How to completely remove advertising on Android (2021): from banners to push notifications

Advertising on 2021 Android smartphones has become more aggressive: it pops up in games, interrupts videos, fills the screen with blocking banners, and even penetrates system notifications. Manufacturers like Xiaomi, Samsung and Realme actively monetize their shells (MIUI, One UI, ColorOSby embedding advertising modules at the firmware level. But even on “pure” Android, advertising filters through applications, browsers and Google services.

In this article - 7 proven ways remove advertising on smartphones in 2021, including models on Android 11 and Android 12. We'll look at how disable system advertising (without root access) to block banners in applications, remove push notifications and even change DNS to filter traffic. All methods have been tested on current firmware and do not require deep technical knowledge.

Important: some methods may conflict with policies Google Play or the manufacturer. For example, blocking ads via hosts sometimes leads to errors in Google services. We will indicate the risks in the appropriate sections.

1. Disabling system advertising in the smartphone settings

Manufacturers like Xiaomi, Oppo i Huawei build advertising modules directly into the shell. On MIUI 12.5 (2021) and ColorOS 11 ads may appear in the settings menu, browser, or even on the lock screen. To remove it:

• 📱 Xiaomi (MIUI 12.5): Go to Settings → About phone → MIUI version, tap 7 times on the firmware version to activate Advanced settings. Then in Settings → Advanced → Advertising turn off all toggle switches.
• 🤖 Samsung (One UI 3.1): In Settings → Notifications → Additional settings find the item Advertising notifications and deactivate it.
• 🔄 Realme/Oppo (ColorOS 11): Go in Settings → Privacy → Advertising services and disable Personalized advertising.

On some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro 2021) advertising may be tied to branded applications like Mi Browser or Security. They can either be disabled (Settings → Applications → Select an application → Disable), or replaced with alternatives from Google Play.

⚠️ Attention: On Huawei s EMUI 11 (2021) disabling advertising via The settings may be reset after the update. Check the settings after each firmware update.

2. Blocking push notifications from applications

Push advertising is pop-up notifications that arrive even when the application is closed. Most often they are sent by games (Candy Crush, Homescapes), stores (AliExpress, Wildberries) and services like Avito or Yandex.Market. To disable them:

1. Hold down the notification and select Disable notifications (Android 11+).
2. Or go to Settings → Applications → Manage applications → Select an application → Notifications and deactivate all toggle switches.

For mass shutdown:

3. In Settings → Notifications → Notification history enable history recording (if disabled).
4. Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Disable all for unnecessary applications.

On Android 12 (2021) appeared function Ground locationthat limits application access to geodata. This reduces the amount of targeted advertising. Activated in Settings → Privacy → Permissions → Location.

Disable notifications for each advertising app|Check notification history once a week|Use "Ground location" in Android 12|Delete apps that ignore settings-->

3. Using DNS to block ads

Changing DNS on a smartphone allows you to filter advertising traffic at the network level. This works for banners in browsers, apps, and even some system notifications. The best DNS for ad blocking in 2021:

DNS provider	Primary DNS	Alternative DNS	Features
AdGuard DNS	176.103.130.130	176.103.130.131	Blocks ads, trackers, phishing
Cloudflare Family	1.1.1.3	1.0.0.3	Filters malicious sites + advertising
NextDNS	45.90.28.167	45.90.30.167	Customizable filters (registration required)
CleanBrowsing	185.228.168.168	185.228.169.168	Blocks adult content + advertising

How to change DNS on Android 2021:

1. Go in Settings → Network and Internet → Private DNS.
2. Select Private hostname DNS and enter the address (for example dns.adguard.com for AdGuard).
3. Save and reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: Some banks and payment systems (for example, SberBank Online or Tinkoff) may block access when using third-party DNS. Before setting up, check the operation of critical applications.

On models with Android 11 from Samsung (One UI 3.1), the private DNS may be reset after the update. In this case, use the application DNS Changer from Google Play to fix the settings.

4. Ad blocking applications (without root)

If system methods do not help, you can install specialized applications. Relevant in 2021:

• 🛡️ Blokada 5 — blocks ads at the VPN level, does not require root. Works with Android 10+, but may conflict with banking applications.
• 🌐 AdGuard —offers local VPN and DNS filtering. There is a free version with restrictions.
• 🔍 NetGuard — controls application network traffic. You can manually block access to advertising domains.
• 📱 Personal DNS Filter is a simple tool for setting up DNS filters without a VPN.

Instructions for Blokada 5:

1. Download APK from official website (outdated) version). Google Play outdated version).
2. When you first start, allow the creation of a VPN connection.
3. In settings, select Block ads and activate protection.

For AdGuard:

1. Install the application from Google Play.
2. Go to "Settings" → "Filtering".
3. Activate "Ad Protection" and "DNS Filtering".
4. In the "DNS servers" section, select AdGuard DNS.

⚠️ Attention: VPN-based blocker applications (for example, Blokada) can interfere with Google Pay, SberBank Online other financial services. Before paying, disable the blocker.

5. Clearing the cache and data of advertising applications

Many applications (for example, Facebook, Instagram, AliExpress) save advertising modules in the cache. Regular cleaning helps reduce the number of impressions. How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Manage applications.
2. Select an application (for example, Google Play Store or Mi Browser).
3. Tap Storage → Clear cache i Clear data (attention: this will reset the application settings!).

For For automatic cleaning, use:

• 🧹 SD Maid — deletes unnecessary files, including the advertising cache.
• 🗑️ Files by Google — built-in cleaner from Google (free).
• 🔄 CCleaner — clears the cache and temporary files (caution: may delete useful data).

On Samsung Galaxy (One UI 3.1) has a built-in tool Device optimization (Settings → Device maintenance). It automatically finds and removes unnecessary files, including advertising cache.

Which applications most often display advertising?

According to a 2021 study, the leaders in the number of advertisements are:

1. Facebook (banners + videos)

2. Instagram (stories and feed)

3. AliExpress (push notifications)

4. Wildberries (pop-up windows)

5. Games from Playrix (Homescapes, Fishdom)

Clearing the cache of these applications gives the greatest effect.

6. Disabling Google's personalized advertising

Google collects data about your activities to provide targeted advertising. Disabling personalization reduces the amount of advertising in Google Search, YouTube and applications that use Google AdMob. How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Google → Advertising.
2. Activate the switch Disable personalized advertising.
3. Tap Reset advertising IDto delete existing data.

Additionally, you can limit data collection:

• 📍 V Settings → Google → Google account management → Data and personalization disable Location history i Activity in web search.
• 📊 In Settings → Applications → Google Play Store → Storage clear the cache and data.

On Android 12 a function has appeared Approximate locationthat limits application access to exact coordinates. This reduces the amount of geo-targeted advertising. Activated in the permission settings for each application separately.

⚠️ Attention: Disabling personalized advertising does not remove it completely - it just makes it less relevant. Advertising will still be shown, but based on less accurate data.

7. Removing pre-installed advertising applications (without root)

Many smartphones in 2021 (especially Xiaomi, Realme, Huaweicome with pre-installed applications that show advertisements. They cannot be removed using standard means, but you can disable or remove via ADB (without root access).

List of common "adware" applications:

• 📦 com.miui.analytics (analytics collection, Xiaomi)
• 📦 com.xiaomi.mipicks (theme store, displays advertising)
• 📦 com.heytap.browser (browser with advertising, Oppo/Realme)
• 📦 com.huawei.android.hsf (advertising service, Huawei)
• 📦 com.android.browser (standard browser with banners)

How to remove via ADB:

1. Install Android SDK Platform-Tools on PC.
2. Connect your smartphone via USB and activate Debugging USB (Settings → About phone → Build number - tap 7 times, then Settings → System → For developers).
3. Open the command line in the folder with platform-tools and enter:

adb devices
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.analytics

Replace com.miui.analytics with the package of the desired application.

⚠️ Attention: Removing system applications can lead to unstable operation of the smartphone. Before deleting, create a backup copy via Settings → System → Backup.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about removing ads on Android

🔹 Why does it appear again after disabling advertising in the settings appears?

Manufacturers like Xiaomi i Huawei reset advertising settings after updating the firmware. Check your settings Settings → Advanced → Advertising after each update. Also, advertising may return due to branded applications (for example Mi Browser or Security) - they need to be disabled separately.

🔹 Is it possible to remove advertising in games without root?

In most cases, no. Advertising in games (Candy Crush, Subway Surfers) is built into the application code itself. The only working methods:

• Buy a premium version of the game (if available).
• Use blockers like Blokada (doesn't always work).
• Install a modified version of the game (APK) with ads removed - but this breaks rules Google Play and may be unsafe.

🔹 Why do ad blockers not work in some applications?

Some applications (for example Facebook, Instagram, Tinkoff) use secure connections (HTTPS) and their own servers to display ads. Blockers at the DNS or VPN level cannot intercept them. In this case, only the following will help:

• Disabling personalized advertising in your account settings.
• Clearing the application cache.
• Using modified versions (not recommended).

🔹 How to remove advertising on the lock screen?

Advertising on the lock screen appears due to:

• Branded skins (MIUI, ColorOS - disabled in advertising settings).
• Applications like Glance (on Samsung) or Mi Wallpaper (on Xiaomi).
• Weather or news widgets (remove them from the lock screen).

On Samsung go to Settings → Lock screen → Widgets and disable unnecessary ones. On Xiaomi in Settings → Lock screen → Advanced deactivate Recommendations.

🔹 Is it safe to use ad blockers?

Most blockers (for example, AdGuard, Blokada) are safe if downloaded from official sources. Risks:

• Conflict with banking applications (due to VPN).
• Slowdown of the Internet (due to traffic filtering).
• False positives (blocking necessary sites).

Avoid little-known blockers from unverified sources - they may contain malicious code. Before installation, check the reviews on 4PDA or XDA Developers.