How to permanently disable wallpaper change on the lock screen Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: 5 proven ways

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is one of the most popular smartphones in the budget segment, but its MIUI firmware sometimes surprises users with not always convenient “chips”. One of them is the automatic change of wallpaper on the lock screen, which can be annoying if you are used to a static image. Especially for owners who use photos of loved ones or important reminders as a background: the system without warning replaces them with standard images from Xiaomi.

Complicating the problem, the latest versions of MIUI 12-14 have hidden the direct settings for disabling the feature. In some cases, even after manually selecting the wallpaper, they are reset again after 1-2 days to random images. In this article, we will discuss all the working methods, from official to hidden, including methods for root-right users and without them.

Why does Redmi Note 9 automatically change the wallpaper on the lock?

The reason lies in Xiaomi’s policy of personalizing the interface, and the MIUI firmware has several mechanisms that affect the background of the lock screen:

  • 🔄 Theme of the Day feature — it loads wallpaper from Xiaomi cloud storage, synchronizing with servers once a day. It's part of the Mi Themes ecosystem.
  • 📅 Seasonal updates - before the holidays (New Year, Halloween) MIUI forcefully installs thematic wallpaper.
  • 🤖 AI recommendations – the algorithm analyzes your actions (such as frequent camera use) and picks up “relevant” background images.
  • 🔄 Reset after updates – after installing new versions MIUI Some settings are reset to factory, including the background lock.

On the Redmi Note 9 (models M2003J15SC/M2003J15SS), this feature is activated by default in regional firmware for Russia, India and Europe, and in the Chinese version of MIUI (without global services Google) it can be disabled in two clicks, and in the global version – you have to use workarounds.

⚠️ Note: If you use third-party launchers (such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher), this does not affect lock wallpapers – they are managed exclusively by system services. MIUI.

Method 1: Disconnect via standard settings (MIUI 12–14)

The most obvious method is to try deactivating the function through the theme menu, but in recent versions of MIUI, this is a complicated way.

  1. Open Settings → Wallpaper (or Settings → Lock screen in some versions).
  2. Select the Lock Screen section.
  3. Slip on the current background - a wallpaper gallery will open.
  4. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and select Settings.
  5. Look for the option of Automan Wallpaper or Recommended Wallpaper - move the slider to the off position.

If there's no Automan, your version of MIUI is hiding it.

  • 📌 Try to select a static image from the gallery (not from the Recommended section»).
  • 🔍 Check if the theme is activated with dynamic wallpapers (for example, Super Wallpapers).

Choose wallpaper from a personal gallery, not from standard themes

Check for MIUI updates (sometimes bugs are fixed in new versions)

Disable theme synchronization with Xiaomi account (Settings → Account → Synchronization)

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

If after these actions the wallpaper still changes - proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Reset theme settings to factory

Sometimes a Mi Themes service crash causes a forced wallpaper change, and resetting theme settings can help:

  1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
  2. Find the Themes app and open its page.
  3. Slip the vault. → Clear the data.
  4. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

After discharge:

  • 🔧 Go to Settings. → Wallpaper and manually select the background to lock.
  • 🚫 Don’t click on banners offering to download new themes in the first 24 hours – this can activate the driver again.

⚠️ Attention: Data cleanup of the Themes app will reset all your custom design settings (icons, fonts, animations.

Method 3: Disconnect via ADB (without root)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use USB debugging and ADB command. This method doesn’t require superuser rights, but requires a computer.

Steps:

  1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version. Go back to Settings → Additional → Developer. Turn on USB Debugging.

Redmi Note 9

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper_auto_change 0

Reboot the phone.

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

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.themes

This command disables the theme system application, but may cause some MIUI features to malfunction.

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Before using ADB, check if you have installed drivers for Xiaomi on your PC, and you can download them from the official MIUI Downloads website (section "Mi Phone Manager").

Method 4: Editing system files (requires root)

For power users with unlocked bootloaders and root rights, a radical method is available: editing configuration files, which can disrupt MIUI if done incorrectly. Back up before you change!

Instructions:

  1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
  2. Cross the path: /data/system/users/0/ and find the file. settings_global.xml.
  3. Open the file and find the line: <setting id="lock_screen_wallpaper_auto_change" value="1" /> Change the value="1" value="0".
  4. Save the changes, restart the phone.

Example of Wallpaper Changer Blocker:

  1. Install the application and grant it Special Access (in the security settings).
  2. Enable the Block System Wallpaper Changes option.
  3. Add the Topic app (com.android.themes) to the exceptions.

The disadvantage of this method is the constant operation of the background service, which can slightly increase battery consumption (by 1-3% per day).

Standard settings of MIUI

ADB-team

Third-party annexes

Editing system files (root)

I haven't tried it yet.-->

What do you do if nothing helps?

If all of the above methods fail, the problem may be:

  • 🐛 Baggage of a specific version MIUI — Check the forums (for example, 4PDA or XDA Developers) for complaints from other Redmi Note 9 users.
  • 📦 Conflict with established themes – try using a standard design theme (Default).
  • 🔄 Xiaomi server settings – sometimes the autoshifter is forced to turn on via the cloud (solved by disabling account synchronization).

Extreme measures:

  1. Recoil on the previous version of MIUI – if the problem appeared after the update, you can return the old firmware through Fastboot.
  2. Installing custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) will completely remove the MIUI restrictions, but will require unlocking the bootloader.
How to check the MIUI version on the Redmi Note 9?
Open Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. If it says something like MIUI Global 13.0.4, then: The first number (13) is the main version of the firmware. The second (0.4) is the build number (the higher, the newer). The word "Global" means international firmware (in the Chinese version, it is easier to turn off the driver). If your version is older than MIUI 12.5, but the problem remains - most likely it is not a bug, but a feature of Xiaomi.

⚠️ Note: When installing custom firmware, you lose the official Xiaomi warranty and risk getting a brick if you interrupt the firmware process!

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper changer on Redmi Note 9

Can I turn off the wallpaper driver without a computer?
Yes, in most cases, it is enough to use standard settings (Method 1) or reset themes (Method 2).If these methods do not work, try third-party applications (Method 5) that do not require a PC.
After the MIUI update, the wallpaper started to change again.
Updates often reset user settings. Repeat steps from Method 1 or 3 (with ADB). Also check if the new feature has been activated in Settings → Lock Screen → Additional.
Will the ADB work on other Xiaomi models?
Adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper_auto_change 0 It was tested on the Redmi Note. 9/9 Pro, Poco X3 mi 10T s MIUI 12–14. Newer or older versions may not work due to changes in system settings.
Can I return the wallpaper driver after the shutdown?
Yes, for that: If you used ADB, Adb shell settings put global settings lock_screen_wallpaper_auto_change 1 If you have edited system files, return the value="1". If you reset theme settings, just select dynamic wallpaper manually.
Why do they become blurry after changing the wallpaper?
This is a feature of MIUI, which automatically applies blur to custom wallpaper on the lock screen. To remove the effect: Use images with a resolution of 1080×2340 pixels (native for Redmi Note 9). Turn off blur in the theme settings: Settings → Wallpaper → Effects → Blurring background.

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If none of these methods worked, the most likely reason is Xiaomi’s server settings, which forcefully enable auto-spotters for specific regions, in which case you either have to accept or switch to custom firmware.