What is MSA in MIUI and how to remove ads in Xiaomi phones

From the outset, Xiaomi phones come preinstalled with a unique MIUI user interface on top of the Android OS. The latest Xiaomi phones now come with HyperOS, a refined version of MIUI, to provide a seamless user experience across all devices in the ecosystem, including phones, smart home devices, and even automobiles. 

Even if a new device, such as the Redmi Note 13 series, comes with the MIUI user interface, these devices will soon receive the HyperOS upgrade. While a wide range of Xiaomi devices will receive the latest software upgrade, older models, such as the Redmi 10 series and older, the Redmi Note 10 series or prior, the Poco X3 series, and so on, will continue to run on MIUI until the end of their lives. 

ALSO READ: Check which Xiaomi phones will be eligible for HyperOS update

One of the annoying things about MIUI is that it shows system-level advertisements, which can negatively impact your user experience. Ads may help Xiaomi offer its devices at reasonable prices, however, when they become intrusive and show up on system apps, such as the file manager, the security app, the themes app, and others, you may want to disable them. But how?

These system ads come from the MIUI System Ads (MSA) component within the operating system. If you can disable it, you can pretty much disable ads in Xiaomi phones. Here’s how you can do that.

How to remove ads from Xiaomi phones running MIUI

Here is how you can disable MSA on Xiaomi phones running on MIUI:

Revoke MSA authorisation:

Start by going to “Settings” and navigate to “Password & Security.” Tap on “Authorisation & Revocation” and locate “MSA.” 

Turn it off using the toggle. After a few seconds, the “Revoke” option will appear. Tap it to confirm.

Disable ads in individual apps:

Open system apps, such as Mi Music, Mi Video, File Manager, Themes, etc. Within each app, you need to tap on “Settings” or “Preferences.” Look for options like “Recommendations” or “Receive recommendations” and toggle them off.

Disable personalised ad recommendations:

Navigate to “Settings” > “Passwords & Security” > “Privacy.” Scroll down and look for “Ad Services.” Disable the “Personalised ad recommendations” toggle.

Turn off promoted apps:

Some folders, such as “Tools” or “More apps” may show some bothersome promoted ads. To disable it, users can perform the following steps:

Open the “Tools” or “More apps” folder. Tap on the folder and it will show a toggle for “Today’s Recommendations.” Use the toggle to turn off the promoted apps.

The above steps may vary depending on the Xiaomi phone and the MIUI version. There is a possibility that some ads may continue to show despite disabling them. To block some persistent ads, you may try installing a reputable adblocker with good reviews.

ALSO READ: Xiaomi to Samsung: 10 high-performance Android phones to buy today

However, what’s certain is that the above steps will help in significantly reducing the ads that appear within MIUI. Remember that removing system-level ads might affect Xiaomi’s revenue model, so if you enjoy your Xiaomi device, consider leaving some forms of non-intrusive advertising enabled.