Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the situation when unlocking the device or after turning on the screen, an unexpected image appears.This feature, known as "Wallpaper Carousel", is designed to delight the user with novelty, but in practice often annoys, hiding important widgets or simply not matching the tastes.
Fortunately, MIUI and the new HyperOS have a flexible system for managing this process. You don’t need to be a technician to return the static background you chose. In this article, we’ll go into detail about all the possible ways to deaktivirovat’ (disable) automatic image change, from standard system settings to deeper theme settings.
Sometimes the problem lies not only in the system function, but also in third-party applications or specific themes that force the background to change. We will look at all scenarios so that you can guarantee to get rid of the annoying "Carousel" and enjoy the familiar interface.
What is a Wallpaper Carousel and Why It Turns On
Wallpaper carousel is a built-in service from Xiaomi that automatically uploads and displays new high-quality images on the lock screen, originally designed to showcase the display’s capabilities and provide users with access to professional photography, but aggressive implementations, where the service is turned on by default when the phone is first launched or after a system update, have caused discontent among many users.
The main reason random wallpapers appear suddenly is because of system component updates. Often after a MIUI update, settings are reset to factory ones, where the "Enable Wallpaper Carousel" feature is activated. In addition, some third-party themes from the GetThemes store may contain scripts that force you to change the background, ignoring your preferences.
⚠️ Warning: Wallpaper carousels can consume mobile traffic if the Wi-Fi-only update is not selected in the settings.This can lead to unexpected costs if you have a limited plan.
Understanding how this service works helps you find the switch faster. The system treats the lock screen as a separate entity, different from the main screen, so the settings can be duplicated in different menus. It is important to distinguish between the system Carousel and the Rotating Wallpaper feature, which is analogous to Google services.
Disconnection through lock screen settings
The most direct and effective way to remove random images is to use the standard lock screen settings menu, which works on the vast majority of devices running MIUI 12-14 and HyperOS. The algorithm is simple but requires care, as the names of items may vary slightly depending on the regional firmware.
To start, unlock your smartphone and go to the main settings menu. Find the look section. Depending on the version of the shell, it can be called Lock Screen or hidden inside the "Always screen and lock" item. That's where the key switch controls the behavior of the background is.
☑️ Shutdown algorithm
Inside the menu, you'll see the wallpaper carousel (or "Glance" in global versions). Click on it to reveal additional options. Here you need to find the "Enable wallpaper carousel" switch and put it inactive. After that, the system can suggest confirm the action or select a static image to replace - agree to capture the result.
If the standard Settings → Lock screen was not successful, try an alternative route through the theme settings. Sometimes the background settings are rigidly tied to an active theme. In this case, even if you turn off the service in the system, the theme can force your images back, in which case changing the theme to a standard one (Classic or Default) will help.
Management through the Topics app
Xiaomi’s Themes app is the central hub for managing the device’s visual style. This is where you often hide extra settings that override the system settings. If you like to change the design but don’t want to face surprises in the form of random photos, you need to check the profile and settings of the app.
Open the Themes app and go to the Profile tab (usually the person icon in the lower right corner). In the options list, look for Settings or Wallpaper Carousel. Here you can activate the Get New Wallpaper option, which is causing the problem, and deactivating this feature will prevent new content from downloading through the theme store.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Turn on the carousel. | Settings → Lock screen | Off |
| Frequency of update | Appendix Topics → Settings | Never. |
| Use data | The wallpaper carousel → Settings | Only Wi-Fi. |
| Show me the main thing | Settings of the topic | Off |
If you have a theme that supports dynamic wallpaper, it may have its own rotation mechanism, in which case the best way to get rid of a random is to reset the theme to factory (Default), since third-party themes often do not have detailed settings to disable their specific functions.
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If the wallpaper changes after the Carousel is turned off, try restarting the device, and sometimes the system cache stores the old commands and applies them after the restart.
Setting up rotation in the gallery
Many users don't know that the standard Gallery app also has the feature of creating a slideshow from selected photos. If you've ever set wallpaper through a gallery and accidentally activated the Wallpaper Rotation switch, the phone will cycle around images from the chosen album. This is not a system carousel, but a local feature that also needs to be disabled separately.
To check this setting, open any photo in the gallery, click three dots in the corner of the screen and select "Set as Wallpaper." In the menu that opens, take a close look at the bottom of the screen. There may be a "Rotation Wallpaper" or "Slideshow" switch on. If it's on, the system will prompt you to set up the album to change the background.
To completely shut down:
- 📸 Open the Gallery app and select any photo.
- ⚙️ Click the menu (three dots) and select "Install as wallpaper».
- 🚫 Find the Rotation switch and turn it off.
- 💾 Click on “Apply” or “OK” to save a static image.
It is important to note that gallery settings take precedence over system lock settings in some versions of MIUI. So even if the Xiaomi Carousel is disabled but gallery rotation is activated, the effect will be the same - a constant change of picture. Make sure that both sources of randomization are silenced.
Third-party applications and widgets
If you've tried all the system settings, but the wallpaper continues to change, the reason may lie in third-party software. Many Google Play apps, such as Live Wallpaper, HD Wallpaper, or various weather and time widgets, request permission to change the desktop background. Often users do not notice the "Change Wallpaper Daily" tick when installing such programs.
Check the list of newly installed applications. Pay particular attention to those that have access to storage and display settings. Android has a mechanism that allows applications to control the lock screen, if they are given permission from the device administrator or special access.
⚠️ Note: Some memory cleaners and antiviruses also have built-in wallpaper change modules as part of their optimizer.
To diagnose, run your phone in Safe Mode, which is a mode where third-party apps don't start, and if the wallpaper stops running in Safe Mode, it means that one of the apps you installed is to blame, and by eliminating it, delete the recently installed programs until the problem disappears.
How to get into Safe Mode on Xiaomi?
Specifics of different versions of MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi’s shell interface is constantly evolving, and the settings can change. Owners of MIUI 12 and 13 devices are most likely to encounter the classic Carousel, while HyperOS (based on Android 14) integrates these features deeper into the personalization system. In new versions, the settings can be combined into the Personalization section.
HyperOS has a new widget and lock screen control mechanism, where random wallpaper settings can be spread out in different places: separately for Screen Always (AOD), separately for the lock screen and separately for the desktop. Users of new smartphones (for example, Xiaomi 14, Redmi Note 13) should check all three sections.
Also worth mentioning are regional features: Global ROMs often call it Glance, and are run by a service of the same name that may have its own app on the list of programs. In Chinese versions (CN ROM), it's a native part of the system without any unnecessary intermediary apps. If you have a global version, try finding Glance on the installed list and disabling it or uninstalling updates.
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In the new versions of HyperOS, wallpaper settings are divided into three independent layers: AOD, lock screen and desktop.
Remember that after major updates, the system settings can be reset, and if you once turned off random wallpaper, but after the software update, they reappeared, this is normal (albeit unpleasant) system behavior, requiring repeated manual adjustments.