Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face intrusive functionality of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS. The lock screen, which should be minimalistic and informative, turns into a feed of news, banner ads and widgets of third-party applications. This is not only annoying visually, but also consumes battery power, as well as mobile Internet traffic in the background.
The main reason for the appearance of redundant elements lies in the aggressive policy of the company to promote its own services and affiliate applications. the user who turns on the device for the first time sees a crowded interface where it is difficult to find even time or notifications from messengers. Fortunately, the system provides sufficiently flexible tools for customization, allowing you to return the lock screen to its original appearance.
In this article, we’ll go into detail about all the possible ways to clean the lock screen: you’ll learn to turn off the widget tape on the left, remove the wallpaper carousel, and block ads from specific apps. Following these steps will make using your Xiaomi smartphone much more comfortable.
Disabling the feed widgets and news on the left
The most noticeable element that bothers users is the news and widget sidebar that appears when you swipe to the right, which is built into the system launcher and activated by default, and you need to go to the desktop settings to remove it.
Press and hold your finger on the empty section of the home screen until the edit menu appears. In the lower right corner, select the Settings button (the gear icon). In the list that opens, find the "More" option or immediately go to the "Widget Ribbon" option. Here you will be asked to select the source of the tape.
- 📱 App Vault – the standard widget tape from Xiaomi with news and fast access.
- 🌐 Google Discover – Recommends from Google Search (if installed).
- 🚫 No – completely disabling the sidebar (recommended choice).
Select No to completely deaktivate this interface element. After that, when you try to swipe right on a locked or unlocked screen, nothing will happen. This action also reduces RAM consumption slightly, since the system process will stop updating the tape content in the background.
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Disabling widget tape is the first and most important step to a clean interface that also saves CPU resources.
Setting up wallpaper carousel and blocking ads
The second common problem is the wallpaper carousel, which automatically changes the image on the lock screen every time you turn on the screen, often uploading images with ads or recommendations, which many users confuse with a normal theme change, but this is a separate service that requires manual disabling.
To manage this functionality, go to the Settings menu, then select the Always on screen and lock screen (the path may vary slightly depending on the MIUI version). Find the Wallpaper Carousel and put the switch in an inactive position. The system may try to convince you to stay by offering beautiful pictures, but consent to disable will return a static image.
⚠️ Warning: After turning off the wallpaper carousel, make sure that a high-quality static image is installed as the background so that the lock screen does not look empty or black.
Also in this section, check the settings of the “Recommendations”: often this is where the ticks that allow you to show promotional offers or news from Xiaomi partners directly on the locked screen are hidden. Disabling all toggles associated with “receiving recommendations” ensures that no pop-ups are available.
Why is the ad coming back?
Removal of application-specific widgets
Sometimes, widgets from specific applications, such as Security, Music or Recorder, appear on the lock screen, and these elements can display information without unlocking the phone, which is not always convenient, and they are managed through notification settings.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Lock screen. This is a list of all the apps that can display content on the locked screen. Go through the list and turn off the programs that you don't need at this point.
Pay special attention to system applications, for example, the Security widget often takes up a lot of space and shows memory status or virus bases. If you don't use this feature all the time, it's better to hide it.
- 🔒 Turn off displaying notification content for sensitive applications.
- 🎵 Hide media player widgets if you don’t use lock-screen music management.
- 🛡️ Remove the Security widget to make room for time and date.
☑️ Checking notification settings
Comparison of settings in MIUI and HyperOS
With the release of the new HyperOS shell, the menu structure has changed. Users who have updated with MIUI 14 or older versions may find it difficult to find familiar items. The logic of settings grouping has become more complex, and some functions have been moved to the Security or Special Opportunities section.
With HyperOS, lock screen management has become more centralized, with more detailed font and watch styles being customized, but basic cleaning features have remained the same, with the main difference being that some widget settings now require confirmation through a Mi Account or have more stringent restrictions for regions.
| Function | Location in MIUI 14 | Location in HyperOS | Difficulty of access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widget tape | Desktop settings | Desktop settings | Low. |
| Wallpaper carousel | Lock screen | Always on screen and locking | Medium |
| Notification of annexes | Notifications and status line | Notifications and status line | Low. |
| Clock styles | Topics (separate annex) | Lock screen settings | Tall. |
If you can't find the right item in HyperOS, search by settings. Type in a keyword like "lock" or "widget," and the system will suggest the desired partition, which greatly speeds up the search process in the updated interface.
Use of third-party launchers and themes
If standard system tools fail to remove all elements, or the interface seems overloaded, you can resort to radical measures. Installing a third-party launcher or a specialized theme allows you to completely replace the standard lock screen with a custom one.
Popular launchers like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher often have their own lock screen plugins that ignore Xiaomi's system settings.However, it's worth remembering that third-party blockers can consume more power and don't always correctly display notifications from all apps.
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When installing a third-party launcher, be sure to give it all the necessary permissions in the "Special Opportunities" menu, otherwise it may not work stably.
Alternatively, use the themes from GetThemes. Look for themes labeled "Minimal" or "Clean." Often theme writers hide the standard Xiaomi widgets, replacing them with their more concise counterparts, or simply leave the background blank. This is a safe way to change the look without installing additional software.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party lock screens may conflict with the underscreen fingerprint scanner. If the scanner stops working after installing the theme, return the standard theme.
Solving problems with hanging widgets
Sometimes you delete an application, but the widget is left hanging on the lock screen or in the tape on the left, and it's a software bug that's involved in caching interface data, and the system remembers the shortcut, but it can't run the corresponding application.
To solve this problem, you need to clear the cache of the system application "Security" or "Desktop." Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the list "Security" (zipper icon), click on it and select "Clean" → "Clear cache." This will not delete your data, but reset the widget settings.
If cleaning the cache didn’t help, try restarting the device in Safe Mode. To do this, press the off button, and then hold your finger on the “off” button on the screen for a long time until the prompt to go to Safe Mode appears, which will help determine whether a third-party application is causing conflict.