Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are pleasing users with powerful hardware and an affordable price, but the branded shell of MIUI, and now HyperOS, often contains aggressive advertising and intrusive services. One of the most annoying elements for many owners is the “Wallpaper Carousel” – a feature that replaces the standard static picture on the lock screen with changing images with news and banner ads. This not only distracts, but also consumes traffic, and can reduce the autonomy of the device.
Fortunately, the Android system allows you to manage this process quite flexibly, and you can disable the carousel by regular means without obtaining root rights. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to deactivate the service, from standard settings to deeper methods for advanced users who want to completely clean their lock screen from unnecessary visual noise.
Before you start setting up, it’s important to understand that the carousel is a separate system application that can be called differently depending on the firmware version and region. In global versions, it’s most often Glance service, and in Chinese builds, Mi Wallpaper Carousel. Regardless of the name, the principle of operation is the same: the application downloads content from the network and displays it on top of the standard lock.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why it turns on itself
Wallpaper carousel is a built-in service by Xiaomi to personalize the device, but in practice it has become a monetization tool that displays advertisements, store offers and news reports, and users often find that after another system update or a new application from the manufacturer is installed, the static screensaver is replaced by a dynamic one again.
The main reason for this is because of the structure of the MIUI and HyperOS shells. Developers integrate services deep into the system, linking them to other components, such as Security or Themes. When resetting or updating software, system algorithms can automatically activate the company’s preferred features, believing them to be useful to the user.
It's important to note that the carousel is not a virus, but its behavior is often classified as PUA (Potentially Unwanted Application), which has access to network, geolocation, and device usage data to target ads, which is why many people are looking to not just change the image, but completely remove or freeze the component.
You can distinguish between the standard Wallpaper feature in the screen settings and the Carousel function, the first one changes the static image, the second one is a dynamic content service, and if you lock the screen and you see the Glance logo or Lock Screen Magazine logo in the corner, you have a carousel that needs to be turned off.
Disconnection through lock screen settings
The easiest and safest way to remove intrusive image change is to use the standard settings menu, which is suitable for most current Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models running Android 10 and higher. The algorithm may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the general logic remains.
To start, you need to go to the main settings menu of your smartphone. Find the section responsible for the appearance of the system. In older versions of MIUI, it was often called the Lock Screen, in newer versions of HyperOS or MIUI 14 this can be hidden in the section “Always on screen and lock screen”.
Inside this menu, look for a item called "Wallpaper Carousel" or "Wallpaper Carousel." That's where the switch that activates the service is located. It's usually indicated by a slider. If the slider is on blue or green, the service is active.
⚠️ Warning: After the switch is turned off, the system may show a pop-up asking “Disable the carousel?” and don’t accept “Try again” or “Get Premium” offers. You need to find the “Disable” or “Switch off” button, often it’s less prominently located.
After successfully switching the slider to an inactive state, the system will return the standard static image. If this does not happen immediately, try to restart the device. In some cases, you need to additionally select a specific static image from the gallery to finally interrupt the settings of the carousel.
If you don’t find an explicit switch in the settings menu, your firmware version may be hiding it or using an alternate name, so you should check the settings of the Themes app, which will be discussed in the next section.
Management through the Topics app
The Visual Control Center in Xiaomi smartphones is the Themes app. This is where the carousel’s extra settings are often buckled, especially if the standard method through screen settings failed. The carousel service is closely integrated with the theme store, as many paid and free themes use its mechanisms.
To access hidden settings, open the Themes app on your desktop. Notice the profile icon (usually the person icon in the top right corner). Click on it to open the profile menu. In the list that opens, look for Settings.
Inside the Themes app settings, scroll down to the block associated with the lock screen, and it should be a wallpaper carousel or Lock Screen Magazine, and when you enter it, you'll see the same settings as the main menu, but with the option of a more detailed configuration.
Not only can you turn off the service, but you can also clear the cache, which is useful if the carousel is "glutching" or continues to show ads after you turn off. Find the "Clear uploaded images" or similar button to free up space in the device's memory.
Why can the settings be reset?
Disconnection through the Security application
Not everyone knows, but the MIUI/HyperOS Security system application has broad access rights and manages a variety of background processes, including memory optimization and display services, and sometimes locking the carousel is most effective from here.
Run the Safety app (green icon with shield) at the top of the screen, you'll see a series of quick-clean icons. Swipe your finger to the left or click on the menu (three bars) to find the Cleanup or Accelerate section, but we're not interested in cleaning, but settings.
Click on the settings gear in the top right corner of the Security app. In the settings list, look for the section related to Getting Recommendations or Advertising Services, which can indirectly affect the carousel, depriving it of its source of content.
There's also a Permissions section in the Security app, and you can search for Wallpaper Carousel or Glance in the list of apps and see what rights it's given. Disabling the Internet for this app is a radical but effective method, and without the network, the carousel won't be able to download new images and will stop working even if it's officially on.
This method is good because it doesn't require deep intervention, but it's less elegant than a complete shutdown of the service.The app will hang in the background and try to connect to the network, which in theory can consume a little battery, albeit minimally.
Complete removal and debugging through ADB
For users who want to get rid of the carousel and free up system resources, there is a method of removing the system package via USB debugging (ADB), which is the most effective way, since it physically removes the application from the system (for the current user), making it impossible to automatically start it.
For this method, you will need a computer (Windows, macOS or Linux), USB-cable and installed drivers ADB. On your smartphone, you need to activate the developer mode. To do this, quickly click on the build number seven times in the About Phone section, then turn on Debugging by Debugging by Debugging by the “About Phone” menu. USB».
Connect the phone to your computer and open the command line (terminal) with administrator privileges. Enter a command to check the connection:
adb devicesThe phone will have a request for debugging permission — confirm it. Once you've connected successfully, you need to find the exact name of the carousel package. In global versions, it's often com.miui.misystem (partially) or individual packages like com.android.thememanager, but most often the package you're looking for is called com.miui.personalassistant (if the carousel is built into the left screen) or com.miui.wallpaper.carousel.
To remove (deactivate) the component, use the command:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.wallpaper.carouselIf the package is called differently (e.g. Glance), the name may vary. Be careful: removing system packages through ADB is reversible only by resetting to factory settings, so only remove those components that you are 100% sure of.
⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Removing critical system components can lead to a cyclic bootloop or unstable interface. Always check the name of the package before entering the delete command.
Once the command is executed, the application will disappear from the installed list, and the carousel will stop appearing even after the system updates, since its executable file will be deleted from the user space.
Comparison of disconnection methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right way, we have organized the information in a table, each method has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your skills and goals.
| Method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen settings | Low. | Medium (may be switched on by itself) | Absent. |
| Annex Topics | Low. | Medium | Absent. |
| Blocking access to the network | Medium | Tall. | Minimum battery consumption in the background |
| Removal via ADB | Tall. | Maximum | Possible instability with error |
As you can see from the table, for the average user, the best option is a combination of the first two methods. The use of ADB is recommended only for experienced enthusiasts who understand the consequences of their actions and have the ability to restore the device in the event of a failure.
Also, remember that after resetting to the factory settings (Hard Reset), all changes made through the settings menu will be reset, and the carousel can turn on again. The ADB method is more reliable in this regard, since it removes the package, but when the device is completely flashed (via Fastboot), the system will return to its original state with all built-in services.
☑️ Checklist for complete carousel cleanup
Frequent problems and their solutions
Even after completing all the instructions, users may find that the carousel returns or behaves incorrectly, and one of the common problems is the service's "resurrection" after updating the Theme app or system update, in which case the algorithm repeats itself: go back to the settings and disable.
Another problem is that there are two profiles or modes of operation (e.g., "Simple Mode" for older people), the carousel settings can be separate for different modes, check if you have a special mode activated, and turn off the carousel there too.
Users sometimes complain that instead of a Xiaomi carousel, they have a carousel from third-party apps installed earlier (such as launchers or cleaning apps). Carefully check the list of installed apps for suspicious "Wallpaper Changer" or "HD Backgrounds" and delete them.
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Tip: If you can't find the disconnect point, try temporarily changing the region of the device in the settings (for example, India or the USA).In some regions, the settings interface is different, and the desired switch may become visible or, conversely, disappear, which will reset its state.
In rare cases, cleaning the data from the Themes app itself helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps, find Topics, select Clean Up → Clear All Data. This will bring the app back to factory status, where the carousel is often turned off by default.
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The big takeaway: The wallpaper carousel is not a virus, it's a built-in service that you can completely control, and the most reliable way to deal with it is comprehensive: disabling in settings plus limiting access rights.