Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, which are powered by MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer users a huge number of personalization features. However, sometimes redundant functionality becomes a problem: the lock screen is overgrown with widgets, recommendations, music and application shortcuts that interfere with quick access to core functionality. Users often experience a situation where instead of a clean time and date, they see intrusive notifications or buttons to launch media services.
The solution to this problem is not always obvious, as Xiaomi developers constantly change the location of settings in different versions of the firmware. In some cases, we are talking about the system widgets “Gallery” or “Music”, in others – about third-party launchers or viruses-miners masquerading as system processes. Understanding the source of the element is the first step to successfully clean the interface.
In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can remove unwanted items, and we'll look at the standard tools, the hidden developer settings, and the way you deal with junk. You don't need superuser rights or complex software, most of the things you do can be done with standard tools in a few minutes.
Diagnosis: What exactly is displayed on the screen
Before you start taking active action to remove, you need to accurately identify the object that is bothering you. Often users confuse the system lock widgets with desktop elements or notifications from specific applications. If the locked screen displays the album cover, it is the work of the service Mi Music or Yandex.Music.
When you see flashy pictures with news or quotes, it's likely that Wallpaper Carousel is activated, a built-in Xiaomi service that automatically changes the background and offers content from partners. It's important to distinguish between the widget being an interactive element, and the static image being just part of the theme.
⚠️ Warning: If the lock screen (appeared) unknown icons of stores, casinos or strange warnings about viruses that cannot be closed, this is a sign of malware.
Also worth paying attention to is the area under the clock, which can include flashlight, calculator, voice recorder, or camera shortcuts, which are often added automatically when you install certain themes from MIUI Themes, and removing such shortcuts requires a separate approach through the themes menu.
Disabling the music widget and media controller
One of the most common complaints is that the music control panel appears immediately after listening to a track or even just after opening an audio application. This widget can hang on the lock screen for a long time, taking up useful space. To remove it, you need to refer to the settings of the specific application that plays the audio.
In a regular Mi Music or Sound Recorder player, there is a separate switch that displays the controller on a locked screen. The action algorithm is usually standard for all shell versions. You need to find the section associated with notifications or the lock screen and deactivate the corresponding switch.
☑️ Algorithm for turning off music
If you use third-party players, such as PowerAmp or Yandex Music, the settings may be inside the app itself. Go to the player settings, look for "Widget on the lock screen" or "Lock Screen" and turn it off. This will prevent the media panel from appearing the next time you play it.
In some versions of HyperOS, widget management is made into a separate menu. Go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen → Lock screen format. Here you can choose the Classic style, which often does not imply the presence of large media widgets by default, unlike the Step-by-step style or other thematic designs.
Managing the Wallpaper Carousel and Glance widgets
Wallpaper Carousel (known as Glance in global versions) is a feature that broadcasts news streams and advertising images to the lock screen, and many users want to turn it off to only see their static photos, requiring them to find an app on the system.
Go to Settings → Lock screen. Find the option "Wallpaper carousel" or "Glance." Inside you will see the switch "Enable wallpaper carousel." Once it is turned off, the system will prompt you to choose a static image for the background, which will completely clear the screen of the news feed and banner ads.
| Function | Wherever | What's he doing? |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Lock screen | Changes background and shows news |
| Music widget | Settings of the player application | Shows track management |
| Left/right labels | Settings → Lock screen | Quick Launch of Camera/Flauncer |
It's worth noting that in some regions, the Wallpaper Carousel is built deep into the system and doesn't have an explicit "Switch Off" button in its usual place, so try going to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to personal data and find the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance app there, restricting its rights. Without access to the network and data, it will stop downloading content.
The secret way to shut down Glance
Removing Quick Start Shortcuts and Buttons
Xiaomi defaults to the lock screen with two buttons: the flashlight on the left, the camera on the right, which are convenient but can interfere with swipes or accidentally activate in your pocket, and you can remove them through the lock screen settings menu, but not all themes are available.
Go to Settings → Lock screen. Look for Shortcuts or Quick Access. You can turn off button displays or replace them with other apps. However, if you use a third-party theme, these settings can be blocked by the design author, the solution is to return the standard theme or choose another that supports shortcut settings.
The new versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS offer flexible widget customization. You can press the empty space on your desktop (or swipe right, depending on the mode) for a long time to enter the widget editing mode. If the widget is fixed on the lock screen, it is removed in the same way: long-press the icon → basket or “Delete”.
⚠️ Note: When removing system shortcuts (cameras), remember that calling emergency services or photographing a situation can become more difficult.
If the buttons don't go away in the standard way, check if the In-pocket or Touch Increase mode is on. Sometimes a software bug causes the button area to expand. Rebooting the device after changing the settings often helps to apply the changes correctly.
Fighting Advertising Apps and Viruses
When full-fledged ads, banners offering to download a game or clean your phone appear on the lock screen, it is not a routine behavior of the system, but the result of installing malware or an application with an aggressive advertising policy, such programs often disguised as “Memory Clearance”, “Lightlight” or “Calendar”.
To identify the culprit, run Security (a standard Xiaomi app). Scan the system. If threats are found, follow the antivirus recommendations. If the scanner is silent but there is advertising, proceed to manual search. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications.
Sort the list by installation time. Take a close look at apps that have been installed recently, especially those that don't have an icon (empty white field) or a strange name (character set). These are the ones that are most often responsible for pop-up ads on a locked screen. Click on a suspicious app and select Delete.
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If the application is not removed (the grey button), first click on "Other permissions" and turn off "Display on top of other applications" and then the delete button will become active.
In extreme cases, if you can not remove the application, you can use the command via ADB (Android Debug Bridge). Connect the phone to your computer, enable debugging over USB and enter the command to delete the packet: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name.packet.
Resetting lock screen settings and themes
If none of the methods worked, and the lock screen continues to behave inadequately, the system configuration files may have gone down or the installed theme conflicts, and the fastest way to get everything back to factory-like is to reset the theme and lock screen settings.
Go to the Topic app. Go to profile (human icon) → Themes. Select a standard theme "Classic" or "Default" and apply it. Make sure the Stir switch is off. This action rewrites all custom settings of widgets and shortcuts to default.
If the problem persists, you can try a more radical method, which is to reset all your system settings. Importantly, this won't delete your photos and contacts, but will return all your phone settings (sound, network, screen) to the "out of the box" state. → The phone. → Resetting settings → Delete all data (pre-repair backup!).
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Returning to the standard design theme is the most effective way to eliminate visualization errors caused by third-party interface modifications.
Once you have a standard theme, reconfigure the widgets you need, and custom fonts and themes are often the reason why the interface elements are floating or not being removed by standard methods.