How to permanently disable wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi Redmi 8: 5 proven ways

Xiaomi Redmi 8 is one of the most popular budget smartphones with a branded shell MIUI, which is known for its unique features, among them automatic wallpaper change (carousel wallpaper), which can both delight users with fresh pictures and annoy users with constant desktop changes. If you are in the second category, this article is for you.

The MIUI wallpaper carousel is activated by default on many devices, including Redmi 8, and works through Wallpaper Carousel. It downloads new wallpapers from the Xiaomi cloud and changes them at a given frequency (usually once a day). While the feature looks useful, it consumes Internet traffic, battery power, and sometimes loads not always relevant content. Fortunately, you can turn it off in several ways, from standard settings to manual removal of system components.

In this guide, we’ll break down all the current techniques, including the hidden MIUI 10/11/12 settings, working with ADB, and even a radical solution for those who want to get rid of the carousel forever, and learn how to avoid typical mistakes and what to do if the wallpaper continues to change after the shutdown.

Why the Wallpaper Carousel Could Be a Problem on the Redmi 8

At first glance, automatic wallpaper change seems like a harmless function, but in practice it creates some real inconveniences:

• 📉 Traffic consumption: The carousel downloads new wallpaper over the mobile Internet if the Wi-Fi is turned off.
• 🔋 Increased battery consumption: Background process com.miui.gallery.wallpaper constantly checks for updates and downloads content, which reduces battery life.
• 🖼️ Unpredictable content: Wallpapers are uploaded from Xiaomi’s cloud, and sometimes low-quality or unaesthetic images are found among them.
• 🔄 Reset custom wallpaper: If you manually set your favorite image, the carousel may reset it after another update.
• 🛑 Inability to disable in new versions MIUI: In some firmware, the option is hidden, and users can not find it without additional manipulations.

According to tests conducted by XDA Developers, the wallpaper carousel process can consume up to 50MB of traffic per month and increase battery consumption by 3-5 percent per day, especially on the Redmi 8 with its modest 5,000mAh battery, where every percentage counts.

⚠️ Attention: If you use mobile Internet with limited traffic, a wallpaper carousel can be one of the reasons for its rapid consumption. → SIM cards and mobile networks → Traffic.

Method 1: Disable the carousel through standard MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to use the built-in shell options. Depending on the MIUI version on your Redmi 8, the path to settings may be slightly different, but the overall logic holds.

Instructions for MIUI 10/11/12:

1. Open the settings (cog icon on the desktop).
2. Go to Wallpaper (or Lock Screen and Wallpaper in new versions).
3. Slap it on the wallpaper of the desktop.
4. At the top of the screen, find the wallpaper carousel switch (or Automatic Change) and turn it off.
5. Confirm the action if a pop-up window appears.

If the switch is not visible, try:

• 🔍 Scroll down the wallpaper list – sometimes the option is hidden under the collections.
• 🔄 Reboot the smartphone and try again (sometimes the settings are not loaded immediately).
• 📱 Check if wallpapers are installed from third-party apps (such as Google Wallpapers or Zedge).

If the carousel continues to work after the shutdown, then your device has activated a hidden function or the system application ignores the settings, in which case move on to the next method.

Method 2: Removing updates for the Wallpaper app

In some versions of MIUI, the wallpaper carousel is managed through a separate Wallpaper Carousel system app, which can be updated via Google Play or MIUI App Store.If the standard shutdown didn't work, try rolling back or removing updates for that app.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search bar, enter Wallpaper (or Wallpaper).
3. Select the Wallpaper app (or Wallpaper Carousel if it is displayed separately).
4. Slip on the three dots in the top right corner and select Remove Updates.
5. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

If there is no Remove Updates button, the app has not been updated, and this method will not help. In this case, try to disable auto-update for it:

• 📱 Go to Google Play and find the Wallpaper Carousel app.
• 🔄 Press three points. → Turn off auto-update.
• 🚫 If the application is not found, check the settings. MIUI App Store (disable auto-update for all apps).

⚠️ Attention: Removing updates may reset some wallpaper settings (e.g. custom collections).If after this procedure the wallpaper is reset to standard, just install yours again.

💡

If the Wallpaper app doesn't get removed, that's fine, because it's system-based. Instead, try disabling it via ADB (Method 4).

Method 3: Limit background activity for the Wallpaper application

If the carousel continues to work, but you don't want to resort to radical measures like ADB, you can limit the background activity of the app, and it won't shut down the carousel completely, but it will reduce its impact on battery and traffic.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Wallpaper or Wallpaper Carousel.
3. Open the Battery section.
4. Select Background Limitation (or Background Activity Management).
5. Set a limit on Do not allow or limit.
6. Go back and in the Mobile Data section, turn off internet access for this application.

These actions will not remove the carousel, but:

• ✅ Stop automatic loading of new wallpaper via mobile Internet.
• ✅ Reduce battery consumption (the app will not work in the background).
• ❌ Wallpaper can still change when connected to Wi-Fi (if the carousel was activated earlier).

Method 4: Disabling the carousel via ADB (for power users)

If previous methods have failed, the most reliable solution is to disable the wallpaper carousel via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer, but is guaranteed to remove the unnecessary feature.

What you need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 📱 Redmi 8 with Debugging enabled USB.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap the MIUI 7 times until you get a message You're a developer!. Return to Settings → Additional → Developer. Activate USB Debugging.

Redmi 8

CMD

adb devices

Make sure the device is identified (serial number should appear).

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.gallery.wallpaper

This command does not remove the application completely, but only disables it for the current user, which is safe for the system.

Reboot your smartphone.

If the team doesn’t work, try an alternative:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.gallery.wallpaper

⚠️ Attention: After completion ADB-The Wallpaper app may stop updating through Google Play. To get it back, use the command: adb shell pm enable com.miui.gallery.wallpaper

Method 5: Remove the carousel via TWRP (for advanced users)

If you're willing to take drastic measures and you have customized TWRP reclaimers installed, you can completely remove the system app that's responsible for the carousel, which is irreversible and only suitable for those who understand the risks.

Warning:

• 🔧 Removing system applications can lead to unstable work MIUI.
• 🔄 After the firmware update, the carousel may return.
• 🚨 It is recommended to make a backup through TWRP beforehand.

Instructions:

1. Boot to TWRP (turn off the phone, then press Power + Volume up).
2. Go to Advanced → File Manager.
3. Open the /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/ folder.
4. Find folders with names: WallpaperCarousel MiuiWallpaper GalleryWallpaper

Delete these folders (swipe to the right).

Reboot to the system.

After that, the wallpaper carousel will be completely removed, but you will also lose access to some of the features of the standard Wallpaper app, and you will have to refashion your smartphone to get them back.

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TWRP removal is the most radical method, which is only suitable for power users with an unlocked bootloader. For most, 1-3 methods are enough.

What to do if the wallpaper carousel returned after the MIUI update

One of the most frustrating things about MIUI is that it returns to the disabled functions after the firmware update, and if the wallpaper carousel is activated again after the update, try the following steps:

1. Repeat the shutdown via settings (method 1). Sometimes the reset occurs due to an update to system applications.
2. Check permissions: Go to Settings → Apps → Wallpaper → Permissions. Turn off access to Warehouse, Internet and AutoRun.

Use the ADB again

Reverse to the previous version of MIUI

Install a third-party launcher

Nova Launcher

Lawnchair

If the problem is repeated regularly, consider turning off automatic MIUI updates:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔄 Put three points on it. → Settings → Turn off auto-update.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the wallpaper carousel on Redmi 8