Every time you turn on your smartphone or simply swipe your finger across the screen, annoying headlines appear about the weather, exchange rates or scandalous events in the world of stars. These pop-ups are not just distracting, they waste battery power and mobile traffic. Many users perceive this as a necessary evil, believing that this is the system's default design. Pop-up windows In fact, in the vast majority of cases, these notifications are not part of the operating system. Most often, they are generated by pre-installed shells from manufacturers, such as
In fact, in the vast majority of cases these notifications are not part of the operating system Android. Most often they are generated by pre-installed shells from manufacturers, such as MIUI from Xiaomi or One UI from Samsung, or are a consequence of the browser Google Chrome. Understanding the source of the problem is already half the way to solving it.
In this article we will analyze in detail all possible channels for delivering advertising content and show how to block each of them. You don't need to be a programmer to restore the cleanliness of your device's interface. It is enough to go through the settings sequentially, which we will describe below.
Disable the Google Discover feed on the main screen
The most common source of news is the feed Google Discover, which is often located to the left of the main screen or can be opened by swiping to the right. This is a built-in content aggregator that analyzes your interests and feeds articles. If you have never configured this setting, it is active by default.
To remove this feed, you will need to go to the launcher settings. On most devices with pure Android or the Pixel skin, just long press on an empty space on the desktop and select Home screen settings. In the menu that opens, find the switch named "Google Feed" or "Google Discover" and deactivate it.
The situation may become more complicated if you have a smartphone from Chinese manufacturers. In shells HyperOS or ColorOS this function may be hidden deeper or called differently, for example, “Wallpaper Carousel” or “Smart Assistant”. In such cases, disabling news often requires disabling the entire recommendation service, which can affect the operation of weather widgets.
⚠️ Note: Disabling the Google Discover feed does not affect the operation of the voice assistant or search bar. You will still be able to search for information manually, the automatic loading of articles will simply stop.
If news still appears after turning off the feed, check whether you have installed a third-party launcher application that has its own settings for news widgets.
Blocking notifications in the Google Chrome browser
The second most popular source of pop-up windows is a web browser. Users often accidentally click the “Allow” button on sites with dubious content, after which their phone begins to be flooded with push notifications supposedly from news portals. In fact, this is an ordinary advertisement masquerading as system messages.
To solve the problem, open the application Chrome and click on the three dots in the upper right corner. Go to section Settings, then find item "Site settings". Here you are interested in the category "Notifications". Enter it and you will see a list of all sites to which you have given permission to display messages.
Go through this list. If you see unfamiliar domains or sites with flashy names, feel free to block them. It's best to select the Do not allow sites to send notifications global option to avoid accidental clicks in the future. This action will instantly clear the notification curtain from information noise.
- 🚫 Go to your browser settings and find the access rights section.
- 📂 Check the list of allowed sites and remove suspicious domains.
- 🔒 Set a global ban on receiving push notifications from web resources.
- 🧹 Clear your browser cache to remove saved advertising scripts.
Setting up system recommendations from the manufacturer
Smartphone manufacturers often integrate their own recommendation services directly into the system. For example, in smartphones Xiaomi there is a service MSA (MIUI System Ads)that is responsible for displaying advertising content in various system applications, including app folders and the lock screen.
To disable personalized advertising and news in MIUI, you need to go to Settings → "Passwords and security" → "Access to personal data". Find the application in the list msa and disable the slider. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds before confirming - this is a standard procedure for protecting against accidental shutdown.
Other brands have similar mechanisms. In Samsung you need to disable the function "Samsung Daily" (now called Bixby Home or simply "News") in the main screen settings. In Huawei i Honor you should look for the setting "Magazine Unlock" (Lock history), which changes the wallpaper and shows news on the lock screen.
| Smartphone brand | Name of news service | Where to disable |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi / Redmi | MSA / GetApps | Access to personal data |
| Samsung | Samsung Daily / Google Discover | Home screen settings |
| Huawei / Honor | Magazine Unlock | Screen and brightness |
| Realme / OPPO | Glance / Lock Screen Magazine | Lock screen |
⚠️ Attention: Interfaces shells are regularly updated. Menu item names may change in new versions of Android. If you don't find an exact match, look for sections related to "Recommendations" or "Personalization".
What to do if the MSA item does not turn off?
Sometimes the MSA service may automatically turn on again. In this case, try turning off the Internet, turning off the switch, waiting 10 seconds, confirming the shutdown, and only then turning the Internet back on.
Managing notifications from specific applications
Often the culprits of pop-up windows are the installed applications themselves: news aggregators, weather widgets, antiviruses or even games. They may have built-in monetization modules that display advertisements in the form of system notifications.
To identify the culprit, pay attention to the text of the notification. In modern versions of Android, a long tap on a notification allows you to instantly go to the settings of a specific application. If you see that news is coming from the Weather or Memory Cleaner application, which you rarely use, it is best to completely block it from sending notifications.
Go to Settings → "Applications" → "Notifications". Here you will see a detailed list of all apps that have the right to bother you. Sort them by frequency of use or just look through the list carefully. Disable the sliders for those utilities that do not require prompt communication with the user.
- 📱 Long tap on the pop-up window to find out source.
- ⚙️ Go to the notification settings of the problematic application.
- ❌ Block notifications completely or leave only important ones.
- 🗑️ Consider deleting the application if it is too intrusive.
Cleaning from malware and ad viruses
If you have tried all the settings, but pop-ups continue to appear even on the locked screen or on top of other applications, most likely your phone is infected adware (ad virus). Such software is often disguised as useful utilities: flashlights, QR code scanners or photo editors.
The first sign of infection is the appearance of advertising immediately after unlocking the device or the chaotic opening of tabs in the browser. In this case, the standard settings will not help. You need to enter Android Safe Mode. To do this, you usually need to hold down the power button, and then long press the “Shutdown” icon on the screen until the prompt to reboot into safe mode appears.
In safe mode, only system applications are loaded. If the advertisement disappears, then the third-party application is to blame. Go to the list of installed apps and remove all suspicious utilities that were installed shortly before the problem appeared. Pay special attention to applications without an icon or with a transparent name.
☑️ Actions if a virus is suspected
⚠️ Attention: Never download antiviruses or “accelerators” from pop-up advertising windows. These are almost always fraudulent apps that will only make the problem worse.
Using a private DNS to block ads
For advanced users, there is an effective method for blocking ads and news tracking at the network level. This does not require the installation of additional applications and works for the entire system at once. The method is to change the DNS server to one that filters advertising requests.
Go to Settings → "Connection and sharing" (or "Network and Internet") → "Private DNS" (Private DNS). Select the "DNS Provider Hostname" mode and enter the address: dns.adguard.com. Save your settings. Now all requests to known ad servers will be blocked automatically.
This method also helps get rid of pop-ups in free applications and games, since they will not be able to download advertising banner. However, it is worth remembering that in rare cases this may slow down the opening of some sites or disrupt the operation of specific services that rely on advertising identifiers.
Using private DNS from AdGuard is the most effective way to (break) the phone’s connection with advertising servers without installing additional software.
Why did the news appear again after resetting the settings?
When resetting to factory settings, the phone returns to its out-of-the-box state. Manufacturers often enable recommendation services and news feeds by default when you first activate a device. You will have to repeat the disabling procedure described in the first sections of the article.
Is it possible to delete the Google application to remove news?
Complete removal of the Google application is impossible without root access, since it is a system component. However, you can disable its updates or disable notifications in the application settings, although this may interfere with voice search and assistant.
Is it safe to disable the MSA service on Xiaomi?
Yes, disabling the MSA service is safe for the phone to function. It only stops collecting data for targeted advertising and displaying advertising blocks in system interfaces. The functionality of the smartphone does not suffer.
What to do if the settings reset themselves?
If the switches return to their original position, there may be a hidden malicious application on the phone with administrator rights. Check the section Settings → "Security" → "Device administrator applications" and revoke the rights of suspicious apps.