Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often face a compulsive interface change, with an endless feed of news and images appearing on the lock screen instead of the usual static wallpaper. This phenomenon, known as “Wallpaper Carousel” or Glance, can irritate users with its aggressively implemented advertising and traffic consumption. System-wide integration of this service into the MIUI and HyperOS shell is done at a deep level, so standard wallpaper switching often fails without first setting up hidden parameters.
Removing this component requires understanding exactly how it is embedded in your firmware version. Depending on the region (Global, China, EEA) and Android version, the process can range from simply turning off the switch in settings to applying more sophisticated techniques through ADB or third-party launchers. Let's take a look at all the available ways so you can take back control of your device.
It's important to understand that a carousel is not just a picture, it's a full-fledged application service that runs in the background, it collects your preferences to show relevant ads, which also affects battery life, so turning off this feature is not just a matter of aesthetics, but also a matter of optimizing your smartphone.
Problem analysis: what is the Wallpaper Carousel and Glance
Before you start removing, you need to clearly identify the source of the problem. In the Xiaomi ecosystem, several components are responsible for this function, which can be called differently depending on the version of the operating system, most often you will come across the name Glance or “Wallpaper Carousel” in the list of applications.
It works like an overlay over a standard lock screen, loading content from the Internet, which may be invisible when using Wi-Fi, but is critical when using the mobile Internet, and some users do not even realize that their phone is using megabytes in the background precisely because of this process.
⚠️ Warning: Attempting to remove carousel system files manually through root file managers without backing up can result in a cyclic bootloop or lock screen disappearing as such.
The differences between the MIUI 12, 13, 14 shells and the new HyperOS are significant. In recent versions, developers have made it harder to access the service shutdown by hiding the settings deeper in the menu or removing them altogether for certain regions, and understanding which version is installed on your device is key to success.
Standard Disconnection Method through MIUI and HyperOS Settings
The safest and first step that every user needs to take is to try to disable the service by regular means, which works most of the time for global firmware versions, and you don't need any additional software or debugging access.
To start, go to the main settings menu of your smartphone. Find a section that can be called “Always on screen and lock screen” or simply “lock screen.” In some versions of MIUI, this item is displayed in a separate wallpaper menu.
Inside the menu, find the wallpaper carousel. Here you need to switch to an inactive state. However, it often happens that the switch is inactive or immediately returns to the "On" position, in which case you need to click on the name of the function to enter its deep menu.
☑️ Standard shutdown algorithm
If you're on the merry-go-round menu, look at the top right corner or the options list at the bottom, and there might be a button called "Enable wallpaper carousel," which is currently active. Click on it to deactivate. The system might show a pop-up saying "Leave on" or "Disable." Be careful and select "Disable."
In the new versions of HyperOS, the logic might have changed. Now the path could look like Settings → Wallpaper → Wallpaper Carousel → Settings (cogs) → Turn on the carousel. Turning off the tumbler here should completely stop service.
Management through the Security application and system services
If the standard path through settings failed or the menu item was missing, you should refer to the system application Security, which is the optimization control center in Xiaomi smartphones, where advertising and system services settings are also hidden.
Open the Security app (green zipper icon). In the upper right corner, click on the gear icon to enter the settings. Here we are interested in General Settings or Advanced Settings. Look for the item associated with Recommendations or Receive Recommendations.
Turning off this item often blocks not only ads in system applications, but also updated content of the carousel, and the mechanism is that the carousel receives data about which images to show through recommendation channels, and by closing this channel, you effectively break the functionality of the carousel, forcing it to freeze or not download content.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Action. | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendations (MSA) | Security → Settings → General | Turn it off. | Stopping the downloading of advertising content |
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Lock screen | Turn it off. | Return of static wallpaper |
| Receive recommendations | Settings → Passwords and security | Turn it off. | Blocking Behavior Analytics |
| Auto-update | Settings → About the phone | Turn it off. | Preventing the return of a function after an update |
There's also a section in the Security app called Cleanup, and then click on it, then click on the gear in the corner, and make sure that there's no active ticks associated with cleaning up memory and showing statistics, because that's also part of the data collection ecosystem.
Why are the settings reset after rebooting?
Advanced Method: Disconnect via ADB (for power users)
When the GUI doesn't allow you to remove the carousel, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) comes to the rescue, a powerful tool for interacting with the Android operating system from a computer, and it allows you to disable system packages that are not deleted in the usual way.
First, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI» or "Version" OS». You'll see a message that says, "You've become a developer." Then, in the "Additional" (or "Extended Settings") menu, turn on "Debug by Debugging". USB».
Connect your phone to your computer with a cable. The computer should have an ADB platform installed. Open the command line or terminal in the adb folder and type in the command to check the connection: adb devices. The phone screen will see a request for debugging permission — confirm it.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.mishell.connectivity
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.thememanager.module.resource
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.wallpaper
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.personalassistantFor the carousel, com.miui.wallpaper or com.android.thememanager are often used. Be careful: disabling com.miui.wallpaper may result in you not being able to change wallpaper at all. A safer way is to disable recommendation services.
⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Incorrectly disabling critical system packages can cause the interface to function in an unstable manner. Always check the name of the package before entering a command.
If you accidentally disable the extra, you can reverse it by using the adb shell pm enable --user 0 packet name. So write down all your actions. This is effective because it affects the application layer without the limitations of the user interface.
Radical measures: Change of region and resetting of settings
One interesting aspect of Xiaomi’s services is that carousel functionality is regionally-specific, and in some countries (such as India or Russia), advertising and carousel are more aggressive than in regions like Albania or the United States.
Try changing your smartphone region. Go to Settings → Additional → Region. Select a country where Glance services are not supported or less popular. Reboot your device after changing region. Often the carousel settings become available to completely disable or the service stops downloading content.
If nothing works, the last resort is a full Hard Reset.Be sure to back up all important data before you do so, as the phone will return to factory status.When you first set up after the reset, carefully monitor each step of the master setup and immediately disable all personalization offers.
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When a region changes to Albania or Serbia, the number of system advertising and intrusive services in MIUI often decreases significantly, making subsequent setup easier.
Alternative solutions: Third-party applications and launchers
If the system methods fail to defeat the carousel, you can intercept the control of the lock screen from the system, and for this there are third-party applications that completely replace the standard lock screen Xiaomi.
A popular solution is Hi Locker or KLCK Kustom Lock Screen Maker. Once you install such an application and give it the necessary permissions (including the right to "Above Other Windows"), it will be displayed instead of the system carousel.
However, using third-party screen blockers has its downsides: They can consume more battery as they are constantly active, and sometimes the system can kill them in the background to save energy. You will need to set up auto-start and no battery limitations for this application in the Xiaomi settings.
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Using a third-party lock launcher is a workaround that does not remove the carousel, but makes it invisible to the user, replacing it with its interface.
You can also try to install the theme through the Themes app. Some third-party themes have their own lock screens that overlap the system merry-go-round. Find a theme marked "No Lockscreen" or "Simple Lockscreen."