Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the interface is full of unwanted content. After updating the operating system or first activating the device, cards with news, promotions and recommendations appear on the desktop and lock screen. This is standard practice for the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, aimed at keeping the user’s attention, but it is not everyone likes it.
You can get rid of noise, but standard methods don't always do it. The system often hides switches deep in the menu or disguises them as other functions. In this article, we'll look at all the known ways to completely turn off news and return a clean, minimalist interface to your gadget.
It is important to understand that the menu structure may vary slightly depending on the firmware version and the region installed on your device.However, the basic principles of customization remain the same throughout the Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO ecosystem.
Disabling the news feed Mi Browser and the app “News”
The most prominent source of annoyance is a separate app, often called simply News or Glance, which can automatically open when unlocked or hang with a separate widget. To remove it, you need to find the appropriate section in your system settings. Go to Settings → Password and Security → Privacy and find the item related to personalizing ads.
Here's the important nuance: simply removing an icon from your desktop doesn't stop the background. The system will continue to collect data for targeted advertising. So the first step should always be to turn off personalization. Find the Ad Personalization switch and put it inactive. This action will break the link between your MIUI ID and the ad servers.
⚠️ Note: After disabling the personalization of advertising, the list of recommendations may be updated longer than usual or temporarily display random offers.
Next, remove the tape itself if it's built into the desktop. Hold your finger on the blank spot of the screen and select Settings (the gear icon). In the menu that opens, find "Widget Ribbon" or "Google Discover" and turn it off. If you have a launcher from Xiaomi, there may be a separate switch for "Card" or "Content Aggregator."
Also, be sure to check the settings of the built-in Security app. Often, it is the one responsible for (push) memory clean notifications, which are actually disguised app ads. Go to the Security app → Settings → Recommendations and uncheck all the ticks.
Setting up the lock screen: Wallpaper carousel and Glance
The lock screen is another place Xiaomi likes to host content.A feature known as "Wallpaper Carousel" or in some regions as Glance constantly changes the background and shows article titles.To remove news from Xiaomi at this stage, you'll need to change the lock settings.
Go to Settings → Lock screen. Here you need to find Wallpaper Carousel. Inside this menu, turn off the Wallpaper Carousel function. If this is active, the system will continue to download images and text blocks from the Internet, consuming traffic and battery.
☑️ Checking the lock screen settings
In some firmware versions, especially in global builds, Glance can work instead of a carousel, and it is managed through a separate application, which is often hidden in the Tools folder. Find the Glance or Lock Screen Magazine app, open its settings and completely disable the content display. Sometimes you need not only to turn off the feature, but also to clear the application data through the application management menu to reset the news cache.
| Function | Where to look in the settings | What to turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Lock screen | Switch "Enable" |
| Recommendations Mi | Security Appendix → Settings | Receive recommendations |
| Personalization | Settings → Password and security | Personalization of advertising |
| MSA (Advertising Service) | Settings → Password and security | MSA Service |
Once you do this, the lock screen will become static, displaying only the time, date and notifications you set, not only removing visual noise, but also can have a positive effect on the device’s unlock speed, since the system will not need to load heavy media files.
Removing widgets and folders from the desktop
Often, news is broadcast through special widgets that are fixed by default on the home screen. In the MIUI shell, this can be a ribbon widget or a browser widget. To remove them, click and hold your finger on the widget, then select the "Delete" option or drag it to the basket that appeared at the top of the screen.
And you should pay special attention to the Tools or Google folder, which often hides aggregator apps like Mi Video, Mi Music, or Wallpaper, and although they don't always show the news directly, they're part of the ecosystem, the ads, and you can remove the shortcuts to these apps from your desktop without deleting the programs themselves if you're afraid of disrupting the system.
Can system applications be removed?
If you use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair), the news problem is solved more drastically.Third-party shells don't support native Xiaomi widgets, so the tape will simply disappear.However, when installing a third-party launcher, make sure you allow it to work in the background to avoid autonomy issues.
Disabling System Advertising through MSA
A key component of the system’s advertising is MSA (MIUI System Ads), which coordinates banner displays in standard applications, and to remove news from Xiaomi as effectively as possible, it is necessary to disable this service.
Search the settings menu for Password and Security → Access to Personal Data (in some versions Authorization and Security). In the list, find msa. Turn off the switch next to it. The system will alert you that some features may stop working, and start a countdown of 10 seconds. Wait until the time ends and click "Cancel."
⚠️ Warning: Turn off the first time MSA It doesn't always work. It can give you an error, "Can't revoke access." Then wait 24 hours and try again, before you turn off Wi-Fi and mobile Internet.
After a successful revocation, it is also recommended to go through the list of other system services and disable access to personal data for Mi Video, Mi Music, GetApps (Mi app store) and MIUI Daemon, which will deprive them of the ability to collect usage statistics and generate personalized offers.
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If you accidentally deleted a system application, it can be restored through the Settings menu → Apps → Application Management → three dots in the corner → Hidden system applications.
Cleaning notifications and push-mailing
Even after the main sources are turned off, news can come in the form of regular notifications, often generated by system applications such as Downloads, Explorer, or Cleanup. To set up this stream, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management.
Go through the app list. Pay special attention to Security, Downloads, and GetApps. Within each app’s settings, turn off notification categories related to Recommendations, Promotions, or News. Leave only critical notifications, such as when a file has been downloaded or virus-checked.
- 📱 Security: Disable Recommendations and Memory Notices if they do not contain critical data.
- 📥 Downloads: Remove the tick from the “Show notifications about new files” item if you don’t need a constant feed of downloaded content.
- 🛍️ GetApps: Turn off notifications completely, as this is the main advertising channel for paid apps and games.
It's also worth checking the browser's settings. If you're using Mi Browser or Chrome with synchronization, they can duplicate news feeds. In your browser settings, find the "Tape" or "Discover" section and turn it off. This will remove the news block from the bottom of the browser.
Advanced methods: ADB and third-party utilities
For users who want to achieve perfect system cleanliness and are not afraid of complex manipulations, there is a method of disabling components through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which allows you to remove or freeze system applications that do not turn off through the usual interface.
For this you will need a computer, USB-cable and platform toolkit ADB. On the phone, you need to activate the developer mode (7 times click on the build number in "About the phone") and enable debugging by USB. Once connected to a PC, commands can be used to remove packets responsible for news.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misys
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.personalassistant
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.browserThe first command removes the personalization service, the second one removes the assistant (the widget aggregator on the left), the third one removes the system browser, which is often the source. Use these commands with caution. Make sure to make a full backup of the data before starting the procedure.
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Use of the ADB — It's the most radical method, it allows you to remove the components clean, but it requires a computer and basic command line knowledge.
⚠️ Disable critical system components through ADB It can lead to a “bootloop” (cyclic reboot) or loss of functionality (for example, a gallery or calls will stop working.
There are also automated PC utilities like Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools or Universal Android Debloater. They have a GUI and allow you to safely disable known junk apps with a single click.It's a great trade-off between manually configuring and completely removing through the console.