[No Root Solved] How to block ads on Xiaomi MIUI system apps?

By Shekhar Sahu on 27 May 2018 4:37 PM

, , , ,



Has your MI phone become bloated with ads recently? Do you think it's annoying? You are not alone.

After the MIUI 8 global ROM update, we have seen ads getting displayed on MI apps such as File Manager, Music, MI Apps Store, etc. The company says this is because they want to make some money which goes to the hardworking developers. But we haven't got the phone for free per se, we have already paid for it. While it's always ok to make some more money but not at the expense of user experience. Getting popup ads all the time is very annoying and there seems to be no option for turning them off. Also, the MIUI Apps manager shows app suggestions (promoted apps) in the notification bar. Clearing the notification bar takes a second but someone like I want his/her phone to be clutter-free, to begin with. If you are someone like me then sit tight and continue reading for the solutions.


Many forums are flooded with these posts and the users are asking ways to disable the ads and uninstall the Chinese apps. Since these apps are system applications you cannot delete or uninstall the apps. So selecting the application and dragging it the to uninstall button on top is out of the question.


How do I uninstall the system apps?
A normal user cannot uninstall the system apps one requires to have root access or root privileges to uninstall them. This is also called unlocking the android phone, or jailbreaking in the case of the iPhone. In this way, you can get rid of the system apps showing adware and install the native applications for alternate third-party applications for the same purposes. Rooting or unlocking the phone is outside the scope of this blog post.

Solution
So isn't there any way to disable the MI ads and app suggestions without rooting?
As a matter of fact, there are some ways. Some developers have created applications to block certain apps. But we can go some simpler ways. 

Use a Network Firewall
This is using a Firewall on your phone. A firewall is an important security aspect that many of the common smartphone or desktop/laptop users neglect. A firewall is network software that controls the uses and access of inbound and outbound internet activity. It has the right and privilege to allow and block applications from accessing the internet.

We can use it to our advantage we are going to block all the applications which are full of ads like MI Music, Video apps, File Manager, etc. I also got to know that apps naming msa and systemAdSoution are responsible for fetching the ad contents from the servers. You must block them once you see these apps making internet requests in the firewall.


We are going to use a free Firewall called NoRoot Firewall. This application is easy to use and like the name suggests doesn't require root access.


1. Download the NoRootFirewall app from google play store

2. Open no root firewall and start the VPN. It says it doesn't connect to an actual VPN but creates a dummy VPN and all application request packets are passed through it. 

3. You can now choose to enable and disable the applications from accessing the internet.
Since no adware app will now be able to access the internet they will have no way to show you ads.
Make sure you deny internet access to the following apps:
  • msa
  • systemAdSolution
  • File Explorer




4. Also, block the MIUI Apps store in the firewall so it will not show you app suggestions in the notification bar. Google app store will be sufficient for you.



I hope Xiaomi Removes the ads or at least provides the free or paid it provides an opt-out option to its users.

Did this work for you? Let me know if you know any other way to disable the ads.

0 comments for this post

Post a Comment

A comment a day keeps the Doctor Away.

Top