How to disable widgets on Android Xiaomi: Accelerate the smartphone

Modern Xiaomi smartphones, powered by MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer users a huge amount of visual elements and functional additions right on the desktop. However, many of these elements, such as weather widgets, news feeds or app widgets, can not only take up useful screen space, but also consume precious RAM devices, especially for budget models, where every megabyte of RAM counts.

Disabling unnecessary interface elements is the first step to customizing your gadget to your own needs. Android allows you to flexibly manage what you see when you unlock the screen. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to remove widgets on Android Xiaomi, from simply removing from the desktop to completely disabling the system tape widgets on the left.

You don't have to be a skilled programmer to do this. All the tools are already built into the system. We'll look at the methods for different firmware versions, because the paths to settings may vary slightly depending on the year of release of your smartphone and the version of Android.

Removing individual widgets from the desktop

The most obvious and easiest way to get rid of the interference element is to remove it directly from the screen. On Xiaomi smartphones, this process is intuitive, but has its own features depending on the editing mode. To remove the widget, you need to go to the editing mode of the desktop, holding your finger on an empty area or on the widget itself.

Once the elements start to shake or shrink, the widget will display a basket or cross icon, and clicking on this element will instantly remove the widget, and it's important to understand that this action does not remove the app that created the widget, but only removes its visual display from the current screen.

In some cases, especially on older versions of MIUI, widgets can be part of system themes. If the widget is not removed in a standard way, it may be sewn into an active theme, in which case resetting the theme to a standard one or using a third-party launcher will help.

It is worth noting that some widgets, such as "Music" or "Dictophon", can automatically appear when you run the corresponding applications, this behavior is adjusted in the settings of the application itself, not the desktop. If the widget appears again after removal, check the settings of the specific software.

Disable the widget feed (Google Discover and Mi Video)

One of the most annoying features of Xiaomi’s interface is the presence of a so-called “minus first” screen, a widget tape that swipes to the right of the main desktop, which often contains news, video recommendations and other information that the user does not always need and consumes traffic.

To disable this function, the following actions must be performed:

• 📱 Clutch the empty area on the desktop to enter editing mode.
• ⚙️ Click on the Settings button (usually as a gear in the lower right corner).
• 🔍 Find the option “More” or “More” in the desktop settings menu.
• ❌ Translate the switch "Widget Tape" or "Google Discover" to the position "Off".

After doing this, swiping to the right will stop opening the news feed, which not only removes visual noise, but can also have a positive impact on battery life, since the system no longer needs to constantly update content in the background. On some global firmware versions, this item may be called One screen mode, which actually also removes unnecessary pages.

⚠️ Note: After disabling the widget tape, swipe to the right may stop working at all or start opening Google search if it is set by default in the launcher settings.

If you use a Google account and sync, disabling Google Discover tape will not affect the performance of other services of the search giant, such as mail or maps.

Configure widgets through the application menu

With new versions of the HyperOS shell and the latest MIUI 14 updates, Xiaomi has implemented a deeper integration of widgets into the app menu, now you can add widgets not only to the desktop, but also to special folders or leave them as floating windows (although the latter requires additional settings).

The widgets in the app menu are controlled by a long tap on the app icon. The context menu that appears often has a "Widgets" item. When you click on it, you will see all the available sizes and display options for the app, and from there you can drag them to the desktop or, conversely, remove them from the favorites list.

The system allows you to sort widgets into categories like "Frequently used," "Recently added" or "All applications." This helps you quickly find the right control if you have a lot of software installed. However, the abundance of widgets on the menu can slow down the opening of the application list on weak devices.

For advanced users, you can resize the widgets, and if you hold the widget on your desktop, you'll see a frame with markers, and if you pull it, you can resize the widget to make it more compact, or you can stretch it all over the screen for a better view of the information.

Use of third-party launchers

If Xiaomi’s standard tools don’t suit you or you want to completely change the look of the interface, the best solution is to install a third-party launcher.

Popular launchers like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher give you full control of widgets, which can completely disable swipes, change the desktop grid, remove indentations and prohibit the addition of certain types of widgets, ideal for those who want a “clean” Android without branded add-ons.

The process of installing a third-party launcher is simple:

1. Download the launcher app from Google Play Market.
2. Run it and follow the instructions for initial setup.
3. When you access the desktop, the system will ask which application to use by default.
4. Select a new launcher and press "Always".

Keep in mind that installing a third-party launcher can change the logic of your phone, and some features specific to MIUI, such as gestures to control or hide applications, may work differently or require additional permissions.

The impact of widgets on performance and battery

Many users underestimate the impact of widgets on smartphone performance. Each active widget is essentially a running process that periodically updates data. The weather widget requests geolocation and temperature data, the news widget downloads text and images, the mail widget checks the server for new emails.

All of these activities require processor and communication resources. On Xiaomi’s flagship models with powerful batteries, this may not be noticeable. However, on low-end devices in the Redmi or Poco series with entry-level processors, the abundance of widgets can lead to noticeable micro-freezes of the interface and accelerated battery life in standby mode.

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If your phone starts to run out quickly, try temporarily removing all widgets from your desktop and watching battery statistics throughout the day.

Especially resource-intensive are widgets with live animations or frequent updates (every 5-10 minutes). If you do not use the widget constantly, you should remove it. Information from the application can be viewed by running it, which will take a couple of seconds, but save battery power.

⚠️ Note: Widgets that require constant access to GPS (geolocations can not only land the battery, but also transfer your location data to third-party services, even when the screen is turned off.

To diagnose the effects of widgets, you can use an integrated activity monitor or third-party applications like GSam Battery Monitor to show which processes consume the most energy and help identify the “culprit” of rapid discharge.

Solution: Widgets are not removed or disappear

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the widget cannot be removed, or it disappears after a phone restarts. The first reason may lie in administrator rights or special permissions. Some system widgets are protected from removal so that the user does not accidentally disrupt the work of critical functions.

The second problem, the widgets disappearing, is often associated with MIUI's aggressive energy saving policy, which can kill the widget process to save power, so it stops displaying or updating, and to fix this, you need to go to the battery settings, find the application that owns the widget, and set the "No Limits" mode.

Also, widgets can disappear when you change the theme, and if you've installed a theme that doesn't support certain sizes or types of widgets, the system can hide them, and going back to the standard theme "Classic" usually solves that problem.

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Aggressive MIUI energy saving is a common cause of widgets not working properly. Add important widgets to the memory cleanup exception list.

In rare cases, you may need to clear the launcher cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Desktop (or System Launcher) and select Clear Cache. This will not delete your data, but can correct display errors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)