How to remove the screensaver on Xiaomi 7: the complete guide

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones are known for their extensive personalization functionality that often confuses users. One of the common problems that device owners face, including the popular Xiaomi 7 (or Redmi Note 7 series), is the intrusive screensaver that blocks access to the desktop or appears when charging. This feature, conceived as an aesthetic or advertising tool, can actually annoy, consume system resources and even interfere with the normal operation of the gadget.

Before we start taking radical measures, we need to understand the nature of the image. In the Android and MIUI ecosystem, "saversavers" can mean completely different entities: a screensaver when charging, wallpaper blocker, design themes or even banner ads in system applications. Wrongly identifying the source of the problem will lead to the fact that the desired effect will not be achieved and time will be wasted. So it is important to consistently check all settings related to the screen and security.

We'll look at the operating system's standard tools, hidden engineering menus, and how to deal with virus software that can be disguised as a system screensaver. Careful follow-up will allow you to take back control of the device and customize its display according to your personal preferences. Remember that the interfaces of different versions of MIUI may differ slightly, but the logic of the work remains the same for the entire line of devices of the brand.

Disabling screensaver and waiting modes

The first and most obvious source of static or dynamic image is the built-in Screensaver. Unlike computers, where it's a die burnout protection, on Xiaomi smartphones it's more of a decorative element that is activated when you charge. To remove this feature, you need to go to the main settings. Find the Settings section, then go down to Additional or immediately look for the Lock Screen section where the desired option is hidden.

Inside the menu, you should find a item that can be called Screensaver, Screensaver or Daydream (depending on the Android version). If the switch is active, it must be deactivated. Often users ignore this section, believing that it only concerns TVs or monitors, but on Xiaomi 7 this setting directly affects the behavior of the screen during downtime. Once turned off, the phone will stop showing watches, photos or abstract figures when connected to the power source.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the screensaver does not affect the time before the screen is automatically turned off.If your phone goes off too quickly, this is adjusted in the Screen and Brightness section → Sleeping mode.

It is also worth checking the wallpaper settings of the carousel, if they are installed by default. This feature constantly changes the images on the locked screen and can be perceived as an unwanted screensaver. To turn it off, go to Settings → Wallpaper → Wallpaper carousel and press the Turn it off button. This action will return the static background image that you chose yourself.

Setting up the lock screen and design themes

The second common reason for unwanted images is the themes downloaded from Themes. Many users install beautiful but "heavy" themes that implement their own screen locking algorithms, different from standard MIUIs. Such themes may contain advertising integrations or complex animations that the user mistakenly thinks are a system saver. To check this, open the Themes app and go to the profile (human icon).

In your profile, select the Themes section and use the standard Classic or Default theme. If the theme change has gone away, then the problem was in the third-party design, in which case you will either have to accept the features of the chosen theme or find its counterpart without intrusive elements. It is important to understand that some themes may have their own settings inside the Security application or in the Theme Manager.

In addition, the MIUI lock screen settings have Lock Screen Magazine, which is the equivalent of a carousel wallpaper, but with more aggressive data collection and frequent content change, which is removed along the way: Settings → Lock screen → Lock log → Disable. Disabling this item often solves the problem of suddenly changing images.

• 🎨 Check the source: Make sure the standard theme is active, not downloaded from the Internet.
• 🔒 Lock settings: Turn off the Lock Log in the screen menu.
• 🔄 Resetting theme: Using the Classic theme helps to identify conflict elements.
• 📱 Version. MIUI: In new versions, the path may be different, use the search by settings.

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If the theme change has left the screensaver, try clearing the theme app cache through the App menu → Application Management → Themes → Memory → Clean.

Elimination of banner ads and viral screensavers

When an image appears on the screen that cannot be removed by standard methods, it often indicates the presence of an MSA (MIUI System Ads) or malware. Unlike system functions, such screensavers can appear at random, overlap the interface and do not have a closing button, this is typical for devices on which applications from unverified sources have been installed.

To combat system advertising, Xiaomi offers a built-in shutdown mechanism. Go to Settings → Password and Security → Access to Personal Data (or “Authorization and Security”). Find the msa service and turn off the switchboard. The system will warn you to shut down for 10 seconds — this will be wait and click “Disable.” If msa service is missing or not disabled, a virus program may have hit the phone.

⚠️ Warning: If the screensaver appears on top of open apps and appears as a pop-up, it's 99% virus.

If you have a virus attack, you need to identify the culprit. Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Carefully review the list for any strange programs without a name, without an icon, or with names like Flash Player, Battery Saver that you haven't installed. Deleting such an application will completely solve the problem. If you can't delete it, turn on flight mode and try to do it through Safe Mode.

Reset screen and interface settings

If manual settings don't work, and you can't find the specific option that makes the screensaver appear, the effective method is to reset the interface settings, which won't affect your personal data (photos, contacts, apps), but will return all system settings to factory values, which is especially useful if there's a software glitch in the system that blocks the change in screen settings.

To do this, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset. Select Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile Internet and Bluetooth settings or Reset all settings (be careful, don’t confuse it with a full factory reset that deletes all data). After rebooting the Xiaomi 7, check if the problem persists. Often this allows you to “cure” the hanging rendering processes.

It's also worth checking the special features settings. Sometimes users accidentally activate features for people with disabilities that can change the behavior of the screen. Way to check: Settings → Advanced settings → Special features. Make sure that services like TalkBack or custom visualization services are not included.

Engineering menus and hidden commands

For advanced users who believe that the problem is deeper than standard settings, there is access to the engineering menu, which is a hidden part of the system designed to test the equipment, but it also provides options that affect the operation of the display.

Dial ##6484## (or #4636## for some versions). CIT will open. You can check the sensor here, but it's hard to remove the screensaver directly. However, resetting the sensor calibration or checking for broken pixels can reveal hardware reasons if the screensaver is an artifact of the matrix, not a software bug.

A safer method to reset interface settings through commands is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), but that requires a PC connection. If you have a computer, you can run a command to reset the launcher settings, which often removes desktop artifacts:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

This command will clear the launcher cache and data. All widgets and icon layouts will go down to standard, but any possible screensaver rendering errors will be eliminated. Use this method only if other methods have not worked.

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Use of the ADB-Teams are a powerful tool, but it requires caution. A team error can cause system applications to fail.

Table: Comparison of disconnection methods

To organize your knowledge and choose the most appropriate method for your situation, use a comparative table that will help you quickly determine which solution to the problem will be most effective depending on the type of "savers".

As you can see from the table, most problems are solved by software methods without risking user data. OLED-In the case of screens, which is rare but happens on older models, or a plume, the software methods will be powerless, in which case the only solution is to contact an authorized service center to diagnose the hardware part.

Remember that Xiaomi 7 (or Redmi Note 7) is no longer a newest device, and its software may have bugs that haven’t been patched in recent updates. If you haven’t updated the system in a while, try checking for new versions of MIUI in the About Phone section. Sometimes developers release patches that fix exactly these intrusive behaviors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)