How to Disable News on Xiaomi Lock Screen with MIUI 11: 3 Proven Methods

The lock screen on Xiaomi’s MIUI 11 smartphones is often loaded with unnecessary information, such as news, ads and weather widgets, which not only distract but also consume battery power, and can slow the unlocking of the device. Especially annoying is the automatically updated news feed that appears when swiped to the right, a feature enabled by default on most models (Redmi Note 8 Pro, Mi 9T, POCO X3 NFC, etc.).

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to turn off news on the lock screen in MIUI 11, including hidden settings and alternative methods for cases where standard settings don’t work, and learn how to completely prevent the shell from downloading content in the background, which is especially true for users with limited traffic or a weak Internet connection.

Why does the news appear on the MIUI 11 lock screen?

The news display feature is integrated into MIUI as part of Xiaomi’s Mi System Ads service, a personalized content system that works on the following principle:

• 📡 Auto-Download: Content is updated via mobile traffic or Wi-Fi, even if you are not using your phone.
• 🔍 Personalization: The algorithm analyzes your interests based on search queries, installed applications and geolocation.
• 💰 Monetization: Some of the news contains ads that make Xiaomi earn revenue from partners (e.g. Bing News or local media).

In MIUI 11, this feature has become more aggressive than previous versions: the news feed can appear not only when swiping, but also automatically scroll when unlocking, and some users complain of interface freezes associated with background content loading.

⚠️ Warning: Turning off news via standard settings doesn't always work the first time.If the feed keeps popping up after changes, check Settings → Annexes → Application management → Msa and force the service to stop.

Method 1: Disconnect via lock screen settings

The most obvious method is to use the built-in MIUI 11 settings, but there is a caveat: depending on the regional firmware (Global, China, EEA), menu items may be named differently.

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Go to Lock Screen (or Lock Screen in English).
3. Find the news and weather item (which may be called Lock Screen News or Content Recommendations).
4. Turn off the slider next to the Show News or Enable News Feed option.
5. Save the changes and restart the device.

If your menu does not include News and Weather, then the firmware has been modified (e.g. custom xiaomi.eu) and alternative methods should be used (see Method 3).

Method 2: Blocking through the Msa application settings

Msa (Mi System Ads) is responsible for downloading news and advertising, and can be disabled by force, but this will require additional actions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, type in Msa (or Mi System Ads).
3. Select the app from the list and click Stop (or Force Stop).
4. Then go to Warehouse and click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
5. Return to the main menu of the application and turn off AutoRun.

This method is effective, but it has a side effect: some system notifications (such as weather or currency exchange rates) may stop working along with the news.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (for power users)

If the standard methods do not work, you can use them. ADB-This is a way to guarantee that you will delete news, but you need to connect to your computer and enable Developer Mode.

Step 1: Preparation

• 🖥️ Install. ADB Tools on PC.
• 📱 On the phone, activate Settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times to turn on Developer Mode).
• 🔌 Connect your phone to the PC by USB and select the File Transfer Mode.

Step 2: Execution of commands:

1. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with adb.exe.
2. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices (the name of your device should appear).
3. Run the command to turn off news: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution
4. Reboot the phone.

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

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.weather2

(This will also turn off the weather widget.)

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause system failures. Before executing commands, back up your data through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Additional settings: how to prohibit background content downloading

Even after the news is turned off, MIUI 11 can continue to download data in the background to completely stop this activity:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
2. Select App Selection and find Msa or Mi System Ads.
3. Set a limit to prohibit background activity.
4. Return to Settings → Communication and Data Sharing → Data Use and disable mobile traffic for Msa.

For full control of traffic:

• 📵 Turn off Auto-Update apps on Google Play.
• 🌐 Use a firewall (like Google Play’s NetGuard) to block internet access for Msa.

💡

If the news has been turned off, check the settings → Settings → Lock screen → Wallpaper refresh rate. Set Never to save battery life.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Some users experience news coming back after a MIUI update or reset. Here's how to fix it:

• 🔄 After updating the firmware: Repeat Method 1 or Method 3 – the settings are reset to factory.
• 📲 News comes in another form: Check if third-party launchers are installed (e.g, POCO Launcher) that can duplicate the function.
• 🔒 You can’t change your settings: This may be due to corporate policy (if the phone was issued by the employer) or parental control.

If none of these methods worked, consider switching to custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that doesn’t have built-in news widgets, however, this requires unlocking the bootloader and may take away warranty.

💡

On devices with MIUI 12/13, the process of turning off news is similar, but the path to settings may differ.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions