How to remove the inscriptions on the lock screen on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter an intrusive MIUI or HyperOS interface. The lock screen, designed to show only time and notifications, sometimes turns into an information dump with news, advertising and unnecessary widgets. This is not only distracting, but can consume battery power.

In this article, we will take a look at how to clean the home screen of unnecessary visual noise, learn how to turn off the wallpaper carousel, hide application widgets, and return the system to a concise design. In the latest versions of HyperOS 1.0 and MIUI 14, the algorithms for hiding some elements are radically different from the old versions.

Following the step-by-step instructions below, you can customize the device for yourself, and we will look at both the standard tools and the deeper settings available through the engineering menu or special applications.

Disabling the wallpaper carousel and advertising blocks

The most common complaint Xiaomi owners have is Wallpaper Carousel, which constantly changes images on a locked screen and often uploads advertising or news, and to remove this element, you need to go to the theme settings.

Go to Settings → Wallpaper and Personalization → Wallpaper Carousel. You need to find the switch that activates the service and turn it to the off position. If you just change the picture, the labels will remain, so it is important to turn off the function.

Sometimes the system requires confirmation of action through a pop-up window, in which case you should choose the option "Disable" or "Do not use", after which the lock screen will become static, and the unnecessary text blocks will disappear.

⚠️ Warning: Once the wallpaper carousel is disabled, a separate folder with uploaded images may appear in the gallery, and it can be safely deleted through the file manager.

In some regions of the firmware, this service may be called "Glance" or "Lock Screen Magazine." The principle of disabling is similar: search for "Carousel" or "Wallpaper" in the settings will quickly lead to the desired menu. Remember that the system update can return the default settings, so it is worth checking again after the update.

Setup of widgets and application shortcuts

In addition to background images, the lock screen often has quick start shortcuts (camera, flashlight) and pedometer or weather widgets, which can be removed through the lock screen settings menu, the path may vary slightly depending on the shell version.

Open Settings → Lock screen. Here you will see a list of available widgets. To remove unnecessary items, just click on them and select "Delete" or simply drag to the delete zone if the interface allows drag-and-drop.

• 📱 To hide camera and flashlight shortcuts, look for “Tags” and select “No” or disable specific apps.
• 🌤 The weather widget is often linked to the Security or Weather system app, and it requires you to uncheck the widget menu.
• 👣 The stepmer on the locked screen is disabled in the settings of the Health application or through the lock screen settings in the Statistics section".

Cleaning these elements makes the interface cleaner and speeds up unlocking, as the system doesn’t need to load weather or activity data in the background immediately after waking up.

Removal of recommendations and advertising in the system

The words "Recommend You" or "Popular Apps" often appear at the bottom of the lock screen or in the notification curtain. This is part of the MSA (MIUI System Ads) system. To get rid of them completely, switching switches is not enough.

You need to go to your password and security settings. Find the Authorization and Cancellation (or "Special Options") section. Search the msa service and turn it off. The system will try to convince you to leave the service several times, suggesting that you wait 10 seconds before you try again to shut down.

After successful disabling of msa, it is also recommended to prevent receiving recommendations in specific applications. Go to the settings of each system application (Music, Video, Explorer) and find the "Receive recommendations" switch.

The effect of these actions accumulates, first banners in folders can disappear, then the lock screen will be cleared, which is an important step to improve the privacy and performance of the device, since the ad modules consume the resources of the processor.

Hiding notifications from applications

Users often understand the text of incoming messages (SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram), which is visible to everyone, and you can hide the content of notifications through privacy settings, without turning off the notifications themselves completely.

Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification format. You can select the option “Hide content” here, in which case the lock screen will simply say “Message” or “New notification”, but the text will remain hidden until unlocked.

For individual applications, you can detail settings. Go to Settings → Notifications → Notification Management. Select the desired application (for example, Viber) and find the category “Messages”. Enable the option “Hide on the lock screen”.

This is especially true for those who often leave their phones on their desks or meet strangers, a basic level of digital hygiene.

Use of third-party launchers and themes

If standard methods fail to remove all the labels (for example, on global firmware with aggressive advertising), you can resort to changing the theme. Themes store offers thousands of options where the lock screen is completely redrawn.

When choosing a topic, pay attention to screenshots of the lock screen. Many of the themes from independent authors (Third-party themes) have minimalist designs without widgets. However, be careful: some of the themes may contain their own advertising code.

An alternative radical method is to install a third-party launcher that can replace the lock screen (for example, Niagara Launcher in conjunction with widgets or specialized applications such as Hi Locker), which gives full control over each pixel of the screen.

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When installing a third-party theme, be sure to check access rights. Some themes require extra permissions, which may not be secure.

Custom themes are a creative process, and you can find designs that not only remove the labels, but also change the style of the watch, the date and the way it's unlocked, making the interface unique.

Advanced Methods: ADB and Engineering Menu

For experienced users who want to remove system components completely, the method is available through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to remove the package responsible for the wallpaper carousel forever.

To do this, you need to enable USB debugging in the Developer menu. Then, when you connect your phone to your PC, type a command to delete the com.miui.misystem or com.miui.personalassistant package (depending on the version of MIUI).

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

This command will remove the left screen (Google Discover / Mi Video) and associated widgets, which are often duplicated on the lock screen. Be careful: removing system packages can lead to unstable work if you remove the excess.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Removing critical system components can lead to a cyclic bootloop!

Once the commands are executed, the phone should be restarted. If everything goes well, the lock screen will become "sterile", devoid of any dynamic elements that cannot be turned off in the usual menu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Complete cleaning of the lock screen is possible only by a combination of methods: disabling services in the settings + banning advertising (MSA) + the correct theme of design.