How to Turn Off Ads and Recommendations in HyperOS System Apps

HyperOS shows recommendation cards in Security, Cleaner, Browser, Themes and sometimes in home-screen folders. You can hide most of them by turning off Personalized ad recommendations in Ad services and switching off Receive recommendations in each app. This uses only official Settings, takes about seven minutes, and is reversible. Disabling the apps or uninstalling them with ADB is not needed and can break updates on HyperOS 3 and 3.1.

What does not work is clearing cache for Security once or turning off recommendations in only one place. Each system app keeps its own flag, so you need to change the main Ad services switch plus the per-app switches. The steps below do that without changing region or Developer options. Check Settings → About phone → OS version to confirm you are on HyperOS and not MIUI.

Why HyperOS shows recommendations after an update

HyperOS keeps a set of system recommendation flags that are enabled by default after a major OTA. On Global and India builds, Security, Cleaner, Browser and Themes each show a Receive recommendations or Show ads switch. On EEA builds, fewer switches are visible because the regulation already disables some slots — a missing toggle there means that slot is already off, not that you need to find it elsewhere.

The recommendations are delivered by the system component MSA (MIUI System Ads) and by each app’s own setting. MSA controls delivery, while the per-app switches control display. Turning off only MSA may hide some cards, but cards can reappear if an app’s own switch stays on. Changing the main Ad services toggle tells the system not to personalize ads for this device, which reduces targeting. Together, these three layers — Ad services, MSA authorization, and per-app switches — determine what you see.

A common misunderstanding is that ads are part of Android itself. They are not. HyperOS adds the recommendation layer on top of Android, which is why the same Xiaomi Account shows more cards on HyperOS than on stock Android. The toggles below control only the HyperOS layer; ads inside websites or YouTube remain and need a different solution.

Turn off personalized recommendations

Use only the official paths. No ADB or unknown-source toggle is needed, and you should not change region to find more options.

Leave system Battery saver on and keep Find device on — neither affects recommendations. Start with the main Ad services switch so personalization is reduced device-wide, then handle the per-app rows.

1. Open Settings → Passwords & security → Privacy → Ad services and turn Off Personalized ad recommendations. On a few builds this is labeled Personalized ads. The switch is per device and survives a reboot.

2. In the same Privacy screen you can also turn off Join user experience program if you prefer less diagnostic sharing. This is optional and does not affect security updates or the other recommendation flags.

3. Go to Settings → Apps → Manage apps → Show system apps (tap the three dots or filter), search MSA, open it and tap Revoke authorization. If you later see an error in Themes or Security about MSA, re-authorize it and keep the per-app switches Off — they still hide most cards without revoking.

4. Open Security → Settings (gear icon) → Receive recommendations → Off. On HyperOS 3.1 the same row may appear as Show recommendations — same control.

5. Open Cleaner → Settings → Receive recommendations → Off. On some builds Cleaner has no separate gear and the toggle is inside Security → Cleaner → Settings.

Turn off the same switch inside each app

Each system app keeps its own recommendation flag that overrides the main switch for its own screen. Change them one by one so you can see which screen improves.

Open Browser → Settings → Privacy & security → Personalized recommendations → Off. On Global builds this may appear as Show recommendations inside Browser.

Open Themes → Profile icon → Settings → Show ads → Off. The row is near the bottom of Themes settings. If you cannot find it, search Settings for Show ads.

For home-screen folders, long-press a folder title on the home screen. If you see Promoted apps → Off, switch it Off. This toggle varies by region and launcher version — if it is missing, your folder already shows only installed apps and no further step is needed.

After changing the three apps, restart the launcher once: Settings → Apps → Manage apps → System Launcher → Force stop. This redraws the home screen without your layout. Lock and unlock the phone and open Security → Cleaner — no card titled Recommended should appear after 30 seconds on Wi-Fi.

If recommendations still appear

If a card still shows after the toggles, the remaining slot is likely tied to GetApps or App Vault, which we cover in separate guides. Do not clear all app data or factory reset for this — it restores defaults and re-enables recommendations.

• GetApps promoted apps. Open GetApps → Profile → Settings → Recommendations → Off. GetApps has its own flag that is not changed by Security.

• App Vault still shows trending. Keep App Vault On but open App Vault → Settings → Receive recommendations → Off — see the App Vault guide for the same path.

• India vs Global difference. If a toggle is missing on your phone, especially on EEA, that placement is already disabled by regulation. No further action is needed; the card you see may be from a different app that still has its toggle On.

Device and version differences

HyperOS 3 and 3.1 keep the same three layers — Ad services, MSA and per-app — but the label differs slightly. The table shows the confirmed variation; we do not invent a missing toggle.

HyperOS 3.1 on Android 16 keeps the same toggles. If your build shows no Personalized ad recommendations, the system already disables personalization for your region.

Do not switch region to find more toggles. Region changes do not create new controls and can delay future OTAs. Keep your purchased region and check the toggle names above.