Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive ads that appear in the most unexpected places of the interface. One of the most annoying manifestations of the company's marketing policy is the appearance of news feeds and recommendations on the lock screen. This is especially true for popular models such as the Redmi Note 8, where the standard shell of MIUI can be filled with redundant content. Users notice that instead of pure time and notifications, they see news headlines or suggestions to install games.
Fortunately, the Chinese-made Android system allows you to flexibly customize the information you display, so you don't have to be a programming expert to get it back to its original appearance, you just have to know which switches are responsible for Glance or Lock Screen Magazine, and where to find them in the back of the menu. In this article, we'll go through all the ways to clean the lock screen.
Weβll look at both standard ways to disable through settings and more drastic measures if built-in options donβt work.Itβs important to understand that the layout of menu items may vary slightly depending on the firmware version installed on your Redmi Note 8.
Reasons for the appearance of advertising blocks and news
Before we start fixing the problem, we need to understand the nature of the problem, and many users mistakenly believe that viruses or malware are the cause of the banners, in fact, it's the standard functionality of the MIUI shell, which is activated by default when you first turn on your phone, and the company implements services like Mi Video or GetApps, which stream content directly to the lock screen.
The main culprit is usually Glance (formerly known as Lock Screen Magazine), which is designed to display beautiful wallpaper with information widgets, but often replaces aesthetics with advertising integrations. The system's algorithms analyze your preferences to offer relevant content, but in practice this translates into spam.
β οΈ Note: Do not confuse system recommendations with viruses. If you see pop-ups already inside your desktop or browser, this may be a sign of installing a third-party application with an advertising module.
In addition, some apps in the pre-installed package may ask permission to display on top of other windows, which allows them to display their banners even when the phone is locked, and understanding how these services work will help you manage them effectively and disable the extra.
Disconnecting Glance and Lock Screen Magazine
The most common way to remove tips is to deactivate the built-in wallpaper service, which is responsible for changing pictures and displaying news feeds. On the Redmi Note 8, this process takes only a few minutes and does not require a connection to a computer.
You need to get into the wallpaper selection menu first, and you can do this in two ways: by settings or by long-clicking on the free desktop space. Choose the second option, because it's often faster. In the menu that opens, find the item associated with the wallpaper carousel.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- π± Press and hold your finger on the empty area of your desktop until the menu appears below.
- βοΈ Select Settings (cog icon) or immediately go to Wallpaper section.
- π Find a switch called Wallpaper Carousel or Lock Screen Magazine.
- π« Translate the slider to the "Off" positionΒ».
And then you do this next time you turn on the screen, you'll see a static image that you've set up, without any unnecessary labels, and if it's called Glance, the procedure is the same: go to the Security settings and find the carousel control there.
βοΈ Checking out the Glance shutdown
Configure the lock screen settings in MIUI
The MIUI has a deep settings menu, where there are a lot of useful options hidden. If just turning off the carousel didn't help, or you want to fine-tune what's displayed on the locked screen, you should study the system settings section, and you can turn off not only pictures, but also pedometer widgets, weather and tips.
Go to the main settings menu of your phone and find the Lock Screen section, which some firmware versions may call Always On and Lock Screen, and this is where the main visual controls are.
Within this menu, pay attention to the following items:
- π€οΈ Widgets: You can remove the weather or pedometer display, which sometimes override important information.
- π Password and unlock: check if the fingerprint unlock feature with the display of ads is enabled.
- π’ Notifications: Make sure that the content of the notifications is not disguised as βadviceΒ».
It's also worth checking the theme settings. If you're using a third-party theme from MIUI Themes store, it may have its own built-in ad modules. Switching to a standard theme often solves the problem.
| Parameter | Location on the menu | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings / Lock screen | Off. |
| Recommendations | Settings / Passwords and security | Shut down. |
| Get advice | Settings / Additional | No. |
| Advertising in annexes | Settings / Passwords and security | Turn it off. |
So if the ad returns after the MIUI update, just repeat the disabling procedure.
Removing system applications and cleaning the cache
Sometimes embedded services are so deeply integrated that they canβt be turned off through the standard interface, and in such cases, Redmi Note 8 can resort to more drastic measures, such as removing or freezing system components responsible for advertising.
One of the main sources of garbage is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) application, which is responsible for collecting data and displaying banner ads throughout the system, and disabling this service will significantly clean up the interface.
β οΈ Warning: Be careful when removing system applications. Do not remove components that you are not sure of, so as not to disrupt the phone.
To disable advertising through settings:
- π Open Settings and enter msa in search.
- π Find the recommendation paragraph from MSA And you turn it off. The system can ask you a few times, confirming the action.
- β³ Wait 10 seconds until the confirmation button is active and click βDisableΒ».
What to do if the MSA disable button is inactive?
Additionally, it is worth clearing the cache of applications that can store temporary advertising files. Go to Settings β Apps β All applications, find browsers and system services, and click Clear β Clear the cache.
Use of third-party launchers and themes
If standard methods seem too complicated or do not give you the full result, you can go another way - to replace the interface completely. Installing a third-party launcher allows you to ignore the system settings of the lock screen Xiaomi and use alternative solutions.
Popular launchers like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair donβt have built-in ads and allow you to flexibly customize the look. However, they only change the desktop. KLCK.
Advantages of using third-party solutions:
- π¨ Complete control over design and widgets.
- π« Guaranteed absence of system advertising from the manufacturer.
- β‘ Ability to install lighter and faster animations.
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When installing a third-party lock screen, Android may periodically suggest returning the standard one. Just ignore those requests or choose "No, thank you" to keep the settings.
It is worth considering that third-party applications for the lock screen can consume more battery power, since they work on top of the system. On the Redmi Note 8 with its capacious battery, this should not be a critical problem, but it is still worth watching for autonomy.
Global Disconnection of Advertising in the System
To keep the problem from returning, a comprehensive cleanup of advertising identifiers is recommended, which will not remove the tips from the lock screen directly, but will reduce their frequency and relevance, making them less intrusive in general.
MIUI's privacy settings have a section on advertising. Find Privacy β Advertising Services. You have to turn off ad personalization. This will prevent the system from sharing your activity with advertisers.
It's also useful to disable automatic recommendations in folders, and if you create folders with applications, the system often offers "similar applications." To remove this,
- Open any folder with applications on the desktop.
- Click on the folder name to edit it.
- Find the Recommended Apps Switch and turn it off.
These steps will help make your Redmi Note 8 more comfortable and noise-free.
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A comprehensive approach that includes disabling MSA, wallpaper carousels and personalizing advertising, gives the best result in the fight against intrusive content.