Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which run MIUI and HyperOS shells, offer users many convenient features, but often overload the interface with unnecessary elements. One such controversial component is the widget tape, which appears when swiped to the right of the home screen. Many owners of Redmi and Poco devices find that instead of the usual empty space or widgets of the system, there is a Mi Store app store or Google Discover news feed. This not only distracts, but also consumes system resources, consuming traffic and battery power in the background.
Fortunately, developers have left users the flexibility to customize this interface element. The process of disabling can vary depending on the version of the operating system and the regional settings of your gadget. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to remove or replace the widget tape on Xiaomi, regaining full control over the appearance of the desktop.
In some cases, standard settings can be hidden or changed by the manufacturer, which requires additional methods. We will look at both standard solutions through the settings menu and more advanced options for power users. It is important to understand that the complete "removal" of the system component requires caution, but simple disabling or replacing with a blank screen is available to everyone.
Analysis of the contents of the widget tape
Before you start, you need to clearly understand what exactly is displayed on your screen when swiping to the right. On different models of smartphones, whether it is the flagship Xiaomi 14 or the budget Redmi Note, the content of this zone can be radically different, most often users are faced with one of three options: proprietary tape Mi Store, Google Discover service or standard Android widgets.
The Mi Store is an aggregator of ads, recommended apps and news from the manufacturer itself, often considered the most intrusive, as its primary purpose is to promote content. At the same time, Google Discover provides a personalized news feed based on your search queries and interests, but it can also be a source of information noise.
⚠️ Warning: Complete removal of system components responsible for the widget tape may lead to unstable operation of the launcher.
You can visually identify the type of feed. If you see news cards and the Google logo at the top, this is Google Discover. If you have a grid of app icons, game banners and "Recommended" labels, this is the Mi Store. Understanding the source of content is critical to choosing the right way to disable it, because the settings for them are in different parts of the system.
Disabling the Mi Store tape through settings
The most common scenario on devices with global and European firmware is the presence of a recommendation tape from the Mi Store. Fortunately, the latest versions of the MIUI and HyperOS shell have the official opportunity to abandon this service without using third-party software.
Press and hold your finger on the empty section of the home screen until the edit menu appears. In the lower corner, you'll see the Settings button or the gear, and clicking on it will open a list of options where we're interested in More or Additional, and that's where the switch that controls the widget tape is hidden.
In the list that opens, find the option of the Widget Ribbon (or "Negative Screen"). By clicking on it, the system will prompt you to select the source of the content. By default, there may be "Mi Store" or "Recommendations"; your task is to change this setting. Choose the option of No or No widgets, if your goal is to completely get rid of the sidebar.
☑️ Checking the tape settings
If the No option is not available, try switching to Widgets. This will replace the ad tape with the standard Android system widget bar, which looks much cleaner and contains no ads. After making changes, just click the Home button or swipe up to exit the editing mode. The changes apply instantly, and the next swipe to the right will show the result.
Managing Google Discover and News
For users who prefer the Google ecosystem, it is often important not to delete, but to activate or configure the news feed. However, if Google Discover is already activated and annoying you with its content, it can also be disabled. The management mechanism here is slightly different from the Mi Store settings and is tied to a Google account.
To access the feed management, first make sure it's on. Swipe to the right of the home screen. If it's empty or there's a Mi Store, first switch the source to Google through the desktop settings, as described in the previous section. Once you see the news cards, scroll the feed to the bottom.
At the bottom of the screen, you'll find a Customize button or a gear, and if you click on it, you'll be taken to the interest management menu, and you can not only turn off the card display, but you can fine-tune the topics that you're interested in. To turn off completely, find the Show cards switch and turn it to the "Off" position.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling Google Discover cards does not remove the Google app, but only hides the news feed.
There is also an alternative way through the settings of the Google app itself: Open the app, click on the profile avatar in the corner and select Settings. Next, go to General and find Discover, where you can permanently disable the display of tape on the home screen of any launcher, including the system.
Use of third-party launchers
If the standard methods seem to you not effective enough or you want to radically change the appearance of the interface, the best solution is to install a third-party launcher.This software completely replaces the standard Xiaomi desktop, providing advanced customization capabilities and guaranteed to get rid of intrusive tapes.
Popular options are Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher. Once you install such a launcher, the system will suggest choosing the default default one, and you'll get a clean interface where the swipe right either doesn't work or calls up features you set up yourself.
| Launcher | Difficulty setting up | Advertising | Flexibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Launcher | Medium | No. | Tall. |
| Lawnchair | Low. | No. | Medium |
| Smart Launcher | Low. | There you are (in free version) | Medium |
| Microsoft Launcher | Low. | No. | Tall. |
An important advantage of third-party launchers is independence from MIUI system updates. Even if Xiaomi changes its widget display policy in the future, your third-party desktop will remain unchanged. However, it is worth considering that some deep system features, such as gestures or themes, may not work properly.
Impact on the battery
Advanced Methods through ADB
For power users who want to remove the widget tape at the system level and do not want to put up with residual processes, there is a method of using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to hide or remove the system packages responsible for the operation of the Mi Store and related services, without obtaining superuser rights (Root).
To start, activate the developer mode on your smartphone. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI/HyperOS build number seven times. After the notification “You became a developer” appears, go back to the main settings menu, find the Additional section and turn on Debugging over USB.
Connect your smartphone to your computer through USB-On a computer where the drivers are installed. ADB And for platform tools, open the command line, type in the adb device command and confirm debugging permission on your phone screen.
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mi.android.globalminusscreenThis command removes the component responsible for the global widget tape (often the Mi Store).If your goal is to remove specific service applications, packages may be called differently, for example, com.mi.global.shop. Be extremely careful: removing critical system components can lead to a cyclical reboot of the device.
⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Deleting the wrong package can disrupt the app store or update system. Always check the name of the package before executing a command.
To return the remote component, just execute the command adb shell cmd package install-existing. <packet> Or just reset your phone to the factory, which is the most radical and recommended only to those who understand the risks.
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Back up important data before using ADB. While the method is safe for user files, errors in system packages may require firmware reflashing.
Solving the problems with the return of tape
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after a system update or reset, the remote widget tape returns on its own, often because an updated version of MIUI or HyperOS resets the launcher's user preferences to factory values.
First of all, check if the system components of Google or Mi Service have been updated. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Google and Mi Store, go to their