Many users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones are faced with the annoying feature of the MIUI and HyperOS interface: when swiping to the right, the left workspace appears, filled with news, advertising and widgets. This area is often overloaded with content that distracts and consumes traffic, as well as battery power, especially for those who prefer minimalism and a clean desktop without unnecessary visual noise.
In this article, we will discuss how to disable unnecessary elements such as Google Discover, Yandex.Zen or embedded Mi Video services. You will learn to customize the system to yourself, returning the usual behavior of the swipe or replacing it with the search for applications. The setup process does not require Root rights and will take only a couple of minutes of your time.
Reasons for the appearance of news feeds and widgets
The introduction of additional screens and widgets by default is dictated by Xiaomi’s strategy to monetize devices. Since the hardware is sold at a minimal margin, the manufacturer compensates for this through advertising integrations and service software. Left screen is one of the most visible places to host advertising content and affiliate widgets.
Depending on the region for which the smartphone was released (Global, China, EEA) and the firmware version, the contents of the left panel may differ. Global versions most often preinstalled a news aggregator from Google, known as Discover. In versions for the CIS and Russian markets, this slot is often occupied by Yandex services or Mi's own developments, such as Mi Video and Mi Music.
Why would Xiaomi want that?
It's important to understand that these widgets can run in the background, updating data periodically and consuming resources. Even if you don't use them, the synchronization processes can continue. So turning off unused features is not just a matter of aesthetics, but a way to optimize the autonomy of the device.
Disable Google Discover on all models
The most common scenario is that you have a Google News Feed that displays personalized articles, weather and reminders, and to remove that, you need to look at the settings of the desktop itself, not the system as a whole.
First, find a free space on any desktop screen. Make a pinch with two fingers (finger mixing), or hold your finger on an empty area for a long time until the screen vibrates and the editing menu appears. At the bottom of the screen, you will see the Settings button (the gear icon).
☑️ Pre-switch check
In the menu that opens, find an item that may be called "Widget Tape", "Google Discover" or "OneTap" (depending on the version of MIUI). Turn the switch to "Off", then swipe left or right (depending on orientation), the left panel will no longer appear.
⚠️ Note: On some firmware versions, this item may be called "Additional Screens" or hidden inside the "More" submenu. If you don't see the switch right away, carefully review all available options in the desktop settings menu.
If the standard method didn’t work, you may have an alternative launcher or a specific theme activated, in which case try resetting the launcher settings through the application menu: find the Settings app, go to Apps → All Apps, find System Launcher and select Clean → Reset. This will return the desktop settings to the factory ones, where you can re-disable the extra items.
Removal of Yandex.Zen and Mi Video services
Users in Russia and the CIS are characterized by the replacement of Google Discover services by Yandex. Often the left screen is an endless feed of Yandex.Zen recommendations. The mechanism of disconnection is similar to Google, but there are nuances. In the desktop settings menu, look for "Yandex", "Zen" or "News Tape".
In some cases, especially on Redmi Note and Poco models, the left panel is occupied by multimedia widgets Mi Video and Mi Music. These apps compulsively offer content and can open when a random swipe. To turn them off, also go to desktop settings through a pinch.
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If you can’t find the disable point in standard settings, try temporarily changing the theme to the standard (‘Classic’) one. Third-party themes often hide or block system settings of the interface.
Find the switch that's behind Video Player or Music and deactivate it. If the switch isn't there, maybe the widget is forced, in which case you might try dragging it into the basket or clicking the cross in the corner of the widget if the interface allows editing.
| Service | Where to look in the settings | Resource consumption | Do I need the Internet? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Discover | Settings → The widget tape | Average. | Yes. |
| Yandex. Zen. | Settings → Tape / Yandex | High. | Yes. |
| Mi Video | Settings → Video player | Low (in the background) | For content |
| Mi Music | Settings → Music | Low (in the background) | For streaming. |
After disabling all of these services, the left area should become empty or stop responding to the swipe. If you want the swipe to open the application search or system widgets, rather than the news feed, make sure that the settings are set to the appropriate mode.
Setting up the left screen via ADB (for advanced)
In rare cases, when software settings are blocked by the manufacturer or hidden in a particular firmware version, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) debugging, which requires connecting a smartphone to a computer and having basic knowledge of working with the command line.
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the build number (MIUI Version) 7 times. After the message "You became a developer" appears, go to Advanced Settings → For developers and turn on USB debugging.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.googlequicksearchboxThis command disables Google Quick Search, which is often responsible for running the Discover feed. Be careful: using ADB requires accuracy. Incorrectly disabling system packages can lead to unstable interfaces.
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Using ADB is a powerful tool, but it requires caution: Before you enter commands, make sure you understand which package you are going to disable so as not to disrupt the system.
To return the changes, use the command to replace disable-user with enable. This method is suitable for advanced users who want to fully control the composition of their software and remove any traces of preinstalled software.
Replace the left screen with a useful widget
Instead of simply removing the left panel, many users prefer to replace the useless news feed with something functional. Xiaomi’s standard launcher allows you to display Mi Apps widgets (a list of all apps) or weather widgets on the left screen.
To set this up, go to the desktop editing menu (plugs). Select "Add widget" or go to the left screen settings. Here you can select the list of all installed applications, which makes swipe right into easy access to all software, which is especially useful on devices with a large number of programs.
- 📱 List of applications: Convenient alternative to the standard menu, allows you to quickly find programs alphabetically.
- 🌤️ Weather and calendar: Useful widgets that are always at hand and do not require opening individual applications.
- 🔦 Fast tools: Some themes allow you to display a calculator, voice recorder or flashlight in the left zone.
Using third-party launchers like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher gives you even more freedom, allowing you to completely ignore the system limitations of MIUI and customize the left panel as you wish, adding any widgets from Google Play.
Frequent problems and their solution
Sometimes, after updating the firmware, the settings may reset and the left panel with the news appears again, in which case the shutdown procedure must be repeated, and problems may arise when installing themes from third-party sources that modify the system launcher.
If you notice that the left screen is slowing down or not responding to swipes, try clearing the system launcher cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps, find System Launcher and select Clear → Clear Cache. This will not delete your data, but can correct display errors.
⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse cache cleaning with data cleaning. If you choose Clear All Data, you'll reset the icons and widgets on desktops to factory status, and you'll have to reconfigure the interface.
In case the left panel is gone completely and the weather widget doesn’t even appear, check if you have turned off the Widget Ribbon feature completely. Desktop settings must have at least one source of content active for that area, or it must be configured to display the app list.