Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive behavior when viewing a media library.The autoplay feature, designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the camera and screen, is often annoying in practice, especially when the device is in your pocket or in a quiet room. A pop-up video can suddenly start playing with a loud sound, causing awkward situations or simply distracting from the main task.
The problem lies in the aggressive policy of optimizing the interface of MIUI and HyperOS, which are trying to make the gallery more "live". However, for many users, the priority remains control of the device, not automatic effects. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to deactivate this feature, regaining calm when viewing photos.
It is worth noting that the settings may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system. Xiaomi regularly updates the algorithms of system applications, so the interface may change. However, the basic principles remain unchanged, and the methods proposed below should work on most current models.
Reasons for the appearance of autoplay in the system gallery
Auto-start video files have been introduced by developers to improve the user experience when viewing high-resolution content. The system's algorithms analyze the contents of the folder and, if they detect a video, try to play a preview of it, which should help to find the desired file faster among thousands of images.
⚠️ Note: Autoplay can significantly speed up battery life, as the processor and screen are more actively used to decode the video stream even without direct user involvement.
In practice, however, this has a number of negative consequences: First, the traffic consumption can increase if the video is uploaded from the cloud or contains online elements; and second, the constant load on the GPU causes the case to heat up, which is especially noticeable in compact models of smartphones.
Another reason is the integration of ad modules: In some firmware versions, pop-ups may contain not only previews of your files, but also recommended content, which not only removes visual noise, but also increases data privacy.
Users often confuse the gallery’s system function with the behavior of third-party apps. It’s important to understand that Xiaomi’s standard Gallery app has its own settings, independent of lock screen settings or other services.
Basic settings through the Gallery app menu
The easiest and safest way to solve this problem is to use built-in customization tools, which don't require super-user privileges or third-party software, but just open the application and find the appropriate switch.
First, run the standard Gallery app on your smartphone. Then go to the profile or settings section, which is usually indicated by a person's icon or three dots in the corner of the screen, and that's where the key display options for content are hidden.
In the menu that opens, look for the option that controls your browsing settings, which can be called "Browse Settings," "Display Settings," or simply "Settings." Inside this section, look for the option Autoplay or AutoStart Video.
- 📱 Open the Gallery app and go to the profile menu.
- ⚙️ Select "Settings" in the drop-down list.
- 🎬 Find the "Browse Settings" section or similar.
- ❌ Translate the switch "Autoplay video" to the position "Off".
Once you do this, the system will stop automatically running videos as you scroll through the albums. Changes take effect immediately, no reboot is required. If you don't see an effect, your version of MIUI may have a slightly different menu structure.
☑️ Checking gallery settings
Disable the function through the settings of the Android system
If the application itself does not have the right option, it is worth checking the global settings of the operating system. Android allows you to control the behavior of applications at a deeper level, which can help in case the standard method does not work.
Go to the basic settings of your Xiaomi smartphone. Find the "Apps" section, and then select "All Apps." In the list, find the Gallery app (or "Xiaomi Gallery").
Inside the app menu, we're interested in the "Advanced" or "Advanced Settings" section, which may have a switch that allows background activity or autoplay of content, and it's also worth checking the "Notifications" section, because sometimes previews of videos come through a notification.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-start video | Off. | Stops preview playback |
| Mobile data | Forbidden. | Saves traffic when viewing |
| Background activity | Limited. | Reduces battery consumption |
| Notifications | Located. | Removes pop-ups |
In some cases, cleaning the app data helps. Go to Settings → Apps → Gallery → Memory and click Clear Data. This will reset the gallery settings to factory settings, which can remove the erroneous configurations causing the problem.
⚠️ Warning: Cleaning up the Gallery app data won’t delete your photos and videos, but will reset your album and hidden folder sorting settings.
Using third-party galleries as an alternative
If the built-in app continues to behave unpredictably or consumes too many resources, the logical solution is to install an alternative gallery.The Google Play store offers many easy and fast options, devoid of advertising and unnecessary features.
Popular apps like Google Photos, A+ Gallery or Simple Gallery completely ignore Xiaomi’s autoplay system settings.They work independently of the MIUI shell, providing a stable and predictable result.
To install a third-party application, download it from the official store, launch it and provide the necessary permissions to access files. After that, the system may suggest assigning a new application to the gallery by default - agree with this, so that links to the photo open immediately in the new program.
Why should you consider Google Photos?
Using third-party software also improves security: Xiaomi system applications sometimes have vulnerabilities or collect telemetry. Third-party developers are often more transparent about privacy issues and release security patches faster.
Optimization of the system and removal of advertising
Often pop-up videos are part of the MIUI advertising ecosystem, and to get rid of them completely, it is recommended to disable personalized ads in the system settings, which will reduce the amount of intrusive content in all system applications.
Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to Personal Data (or “Special Features” in older versions). Find msa (MIUI System Ads) and turn it off. The system will ask for confirmation several times – you need to wait 10 seconds and click “Cancel”.
- 🔒 Go to the security and privacy settings.
- 📉 Find the msa service in the list of system processes.
- 🚫 Click "Withdraw Consent" and wait for the countdown.
- ✅ Confirm the action to disable advertising modules.
Also worth checking is the settings of the "Security" app, which often hides recommendations and news that may trigger pop-ups, and disable all items related to "Recommendations" or "Get News."
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For maximum efficiency, also disable the service "Mi Video" in the application settings if you do not use the built-in video player, as it often conflicts with the gallery.
After disabling advertising services, the interface will be cleaner and the number of random video launches will decrease to zero, which will also positively affect the performance of the device as a whole.
Solving cache problems and resetting settings
In rare cases, the problem is technical in nature, involving cache damage or conflicting updates, and if simple switches don’t help, a deeper intervention in the application will be required.
The first step is to force you to stop. Go to Settings → Apps → Gallery and click the Stop button. After that, try to open the gallery again. If the problem persists, try removing the app updates through the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of the app information screen.
In extreme cases, you can reset all the phone settings, but this is a radical measure. Before you do it, make sure to back up the data. However, most often it helps just waiting for a system update, since Xiaomi regularly patches bugs in HyperOS.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting to factory settings will remove all data from your phone. Use this method only if other methods have not worked and you have made a full backup.
Check for system updates in Settings → About Phone. Often newer firmware versions fix bugs on system applications, including the gallery.
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A comprehensive approach that includes disabling autoplay, removing ads and using alternative apps is guaranteed to solve the problem of pop-up videos.