Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the desktop background or lock screen starts to change regularly and without demand, a phenomenon known as the “Wallpaper Carousel” or “Wallpaper Gallery” is an integrated feature of the MIUI and HyperOS shell. While for some users it is the ability to see new images daily, many are annoyed, especially when pictures do not match personal preferences or consume mobile traffic.
The main reason for this behavior of the system lies in the activated subscription to the company’s services, which by default can be turned on when the device is first launched. To return a static image and stop depending on the algorithms of content selection, you need to change several settings in the personalization menu. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to disable automatic wallpaper change and regain full control over the appearance of your gadget’s interface.
The deactivation process does not require superuser rights or complex manipulation of system files. All the necessary tools are already built into the operating system. You only need to find the appropriate items in the settings menu, which can be hidden or renamed depending on the firmware version and the region installed on your device.
What is a Wallpaper Carousel and Why It Turns On
The feature that is responsible for constantly changing images, officially called “Glance by LockScreen” (in some regions), is a service that downloads new background images from the cloud and automatically installs them on the lock screen or main screen, often users find this option turned on immediately after buying a new smartphone or after a major system update.
Developers are implementing this mechanism to increase engagement and demonstrate the capabilities of the recommendation service. However, in terms of performance, background content downloads can consume battery power and Internet traffic. In addition, matching algorithms are not always accurate, which leads to unwanted or blurred images on the screen of your Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco.
⚠️ Note: In some regions (e.g. India or global versions for markets), this service may be integrated deeper into the system and called differently, for example, "Glance" or "Lock Screen Magazine.
Understanding the nature of this service helps you identify it correctly in your settings, which is not a virus or malware, but a regular shell function, but it takes precedence over your static images, so you have to force it to be deactivated through system settings to set your own background.
Disabling the change of wallpaper through the theme settings
The most common and effective way to remove the constant change of images is through the standard Themes app. This is where the main switch that controls the behavior of the gallery resides. If you want to capture an image, follow this algorithm of actions, which is relevant for most current versions of MIUI.
First, open the Themes app on your desktop. In the lower right corner, search for and click on the profile icon (usually a human icon). In the menu that opens, select Settings. Next, scroll down to the block responsible for the lock screen. Here you will see the option "Wallpaper Carousel" or "Wallpaper for the lock screen."
☑️ Checking the theme settings
Once you go to this section, you'll see an active switch, which you need to put inactive, which you can request confirmation of an action, or you can suggest that you leave the service on for a new experience -- you can agree to disconnect. And there's often an "Automatically Update" option on this menu, which you should also deactivate to eliminate background loading.
If the standard path didn’t work, your version of the shell may have a changed menu structure, so try to find the “Always on screen and lock screen” section in your phone settings. Inside this menu, look for the subsection associated with the lock screen format and switch it from “Random” or “Online” to “Classic” or “Static”.
Subscription management in the annex Topics
Often, the reason for intrusive image changes is a signed-up (sometimes accidentally) to wallpaper collections. Even if you turn off the carousel, the subscription can continue to dictate its terms.
Go to the Themes app and go to your user profile. Find the Subscriptions or My Services section. This shows a list of all the active services that your Mi Account is subscribed to. If you see an active Wallpaper, Themes or Ringtones subscription, you must cancel it.
- 📱 Click on active subscription in the list.
- 🚫 Select the option “Cancel Subscription” or “Subscription Management».
- ✅ Confirm the cancellation in the dialog window that appears.
After the cancellation of the subscription, the changes may not take effect immediately. It is recommended to completely close the Themes application through the Task Manager and restart the smartphone. This is guaranteed to reset the cache of services and update the status of your account, stopping (push) new images.
What to do if the subscription is not canceled?
Setting up the lock screen and always on display
Special attention should be paid to the lock screen settings, as this is where the effect of “different wallpaper” is most often manifested. In modern versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14/15, the visualization settings are made into a separate, deeply integrated module.
Go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. Here it is important to check several parameters. First, make sure that the lock style is set to "Classic." Second, find the "Show slideshow" or "Swift wallpaper" switch and turn it off. This will prevent your static photos from mixing with online content.
| Setup parameter | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|
| Locking style | Classical. | Removes widgets and sliders of the carousel |
| Online recommendations | Off. | Stops downloading data from the network |
| Frequency of update | Reduces the load on the processor | |
| Display format | Photo Photo | Captures the image you have selected |
This section may also include the option of “Double tap to turn on the screen” or “Raise to turn on.” Although these do not directly affect the wallpaper, their collaboration with the carousel sometimes causes glitches when the image does not have time to load, disabling unnecessary animation functions can make the interface more stable after changing the type of wallpaper.
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If you use a third-party app to lock the screen, Xiaomi’s system settings may conflict with it, in which case it’s best to turn off the system merry-go-round completely to avoid double the load on RAM.
Resetting and cleaning of application data Topics
In cases where the standard switching off doesn’t help and different wallpapers keep appearing, a more radical approach is required – cleaning the application data.This action will return the theme settings to factory state by removing all cached images and temporary files that can force the change of background.
To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All Apps. Find the Topics app in the list. Click on it and select Memory. In the menu that opens, click Clear and confirm the choice Clear All Data.
⚠️ Attention: Cleaning up the Themes app data will reset all your personalizations related to the topics. If you used paid themes or complex font settings, they will have to be re-installed. Your personal photos and contacts will not be affected.
Once cleaned, immediately open the Themes app, accept the user agreement (if required), and recheck the carousel settings to make sure it didn't activate automatically when it first started. Often, it's re-activation when components are updated that causes problems.
Use of third-party launchers and applications
If the built-in system does not give the desired result or you want to completely isolate yourself from Xiaomi services, a great solution is to install a third-party launcher. Replacing the standard shell with an alternative one allows you to ignore the system settings of the lock wallpaper and desktop.
Popular launchers like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair, or Microsoft Launcher completely take control of the desktop, and by installing such a launcher, you can set a static image once and be sure that no system updates or recommendation services will change it.
- 📥 Download the launcher from Google Play Store.
- 🔧 Install it and click Home by selecting the new default launcher.
- 🖼️ In the settings of the new launcher, set the desired static wallpaper.
It’s worth noting that third-party launchers can’t change the lock screen (the screen that’s visible before unlocking) as it’s a reserved Android security area, but they’re guaranteed to remove the change of wallpaper on the desktop and in the app menu, which solves 90% of the visual design problems.