How to remove the wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi Redmi 9: a step-by-step guide

Many owners of Xiaomi Redmi 9 smartphones face an intrusive feature that automatically changes images on the lock screen.This so-called wallpaper carousel, often supplied by Glance service, not only consumes traffic, but also distracts the user from personal photos or static backgrounds.

Fortunately, MIUI’s shell provides the option to completely disable this option, which returns control over the appearance of the device, and in this article we will discuss in detail all available methods of deactivation, from standard settings to deeper interventions.

You'll learn not just to remove images, but also to replace them with the desired ones, and to prevent them from accidentally returning after updates. Understanding this mechanism will allow you to customize your smartphone exactly as convenient for you, not advertisers.

Nature of wallpaper carousel and Glance service

The feature, often referred to by users as simply a "carousel," is actually part of a more complex system called Glance.This service is integrated into the system applications Screen Lock and Security, making it not always obvious to the beginner.

The main problem is that standard theme settings may not completely override the service. If you just change the theme, the carousel can continue to run in the background, loading content over the mobile Internet, which puts extra strain on the processor and battery of your Redmi 9.

⚠️ Warning: Complete removal of system components responsible for the carousel may require root rights, which is not warranty.

It's important to understand the difference between a live wallpaper and a carousel. Live wallpaper is an animation that runs at your choice. A carousel is a stream of content controlled by Xiaomi's server or partners. To turn it off, we'll need to find specific switches hidden in different settings menus.

Disconnection through lock screen settings

The first and most logical step is to go to the direct screen settings, and depending on the version of MIUI installed on your Redmi 9, the path may be slightly different, but the basic algorithm remains the same. You need to get into the menu that visualizes the locked state of the device.

To start, unlock your phone and go to the main app menu, find the Settings icon (cogs) and open it. In the list that opens, look for a section that may be called Lock Screen, Always Screen and Lock, or simply Screen Lock.

Inside this section, you need to find a item associated with the carousel, which can be called "Wallpaper Carousel," "Glance for Mi," or "Recommendations on the lock screen," and this is the switch that automatically changes the images.

• 📱 Open the settings of your smartphone.
• 🔒 Go to the Lock screen section.
• ❌ Find and turn off the wallpaper carousel switchboard.
• ✅ Confirm the action if a pop-up with a question appears.

Once you turn off the switch, the system will tell you to choose a static image or leave the current one, and now when you press the power button, you will only see the clock, the date and the picture you have chosen, without unnecessary information noise.

Management through the Topics app

If the standard path through the settings failed or the menu item was missing, the carousel's second habitat is the Themes app. It's a Xiaomi system tool that manages not only skins, but additional interface features, including locking.

Open the Themes app on your device. Notice the bottom navigation bar or user profile in the bottom right corner (human icon). By clicking on the profile, you will be taken to the account and additional services management menu.

You'll find the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance section here, and often this is hidden in the profile settings submenu, and inside you'll see the service activation switch, and even if it's turned off in the basic settings of the phone, it can stay active as it continues to upload data.

Turn off the feature in the Themes app. It is also recommended to clear the cache of this app to remove saved images that may have been stuck in memory. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Topics → Memory → Clear.

Change of region as a method of blocking

One of the most effective, if not obvious, ways to get rid of intrusive features is to change the region in your smartphone settings. Glance services and wallpaper carousel are often tied to specific geographic areas where advertising agreements are in place.

Go to Settings → Additional → Region. The default location is your country or “Russia.” Try changing the region to a country where Xiaomi services are less aggressive or do not support a carousel, such as Andorra, Nepal or the United States.

Once you change region, the interface of the phone can be partially rebuilt, changing the format of the time, some system applications may disappear or reappear, and this is a normal reaction of the system to change location. Check the lock screen, the carousel will likely disappear.

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Changing the region to India or Indonesia often brings the carousel back, because in these regions it is the priority monetization service. Choose neutral regions.

And it's important to note that changing regions doesn't just affect the carousel, it can change the set of available themes in the store, the news feed in the browser, and even the refresh rate of some system components, and if you're not embarrassed by that, it's one of the most reliable.

Data cleanup and permissions

Sometimes just turning off the switch doesn't help, because the phone's cached data is stored in the service's memory, and you have to force the process to stop and clear the storage, which is especially true if the carousel is resurrected by itself.

You'll need access to advanced app settings. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. On the list, find the Wallpaper Carousel, Glance or Lock Screen app. If it's hard to find, search the app list.

Inside the app menu, click Stop (if active), then go to Memory and select Clear Everything or Clear Cache. Also check the Permissions section and disallow geolocation, phone and storage if such items are present.

⚠️ Warning: Cleaning up system applications data can reset your personalizations, such as the watch style you choose on the lock screen.

After cleaning, it is recommended to restart the device, which will allow the system to reread the configuration files without the old carousel data. If after rebooting the images began to change again, repeat the procedure, but this time try to also disable the auto-update for the Themes app.

Alternative methods and third-party solutions

If MIUI’s regular tools don’t get rid of the problem completely, you can resort to installing third-party apps to lock the screen. Google Play stores offer a variety of launchers and blockers that completely replace the standard interface.

Applications like Hi Locker or CM Locker allow you to completely ignore the system settings of the lock Xiaomi. However, using such programs has its disadvantages: they can consume more power and require constant permissions to display on top of other windows.

Another method is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to freeze system packets, which requires connecting the phone to a computer and having basic command line knowledge, and the command to disable it looks something like this:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper

Use of the ADB-Incorrectly disabling the system component can lead to a cyclic restart (bootloop) or inoperability of the lock screen in principle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The most reliable way is to combine the region change to neutral and manual data cleaning of the Topic application.