Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones offer users a lot of personalization features, but some of them can be annoying, and one of the most intrusive has been the so-called wallpaper carousel, which automatically changes pictures on the lock screen and, more importantly, shows ads.
Many owners of devices based on the MIUI shells and the new HyperOS face a situation when after another system update, standard wallpaper is replaced with advertising content without their knowledge, which not only distracts, but also consumes mobile Internet traffic in the background.
Fortunately, the developers have left the option to completely deactivate this feature, returning the user to full control over the appearance of their gadget. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the ways to remove ads and stop automatic image change so that your smartphone becomes convenient and personalized again.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why does it appear
Wallpaper carousel is a built-in service from Xiaomi that automatically changes background images on the lock screen, originally intended to delight the user with beautiful landscapes and abstractions, but in recent firmware versions it has transformed into a channel for distribution of advertising content.
The activation of this service often occurs unnoticed by the user, for example, when you first set up a new smartphone or after you update the operating system. The system can offer “enhanced experience” or “personalized recommendations” under which this mechanism hides.
It is worth noting that the carousel is closely integrated with the system components of msa (MIUI System Ads and security services, which is why it's impossible to simply uninstall an application, but it can be effectively limited through settings, and understanding the nature of this process helps you find the right switches in the menu faster.
It is important to distinguish between regular live wallpaper and carousel: the former are static or animated images that you have chosen manually, whereas a carousel is a dynamic stream of content from the network that requires a constant connection to the Internet to download new data packets.
Disconnection through lock screen settings
The easiest and most obvious way to get rid of intrusive image changes is to find the appropriate switch in the screen settings menu, but the location of this item can vary depending on the version of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, as well as the region installed in the smartphone.
In most cases, the path to the setup you want is to go to Settings, then select the Lock Screen section, and that's where the main switcher that controls the flow of images hides, and if you didn't find it right away, try searching by settings by typing in the "carousel" query.
- 📱 Open the main menu of your device settings.
- 🔒 Go to the Lock Screen or Always On screen and Lock screen section».
- 🔄 Find the item "Wallpaper Carousel" (sometimes called "Glance" or "Wallpaper carousel»).
- ❌ Transfer the switch to the "Off" position».
Once you do this, the system will stop downloading new images from the network, the last image installed or the standard wallpaper you selected will remain on the lock screen, the changes will take effect instantly, no reboot of the device is required.
⚠️ Note: In some regions (e.g. India or Russia), this item may be called "Glance for Mi" or "Glance Screen Lock." If you see this name, disabling this item will also solve the advertising problem.
If the standard path didn’t lead to success, your firmware version may have a modified menu structure, so check the Security section, which sometimes duplicates the ad and service settings.
Management through the Security app
In the Xiaomi ecosystem, many system features, including memory cleaning and permission management, are put into a separate app called “Security” (lightning icon), which often hides deep customizations of advertising services that are not obvious on the main menu.
To turn off the carousel through this tool, run the Security app and scroll down the tool list. You're interested in a section that might be called Wallpaper Carousel or Carousel Management. The interface here may be different from standard Android settings, as it's a proprietary vendor development.
Inside this menu, you'll find more detailed settings, so you can not only turn off the function, but also clear the cache of uploaded images, which will free up space in the device's memory, and there's often a "Receive recommendations" switch that is responsible for analyzing your preferences.
⚠️ Warning: When you first enter this section, the system may strongly suggest that you turn on the feature, showing a preview of beautiful pictures. Don't follow the interface tricks - feel free to look for the switch button, usually in the upper right corner or at the bottom of the screen.
Additionally, the Security app should check the Cleanup section, sometimes it will pop up a notice that the carousel is taking up a lot of space and the system suggests optimizing it. If you optimise, you can accidentally reactivate the service, so be careful when you click on the buttons on this menu.
☑️ Checking security settings
Disconnecting through theme settings and Mi Account
The wallpaper carousel is closely linked to the Mi Account and the Themes app. If you are logged in, settings can sync, and disabling on one device doesn't always guarantee disconnection on another if sync is enabled.
You should go to the Themes app (an icon with a multicolored letter T). In the user profile (usually the person icon in the corner), find the wallpaper carousel settings, here you can unsubscribe from all channels that you may have accidentally activated before and prevent automatic content updates.
Also, check your Xiaomi account settings. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Cloud. Make sure that syncing system settings doesn’t return old settings that include the carousel. Sometimes it helps to temporarily log out and re-sign in after all ad functions are turned off.
If your phone is tied to a region where the carousel is a must-have interface (e.g. some Asian countries), the switch may be hidden, so changing the region in settings (Settings → Additional Settings → Region) to “USA” or “Germany” can make the desired item editable.
What is MSA and should it be removed?
Comparison of disabling methods in different versions of MIUI
Xiaomi’s shell is constantly updated, and with each version the location of the settings can change. Users of older versions of MIUI 12 and the latest HyperOS may encounter different interfaces. To make it easier for you to navigate, we have prepared a comparison table.
| Shell version | Location of settings | Name of function | Additional action |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI 12 / 13 | Settings → Lock screen | Wallpaper carousel | Entry to Mi Account is required |
| MIUI 14 | Settings → Always on screen | Glance/Carousel | We need to turn off the "Recommendations" |
| HyperOS 1.0 | Settings → Personalization | Screen locking | Resetting widget settings |
| Global ROM | Security Annex | Carousel management | Cache cleaning is mandatory |
As you can see from the table, the logic remains similar, but partition names can change. In new versions of HyperOS, Xiaomi tries to combine all personalization settings into one center, which makes search more logical, but sometimes confusing due to the abundance of options.
If you've recently upgraded and can't find your switch, search by settings. Type the word "carousel" or "wallpaper," and the system will highlight the item itself, even if it's moved deep into the menu, which is the most reliable way to avoid confusion in versions.
💡
Use a Settings Search (a magnifier at the top of the Settings screen) by entering the words “carousel,” “glance,” or “wallpaper” to instantly find the right switch in any firmware version.
Problem Solving: If the switch returns
Sometimes users are faced with a nasty situation: they turn off the carousel, but after a while it turns on itself.This can be due to background processes of the system that try to restore the “recommended experience”, or because of component updates through the GetApps app store.
To prevent re-enablement, you need to limit auto-run rights for the relevant system components. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, find the list of Wallpaper Carousel or Glance (you may need to include system processes in the three-point menu).
In the properties of this application, find the "Out-Open" option and disable it. Also in the "Options" section, select network access (Wi-Fi and mobile Internet). Without network access, the service will not physically be able to download new banner ads, even if it is formally enabled.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling network access for system components can cause persistent notifications of failed connection attempts to appear in error logs.This is normal and does not affect the operation of the phone, but it is worth knowing about it.
Another reason for the carousel to "resurrection" could be third-party memory cleanup apps or accelerators that have extended rights and reset system settings to "factory" values, where ads are on by default.
💡
If the carousel switch returns itself, deny the application access to the Internet in the “Permissions” section – this is guaranteed to stop the download of advertising content.