Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often encounter the obsessive “Wallpaper Carousel” feature, which periodically changes images on a locked screen.This phenomenon, known as Glance for Mi, can annoy users who are used to a static picture, or those who want to personalize the device themselves. The question of how to change the wallpaper carousel in Xiaomi becomes especially relevant when the system begins to automatically load advertising content.
Changing lock screen settings not only eliminates unnecessary notifications, but also saves battery life, as the constant download of new images consumes traffic and CPU resources. In this article, we will discuss in detail where the desired switches hide in the shell of MIUI and HyperOS, and how to fully control what you see when you turn on your smartphone.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why it turns on itself
The wallpaper carousel is a system service built into the MIUI shell that automatically updates the background image on the lock screen. Originally conceived as a way to show beautiful photos, the feature often turns into a channel for delivering advertising content. Users notice that after updating the system or installing applications from third-party sources, settings are reset, and automatic replacement of images resumes without their knowledge.
The mechanism of this feature is tied to a system application, which can be called differently depending on the region of the firmware. In global versions, it is most often Glance for Mi, and in Chinese builds, it is Wallpaper Carousel. Understanding which component is responsible for changing images on your device is the first step to successful configuration.
⚠️ Attention: Sometimes after a major firmware update, the carousel settings can be reset to factory values, so checking the current status of the function should be done regularly.
Then there are third-party launchers and themes that can take control of the lock screen. If standard shutdown methods don't work, it's possible that the set theme is the conflict, in which case a return to a standard theme often solves the problem of spontaneously turning on the carousel.
Search for carousel settings in different versions of MIUI
Xiaomi’s shell interface is constantly changing, and the location of the menu items may differ on different versions of Android and MIUI. Most often, carousel management is in the settings section associated with the lock screen. To find the right switch, you need to go to Settings → Lock screen. This is where the main parameters that control the appearance of the locked device are concentrated.
In some cases, especially on newer HyperOS models, the path may be hidden deeper. You may need to go to Settings → Always On Screen and Lock Screen. If you don't see an explicit mention of the carousel, look for a item called Wallpaper Carousel or Glance. The absence of this item may mean that the feature on your device has already been disabled or removed by the system.
It’s worth noting that on devices with different frame rates, such as 60Hz or 120Hz, switch animations can work in different ways. If you notice that the carousel “slows down” when you turn on the screen, this may be due to optimizing the system to save energy. In such situations, completely turning off the function often makes the smartphone more responsive.
How to turn off Glance for Mi
The most common scenario for users of global firmware versions is the presence of the Glance for Mi app. This is the official add-on that is responsible for showing news feeds and changing pictures. To change the behavior of the wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi through this service, you need to find it in the list of applications or in the lock screen settings.
Go to the carousel control menu and find a switch called Turn on Wallpaper Carousel or Turn on Glance. Put the slider in an inactive position. The system may try to convince you to leave the feature on by offering "interesting content," but persistently turning off will result in the desired result - a static image.
☑️ Checking out the Glance shutdown
After turning off the main switch, it is also recommended to check additional settings inside the Glance app itself, if it is available in the application menu. There may be hidden items about refresh rate or types of content displayed, which should also be deactivated to completely stop background activity.
💡
If you can’t find Glance settings in the regular menu, try searching the phone’s settings by typing the word “Glance” or “Carousol.”
Managing the standard Xiaomi Wallpaper Carousel
If you don't have Glance installed on your device, you probably have a standard Xiaomi Wallpaper Carousel. This built-in module works similarly, but has its own settings interface. Go to Settings → Lock Screen → Wallpaper Carousel. Here you'll see a preview of the current collection and a control button.
In this menu, you can not only turn off the feature, but also choose your preferred image categories if you want to keep the carousel active. You can access topics of nature, architecture, animals and abstraction. Selecting specific categories will help you avoid unwanted or annoying content on the lock screen.
| Parameter | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Shift frequency | Image update interval | Turn it off or 1 hour. |
| Categories | Types of images displayed | Nature/architecture only |
| Wi-Fi only | Download only via Wi-Fi | Include for savings |
| Notifications | Screening of news | Strictly turn off |
It is also important to pay attention to mobile download settings. If the “Download only over Wi-Fi” option is disabled, the carousel can cause a significant amount of your traffic. Disabling downloads over the mobile network is a critical step for users with a limited plan.
Customize refresh frequency and categories
For those who don't want to completely give up dynamic wallpaper, but want to control the process, fine frequency settings are available, so you can set up an image update every time you turn on the screen, once an hour, once a day, or when you charge the device, which allows you to balance visual diversity and power consumption.
Category selection is another powerful tool, and it offers a lot of tags, from "City" to "Space," and you can create a personal gallery by excluding certain tags, but remember that matching algorithms can sometimes get wrong, and images from adjacent categories can still appear.
Hidden categories in the carousel
Remember that even when choosing “safe” categories, advertising integrations may be present, so if your goal is a clean screen without brand logos or promotions, it’s best to consider the option of a full stop service described above.
Alternative ways to change images
If you don’t like the standard carousel, but you like the idea of changing pictures, you can use third-party apps from Google Play. There are specialized launchers and widgets that change wallpaper at a given frequency using your own photos or pictures from trusted sources, such as Unsplash or Wallpaper Engine.
This approach gives you complete control over the content, and you choose the album in the gallery that you use for rotation, and it eliminates the appearance of ads and ensures that the lock screen will only have images that you really like.
In addition, some themes in the official Xiaomi theme store have built-in slideshow features. When you install such a theme, the control of the carousel goes to the theme engine, and the Glance system settings stop working.
💡
Using third-party applications to change wallpaper gives more freedom and guarantees no advertising, unlike a system carousel.
Possible problems and solutions
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after turning off the carousel still works, this can be caused by data caching or system processes in the background, in which case it is recommended not just to turn off the switch, but also to clear the data of the Glance application or Wallpaper Carousel through the Apps menu.
To do this, find the app in the list, click on Clear Data and Clear Cache, and then try to turn off the feature again. If the problem persists, it may be worth checking for system updates, as new security patches Xiaomi often fix bugs associated with intrusive services.
⚠️ Warning: When cleaning system application data, be careful not to delete important media files, although in the case of a carousel, this is usually safe.
In rare cases, it helps to reset the lock screen settings to factory values if such an option is available in the recovery menu, or temporarily switch the region in the phone settings (for example, from Russia to India and back), which often reboots system services.