steps, but pop-ups continue to appear, the problem may lie in a specific MIUI firmware update that contains errors. Try clearing the cache of the Security and File Explorer apps. Also check if the “Game Acceleration” or “Game Turbo” function is activated, which sometimes pulls up its advertising banners.
Is it safe to disable the MSA service?
Yes, disabling the MSA service is safe for the operation of the smartphone. This will not cause your phone to break or data to be lost. The only consequence is that in some standard applications (for example, in the design theme), recommendations for new themes may no longer be displayed, but the main functionality will remain completely.
Will advertising return after a system update?
Unfortunately, with major MIUI updates (for example, the transition from version 12 to 13), privacy settings and access to personal data may be reset to factory settings. Therefore, after a major update, it is recommended to re-check the “Access to personal data” item and disable MSA.
Is it possible to remove Xiaomi system applications?
Without obtaining root access, it is impossible to completely remove system applications, they can only be disabled. Complete removal requires unlocking the bootloader and using special utilities through the computer (ADB), which can void your warranty and lead to unstable system operation if you remove unnecessary ones.
Will installing a third-party launcher help?
Installing a third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher) will remove ads from folders on the desktop and replace the standard screen blocking if it contains advertising. However, this will not affect advertising inside system applications like Explorer or Cleaner, since they work independently of the launcher.