Changing the visual design of a smartphone is the fastest way to personalize your device. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the question of how to change the wallpaper carousel to see a new picture every time you turn on the screen. This feature, known as Wallpaper Carousel or Glance, automatically updates images on the locked screen, creating a dynamic and lively interface.
The setup process may seem unobvious, especially after upgrading to a new version of MIUI or switching to HyperOS. The system offers many sources of images, from art collections to news reports, but their management is hidden in the depths of the menu. Understanding the logic of the service will allow you not only to enjoy beautiful photos, but also to turn off intrusive advertising or unnecessary notifications.
In this article, we will take a look at all aspects of working with the locked screen gallery, where to look for settings, how to choose categories and what to do if the feature stopped working correctly, and we will also address the privacy and traffic consumption issues that often bother users when activating automatic downloads of content.
What is a wallpaper carusole and how it works
The wallpaper carousel is a system service built into the MIUI and HyperOS shell that automatically uploads and displays new images on the lock screen. Unlike static wallpaper, which you pick once and forget, this mechanism constantly updates the visual range.
The principle is quite simple: every time the screen wakes up or at certain intervals, the system goes to the server and checks for new images in the categories you choose. If an update is found, it loads in the background. The key feature is that the images are cached locally, so you don't need to see the images you have already downloaded.
The user can flexibly adjust the frequency of updates and content types. For example, you can choose only landscapes or abstract graphics, eliminating news blocks or banner ads. The service also analyzes the time of day, offering appropriate thematic selections, which makes interaction with the smartphone more enjoyable.
⚠️ Warning: Wallpaper Carousel activation can lead to increased mobile traffic consumption if the Wi-Fi-only download limit is not configured.
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Use the Wi-Fi-only download feature in the Carousel settings to save mobile internet, especially if you choose categories with 4K resolution images.
Step-by-step instructions for changing settings
To get started with settings, you need to go to the corresponding system menu. The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. First unlock the device and go to the main screen, then find the Settings icon.
In the menu that opens, scroll down to the Lock Screen section, and that's where all the options related to the look of the locked device are concentrated. Find the Wallpaper Carousel (or Wallpaper Carousel) item and click on it to enter the detailed control menu.
Inside, you'll see the service activation switch. If it's turned off, turn it on. Immediately thereafter, a window will open asking you to accept the terms of the user agreement. Once confirmed, you'll be able to select categories. Click on the Select Categories or Subscription Management button to see the full list of available themes.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Pick the topics you're interested in by ticking them against them. The system will immediately start loading previews of images. You can come back here at any time to add new categories or delete those that are no longer interesting. The changes take effect instantly, and the next screen turn on will already show new content.
Managing Categories and Content Sources
One of the strengths of the system is the diversity of sources. Unlike standard galleries, Carousel offers not just pictures, but structured content. You can choose between the categories Nature, City, Abstraction, Technology or Art, each category curated separately and updated at different intervals.
In addition to visuals, some versions of the service allow you to connect information widgets, such as short news, currency rates or interesting facts, but for many users, it is the aesthetic component that is more important, to change the set of categories:
- 🎨 Open the carousel settings and click "Select Categories».
- 🗑️ Take away the ones you don’t like or repeat.
- ➕ Add new sections from the list of “Recommended” or “Popular».
- 🔄 Press the update button or simply close the menu to apply the settings.
It’s worth noting that the number of categories available may depend on the region set in your phone’s settings. If you don’t find interesting sections, try changing the region to India or Global, although this may affect other system services.
| Category type | Frequency of updates | Traffic consumption | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscapes. | Every day. | Medium. | Photographs of nature and cities from around the world |
| Abstraction | Weekly | Low. | Graphic patterns and 3D renders |
| News | Hourly | Low. | Text blocks with event headings |
| Art | Every day. | High-pitched | Reproductions of paintings in high resolution |
Customize the frequency of updates and download parameters
Flexibility allows you to not only choose topics, but also adjust the technical parameters of work, especially for users with a limited plan or those who prefer minimalism.
You can choose how often to change the image: every time you turn on the screen, once an hour, once a day or manually. The "Every time you turn on" option is the most popular one, because it creates the effect of a live device, but it is also the most demanding of resources. If you want to save battery, choose the once a day update.
Special attention should be paid to the image quality settings. Some versions of the shell have a choice of resolution. High quality (HD/4K) looks amazing on the AMOLED screens of Xiaomi flagships, but takes up more space in the cache. For budget models with IPS screens, standard quality is enough.
⚠️ Warning: Forced maximum-quality installation on devices with low RAM can lead to micro-delays when unlocking.
Also, there's a Wi-Fi-only download switch, which is recommended to keep active so that the background loading of heavy images doesn't consume your mobile data, which is especially important if you're subscribed to multiple categories at the same time.
Solving loading problems and errors
Despite the system's fine-tuning, users sometimes find that the Carousel stops updating or doesn't work properly, and the most common problem is that images haven't changed for days, often because the system process has been stopped by the battery optimizer to save energy.
To fix this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Wallpaper Carousel on the list. Go to Battery and select No Limits mode. This will prevent the system from killing the boot process.
Another common situation is the appearance of a black screen instead of a picture. This may indicate crowded cache or damage to temporary files. In the same application menu, find the Clean and select Clear cache button. Don't worry, your personal photos and settings will not be affected, only the temporary buffer memory of the service will be reset.
What to do if the category selection button is grey?
If the problem persists, try to turn off the feature completely, restart the phone and turn it on again, which initiates the device to re-register on the update server and often solves sync problems.
Disabling Advertising and Extra Notifications
One of the most common requests from users is how to remove ads from the Wallpaper Carousel. Indeed, in some regions and firmware versions, banner ads or offers to download apps may come along with pictures, and fortunately, this can be controlled.
Inside the Carousel settings, find Receive recommendations or Personalized recommendations. Disabling this option removes targeted ads and offers, leaving only pure visual content from the selected categories. → Advertising services.
In addition to advertising, users may be annoyed by notifications about new images. To get rid of them, go to the notification settings for the Wallpaper Carousel app and turn off all categories except perhaps critical errors, which will make using the feature quiet and unobtrusive.
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Complete disabling of advertising is possible only through a combination of settings inside the Carousel itself and a global advertising service. MIUI/HyperOS.