How to remove the player from the lock screen Xiaomi Redmi: the full guide

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often encounter an intrusive interface that appears on a locked screen immediately after any tune is triggered.This can be annoying, especially if you just want to quickly check the time or notifications without being distracted by large audio control buttons.The MIUI system and its new version of HyperOS are default set to maximize interactivity, which isn't always user-friendly.

The problem is that standard methods in the settings menu do not always find the right switch immediately. The system interface is constantly changing, and the names of items may vary depending on the regional firmware. In this article, we will discuss all the known ways to get rid of the music widget, including system settings and hidden settings.

There are several scenarios for a player to emerge: it could be a built-in Music service, an app cache like YouTube or Spotify, or a system lock widget. Understanding the source of the problem is the first step to solving it. Below we will look at the algorithms for each case in detail so that you can return a clean and neat lock screen.

Reasons for the appearance of a music widget on a locked screen

Before you start to shut down, you need to understand how this function works. In the MIUI shell, the display of media controllers is a system process that automatically activates when an audio stream is detected, and this is done for convenience so that the user can switch the track without unlocking the device completely.

Often users are unaware that even after the application is closed, music can continue to play in the background, as is typical for browsers with video or streaming services. The widget remains active until the system receives a signal that the playback process is completely stopped or the task is forced to end.

On the budget Redmi and Poco series, advertising and additional widgets can be more aggressive than on the flagship models of the Xiaomi series. Sometimes the source of the problem lies in third-party design themes that add their controls on top of the system.

• 🎵 Active background process of a music application or browser.
• ⚙️ The enabled "Music Widget" function in the lock screen settings.
• 🎨 Use of a third-party design theme with a modified lock screen.
• 📱 Cache data of the system application "Security" or "Music".

Disconnection through standard lock screen settings

The most obvious and safe way to remove the player is to check the basic settings of the system. In recent firmware versions, Xiaomi engineers often hide the right switches deep in the menu, but the basic widget management option is usually retained. You will need access to the lock screen settings section.

First, go to the Settings menu and find Lock Screen. There may not be a direct Music switch, but often you control it through widget settings. If you have a default theme, try changing it to a standard one, because custom themes often ignore system constraints.

Some versions of MIUI require you to go to advanced settings, click on the gear in the top right corner of the screen or select "More." Look for sections related to recommendations or lock services. Disabling "Receive recommendations" often removes unnecessary interface elements.

Please note that after making changes, the system may require re-authorization in the Mi Account or reboot the interface. Do not ignore these requirements, as the settings may not apply until the full cycle of restarting system services. If the switches are gray and unavailable, then the restrictions are imposed by the region or administrator rights.

⚠️ Warning: Before changing lock screen settings, make sure you have access to a Google or Mi Account, as in rare cases, after resetting the interface settings, confirmation of the device owner may be required.

Configuring the system application Music and Security

In the Xiaomi ecosystem, many of the background processes are handled by the Security app, which controls autoruns, permissions, and widget behavior. To remove a player, it's often not enough to just close the source app, you have to stop it from displaying on the lock screen.

Open the Security app (green zipper icon). In the upper right corner, click on the gear icon to enter the settings. Find the Licenses and Notifications or Notification Settings section. This displays a list of all the apps that have the right to display information on the locked screen.

Find the Music app or the player that is causing the problem in the list, click on it and turn off the "Show on Lock Screen" switch, which will prevent the system from displaying the playback controllers for that particular application, even if the sound is going to go.

Another important aspect is autorun control. In the Security app, go to Permissions → Autorun. Find music apps and prevent them from running with the system, which will prevent the player from accidentally turning on immediately after the phone is turned on.

Using Developer Mode and Debugging

If standard methods don't work, you can use developer tools, which are more complex and require attention, but it allows you to turn off system functions at a deeper level, and enable the developer mode opens up access to hidden parameters of the MIUI interface.

To activate the mode, you need to quickly click on the build number in the About Phone section 7 times. After the message "You became a developer" appears, go back to the main settings menu and find a new item Additional → For developers. Here we are interested in the section related to active windows or overlays.

Find a setting that might be called "Inactive Apps" or settings related to Always On Display. Some firmware has a "Show media controls on the lock screen." If there's one, just turn it off. That's guaranteed to take the player away.

• 🔧 Activate Developer Mode with 7-fold press on version MIUI.
• 🔍 In the developer menu, look for items with the word "Lock screen" or "Media".
• 🚫 Turn off the display options of the playback controllers.
• 💾 Save the changes and perform a full reboot of the device.

Remember, the developer menu contains a lot of critical settings, changing the settings you are not sure about can lead to unstable system operation, and it is recommended to take screenshots of the initial state before making any changes to this section.

⚠️ Warning: Do not turn off the option"USB-debugging, if you plan to connect your phone to your computer to transfer files, it can disrupt the synchronization of data.

Forced stop and clear cache

Sometimes the widget gets stuck because of a software failure, in which case the (most effective) method is to force the data to be cleaned of system services, and it won't delete your music or files, but it will reset the interface display settings to factory values.

Go to Settings → Applications → All Apps. Find the Music app (or system player) in the list. Click on it, then select Clear → Clear Cache and Clear Everything. Repeat the procedure for the Security app.

Once the cache is cleaned, you have to force the process to stop. In the same menu, click Stop. If the button is inactive, try first restarting the device and then immediately, before any applications are launched, go back to the settings and stop the process.

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Use the built-in Cleanup function in the Security app before manually clearing the cache – this will free up memory and can automatically resolve process conflicts.

This method is especially useful if the player is coming from applications you've already deleted. Residual files can continue to generate events for the system, making it think the music is still playing. Complete data cleanup is guaranteed to break that connection.

Solving the problem with third-party applications

Often the source of irritation is not system applications, but third-party services such as Yandex.Music, Spotify or browsers with background video, these applications have their own notification settings, which can override system bans.

Go to the settings of a particular problem application. The path is usually: Settings → Applications → [Application Name] → Notifications. Here you need to find the notification category associated with media or playback and prevent it from displaying on the lock screen.

In some cases, turning off the Background Play feature inside the app itself helps, for example, on YouTube, you can do this by turning off Picture-in-Picture or the background mode in your account settings, which will prevent audio streams from starting when the screen is off.

• 📱 Check the notification settings of each music app separately.
• 🚫 Disable media notifications from the system menu.
• 🔄 Update the problem app to the latest version via Google Play.
• 🗑️ If the app is not needed, consider removing it completely.

Also worth checking for special features permissions. Some audio "improvers" or equalizers can implement their controls. Follow the Settings path → Advanced Settings → Special features and disable suspicious services.

Resetting and extreme measures

If none of the above methods helped to remove the player, it is possible that the system accumulated critical errors or conflicting configuration files, in which case there are two ways: reset the interface settings or completely reset the device.

The first step is to reset all settings to factory without deleting personal data, and this action will return the system configuration to its original state. Path: Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset → Reset all settings. Your photos and contacts will remain in place.

If that doesn't work, then you just have to reset the phone completely, and you'll notice that this action will delete all the data from the phone. Before you do it, make sure you back up your important files to the cloud or to your computer. Once you reset, the phone will look like new, and the player will disappear as the MIUI factory settings return.