How to remove the tape widgets on Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro

Owners of Xiaomi smartphones and the Poco sub-brand often encounter the intrusive MIUI shell interface, which by default offers many elements on the desktop. One of these elements is the widget tape located to the left of the main screen. For many users, it becomes a source of irritation, as it occupies RAM and distracts attention when navigating.

Disabling this feature does not require complex manipulation or obtaining root rights. The system provides regular tools for managing the workspace, but the settings can be scattered on different menus or hidden depending on the version of the firmware. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to get rid of unnecessary interface elements.

Understanding the launcher will not only help you eliminate the unnecessary but also optimize your device usage, and we will look at standard methods through customization, clipboarding, and deeper system changes for advanced users.

Why to turn off the widget tape on the Poco X3 Pro

The main reason users are looking to remove the widget tape is the impact on system performance. Although the Poco X3 Pro is based on the powerful Snapdragon 860 processor, the background processes of widgets can consume CPU and RAM resources, especially if dynamic elements like news or weather are active in the tape.

There's also an ergonomic aspect to it, where random swiping left often leads to unneeded menus being opened instead of quick access to the first desktop, which knocks down muscle memory and slows down interaction with the smartphone in everyday use.

Some widgets may also collect telemetry or require a constant internet connection to update content, and by disabling this feature, you minimize background network activity and potentially extend the device’s battery life, albeit marginally.

Standard method of disconnection through settings

The easiest and safest way to remove the widget tape is to use the built-in settings. In most versions of MIUI and HyperOS, this option is located in the desktop control menu, accessed through the main settings menu or by long tapping on an empty area of the screen.

You need to go to Settings, and you need to look for the interface, and depending on the firmware version, it can be called different things, but it's usually Desktop or Home.

Once you log into the Desktop menu, you'll need to find the switch that's responsible for the left screen, and it can be signed as "Widget Tape," "Google Discover," or "Left Slider," and turning that switch to "Off" will completely disable the function.

If the standard path doesn't work, try an alternative method through the launcher settings. Press and hold your finger in the free desktop space until the edit menu appears. In the bottom corner of the screen, there's often a Settings button (cogwheel) where you can also find the left screen switch off option.

Managing Google Discover widgets

Often, Google Discover is a news and recommendation aggregator from the search giant that is integrated into the system at a deep level, and its deactivation may require additional action, since it is closely linked to a Google account.

To remove this particular widget, sometimes it's not enough to just switch the switch in the desktop settings. You need to go to the settings of the Google app itself. Search in the Google app list, go to its settings, and find the Ribbon Settings or Discover section.

⚠️ Warning: Completely disabling Google system components may cause voice assistant and search widgets to malfunction on other screens.

Inside the service's settings, there's often the option to turn off the newscards, and if you want to leave the search functionality but remove the visual noise, look for the Display Card option, and deactivating it will leave the search bar, but it will remove the endless news feed.

Also worth checking is your Google account settings. In some cases, synchronizing your interests automatically restores your feed, disable personalization in the Data section and personalization of your account to prevent recommendations from reappearing.

Use of third-party launchers

If MIUI is not working well or you want to change the interface, the best solution is to install a third-party launcher, which completely replaces the standard desktop, providing flexible settings and no intrusive elements.

Popular options are Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher. Once you install such an app and choose it as the default, the standard Xiaomi widget tape will stop showing as screen management moves to the new app.

When using a third-party launcher, it is important to properly configure permissions. Android on Poco can aggressively terminate third-party application processes. Go to Settings → Apps → [Your Launcher] → Autorun and allow work in the background so that the interface does not reset.

Hidden settings and ADB teams

For advanced users who are not afraid to work with code, there is the possibility of disabling system components through ADB debugging (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to delete or freeze the package responsible for the widget tape, even if there is no such button in the interface.

Before you start, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on the MIUI build number. After that, a new section Advanced Settings → For developers, where you need to enable USB debugging.

When you connect your smartphone to your computer, you can search for a widget package, usually called com.miui.personalassistant or com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox. Use the following design to turn it off:

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

This command does not remove the application completely, but only hides it for the current user, which allows you to safely return everything back if necessary. If the result does not suit, use the pm enable command with the same package name for recovery.

⚠️ Be careful when disabling system packages through ADB. Disabling critical components can cause a cyclical reboot of the device.

Optimization after disabling widgets

Once you've managed to remove the widget tape, it's recommended that you do some optimization. You can redirect the freed up resources to speed up the applications you use. Poco X3 Pro has a built-in security tool that you should run to clean the cache.

You also need to rethink the autoload list, and if you take the extra processes out, you'll notice that your smartphone is responding faster, go to your app settings, and limit your background activity for programs that you rarely use.

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Periodically clean the launcher cache in the "Applications" section if you notice the animations slowing down after removing the widgets.

In newer versions of MIUI and HyperOS, developers often change the logic of the interface, and old methods of shutting down may stop working or, conversely, new convenient switches may appear.

Possible problems and solutions

During the setup process, users may encounter a situation where settings are reset after rebooting, which may be due to the MIUI memory optimizer. To avoid this, lock important applications into memory or turn off aggressive energy savings for system interface components.

Sometimes, after updating the firmware, the widget tape returns itself, in which case the shutdown procedure will have to be repeated. If the problem is massive, you may want to consider installing a global version of the firmware or custom build, where such elements are absent by default.

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An integrated approach to the interface configuration allows not only to remove irritating elements, but also to significantly extend the battery life and speed up the work of the Poco X3 Pro.