Xiaomi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive MIUI functionality that is designed to decorate the lock screen, but in practice only annoying. Wallpaper carousel is a service that automatically changes the background images every time you turn on the device screen. On the Redmi Note 7 model, which remains popular due to the balance of price and quality, this feature can consume unnecessary resources and traffic.
Many users are looking for a way to deactivate this process, because standard settings are not always obvious. In this article, we will take a look at exactly where the switch is hiding in different versions of the firmware, and look at workarounds if the standard method did not work. You will learn how to manage your interface, rather than let the system dictate conditions.
Disabling this feature will not only remove unnecessary animation, but can also have a positive impact on the autonomy of the gadget. Below are proven methods that will help you regain control over the appearance of your smartphone.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why turn it off
The Wallpaper Carousel service (or Glance by Mi in the newer versions) is a platform for displaying advertising and news content on a locked screen. It looks technically like a beautiful photo gallery, but technically it's an ad delivery mechanism. On a Redmi Note 7 device with a MIUI shell, this component is often preinstalled and activated by default.
The main reason that power users are looking to remove this element is because of resource consumption: constantly loading high-resolution images requires a stable connection and consumes battery power; and background processes can slightly slow down the screen unlock on mid-range processors.
- 📉 Reducing mobile traffic consumption by stopping background image loading.
- 🔋 Saving battery power as the processor doesn’t have to constantly process new images.
- 🧹 Increased free space in the system cache, which is often inflated by media files of the carousel.
It's important to understand the difference between a regular live wallpaper and a carousel, the first being local animation, the second being a network service, and turning off the latter does not affect the ability to install static images from the gallery.
Standard method of disconnection through settings
The easiest and safest way to remove the carousel is to use the built-in settings menu. Most versions of MIUI for Redmi Note 7 have standardized the path to shutdown, although the name of the items may vary slightly depending on the firmware region (Global, EU, China).
First, you have to open the main settings menu, find the partition that controls the look of the lock screen, which is usually called the lock screen or Wallpaper, and that's where the main visual controls are.
Inside the menu, find the wallpaper carousel. As you go to it, you'll see the switch at the top of the screen. If it's active, just click on it to change status on Off. The system can request confirmation of action -- you can safely agree, it won't hurt the files.
☑️ Checklist for carousel shutdown
Once you do this, the lock screen should become static, so if you turn on the screen, the picture no longer changes by itself, then the procedure was successful, and in some cases, you may need to reboot the device to apply the changes.
Search for settings in different versions of MIUI
The MIUI shell interface is constantly updated, and the location of menu items can change. The Redmi Note 7 can have different versions of firmware, from old stable to newer ones with security patches, which affects where to find the right switch.
In older versions of MIUI 10 and early MIUI 11, the settings often went deeper, sometimes you had to go to Wallpaper, then select the Online tab, and then look for the carousel settings. In more recent builds like MIUI 12 or MIUI 12.5, the logic was simplified, but new ad integrations came along.
⚠️ Note: If you don’t see the “Wallpaper carousel” item in the main settings, it may be hidden in the Mi Account profile or in the Security app".
Also worth checking is the Themes app. In some configurations, the carousel is controlled there. Open the app, go to the user profile (human icon) and find the Settings section. There may be a separate switchboard to recommend content on the lock screen.
| MIUI version | The path to settings | Features |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI 10 | Settings → Lock screen | Classic location, minimum advertising |
| MIUI 11 Global | Settings → Wallpaper → Carousel | Integration with Mi Account is now available |
| MIUI 12 / 12.5 | Settings → Always on screen and lock screen | Advanced animation settings and Glance |
| MIUI EU (Xiaomi.eu) | Settings → Lock screen | Often cut entirely or hidden |
If standard paths don’t lead to a goal, your firmware may have specific limitations or modifications from the carrier, so check for system updates that can return or change the location of these menus.
Disconnection through the Security and Topics app
Sometimes the carousel settings are duplicated or completely transferred to system utilities. On the Redmi Note 7, the Security app is responsible for cleaning up memory and optimizing, and this is where additional ad modules are often hidden.
Run the Security app (green icon with shield). At the top of the screen, there's usually a search bar or a three-dot menu. Try to find the Cleanup or Accelerate section. In some versions, after scanning, the system suggests "improving" the lock screen, which is the gateway to the carousel.
- 🛡️ Open the Security app on the home screen.
- 🔍 Find the Cleanup section or click on the settings icon (cogs).
- 🚫 Look for the item Get recommendations or Carousel wallpaper and turn it off.
Another place to check is the Themes app. This is Xiaomi's official design store. Go to your profile, select your settings, and look carefully at the options list. There may be "Get hints" or "Recommendations on the lock screen."
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If you can’t find settings in the Themes app, try switching the region in your phone settings to India or Indonesia – there menu items are often called differently and are easier to spot.
Once these apps are changed, it is recommended to close them completely through the running process menu, ensuring that the new settings take effect immediately, without the need to restart the phone.
Radical measures: disconnection through ADB
If the software methods do not give a result or the switch constantly returns to the active position, you can use a more powerful tool - debugging on the computer. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method allows you to remove or freeze system components responsible for the carousel.
To start, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI build number. After the message “You became a developer” appears, go back to the main settings menu, find Additional → For developers and turn on Debugging over USB.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.mishare.connectivity
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.personalassistantHowever, the most effective ad removal and carousel package is to disable specific services.The component responsible for the carousel is often called com.miui.mipicks or is associated with com.miui.personalassistant. Be careful: disabling system components can lead to unstable operation if the wrong package is disabled.
⚠️ Attention: Use ADB It requires you to install drivers on your PC and basic command line knowledge. Inexperienced users are better off using software methods inside their phone.
Once you have input commands through a computer connected to your smartphone, the changes take effect instantly, and the carousel will disappear physically, and the system will no longer be able to start it until you have restored the components with the pm enable command.
Frequent problems and their solution
Even after completing all the instructions, Redmi Note 7 users may find the carousel returning, often after a system update or sync with their Mi Account account, and the system tries to restore the “recommended experience.”
One common problem is that you have an active Wallpaper widget on your desktop or in Always On (AOD) mode. Check the settings of Always On screen in the Lock Screen section. If you have a style with a changing background, turn it off or select a static image.
- 🔄 Reset the theme settings to standard if you use third-party design.
- 📡 Turn off automatic update of system applications in account settings.
- 🧹 Clear the “Themes” and “Security” app data through the application management menu.
It’s also worth checking if you have a third-party app that blocks calls or cleans memory that has permission to change wallpaper, which may conflict with Xiaomi’s system settings.
What if the carousel returns after rebooting?
In rare cases, a complete reset of your phone’s settings helps, but this is a last resort.Before doing so, make sure you turn off all recommendations in your Mi Account profile via the web interface on your computer.
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The most reliable way to get rid of the carousel forever is to install custom firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu), where all advertising modules are cut at the system level.