Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter intrusive content that appears directly on the desktop. Once the system is updated or the device is initially set up, the lock screen or home page can turn into an endless feed of news and videos, which annoys many users who are used to a clean interface without unnecessary visual noise.
These features, often called Popular Video, Wallpaper Carousel, or Widget Ribbon, consume traffic and can reduce device performance. Disabling these services is standard for those who want to regain control of their gadget. In this article, we will look at all the ways to remove video content from the lock screen and from the widgets.
MIUI and the new HyperOS have similar settings, but the names of the items may be slightly different. You do not need superuser rights or third-party software installation.
The nature of the appearance of video content on Xiaomi
The appearance of videos on the lock screen or in the left extreme widget (the so-called “Minus screen”) is conditioned by agreements between the manufacturer and content providers. Xiaomi uses news aggregators such as Glance or its own Mi Video services to monetize budget device models. Advertising content generates revenue, allowing you to keep the price of hardware competitive.
Often users activate these features themselves randomly during the initial setup of the phone. In a long list of agreements and optimization suggestions, it is easy to skip the checkmark allowing recommendations to be shown. The system may position this as a "personalized service," but in fact it is just a stream of entertainment videos.
⚠️ Note: Complete removal of system applications responsible for this content ADB This can cause the launcher to run in an unstable way.
It's important to understand the difference between a live wallpaper that you choose and an automatic tape that's downloaded from the Internet, the first is a static or cyclic image, the second is a dynamic data stream that requires a constant connection to the server, and the second type is the one we're going to deactivate.
Disabling Glance tape on the lock screen
The most common source of video content is Glance (or "Wallpaper Carousel" in older versions), which replaces the standard static lock picture with a news and video slideshow, and to remove this, you need to log into the lock screen settings. The path can vary depending on the firmware version.
Go to the Settings menu, then select Always On and Lock screen. In some versions of MIUI, this item is right in the main settings menu or inside the Wallpaper section. Find an item called Wallpaper Carousel or Glance for Mi.
☑️ Checking the lock settings
Inside the service menu, you'll see a switch to Turn on the wallpaper carousel. Turn it to "Off." Then the system will suggest you select a static image for the background. Select any picture from the gallery or standard themes. Now, when you turn on the screen, you will no longer see a video player or news feed.
If the switch is inactive or the settings are reset, it is possible that the device has a system update of the component, in which case it is worth checking the settings in the Security app -> Cleanup, where recommendations are sometimes hidden. Also make sure that you have the latest version of the launcher installed.
Removing widgets and newsfeeds from the left
The left-hand edge screen, which is swiped to the right, is often turned into a video recommendation aggregator, called the "Widget Ribbon" or "App Vault," and by default, it can display cards with popular videos from YouTube, TikTok or Xiaomi affiliate services.
To clear this space, swipe right on your desktop to open the tape. Scroll down and click the Settings button (usually a gear or button "More"). In the menu that opens, find the Widget Ribbon or Recommendations section.
Here you need to disable the Recommendations Tumbler or Get Recommendations. This action will hide the video and news cards, leaving only the weather, pedometer and quick action widgets if you need them. The interface will become significantly cleaner and easier for the processor.
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If the swipe to the left doesn’t open the settings, try pinching the empty space on your desktop and selecting Settings at the bottom corner of the screen.
In some cases, especially on global firmware versions, this functionality can be integrated into the Google Discover app, then you will need to turn off through the settings of the Google widget itself. Click on the profile avatar in the widget, go to the settings and turn off interest cards.
Setup of the system application Mi Video
The Mi Video video player, which is a regular video player, often has its own notification and widget settings that can stream "popular" to the desktop or notification curtain, and even if you don't use this player, it can work in the background.
Open the Mi Video app, click on the profile icon or menu (three bars) and go to Settings. Find the section related to Online Services or Recommendations. Turn off all items related to autostart videos, push notifications about new products and display widgets.
Also, you should limit the background activity of the application. Go to Settings phone -> Apps -> All apps. Find in the list of Mi Video (or Video). Go to the Battery section and select No restrictions mode (to control manually) or vice versa, Restrict background activity, if the system offers this option for saving charge.
| Function | Where to turn off | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings -> Lock screen | Static picture instead of video |
| Widget tape | Swipe to right -> Settings | Clean screen without news |
| Mi Video recommendations | Application Mi Video -> Settings | No pop-ups. |
| GetApps notifications | GetApps App -> Settings | Lack of application advertising |
Remember that system applications can recover their settings after a major operating system update, so it makes sense to check these points periodically, especially after changing the version of Android or switching to HyperOS.
Cleaning notifications and advertising in the system
Often, “popular video” comes in the form of a regular notification that looks like a system message, usually from an MSA (MIUI System Ads) or GetApps app, blocking these sources is critical for comfortable use.
To disable MSA ads, go to Settings -> Passwords and Security -> Access to Personal Data. Find the msa list and turn off the switch. The system will think for 10 seconds, then click Cancel. If the first time failed, try repeating the procedure several times.
⚠️ Warning: System services may temporarily increase battery consumption while the system restructures background synchronization processes.
Next, we'll use GetApps, open it, go to Profile -> Settings, turn off Receive Recommendations and Auto Update (if you don't use it), and prevent pop-ups from showing you how to download games or watch videos.
It's also worth checking your Mi Browser settings if you're using a standard one. It often includes "News Feed" on the home page. Turn it off in the Home Page -> News Feed.
Use of third-party launchers
If the standard methods seem to you not effective enough or the MIUI interface is too overloaded, a radical solution will be to install a third-party launcher. This completely changes the appearance of the desktop, removing all the built-in widgets and tapes Xiaomi.
Popular options are Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher. Once you install such an app and choose it as the default, you will get a clean desktop. The widgets from the manufacturer will disappear, since they are tied to the native launcher.
However, this method has its nuances: Third-party launchers may not support some of the system’s gestures, such as swiping to open a curtain or a special one-hand mode, and they may consume slightly more resources if poorly optimized for a particular phone model.
Risks of third-party launchers
For users who value minimalism, this is the best way to go, because you can set up a grid of icons, fonts and animations in the way that you want, without regard to the limitations of the manufacturer, and video content in this environment simply cannot physically appear.
Resetting and prevention
In extreme cases, when video content continues to appear from unknown sources, a complete reset can help, which will return the phone to a factory state.
When resetting your phone after reset, be as careful as possible. At each stage, read the fine print carefully, uncheck the boxes for Get News, Improve the Usage Experience, Recommendations, and the like.
Check the list of installed applications regularly. Sometimes video content comes from third-party programs that you installed yourself (for example, “memory cleaner”, “lightlights”, “QR scanners”). Removing suspicious software often solves the problem of suddenly appearing ads.
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A comprehensive approach to setup, including disabling MSA, Carousel and GetApps, ensures that there is no intrusive video content on your device.
Following these guidelines, you can turn your Xiaomi into a convenient tool without unnecessary information noise, the device will work faster, and the battery will be spent more economically, as the background loading of video streams will stop.