How to Remove Wallpaper on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter the intrusive wallpaper carousel feature, which automatically changes images on a locked screen.This system utility, known as Glance or Wallpaper Gallery, is designed to diversify the visual experience but is often perceived by users as an annoying factor consuming traffic and battery.

Also, many confuse standard lock wallpaper with banner ads that can appear in system applications. MIUI and the new HyperOS do contain many marketing elements that the manufacturer has enabled by default. However, knowing the exact paths in the settings menu, you can easily deactivate these features and return the phone to its familiar look.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the ways to disable pop-up images, from standard system settings to deeper methods for advanced users, and learn how to permanently get rid of Carousel and prevent unwanted advertising in the interface.

Before we get to specific actions, it's important to understand what exactly you want to disable.The wallpaper carusole changes pictures every time you turn on the screen, while system ads can appear in folders or when you open apps.We'll look at both options so that your device works solely to your advantage.

Disabling the wallpaper carousel through screen settings

The easiest and most obvious way to remove constantly changing images is to use the standard smartphone settings menu, which is suitable for the vast majority of users and does not require the installation of additional software or obtaining superuser rights.

You need to go to Settings, then select Lock Screen. Depending on the version of the MIUI or HyperOS firmware, this item may be called Screen Lock or be inside the Wallpaper and Personalization menu. Find a switch called Wallpaper Carrousel or Glance and put it in an inactive position.

Once turned off, the system may suggest that you select a static image for the lock screen. This is a normal interface reaction. If the switch is inactive (gray) or immediately returns to its original position, this may mean that the function is forced to turn on through a Mi Account or a third-party theme app.

💡

If the wallpaper carousel switch doesn’t turn off, try first changing the theme to the standard “Classic” through the Themes app, and then try to turn it off again.

It is worth noting that after disabling this feature, battery consumption may decrease slightly, since the system no longer needs to constantly download new images over the Internet, and ads that are sometimes integrated into the carousel images themselves will disappear.

Removal of the system application Wallpaper Gallery

In some cases, simply switching the tumbler in the settings is not enough, especially if you want to completely clean the system of excess debris. Apps like Wallpaper Carousel or Glance for Xiaomi can be installed as separate system components.

To remove them, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. In the list, you need to find an app called Wallpaper Gallery, Wallpaper Carousel or Glance. Click on it and select the option to Remove. If the delete button is inactive, select Other Permissions and turn off network access as well as auto-start.

If standard removal is not possible, you can use the system application hide feature, and in the application menu, click on the three dots in the upper right corner, select Hide Apps, and add an unnecessary component, which will not physically remove it, but will remove it from the list and prevent it from starting.

blockquote>

⚠️ Note: When removing system components, make sure you don't touch the standard Gallery app or you may lose access to your images».

Once you do this, the phone can suggest a reboot, and you can agree to it so that the changes can be made permanent, and this is guaranteed to remove the pop-up wallpaper on the Xiaomi phone.

Customization in MIUI and HyperOS

MIUI 14 and HyperOS have deep personalization settings that may conflict with your desire for static design. In new firmware versions, Xiaomi is actively implementing Glance, which is a partner product and often installed secretly.

To fully control the look, go to the Security app (green zipper icon). Scroll down to Ads or Mi Services. You need to turn off the Receive References option, which will reduce the amount of pop-up content throughout the system.

Then go back to the lock screen settings. Make sure that the "Classic" section is selected in the "Decoration" section, not "Video wallpaper" or "Live wallpaper." Live wallpaper can also create a pop-up effect, although static in terms of content, but dynamic in execution.

It's important to understand the difference between a live wallpaper and a carousel. Live wallpaper is a single image animation, and Carusol is a constant upload of new photos from the Internet, and you need to turn off the second option if you want to save traffic.

Fighting Advertising and Pop-ups (MSA)

Often, “pop-up wallpaper” is defined as banner ads that appear on top of the desktop or when unlocked, which is the responsibility of the MSA (MIUI System Ads) service, which is a critical step for comfortable smartphone use.

The process of disabling ads requires a consistent algorithm of actions, as Xiaomi hides these settings. First go to Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. Find in the list of “msa” and turn off the switch. The system will wait 10 seconds, then you need to click “Cancel”.

Repeat this procedure for the following system applications (if any are listed):

• 📱 GetApps – App Store, Source of Many Notifications.
• 📱 Mi Video - video player with built-in advertising.
• 📱 Mi Music is a music player that often displays banners.
• 📱 MIUI Daemon is a statistics collector that can be safely turned off.

Once permissions are revoked for each application, you also need to go to their individual settings (via "All Apps") and disable "Receive recommendations," which is a comprehensive approach that will clear the interface of garbage.

Don't be afraid to revoke permissions from system services. This won't cause your phone to break, it will only limit your activity collection and ads.

Comparison of methods of disabling pop-up content

There are many ways to solve a problem, but they vary in complexity and effectiveness: some methods require only a few clicks, others involve a deeper intervention in the system, the choice depends on your technical background and the desired result.

Below is a table to help you choose the best method for your situation.We compared standard shutdown, removal of applications and use of third-party launchers.

As you can see from the table, the method is standard settings, but they don't always give you a 100% guarantee of getting rid of all the elements of Glance.

Using third-party launchers like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher completely replaces Xiaomi's interface.In this case, system wallpaper and carousels stop showing up as another app takes over the screen control.

Additional recommendations and hidden settings

If none of the above methods helped to completely remove the pop-up wallpaper on the Xiaomi phone, perhaps the problem lies in the installed themes.Some third-party themes from the MIUI Themes store may contain built-in carousel scripts.

Try resetting the theme to the standard one. Go to the Themes app, go to the profile (human icon) and select My Themes. Apply the Classic or Default theme. Then check the lock screen settings again.

Also worth checking for unknown apps: Go to Settings → Apps and sort them by usage time. If you see suspicious programs without an icon or with a name like System Update (but not from Xiaomi), delete them immediately.

💡

A comprehensive approach, including disabling the Carousel, removing Glance, and banning MSA ads, ensures a clean interface without pop-ups.

Regularly checking installed applications will help keep the system clean.Do not install programs from unknown sources, as they are often a source of intrusive advertising and pop-ups.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)