Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where a annoying news feed pops up when opening a browser or even on the lock screen. This feature, designed to inform the user, in practice often turns into a source of annoyance, consuming traffic and distracting from basic tasks. MIUI and the new HyperOS by default offer many personalized services that not everyone needs.
Fortunately, the developers have left the option of flexible interface configuration. You can completely get rid of advertising blocks, card widgets and Yandex or Google Discover news feed. The deactivation process does not require root rights, but requires care, since the settings are scattered across different menu sections. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to clean the interface from information noise.
Before we start to make changes, it’s worth noting that menu item names may vary slightly depending on the operating system version. However, the logic of the work remains the same throughout the Xiaomi ecosystem. We’ll look at both standard methods through settings and deeper ways to disable system components.
Removing News Feed in Mi Browser
Most often, users notice news in the standard Mi Browser browser, which is an integrated application that immediately shows a “card” with the top of the day when it launches, and to return a clean start page, you need to change the settings of the display of the main page of the application.
First, start your browser and go to the menu by clicking on three bars or dots at the bottom of the screen, and you'll find the settings section, which is usually hidden in the General or Main tab, and that's where the switch that displays the news stream is hidden.
⚠️ Note: Some firmware versions may call the option "Show news" or "Recommendment Tape."Look for any item related to content, not security or downloads.
Once you turn off the news feed, the browser interface will become minimalist, displaying only the search bar and frequently visited sites. This will significantly speed up the loading of the start page and remove visual noise. If you don’t like the standard browser, you can always install an alternative, for example, Chrome or Firefox.
- 📱 Open the Mi Browser and click on the menu in the bottom corner.
- ⚙️ Go to the Settings section → Mainstream.
- 🚫 Find the “Show news” switch and turn it to the “Off” position».
- 🔄 Check the result by returning to the browser start screen.
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If you use the Yandex browser, the setting is on the menu path → Settings → Ribbon settings → Show Zen tape (turn off).
It is important to understand that updating the browser application can return the default settings, so after a major system update, it is worth checking this item again to make sure that personalization is not turned on again.
Disabling the widget "Card" (Yandex) on the desktop
The second place where news is most likely to appear is on the left side of the desktop, known as Card or Google Discover depending on the region. On CIS devices, integration with Yandex services is activated by default, and this area contains weather widgets, currency rates and news feeds.
To turn off this element, you don't have to delete the apps. Just stop displaying this screen. To do this, pinch two fingers over an empty space on your desktop to open edit mode. In the menu that appears, find the Add button or widget settings.
In the options list that opens, you'll see a Card or Google Discover switch, which will remove the left swipe from the news, and the desktop screens will become cyclical or end on the first page, which many users find more convenient.
It's worth noting that some global firmware versions may call this feature differently. If you didn't find the switch right away, look for the Desktop Editing Menu section, which often hides the system widget settings.
- 🖐️ Make a pinch on the desktop to enter the editing mode.
- 🔍 Click on the "Add" button or gear icon.
- 📉 Find the "Card" or "Yandex" item and turn it off.
- ✅ Click on “Ready” or the back arrow to save the changes.
Once these steps are done, the swipe left will stop calling the news feed, which frees up RAM resources, as the background feed refresh processes will no longer be active all the time.
Setting up the lock screen and wallpaper with a carousel
One of the most intrusive features is the Glance, which changes the wallpaper on the lock screen and shows the news, ads and articles in between, which many users confuse with the usual change of topic, but the carousel is the source of a constant flow of information.
To disable this feature, you need to go to the lock settings. The path may differ: Settings → Lock screen or Settings → Wallpaper and personalization → Wallpaper carousel. In this section, you need to find the "Enable wallpaper carousel" switch and deactivate it.
⚠️ Attention: After the carousel is turned off, your lock wallpaper may become static. If you want to just change the picture, do it in the Wallpaper section, not including the carousel.
It’s also worth checking the theme settings. If you’re using a third-party theme from MIUI Themes, it may have its own widget display settings on the lock screen, in which case disabling the system merry-go-round might not remove all elements at once.
| Interface element | Where to turn off | Effects of consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Lock screen | Static picture, no advertising |
| Card widget | Desktop editor | The left screen with news disappears |
| Browser tape | Mi Browser settings | Clean start page |
| Notifications to MSA | Settings → Passwords and security | Fewer push notifications |
Turning off the carousel is an important step to boost autonomy: constantly downloading new images and texts consumes battery power and Internet traffic, even when the screen is off.
Disabling Advertising Recommendations in the System (MSA)
Xiaomi's system-based applications display ads and recommendations in MSA (MIUI System Ads), which, while it's hard to remove completely without root rights, can be banned from displaying ads, reducing pop-ups and intrusive offers.
Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to Personal Data. In the list, find the msa app. Turn off the switch and wait 10 seconds until the "Disable" button is active. Confirm the action.
☑️ Checking advertising settings
It’s also worth disabling Getting Recommendations in the general settings. Path: Settings → Passwords & Security → Privacy → Advertising Services (or simply Getting Recommendations) It’s a global setup that affects many system components.
Don't be afraid to turn off system recommendation services. They don't affect the stability of the phone, they just remove commercial content. If you request access for msa again after you restart, just ban it again.
- 🔐 Open the security and privacy settings.
- 📉 Find the msa app in the list and turn off access.
- ⏳ Wait for the countdown (10 seconds) to confirm.
- 🚫 Turn off the “Getting Recommendations” item in the privacy menu.
The effect of these actions is cumulative: you will notice that the application folders no longer offer “similar apps,” and there are fewer marketing inserts in the interface.
Cleaning widgets and application folders
Even after the major news sources are turned off, residual events can be stored in app folders and widgets. Xiaomi likes to add a "Recommended" section inside folders where the same category of apps are collected.
Open any folder on your desktop. At the top, next to the folder name, there might be a settings icon or a cross, and by clicking on it, you can turn off "Recommendations" or "Receive recommendations," which will remove the bottom of the folder that suggests you download new games or utilities.
What to do if the folder does not open?
Also check the widgets on your desktop. Weather, stocks or "safety" widgets can have their own news update settings. Press and hold the widget, then select "Widget Settings" (if available) and disable the display of text content, leaving only numbers or icons.
Desktop cleaning is not just aesthetics, it’s also a performance issue. Fewer active widgets means fewer CPU and network accesses in the background, which is especially true for the low-end Redmi and POCO models.
⚠️ Note: Do not remove the system widgets "Security" or "Scanner" completely if you are not sure of their function.
Use of third-party launchers
If MIUI’s regular facilities seem too overloaded, the most radical and effective solution is to install a third-party launcher: The launcher is a shell that completely replaces the desktop, app menus and often the lock screen.
Popular options like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher give you complete control over the look and feel. They don't have built-in ads, news feeds (unless you add them yourself) and intrusive recommendations. The launcher takes a couple of minutes to install via Google Play.