Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a situation where the usual background lock suddenly begins to change every time they turn on the screen, a phenomenon known as “Wallpaper Carousel” or Glance, is an integrated feature of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, designed to show the user news, promotional offers and beautiful images from the Internet. However, for many, this becomes a source of irritation, especially if the images change on their own, preventing them from quickly unlocking the device or distracting from the main work.
Fortunately, the developers have provided the ability to disable this feature, returning the user to full control over the appearance of his gadget. the process of deactivation does not require obtaining superuser rights or complex reflashing of the system. It is enough to make a few adjustments to the standard settings of the system or the parameters of the application of the theme. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to permanently remove intrusive image change and return a static picture.
It is worth noting that the layout of menu items may vary slightly depending on the version of the installed firmware and the regional binding of the device. For example, on global versions of software, the interface may be called differently than on Chinese builds. However, the logic of actions remains the same for all models of the Redmi Note line, Xiaomi Mi and Poco series. We will consider both standard methods through the menu and additional methods if the standard path is not available.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why it turns on itself
The feature, which forcibly changes images on a locked screen, is officially called Wallpaper Carousel, and in newer versions of the operating system, it is often integrated with Glance, which provides content from third-party partners, originally positioned as a way to personalize the device, allowing you to enjoy quality photos of nature, architecture and art without unnecessary action on the part of the user.
In practice, however, the mechanism often works aggressively, and the system can automatically activate this option after a major firmware update or a new application from the manufacturer is installed. In addition, advertising content on the carousel is becoming more common, which turns the lock screen into a marketing platform, and users notice that even after manually setting a static background, after a while the system replaces it again on a slideshow.
It's important to understand the difference between a normal live wallpaper and a carousel. Live wallpaper is an animated background that you choose, and a carousel is an online service that downloads content from the web without you being directly involved at any given moment. It's this aspect of battery life that often raises questions about traffic consumption and privacy, although the main blow of the feature is to the visual purity of the interface.
⚠️ Note: In some regions, the feature may be called Lock Ribbon or Lock Screen Magazine.If you don't find an item called Carousel, look for synonyms in the lock screen settings.
Automatic turn on often occurs because when you initially set up your smartphone, users inattentively read the terms of the license agreement or quickly flip through the welcome screens, where the tick on the item “Enable Wallpaper Carousel” is already the default, the system considers this as the user’s consent and starts working.
Disconnection through lock screen settings
The easiest and most effective way to remove changing images is to use the regular settings menu, which works on the vast majority of Xiaomi and Redmi devices with current versions of MIUI. You don’t need third-party utilities, just be careful when searching for the right switch.
To start, unlock your smartphone and go to the main menu. Find the Settings icon, which usually looks like a gear. In the settings list that opens, scroll down to the look section. Depending on the version of the shell, this item may be called the Lock Screen or be built into more general settings.
Find the lock screen and click on it, and you'll find a list of options that control how your smartphone behaves in sleep mode, and one of them is a switch called Wallpaper Carousel, which is responsible for automatically changing images.
Follow the following steps to deactivate:
- ❌ Transfer the switch to the off position (gray).
Once this option is turned off, the system will immediately stop downloading new images, the last image installed on the lock screen, or the standard background you selected manually, the changes will take effect instantly, no reboot of the device is required.
⚠️ Attention: If after turning off the switch it lights up again after a while, it is possible that the phone has an optimizer or antivirus application from Xiaomi, which forcibly returns the settings to the "recommended».
In some cases, the switch may be next to the "Settings of the carousel" button, and once you go there, you can not only turn off the function, but also clear the cache of already uploaded images to free up space in the memory of the device.
Management through the Topics app
If the standard path through the settings failed or the menu item was missing, the alternative is to use the Theme System App, which often controls the visual design, including the lock screen, which is especially relevant for older versions of MIUI, where the interface logic was different from the current one.
Run the Themes app on your smartphone, which usually has an icon with a brush or the name "Themes." At the bottom of the screen, look for the Profile tab (a little man icon) or My Resources tab, which stores all the themes, fonts and, importantly, the carousel settings you upload.
I want to find the Wallpaper Carousel item in my list of resources, it can be in the Components section or it can be categorized as a separate item, and if you click on this item, you'll be taken to the function management menu, and you'll also have an activation/deactivation switch available here.
Algorithm of actions through the application Topics:
- ⚙️ Click on the settings icon (three dots or gear) and select Settings.
Additionally, this menu allows you to control refresh rates and image categories if you don’t want to completely disable the feature, but only want to limit the subject.
It is worth mentioning that the Themes app requires an internet connection to run some features. If you want to completely eliminate background activity associated with this service, you can also limit the background connection for the Themes app itself in your data usage settings.
Hidden settings of the Carousel
Comparison of disconnection methods and their effectiveness
There are several approaches to solving the problem of intrusive background changes, each with its own characteristics, advantages and potential disadvantages, the choice of method depends on the specific model of your Redmi or Xiaomi device, as well as on the version of the operating system installed.
Here's a table that will help you compare the basics and choose the most appropriate ones for your situation, and we've ranked them by complexity, speed and reliability.
| Method | Difficulty | Speed. | Reliability | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Through Screen Settings | Low. | Instantly. | Tall. | No. |
| Through the Topics app | Medium | Instantly. | Tall. | Minimum |
| Data limitation | Medium | After the reboot. | Medium | Widgets don't work. |
| Resetting settings | Tall. | Long time. | Absolute. | Loss of data |
As you can see from the table, the most efficient and safe way to do this is to use the standard lock screen settings, which require no special knowledge and guarantees results in 99% of cases, and the data-limiting method is more of a crutch that prevents new images from loading, but does not turn off the service itself, which can lead to errors in the system logs.
A full Hard Reset is listed as a last resort, and is only necessary if the system is not behaving properly and the software is not saved. Make sure to back up important data before resetting, as all files will be deleted.
☑️ Checklist before shutdown
Removing Advertising and Setup Static Background
Once the carousel function is disabled, the lock screen may leave an image with watermarks or advertising logos that were part of the previous slide. To return the device to a neat appearance, you need to manually install a static image.
Go to Settings → Wallpaper or pinch the empty space on your desktop and select Wallpaper. Here you can choose one of the preset pictures or upload your own photo from the gallery. It is recommended to choose high-resolution images that match the screen resolution of your Xiaomi to avoid.
To completely remove the advertising carousel, clear the cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Wallpaper Carousel or Wallpaper Carousel in the list. Go to Memory and click Clear Cache and Clear Data. This will delete any previously downloaded pictures from the phone's memory.
Important points when setting up:
- 🖼️ Set wallpaper through a standard menu, not just by opening a picture in the gallery.
- 📵 Check if Wi-Fi Only mode is enabled to load wallpaper if you leave some auto-refresh features.
- 🔄 After setting a static background, restart your smartphone to make sure the settings are applied correctly.
If you use third-party launchers or screen lock apps, make sure they don’t have their own slideshow settings that may conflict with MIUI system settings.
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Helpful tip: If you want to change wallpaper manually sometimes but without an automatic merry-go-round, create a separate Favorites folder in the gallery and change the background once a week through the Wallpaper menu.
Problem Solving: If the setting is not saved
In rare cases, users are faced with a situation where after turning off the wallpaper Carousel and rebooting the phone, the setting is reset, and the images begin to change again, this can be caused by bugs in a particular version of the firmware or a conflict of system applications.
The first step in this situation should be to update the system components. Go to the Themes app, click on the profile icon and select Updates. If there is an update for the wallpaper carousel component or the theme system itself, install it. Often developers fix similar bugs in patches.
The second step is to check application permissions. In the Apps section, find the Wallpaper Carousel. Go to Permissions and deny the app access to memory, location, and most importantly, disable auto-start. Without auto-start, the service will not be able to activate itself after the phone is turned on.
⚠️ Note: If nothing helps, your Mi Account may be syncing settings from the cloud, returning old settings. Try temporarily disabling theme sync in your Mi Account settings.
It’s also worth checking if the Game Accelerate feature or other optimizers that can force themes to change for performance are activated. Disabling these features in the Security → Settings section often solves the problem.
In extreme cases, if the bug is massive for your Redmi model, it makes sense to wait for the official firmware update or use the Xiaomi support forum to find specific solutions for your version of the software.
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The main conclusion: In 95% of cases, the problem is solved by simply switching the switch in the lock screen settings. If the setting is reset, look for the reason in autostart services or cloud sync.