Many Xiaomi smartphone owners face a situation where the standard lock screen begins to live its life, automatically changing images and showing advertising blocks.This phenomenon, known as “wallpaper carousel” or Glance, often turns on by default when the device is first launched or after a major system update. Users can be annoyed not only by the annoyance of advertising, but also by increased traffic consumption, as well as the occasional opening of applications.
You can remove wallpaper on the Xiaomi lock screen in a number of ways, depending on which feature is activated in your version of MIUI or HyperOS. In some cases, just switch the topic, in others you will need to turn off the system service in deep settings. It is important to understand the difference between a static image that you installed yourself and a dynamic news feed.
In this guide, we will discuss all possible options for getting rid of unwanted content: you will learn how to manage system themes, disable advertising modules and regain control over the appearance of your gadget. Follow the instructions carefully, as the names of menu items may vary slightly depending on the regional version of the firmware.
Turning off the wallpaper carousel (Glance)
The most common reason for the ever-changing images is the activated Wallpaper Carousel feature, developed by Xiaomi partners, which is designed to show users interesting content, but is often perceived as spam. To remove it, you need to go to the lock screen settings.
Find the section that controls the look of the locker in the settings menu. Depending on the version of the shell, this item may be called Wallpaper, Always Screen and Lock, or simply Lock Screen. Inside this menu, look for the option associated with the carousel.
- 📱 Go to your smartphone settings.
- 🔒 Find the Lock Screen section (sometimes inside the Wallpaper»).
- ❌ Turn off the wallpaper carousel switch.
- ✅ Select a static image or click “Delete».
Once this feature is turned off, the lock screen will stop downloading new images from the Internet. If the switch is blocked or missing, you may have a forced carousel theme installed, which we will discuss in the next sections, and it is also worth checking whether the Glance service is activated in the Security app.
⚠️ Note: After the carousel is turned off, old cached images may be temporarily stored in the gallery.
In some regions of the firmware, the setting may be called "Get content" or "Recommendations." Be careful when translating menus, because localization is sometimes inaccurate. The main thing is to find a mention of automatic image change.
Removal of wallpaper through the “Themes” app
If standard settings don’t help, the problem may lie in the installed theme. Third-party themes downloaded from MIUI Themes often have their own rules for displaying content on a locked screen, and they can force the carousel to turn on or broadcast images without the system settings.
To check this out, open the standard Theme app. It usually has an icon with a brush or a colored rhombus. At the bottom of the screen, look for the Profile tab or the person icon, and it stores information about your current theme of the design.
In your profile, select My Pages or Topics. Find a theme that is marked as Used. Click on it and select the option to Apply the Default Theme (usually a classic Classic or Standard theme) and this action will reset any third-party lock screen modifications.
💡
Before applying a standard theme, take a screenshot of the current settings if you plan to return to custom design, but have forgotten its name.
Once you return to the standard theme, the system will suggest reconfiguring the lock screen. At this point, it is important to read the terms carefully and not check the boxes against the "Enable carousel" or "Recommendations" paragraphs. The standard Xiaomi theme is the most stable and rarely contains hidden advertising modules.
If you want to use a beautiful theme without advertising, look for a "No ads" or "No carousel" tag in the description. Often, users write in the comments to the topic whether there are intrusive elements there. Installing verified themes from authorized designers reduces the risk of encountering unwanted content.
Settings in the Security app
The system application Security in the shell MIUI has broad powers and manages many background processes, including memory cleaning and advertising services. Sometimes the settings for displaying content are duplicated here or can be changed through optimization tools.
Run the Security app (green shield icon). Scroll down to the Cleanup section or find the speeding item. In some versions of the firmware, this is where the switch that displays recommendations on the lock screen hides.
| Section in the annex | Function | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanup | Settings | Turn off "Receive recommendations" |
| Security | Licenses | Withdraw consent for MSA |
| Acceleration | Memory. | Check autoload. |
Special attention should be paid to license agreements. In the Security app, you can revoke consent to use the system services that are responsible for advertising.
In the list, find the MSA service (MIUI System Ads) and turn off the slider and wait 10 seconds until the "Revoke" button is active. Confirm the action. This action will globally reduce the amount of advertising in the system, including the lock screen.
⚠️ Note: When you revoke a license for system services, the phone may warn you several times that some features will stop working.
This is one of the most effective methods for users who want to have the cleanest possible system, but remember that disabling system services can affect some built-in widgets that depend on online content.
Change of static wallpaper and resetting cache
If it's not about the carousel, but how to simply remove the current image and put a new one, the procedure looks different. Often users just want to change the picture, but find that the old image "sticks" or appears incorrectly after changing the topic.
To replace the static image, go to Settings → Wallpaper. Here you will see a preview of the current lock screen and desktop. Click on the lock screen preview. The system will prompt you to select an image from the gallery, from the wallpaper catalog or set black.
Choosing black or a simple gradient is a great way to visually remove distractions, and it can also help save battery life. AMOLED-screens, because black pixels are not illuminated.
☑️ Checking before changing wallpaper
If the image is not changing or is displayed with artifacts, you need to clear the theme cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find in the Topics list and click Clear → Clear cache. Don't confuse it with cleaning the data, otherwise all the installed themes will fly.
Once the cache is cleaned, restart the device, and when it is turned on, the system will recreate thumbnails and apply the static wallpaper you choose, which solves most of the problems with broken or unchanging images.
Remove from the Settings Always On Display
On smartphones with AMOLED-The screens are often active Always on Display (AOD). It shows the time, date and picture on the screen that's off, and sometimes users confuse settings. AOD with the usual wallpaper lock, as visually they can intersect at the moment of waking up the screen.
To manage this, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock (or simply “AOD”). Here you can turn off the feature completely or adjust its schedule. If AOD is active, it can block the standard wallpaper in the first seconds after the screen is turned on.
There's also a choice of style in AOD settings. Some styles (Landscape, Planet) use dynamic elements that can resemble a carousel. Switch to Classic or Digital to see only the time and date without unnecessary images.
Why is AOD using up the battery?
It’s also worth checking Pocket Mode settings in the same menu, which sometimes dictates the screen’s behavior when you take your phone out of your pocket, causing you to show certain notifications or images that you want to delete.
Solving problems with MSA advertising modules
MSA (MIUI System Ads) is the main source of advertising in the Xiaomi ecosystem. Although it is impossible to completely remove this system component without root rights, it can be deactivated, which often solves the problem of sudden appearance of ads on a locked screen.
The shutdown procedure requires a sequence of actions. First, turn off the Internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data). Then go to Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data. Find in the msa list and turn off the switch.
The path to disable the MSA:
Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data → msa → Turn off → Wait 10 seconds → WithdrawThe system will resist: it will show a countdown timer (usually 10 seconds) and say "Do not recall." You have to wait for the end of the timer and press "Revoke." If the first time failed, repeat the procedure 3-5 times until the system fails.
⚠️ Attention: Without an Internet connection, you can't revoke your license, because you need to connect to the authorization server. However, if you turn the Internet on while waiting for the timer, the button may become inactive. Try different combinations, but more often the "online, revoked, turned off" method helps».
After a successful license revocation, it is also recommended to disable ad personalization, this is done in the Passwords and Security menu → Privacy → Advertising Services. Turn off Personalized Ads. This will not remove ads completely, but will make them less intrusive and tied to your interests.
💡
Comprehensive disabling of MSA and personalization of advertising is the most reliable way to prevent the return of the wallpaper carousel after system updates.