How to Remove News from Xiaomi Desktop: The Complete Guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones are famous for their functionality, but the stock shell of MIUI, and now HyperOS, is often saturated with content that the user did not request. Device owners often face a situation when swiping left or right appears obtrusive news feed, app recommendations or video hosting widgets. This not only distracts from work, but also consumes traffic and CPU resources in the background. You can remove this information noise, but the solutions depend on the specific model and version of the firmware.

The challenge is that Xiaomi uses different content aggregators for different regions, with Google Discover most often pre-installed in global versions, Yandex services in Chinese and some European versions, or Mi Video's own products. Understanding which source is broadcasting information on your screen is key to successfully cleaning the interface. In this article, we'll take a closer look at all the options for disabling news feeds.

Before we start setting up, it's important to note that completely removing system aggregator applications without root rights is impossible, but they can be completely deactivated, making them invisible to the user and stopping data collection. We'll look at both the standard methods through the settings menu and more advanced ways for power users who want to maximize the sterility of the workspace.

Disabling Google Discover tape on Xiaomi

The most common scenario for global firmware versions is that Google feeds when swiped to the right of the first desktop, a feature called Google Discover, integrated deep into the launcher, and you don't need third-party software to turn it off, you just go to the desktop settings.

Press and hold your finger on the empty area of any desktop until the edit menu appears. In the bottom corner of the screen, look for the Settings button (usually a gear), and in the settings list that opens, you need to find a switch called Google Tape or Google Discover. Put it in an inactive position.

If the standard path doesn't work, you may have a specific version of the launcher installed, so try the following algorithm:

• 📱 Open the phone’s “Settings” app.
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter the word “worker” or “main screen».
• ⚙️ Go to the “Desktop” or “Main Screen” section».
• 🚫 Find the Google Tape and turn it off.

⚠️ Note: After switching off, the swipe to the right may stop working at all or open the search widget, but without the news feed. If you use Google widgets, they may remain available through the widget menu, but will not automatically load the news.

Sometimes changes only take effect after a device is restarted. If the tape is gone but reappears after a system update, check your Google account settings. Under Settings → Google → Settings for Apps → Discover, you can prevent the cards from showing, although this will not remove the tab itself, but only clean up its contents.

Removal of Yandex.News widget on MIUI

For users from Russia and CIS countries, the problem of the built-in Yandex.News widget is often relevant. Unlike Google, this element is often presented as a separate widget on the desktop or in the pocket on the left, and you can remove it in two ways: simply by removing the widget or by turning off the service in the settings.

The first is the simplest way: find a news widget on your desktop, click on it and hold it until the menu appears. Select the "Delete" option, but in some versions of MIUI, the system can automatically return the widget the next time you update the page or reboot, in which case you need a deeper setup.

Consider the table of differences in the behavior of widgets on different versions of shells:

If the Yandex.News widget is built into the Intelligent Assistant system process, deleting it through the desktop can be blocked, then you need to go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the news-related app (often called Smart Assistant or has a Yandex logo) in the list and select Disable or Stop.

You should also check the settings of the Yandex application itself. If you have Yandex installed with system rights, go to its settings and find the Widget or Ribbon section. There may be a switch that prevents content from being displayed on the home screen, which is especially true for devices purchased from official retailers in Russia.

Setting up the left screen (Minus-first screen)

The so-called “minus-first” screen deserves special attention, which is the space to the left of the first icon that Xiaomi uses to host quick customization widgets, pedometers and, of course, news. In new versions of HyperOS, this screen has been significantly redesigned, but the principle has remained the same.

To manage the contents of this space, swipe a long swipe from right to left on your desktop to open this screen, and click on the settings button (usually in the top or bottom corner). Here you will see a list of available widgets. Find a News card or Recommendations card and uncheck it.

In some cases, users don't just want to delete the news, they want to turn off the entire left screen completely.

• 🖱️ Hold an empty space on the desktop.
• 📲 Select "Settings" or "More».
• 🔍 Find the option “Add screen” or “Left screen».
• ❌ Transfer the switch to the "Off" position».

⚠️ Warning: Turning off the left screen completely can cause the Stepmer or Sport widget to disappear if you use them to track activity without wearing a watch.

It's important to understand the difference between a widget and an entire screen. A widget is a separate item that can be removed. The screen is a navigation area. When you remove news, you often clean the widget, but the screen itself remains swipeable. If your goal is to keep the swipe left from opening anything, you should look for the left screen setting in the general desktop settings.

Cleaning from Mi Video and Mi Music widgets

Another source of noise is the widgets of Xiaomi’s multimedia apps, Mi Video and Mi Music, which often appear on the desktop automatically after a system update or the first activation of the phone, which not only take up space, but can play video or audio in the background, consuming battery life.

The process of removing these elements is similar to other widgets, but it has its nuances. When you try to remove the Mi Video widget, the system may suggest "Configure" instead of "Delete." Don't agree to the setting, look for the option to delete. If it's not in the context menu, try dragging the widget to the top of the screen, where you will see "Dele" or the basket icon.

For guaranteed results, follow the following steps:

1. Find the Mi Video widget or Mi Music on your desktop.
2. Press and hold it until the vibration appears.
3. Drag the widget to the top of the screen (to the cross or the Remove button).
4. If the widget is not removed, go to Settings → Apps, find the appropriate app, and select Stop.

There's also a radical method that helps if the widget is grown up in the system, you can turn off notifications for these apps. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Find Mi Video and disable all types of notifications, including pop-ups, to prevent the push messages that are often masquerading as news.

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If the Mi Video widget is constantly coming back, try to clear the data from the Security app. It is often responsible for imposing system content. → Annexes → Security → Memory. → Clean up.

Using ADB to remove system components

For advanced users who lack standard methods, there is a way to remove the system packets responsible for news via USB debugging (ADB), which allows you to remove Mi Browser, MSA (MIUI System Ads) and other components that cannot be disabled through the menu.

To start, activate Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on MIUI Version (or OS Version). Then, in the Advanced Settings menu that appears, turn on USB Debugging. Connect your phone to your computer and install ADB drivers.

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


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browser




adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global

Executing these commands will remove system ads and some components of news feeds. However, be careful: removing critical system packets can cause the device to function unstable. Always check the name of the package before deleting it.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-commands to remove system applications can lead to loss of warranty or “bricking” of the device when removing the wrong packets.

After completing the commands, it is recommended to restart the device. If you accidentally delete something extra, you can restore the packets with the command adb shell cmd package install-existing <name packet>, but it is better to backup the list of installed applications in advance.

Alternative launchers as a solution to the problem

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools seem too complex or inefficient, the easiest solution is to install a third-party launcher. Launcher is a program responsible for the appearance of the desktop, app menus and swipe behavior. Replacing the standard launcher MIUI completely ignores all Xiaomi news settings.

Popular alternatives like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Niagara Launcher provide a clean interface without intrusive tapes. Once you install such a launcher, the system will ask which application to use as default for the home screen. Select the launcher installed and click "Always".

Advantages of using third-party launchers:

• 🚀 Complete lack of built-in advertising and news from Xiaomi.
• 🎨 Flexible customization of appearance, icons and animations.
• 🛡️ Independence from firmware updates MIUI/HyperOS.
• ⚡ Often higher productivity and smoothness of work.

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Installing a third-party launcher is the most reliable way to forget about Xiaomi news forever, as you completely replace the system interface with pure Android.

It is worth noting that on some new Xiaomi models, installing a third-party launcher can cause a second navigation line or gesture conflicts, in which case additional customization through the Themes app or the use of special patches may be required, but in most cases, launchers work stably.

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