Smartphone owners often face situations where the interface of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system does not behave as expected, and in particular, many users are annoyed by dynamic animation on the lock screen, which not only distracts but also consumes additional battery power, especially for models released in the past few years, where the system actively promotes visual effects.
Active wallpaper is a feature that automatically changes the background image or adds animation when the screen is turned on. Sometimes this happens after a system update, when the Wallpaper Carousel settings are reset to factory values. If you want to return a calm, static screen and extend the device's time, you need to do a series of actions in the settings menu.
In this article, we will discuss all the ways to get rid of intrusive animation completely. We will look at standard methods through the personalization menu, and also touch on the deeper system settings for advanced users. It is important to understand that the process of disabling may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14) or the new HyperOS shell. Follow the instructions carefully to ensure that the result is saved after the reboot.
What are active wallpapers and why do they turn on themselves
Active wallpaper, often referred to as Wallpaper Carousel or Wallpaper Carousel, is a service built into the MIUI shell. Its main task is to regularly update the background image on a locked screen, showing high-quality photos, news or banner ads. The system can activate this feature itself after a major software update, positioning this as a new personalization opportunity.
In addition to the visual aspect, the service requires constant CPU resources and an Internet connection to download new content, which leads to increased battery consumption in standby mode, and many users notice that the phone heats up or discharges faster precisely because of the background processes associated with downloading media content for the lock screen.
Also, dynamic wallpaper can distract from the main content of notifications. When you pick up your phone to quickly check the time or message, the animation makes you wait until it's over before the screen fully responds to the touch. Disabling this feature returns an instant response and the classic look of the smartphone.
Disconnection through lock screen settings
The easiest and most common way to remove animation is to use the standard settings menu, which is suitable for the vast majority of users and does not require superuser rights or third-party software installation.
To start, unlock your device and find the Settings app. In the settings list, look for a item that might be called Lock Screen or Wallpaper and Personalization, depending on your firmware version, and inside this menu, you'll find key switches that control background behavior.
☑️ Algorithm of action
Inside the section, find the Wallpaper Carousel option, which is the switch that automatically changes the images, and then you turn it off, and then you can request confirmation of the action, or you can ask you to leave a couple of favorite categories, but you have to agree to a complete shutdown.
⚠️ Warning: After the wallpaper carousel is turned off, the current image may remain the same, but it will not change. If you want to set a static picture right away, do it manually through the gallery.
Setup through the Topics app
If the standard menu doesn’t work or the shutdown is hidden, you can use the Themes system app. This is Xiaomi’s official visual management tool that has deeper settings for lock screens. Here you can often find additional controls that are not available in the general settings.
Run the Themes app on the home screen or in the Tools folder. In the lower right corner or in the side menu (depending on version), find the profile icon or settings. You are interested in the section associated with the wallpaper or lock screen, often marked as "My Pages" or "Wallpaper".
In the menu that opens, look for the wallpaper carousel, and you'll see more detailed controls here, so you can not only turn off the function, but also clear the cache to make room in the device's memory, press the switch to deactivate the service, and you can also delete the already downloaded packets of images that take up space.
Why are the settings resetting?
After the actions in the application Topics, it is recommended to restart the smartphone, which will allow the system to fully recalculate resources and apply changes to all system processes responsible for displaying graphics.
Management of subscriptions and notifications
Often, active wallpaper is confused with advertising subscriptions or recommendations that come in the form of notifications or change the background.Mi Video or Glance (on some global versions) can also embed content on the lock screen.
Go to Settings → Password & Security → Data Access (or “Permissions”). Find apps that are associated with wallpaper, video, or news from the manufacturer. Limit their network access or disable notifications so they can’t upload new content and activate animations.
Also worth checking is the Get Recommendations section in your system settings. Advertising IDs and recommendation services often go hand in hand with visual enhancements, and by disabling them, you will not only remove the extra animation, but also increase the privacy of your data.
| Element of the system | Where to turn off | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Lock screen | High (constant loading) |
| Glance (News) | Settings → Lock screen | Medium (renewal of tape) |
| Live wallpaper (systemic) | Settings → Wallpaper | High (constant drawing) |
| MIUI Recommendations | Settings → Password and security | Low (background data collection) |
⚠️ Note: Global versions of firmware (Global) ROM) Instead of a wallpaper carousel, you can install InMobi's Glance service, which is similar to the principle of turning it off, but the name of the menu item will differ.
Resetting personalization settings
In cases where simple switches don't work or the function turns on again after a reboot, you may need to reset your personalization settings, which is not a complete reset of the phone to factory settings, but only a return of the appearance parameters to the original state, which helps eliminate software conflicts.
To do this, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset. Select Reset All Settings (not to be confused with “Erase All Data”). This operation will return the settings of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, alarms and, importantly, lock screens to factory values, killing active wallpaper scripts.
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Before resetting your personalization settings, take screenshots of important network settings and alarm clocks, as they will have to be reconfigured.
After the reset, the system will behave as if it were purchased. When you first set up, keep a close eye on the checkmarks: the system may insist on enabling "Enhanced Experience" or "Recommended Content." Uncheck these checkmarks to avoid re-activating intrusive functions.
Use of third-party launchers and applications
If Xiaomi’s built-in tools fail to get rid of the problem (which is rare, but happens on specific versions of firmware for China), you can resort to installing a third-party launcher. Applications like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher completely replace the desktop and lock screen, ignoring the system settings of MIUI.
Installing this launcher allows you to have complete control over what is displayed on the screen. You can put a static photo from the gallery and be sure that no system services will replace it. However, it is worth remembering that third-party launchers can consume more RAM than a standard MIUI Launcher.
There are also dedicated lock screen applications that take precedence over system ones, but using such solutions requires caution, as they can conflict with biometric unlocking or messenger notifications.
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Using a third-party launcher is a radical but 100% effective method if the system lock settings are not amenable to change.