How to turn off the wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi phone: the full guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face intrusive functionality that appears after a system upgrade or immediately after buying a device.This is a so-called wallpaper carousel that automatically changes the image on the lock screen every time you pick up the phone. This service, known as Glance or simply “Blocker”, not only consumes Internet traffic, but often distracts from using the gadget.

Unfortunately, standard MIUI or HyperOS settings don’t always allow you to simply turn this feature off with a single button, especially in global firmware versions. Developers are implementing this element as part of the monetization and advertising ecosystem, so removing or disabling it completely sometimes requires the use of deeper customization methods. In this article, we’ll look at all the available methods, from simple menu switches to using system commands.

Turning off the carousel will bring your device back to its familiar look and performance as background processes stop loading heavy images.We’ll look at options for different versions of the shells, including the current MIUI 12, 13, 14 and the new HyperOS. Follow the instructions carefully to avoid accidental removal of system components important to the stable operation of the smartphone.

What is a wallpaper carousel and why it turns on itself

Wallpaper carousel is a system service developed by Xiaomi to dynamically change the background on the lock screen, originally conceived as a way of personalization, in modern versions of firmware it has transformed into a platform for delivering advertising content and news feeds, often users find this feature activated after another software update, when new service modules are loaded in the background.

Technically, this process is provided by a system application that can be called differently depending on the region of the firmware. In global versions, it is most often Glance for Xiaomi, while in Chinese builds, the component can appear as Lock Screen Magazine or Wallpaper Carousel.

⚠️ Warning: Automatically activating the carousel often occurs when you first start your phone or reset to factory settings. Be careful when you first set up your device so you don't activate unnecessary services.

Understanding the nature of this component is important, because simply changing the image in the gallery will not turn off the mechanism of image swapping, but you need to influence the service source. In some cases, the system can mask this process as "Recommendations" or "Enhanced Lock Screen", which confuses inexperienced users.

Disconnect the carousel through standard MIUI settings

The safest and easiest way to remove intrusive images is to use the built-in system settings, which do not require third-party software installation and is suitable for most users who want to quickly solve the problem, but the location of the switches may vary depending on the version of the MIUI shell or HyperOS.

To start, you need to go to the settings menu of your device, find the section that deals with the look and lock, depending on the localization, this item may be called Wallpaper and Personalization or just Wallpaper, and this is where the basic controls of dynamic content are hidden.

• 📱 Open Settings and go to Always on Screen and Lock (or Lock Screen»).
• 🖼️ Find Wallpaper Carousel or Glance for Xiaomi and click on it.
• 🚫 Translate the switch "Enable the wallpaper carousel" to the off position.

Once you do this, the system will stop downloading new images from the Internet. However, in some versions of the firmware, the switch may be inactive or missing, in which case, try to clear the data of the carousel application itself through the application management menu by finding it in the list of all installed programs.

If the standard path doesn’t work, it’s possible that your carrier or a particular version of the software is hiding this option, and it’s worth checking for system updates, as new security patches sometimes allow Xiaomi to manage this service back under public pressure.

Managing Glance in HyperOS

With the release of the new HyperOS shell, which replaces MIUI, the menu structure has changed, the wallpaper carousel service has been integrated deeper into the personalization system, and it has become more difficult to find it, owners of new flagships and mid-segment devices will have to look for settings in the the theme section.

In HyperOS, management is often put into a separate Themes app or hidden in the depth of screen settings. The action algorithm here requires care, because item names may not be obvious. The system seeks to maintain visual appeal, so insists on leaving the functionality on.

• 🎨 Go to the Topics app on the desktop.
• 👤 Click on the profile icon (usually in the lower right corner).
• ⚙️ Select Settings and find the Wallpaper Carousel section.
• 🔕 Turn off the option to receive content regularly or similarly.

Importantly, HyperOS may also have integration with Google services like Google Discover or Review, which can replace images. So if images change after the Xiaomi carousel is turned off, check the settings of Google widgets on the lock screen.

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If you can’t find the Themes app, try entering the word “Themes” in the search by phone settings – the system will open the desired section itself.

Users who switch from MIUI 12 or 13 to HyperOS often notice that the old settings are reset, so the shutdown procedure will likely have to be repeated manually after a major system update, which is standard behavior for Android custom shells.

Removing the component through application settings

If the switches in the settings menu are not working or missing, you can try to influence the program itself, which is responsible for the carousel. This method is effective when the interface blocks the direct shutdown of the function. We will use the Android application management menu.

The method is to find the system application Glance or Wallpaper Carousel and force it to stop or remove updates. This does not always remove the application completely (because it is system), but deprives it of functionality.

Find the right component in the list of applications. Its name can vary: Glance for Xiaomi, Mi Wallpaper Carousel, Wallpaper Carousel. Go to the properties of the application and try to click the "Delete" button. If the button is inactive, select "Remove Updates".

Once the updates are removed, the app will return to the factory version, which often does not have access to content download servers, a powerful way to “stun” the service without disrupting the integrity of the system, but once the phone is reset to factory settings, the procedure can be repeated.

Using ADB to remove the carousel completely

For advanced users who want to get rid of the wallpaper carousel and free up space in the system, there is a method using debugging by the system. USB (ADB). This method allows you to remove system applications that cannot be removed by standard means. ADB.

Before you start, you need to activate the developer mode on your phone, and then seven times click on the build number in the About section. Then, in the Developer menu, turn on USB debugging. Connect your smartphone to your PC and start the command line.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misystem




adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.glance.lockscreen

The commands above are designed to remove the packages responsible for Xiaomi wallpaper and system services. Be extremely careful: removing the wrong packages can lead to unstable system operation or endless restart (bootloop).

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-Do not delete packets that you are not 100% sure of, and an error may result in the need to flash the device.

If the carousel disappeared after completing the commands, but after a while it appeared again, then the system automatically updated the remote components, in which case it is recommended to disable automatic updates of system applications in the settings of Google Play or GetApps.

Problems after disconnection and their solution

After successfully disabling or removing the wallpaper carousel, users may encounter a number of nuances, most often involving the operation of the lock screen or widgets, and understanding these features will help avoid panic and quickly restore the device to work.

One common problem is that the black screen is a lock screen, which happens when the system application that handles the static wallpaper is affected during the cleaning process, and that's solved by simply putting any picture from the gallery on the lock screen again.

• 🖤 Black Screen: Go to wallpaper settings and set a static image manually.
• 🔋 Battery discharge: If the removal process went wrong, the background service can "hang" and consume charge. Check battery statistics.
• 🔄 Interface failure: When removing system components through ADB It can be a loss of unlock animation. It's normal for stripped-down versions of firmware.

In rare cases, especially on older Redmi models, removing carousel services can affect the fingerprint scanner if they use shared system libraries. If you notice such a problem, the only solution is to return deleted packets through factory reset.

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If the carousel is stable after the phone is turned off, don't rush to reset the settings. Most visual bugs are treated with a simple reboot or re-installing the wallpaper.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)