How to remove ads in Xiaomi phones with MIUI

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

Why is Xiaomi putting ads on MIUI?

Kris Carlon / Android Authority

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 forever cap hardware profit margins at 5%. 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 there are some things you can do to minimize the presence of ads (if not 100% eliminate them).

Also read: Why Xiaomi phones have ads, or the tricky business of balancing ads and usability

QUICK ANSWER

You can mostly remove ads from Xiaomi phones by disabling the MSA app. Go to Settings > Additional Settings > Authorization & revocation. Find MSA and toggle it off. Just keep in mind this will only remove system ads. You'll need to turn off ads from other services and Xiaomi apps to clean up your overall experience.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

Remove ads disabling 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.

  • Open the Settings app.
  • Go to Additional Settings.
  • Select Authorization & revocation.
  • Find MSA and toggle it off.

    • Remove ads in Xiaomi GetApps Store

    Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority

  • Go into the Settings app.
  • Select Passwords & security.
  • Hit Authorization & revocation.
  • Find GetApps and toggle it off.

    • Related: Xiaomi Buyer’s guide

    Disable personal ad recommendations

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

  • Open the Settings app.
  • Go to Additional Settings.
  • Select Privacy.
  • Hit Ad services.
  • Toggle off Personalized ad recommendations.

    • Disable ads in Mi Security

  • Open the Mi Security app.
  • Find the cog icon on the top-right corner and tap on it.
  • Toggle off Receive recommendations.
  • Go back to the app’s settings.
  • Select Cleaner.
  • Toggle off Receive recommendations.

    • Also: Things we want to see from Xiaomi in 2022

    Disable ads in Mi Browser

  • Open the Mi Browser app.
  • Tap on the hamburger menu button in the bottom-right corner.
  • Select Settings.
  • Hit Privacy & security.
  • Toggle off Personalized services.

    • Disable ads in Mi Music

  • Open the Mi Music app.
  • Tap on the hamburger menu button in the top-left corner.
  • Select Settings.
  • Select Advanced settings.
  • Toggle off Receive recommendations.

    • More: Is Xiaomi’s smart home tech worth considering?

    Disable ads in Mi Video

  • Open the Mi Video app.
  • Open the Account menu.
  • Select Settings.
  • Toggle off Online Recommendations.
  • Toggle off Push notifications.

    • Disable ads in Mi File Manager

  • Open the Mi File Manager app.
  • Tap on the hamburger menu button in the top-left corner.
  • Select Settings.
  • Select About.
  • Toggle off Recommendations.

    • Also read: Xiaomi Mi Band buyer’s guide

    Disable ads in Downloads

  • Open the Downloads app.
  • Tap on the hamburger menu button in the top-left corner.
  • Select Settings.
  • Toggle off Show recommended content.

    • Disable ads in folders

  • Tap on the folder you want to disable ads for.
  • Tap on the folder name, as if you were going to change the name.
  • A Promoted apps section will show up. Toggle it off.

    • Disable ads in MIUI Themes

  • Open the MIUI Themes app.
  • Open the My page menu.
  • Select Settings.
  • Toggle off Recommendations.

    • FAQs

    Does MIUI 13 have ads too?

    MIUI has long been criticized for its unreasonable amount of ads. MIUI 13, the latest version based on Android 12, still has ads. That said, the company has decided to cut back on ads, and the new experience should be much cleaner.

    Does Xiaomi offer phones without MIUI?

    While rare, some Xiaomi devices come without MIUI. Android Onse devices, including the Xiaomi Mi A1, A2, and A3, are the most notable ones. Additionally, the side brand Black Shark has phones with no MIUI skins.

    Can I uninstall Xiaomi apps?

    Most of the apps with ads are those Xiaomi has built into its software. We can understand why you might want to get rid of them. The sad news is you can’t really uninstall Xiaomi apps, but you can disable them.

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