Modern Android shells, including Xiaomi’s proprietary MIUI, are oversaturated with visuals that aren’t always user-friendly. One such controversial solution is the left-hand desktop bar, known as the widget tape or App Vault. On the Redmi 8, which is a budget device, the presence of constantly updated news units and widgets can significantly affect system performance.
Users often find that a random swipe to the right instead of a clean desktop opens up a stream of recommendations, advertising and news feeds, which not only distracts, but also consumes the CPU resources for background loading of content. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to get rid of this element of the interface and return the phone to its usual speed.
The deactivation process does not require superuser rights or complex firmware reflashing. All the necessary settings are hidden in the standard launcher menu, but their location may not be obvious to beginners. We will consider all the current methods for your version of firmware.
Why turn off the tape widgets on budget smartphones
The Redmi 8 is based on the Snapdragon 439 processor, which, despite its reliability, is not a flagship solution. Constant news feed synchronization, weather checking and background widget updates put additional stress on RAM. For devices with 3 or 4 GB of RAM, this can cause micro-latency when switching between applications.
Also, many users value minimalism and order on the desktop. Getting accidentally caught in the news feed when unlocking a phone is annoying and confusing, disabling this feature allows you to focus on tasks and speeds up access to the main application icons.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling system widgets does not remove the apps themselves. Your news and services will continue to work, but will no longer appear on the sidebar of the desktop.
Also worth noting is the impact on battery autonomy: Background processes that load content into tape prevent a smartphone from going into deep sleep. On budget devices with a 5,000 mAh battery, typical of the Redmi 8, saving every percentage of charge is critical.
Preparation for changing the launcher settings
Before making changes to the system, you need to make sure that you are on the desktop, not in the menu of all applications. In MIUI, these spaces are separated, and the settings may differ.
If you have previously installed third-party themes, they may have changed the structure of the menu or hidden the necessary switches, in which case it is recommended to temporarily return the standard theme through the Themes app.
- 📱 Make sure there are no open windows on the screen for running apps.
- 🔋 Check the battery level, although the operation is not energy intensive.
- 👆 Free one hand for easy swipe execution.
It is important to understand that the interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI (Global, China or EEA).However, the logic of the menu remains the same for the entire Xiaomi ecosystem. If you do not find an item, check for system updates.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Disconnection method through desktop settings
The main way to deactivate the widget tape is hidden in the launcher's settings menu, which is standard and does not require third-party software, and you need to call the context menu for desktop editing to begin with.
Push two fingers on the screen as if you want to zoom in, or just swipe left to right through a free space (where there are no icons), which opens up the page editing mode.
In the menu that opens, find the gear icon, usually located in the upper right or lower corner, and clicking on it will open the Launcher Settings section. Here we are interested in the option Additional or immediately visible switch of the Widget Ribbon.
In newer versions of the shell, the path may look like Settings → Additional → Widget Ribbon. You will need to select the option No or Disabled. After that, the swipe to the left will stop opening the news feed.
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If the Widget Tape switch is not on the menu, try clearing the Settings app cache or updating the system launcher through the GetApps store.
Setting up Google Discover and Yandex.Tapes
Often users confuse the MIUI widget system feed with Google or Yandex services, which can be embedded in the shell. Redmi 8 often activates Google Discover tape by default. It is on the left of the first screen and uploads personalized news.
To turn off Google Discover, you need to go to the settings of the Google app itself. However, within the MIUI launcher, this is often adjusted through the same path as the system tape. If you have a choice of feed source in your desktop settings, select No.
For users who prefer Yandex services, the situation is similar: if you have a shell with Yandex integration, the shutdown occurs through the settings of the widgets. It is important not to confuse the weather widget on the screen and a full-fledged news feed.
| Type of tape | Wherever | How to turn off | Impact on RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Vault (MIUI) | Left of screen 1 | Launcher settings | Average. |
| Google Discover | Left of screen 1 | Google/Luncher settings | High. |
| Yandex.Rent | Left of screen 1 | Widget settings | High. |
| Weather widget | On the desk. | Removal of the widget | Low. |
Resolving problems with swipe activation
Sometimes, even after the feature is disabled in the settings, the swipe to the left still opens a blank page or re-activates the tape, which may be due to the caching of settings or bugs of a particular version of MIUI.
In this case, the effective method is to clean the launcher data. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find System Launcher (or System Launcher) in the list.
Click on Memory and select Clean → Clear Everything. This operation will reset the desktop icons to factory status, but it won't delete your personal files or apps. After that, reconfigure the wallpaper and shortcut location, the widget tape should disappear permanently.
⚠️ Warning: Launcher reset will return the icon grid to factory settings. Take a screenshot of the current location of the applications if you want to keep order.
If the problem persists, check if the "Simple Mode" (for older people) mode is enabled, which has its own limitations and interface settings.
Alternative solutions and third-party launchers
If the standard methods are not working well or the MIUI interface seems too overloaded, you might consider installing a third-party launcher, a radical but effective solution for the Redmi 8 that will completely change the visual style of the smartphone.
Popular options like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Lawnchair allow you to flexibly customize the behavior of swipes, where you decide what will happen when you move your finger left, right or up.
- 🚀 Nova Launcher: Maximum flexibility in animation and gesture settings.
- 📦 Microsoft Launcher: Great integration with Windows services and office applications.
- 🌿 Lawnchair: Minimalist design in the style of pure Android (Pixel).
When installing a third-party launcher, the system may periodically suggest returning the standard one. To avoid this, select a new launcher and mark Always when you press the Home button, which will make the selected interface the default one.
How do you get back the standard launcher?
The impact of the disconnect on the work of the smartphone
Once you've done all the manipulations, you'll notice changes in the behavior of the device, especially the speed of the interface response, and swipes will be smoother, because the system doesn't have to render heavy news cards.
It also reduces the number of background network requests, and apps stop constantly asking for content updates when you just unlock your phone, especially on the unstable mobile Internet.
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Turning off the widget tape is an easy way to optimize Redmi 8 without losing the functionality of the core apps.
Visually, your desktop will be cleaner, and you will lose the risk of accidentally opening news, which increases productivity, and for many users, it gives back a sense of control over the device, not the other way around.