MSA on Xiaomi: what is this program and how to disable it

Not long ago, after my Xiaomi Redmi smartphone was updated to MIUI 11, I took care of removing all kinds of advertising, with which the shell is quite densely packed. During this struggle, I came across an interesting system service - msa . You can find it in the list of applications. You can find many opinions on the Internet, even to the point that this application is used to spy on the user’s actions by a Chinese corporation. Let's figure out together what kind of MSA program it is on Xiaomi, what role it plays and whether it is worth removing it or leaving it?!

What is MSA Xiaomi

The Chinese company Xiaomi has an unusual policy: manufacturers sell gadgets at minimal cost, while making virtually no profit. The income from sales is no more than 5% after deducting taxes.

Chinese manufacturers make their main profit from displaying annoying advertisements that gadget owners notice in system applications.

MSA injects advertisements into the browser and downloads. Thanks to this, people see ads that are based on search queries. The program is built into the official Global version of the device's firmware, and the Android version does not matter here.

There is another assumption that says that the program interacts with weather data and the device's wallpaper. For this reason, frequent updates require constant downloading of new files.

Purpose of the program

Despite the fact that one of the MIUI developers recently answered in MICommunity what MSA is exactly for, we will give examples of all the variants of assumptions and theories, since official sources are not always ready to provide real information about the current state of affairs. And you will have to choose which of this to believe.

It all started with a lengthy essay on the topic of MSA on Habr a couple of years ago, and it said that the first thing after connecting the Redmi 3S smartphone to the Internet, it downloads the AnalyticsCore.apk file, after which the MSA application begins transmitting data over an encrypted channel to the manufacturer's servers. This is where the fantasy played out - it was assumed that Xiaomi “leaks” personal data to its own storage facilities. It’s not that the concept itself is new - this is how any search engine, Windows or, for example, Iphone works, but the aftertaste remained.

The second theory appeared after meticulous digging inside the application itself. Analysis of the transmitted information, icons and other indirect evidence showed that this process interacts with the user’s Internet surfing and loads advertising into the browser. Therefore, all your data was needed rather for the correct compilation of the suggest feed in the browser (which is indeed compiled very accurately according to your requests) and the delivery of useful contextual advertising for you.

They seemed to agree on this, however, at the end of 2022, it was the MSA application that suddenly “glitched”, ceasing to be updated on most of the company’s smartphones. It was then that there was a real boom in conspiracy theories on the MiCommunity forums, and the company issued the first official response in many years through a moderator.

The message says that MSA is an application that works with your system's wallpaper. MIUI wallpapers are dynamic and changing, and therefore it is clear which files are periodically pumped into the system.

Important! The wallpaper application is also connected to the weather application, so this data is also “pumped” through MSA.

The emergence of MSA Xiaomi

On earlier models, MSA firmware was installed on the device after several updates. Today, the application is natively present in the phone system. Therefore, all Chinese Xiaomi smartphones come to the market with the installed program.

The main inconvenience and problem is the financial cost. In order for an application to work stably on a smartphone, it must send and receive small system files. However, mobile operators take this traffic into account, which is why its consumption gradually increases.

If the system is updated in the home region, then this is not so critical. But in roaming, such file transfer significantly increases the cost of mobile Internet.

Eventually…

We have to admit that the best possible solution is to simply accept the fact that smartphones, like many other devices, are now capable of monitoring your life. At a minimum, Internet queries are available to most IT corporations. And yes, all this is presented as an excellent tool for the development of surfing and advertising, but in reality no one knows how exactly your confidential information is used.

Those who like to delve into their smartphone settings often come across the MSA application. Why is this application installed on Xiaomi, what is it responsible for and can it be removed? Let's try to answer these questions.

Content

Blocking methods

Initially, you should try to limit all actions through permissions.

You can uninstall MSA on Xiaomi like any other application. However, to do this you need to have root rights. After receiving them, you need to download any application designed to remove system files. Play Market offers a huge variety of them. Users often choose Uninstall Expert.

QR Code

Uninstall Expert

Developer: Sagittarius Developer

Price: Free

You should find the MSA through this application. To check whether the action was performed correctly, you need to go to the applications through the settings and type “msa” in the search bar. If the results of the search query did not return anything, then the deletion was performed.

Instead of deleting, you can freeze the component using Titanium Backup (root is also required).

QR Code

Titanium Backup (root needed)

Developer: Titanium Track

Price: Free

The application can also be removed by disabling the Mi account. To do this, disable synchronization with the cloud from the device menu. After this action, the basic information will be stored on the smartphone without interacting with the Network. However, the program can still accept files from the Internet.

Methods to combat MSA

Let’s say right away that it is impossible to completely disable MSA without consequences for the smartphone; there are no ultimate solutions. The application is tied to cosmetic functions, which is why you will immediately notice problems with operation. And it’s simply very difficult to somehow interfere with the work of MSA, because MIUI is an extremely closed ecosystem. But options exist. They will require unofficial firmware, unlocking the smartphone and obtaining root access.

The easiest way to solve the essence of the problem (sending personal data) is to completely block the Mi account. This can be done from the smartphone menu by disabling all synchronization of the smartphone with the cloud. Now your basic information is stored on your smartphone and is not transferred to the Internet - however, MSA may well continue to work.

A difficult method is to manually block all addresses to which your information is sent. To do this, the user needs to get root rights and install the Titanium Backup application on their phone, which clearly shows where the traffic goes. In this case, you should go to /etc/hosts on your smartphone, open the “hosts” file and fill it with new addresses yourself. At the same time, you must clearly understand what are normal system applications and what are suspicious addresses. All this is very similar to Roskomnadzor’s fight against Telegram, and therefore this action is extremely ineffective, because new addresses are generated automatically.

Is it possible to delete

Users are afraid to remove the system program because they believe that such an action will negatively affect the operation of the device. But numerous tests and reviews on the 4pda forum indicate that no changes were observed regarding the operation of the devices.

The main disadvantage of the Android system is that it is crammed with applications that are difficult to disable or remove from the phone. But MSA will not prevent the owner of the device from fully using it, unless the issue, of course, concerns the cost of mobile traffic.

How to disable MSA

Since MSA is a system application, there is a risk that deleting it will cause problems with the phone. In addition, if you have not previously worked with superuser rights, then the easiest way is to disable the application.

1. From the Home screen, select the Security app.
2. Open Data Transfer, then Network Connections.
3. Next, call “Background connections”, then click on the ellipsis on the right side of the screen.
4. A window with a list of applications will open. Find MSA in it and opposite the program icon, move the slider to the inactive position.

After this, restart your smartphone, and annoying ads will no longer pop up while viewing content.

In general, it is impossible to say for sure whether deleting the MSA program will harm the operation of the smartphone. Some users claim that after this the phone began to periodically generate errors. Others note that no changes occurred after removal. Therefore, the best option would be to disable MSA. If you want to save memory space, then uninstall the software, but to do this you will need to have root rights.

List of standard applications

To remove pre-installed MIUI applications, you must first find out which of them can be safely removed and which ones will negatively affect the stability of the operating system.

Here are two lists with programs: those that can be safely removed from the system, and those that are best left untouched.

Which system applications can be removed on Xiaomi:

• Analytics . It must be destroyed first of all, since it is responsible for displaying advertising and monitoring the use of the phone.
• Mi Browser . The same standard browser that no one uses. MIUI will not lose anything by removing it.
• BugReport and Whetstone . Error reporting utility. It takes up space and, in addition, constantly hangs in the background, which negatively affects performance.
• Calculator and Calendar . If you use more functional analogues from other developers, these can be safely removed.
• CellBroadcastReceiver . Emergency notification system in the country. Works only in Asian countries. In other regions the utility is useless.
• DuoDuo . Useless and glitchy video chat from Google.
• Email : Standard email application. Completely useless, since Gmail is much more functional and pleasant.
• Facebook App Installer, Facebook App Manager, Facebook Services . All Facebook services just take up space. The funny thing is that the client of this social network works perfectly even without them.
• Games (Mi App Store or GetApps) . This is a game and application store from Xiaomi. It is found most often in firmware for the Chinese region. Useless as there are much more interesting things on Google Play. You can delete the game application painlessly.
• Google Play Music . If you don't have a Google music subscription, you can delete it from your phone, as it just takes up space. The performance of the system will not be affected in any way.
• Google Play Movies . The same situation as in the case of Google music.
• Google Maps . If you use Yandex Maps, Navitel or another analogue, Google maps can be uninstalled.
• GoogleFeedBack . Another tool for collecting information about application operation. It also constantly hangs in the background and consumes resources.
• Joyose . An entertainment service for residents of the Middle Kingdom. In our latitudes it is completely useless.
• Mi Link Service . Used to quickly exchange files between two MIUI smartphones. Can be uninstalled if not used.
• Mi Video . A video player that is part of MIUI. If there is a third-party player, then this one must be removed.
• M.S.A. _ Another hidden utility responsible for displaying advertisements. Subject to immediate determination.
• PrintSpooler , CloudPrint and FingerprintService . A set of tools for direct printing from a smartphone. They are not an important part of the OS.
• StepsProvider . Addition to the standard MIUI pedometer. Significantly affects the speed of the smartphone in a negative way.
• Stk . A tool for using additional functions of a cellular operator. Can be removed.
• Services & Feedback . Communication service with support service.
• Updater . Automatic update search utility. Delete if you check for new versions of MIUI manually. You can find out about the release of new firmware at miuirom.org.
• Weather . A standard weather application, which is significantly inferior in functionality to its counterparts from Google Play.

These applications cannot be removed from MIUI:

• AccountAndSyncSettings . A necessary utility for synchronizing with a Google account. Without it, MIUI cannot work.
• ApplicationsProvider . A necessary component for installing and uninstalling programs.
• BackupRestoreConfirmation . Responsible for creating backups, restoring the system and resetting to factory settings.
• BadgeProvider . Required for SMS and E-mail to work.
• BestGroupPose . Addition for stock camera. Without it, the camera application will not function, even if you install the Camera2 API.
• BluetoothAvrcp . The component is necessary for the operation of Bluetooth profiles (AVRCP, HID, etc.).
• BluetoothOpp . A utility for transferring files between devices via Bluetooth.
• BluetoothServices . Basic Bluetooth service.
• Google services . Without these services, applications linked to Google Play cannot work.

If you are ready to add to the list of Xiaomi applications that can be removed, write your opinion in the comments.

Disable personalized advertising

As you know, MIUI may collect information about you for personalized advertising targeting. Let's also get rid of this feature.

Do the following:

1. Go to your phone's settings;
2. Next, select “Privacy”;
3. Then tap on “Advertising”;
4. Activate the “Disable ad personalization” option and confirm to disable it.

Next, do the following:

1. Return to "Settings";
2. Select "Passwords and Security";
3. Click on "Privacy";
4. Tap on “Advertising Services”;
5. Once you enter this menu, disable the “Personalized Advertising” option.

Method No. 2. Using the Settings Menu

This method will help out if the option with “hot keys” for some reason did not work. Here you will have to delve into the depths of the device settings. But it’s impossible to get confused there, because everything is extremely simple and intuitive.

1. Click the “Settings” icon on the smartphone’s desktop.
2. Go to the “System and Device” block and click on the “Lock and Protection” item.
3. Here we select “Advanced settings”.
4. Look for the “Pocket Mode” item and move the slider to the “Off” position.
5. We try to close the speaker of the smartphone.

This option will definitely work on any type of device. And the MIUI version does not matter, because this algorithm is standard. After completing all the steps, you don’t even need to restart the device.

Disable recommendations in the Security app

To turn off recommendations in the Security app, do the following:

1. Launch the "Security" application;
2. At the top right, click on the gear;
3. Scroll the page that opens to the very bottom;
4. Deactivate the “Receive recommendations” option here.

Next, return to “Security” again, and here click on the “Cleaning” item. Scroll to the bottom of the page, find the “Receive recommendations” item here and also deactivate it.

Fixing the MSA error that occurred again

Now let's move on to how to fix the "The msa application has encountered another error" error that is preventing the application from running smoothly. In particular, it is present in the Google Chrome application, as well as in other applications of this developer. There are times when the error affects other programs. To get rid of the problem, select the application icon on the screen that you are having problems with.

1. Select the “Cleaning” item. To do this, press and hold on the application shortcut
2. In the modal window that appears, select “Uninstall updates”
3. We confirm the removal of the latest version

An alternative method is to remove it via Google Play. In your personal account, find the program and select “Roll back changes” or “Delete completely.”

Basic MSA values

The following image shows the most commonly used MSA values. You can burn the image file as a PNG for offline use or send it to your friends via email. If you are a webmaster of a non-profit website, please feel free to post an image of the MSA definitions on your website.

How to fix update error

Google products have already found a solution to this global error, which has led to the failure of many user devices in different countries. The company quickly created new stable versions of several applications. Therefore, you will have to go to the store to install a "micropatch".

1. Go to your profile in the Play Market
2. Select "Applications" from the list on the left
3. There are tabs at the top. We need "Updates"
4. We look for the application and click “Update”
5. Also immediately in the list at the top we see “Android System WebView”. You also need to click on it.
6. We wait for the end of the process and complete the task.

Making initial phone settings

Disable

vibration response and unnecessary sounds in settings (Sound and vibration)

Desktop and Recents

— disable the “Widget Feed” (a separate screen with not very useful widgets from Xiaomi. The situation could be changed by the ability to use any widgets installed in the system.

In the Blocking and protection

Add a graphic (digital key), fingerprints and facial data (for automatic face unlocking)

Advanced settings

— On the locked screen — Hide the contents of notifications, turn on the “In Pocket” mode

Play Store

— Settings — Auto-update applications — Never (Now not a single installed application will update itself)

Advanced settings

— Access to personal data (disable all unnecessary applications)

Seeing

Immediately disable (limit) notifications from annoying applications

For some programs, you can only disable the display of the notification counter on the application icon, i.e. Notifications will appear in the curtain, but we won’t see any numbers on the icon. This can be true for absolutely any application that often reminds you of updates, regular promotions and other unimportant information.

And, conversely, we enable pop-up notifications with full-screen expansion from applications that you actively use, in my case these are Microsoft Outlook and the messengers Whatsapp and Viber. By the way, Whatsapp has its own settings for pop-up notifications that allow you to turn on the smartphone screen even if it is turned off - this is convenient when the smartphone is nearby most of the time, for example, on some kind of stand or wireless charger on the table.