How to remove ads in Xiaomi phones with MIUI

Xiaomi‘s decision to push ads to its user interface came as an annoying surprise in 2018. Considering how Xiaomi holds nearly 11% of the global smartphone market share, and most of its devices run MIUI, we know this affected many of you.

Don’t worry; we are here to help you remove these pesky ads from your Xiaomi devices.

Why is Xiaomi putting ads on MIUI?

Much like Google and Amazon, Xiaomi doesn’t consider itself a hardware manufacturer, but an internet company that happens to make hardware. The company has promised to cap hardware profit margins at 5% forever. This means (similar to the other tech giants) Xiaomi needs to make money in different ways. One of them is offering add-ons, extra services, and gaining revenue through ads.

You may or may not believe in Xiaomi’s structure, but the company’s low prices are very welcomed. Amazon has been taking a similar approach with its business model, but it also offers versions of its products with no ads for a higher price. Meanwhile, there is no way to get a Xiaomi phone with no ads, even if you want to pay more for it. Thankfully, you can do some things to minimize the presence of ads (if not 100% eliminate them).

Editor’s note: These steps were assembled using a Xiaomi 11T Pro running Android 13 and MIUI 14. Remember that some of these steps may differ depending on your hardware and software.

Remove ads disabling the MSA app

MSA stands for “MIUI System Ads,” and it should come as no surprise that killing this app will solve many of your issues.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Passwords & security.
3. Select Authorization & revocation.
4. Find MSA and toggle it off.
5. Wait a few seconds and then confirm by hitting Revoke.

Disable personal ad recommendations

Disabling personal ad recommendations will ensure Xiaomi is not tapping into your usage habits and data. It will not, however, remove ads on Xiaomi phones.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Passwords & security.
3. Select Privacy.
4. Hit Ad services.
5. Toggle off Personalized ad recommendations.

Disable ads in Security

1. Open the Security app.
2. Find the cog icon in the top-right corner and tap on it.
3. Toggle off Receive recommendations.
4. Select Cleaner.
5. Toggle off Receive recommendations.

Disable ads in Mi Browser

1. Open the Mi Browser app.
2. Tap on the profile icon in the bottom-right corner.
3. Select the Settings gear icon.
4. Hit Privacy & security.
5. Toggle off Personalized services.

Disable ads in Music

1. Open Xiaomi’s Music app.
2. Tap on the menu button in the top-left corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Select Advanced settings.
5. Toggle off Show ads.

Disable ads in File Manager

1. Open the Mi File Manager app.
2. Tap on the hamburger menu button in the top-left corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Select About.
5. Toggle off Recommendations.

Disable ads in Downloads

1. Open the Downloads app.
2. Tap on the three-dot menu button in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Toggle off Show recommended content.

Disable ads in Themes

1. Open the Themes app.
2. Tap on My account in the bottom-right corner.
3. Hit the Settings gear icon.
4. Toggle off Personalized recommendations and Show ads.

FAQs

Are you tired of manufacturer user interfaces? Maybe you need one of the best phones with a near-stock Android experience. You should also look at our list of the best budget phones, just in case you need an alternative with Xiaomi prices.