Xiaomi working on a solution for pesky MIUI ads (Update: Xiaomi confirmation)

Update, September 5, 2019 (10:35 AM ET): The information in the article below about MIUI Ads was based on a third-party source. Now, Android Authority has direct confirmation from a Xiaomi representative that the ability for users to switch off certain MIUI ads is coming.

Check out the confirmation below:

[Xiaomi] can confirm that [the ad switch] is being tested. MIUI in China will be rolling out an update with an option to switch off display ads with MIUI 9.8.29. This will affect system apps (such as Calendar, installer, Download manager, etc.). As for a rollout timeline, I’m afraid there isn’t any that I can share at this point.

The original article below gives more clarity on the situation.

Original article, September 5, 2019 (03:34 AM ET): Xiaomi users have had a beef with MIUI ads for the longest time. Xiaomi’s custom UI sitting over Android is stuffed with ads, be it in home screen widgets or system apps such as calendar, weather, video, settings, etc. The problem got worse with the release of MIUI 10, especially for users in India.

Despite customer backlash, Xiaomi insisted that ads are an integral part of its business model and are here to stay. It seems like the company has now had a change of heart and is finally ready to address customer grievances.

As reported by ITHome.com (via Weibo), a Xiaomi product director and MIUI experience head has announced that users will soon be able to opt-out of MIUI ads. The company is testing an “Ad Switch” in MIUI to turn off all MIUI system tool ads with a single toggle.

The feature can be found in Settings > Privacy Agreement, etc > System tool Advertising. It is currently rolling out to some MIUI Beta users in China with the last development version of MIUI 10. Xiaomi will test it further before rolling it out to the rest of the world.

The smartphone maker has promised that the MIUI ad switch will be distributed to all supported models with the next big stable update, possibly MIUI 11. The new build is expected to launch alongside the Mi Mix 4 on September 24.

The Weibo post further explains that Xiaomi started a “comprehensive rectification” of MIUI ads three months ago. The company is also introducing a less cluttered experience in its own browser. This can be accessed through advanced settings in the latest version of the browser.

We’ve reached out to Xiaomi to confirm these developments and get a better sense of when the global rollout of the feature is expected. We will update this article when we know more on the subject.