Owners of Xiaomi smartphones often notice that when you turn on the lock screen, a static image is replaced by a new, brighter and more informative. This is not a coincidence, but the result of the Glance for Mi system service, which is pre-installed by default on many devices of the company, including the popular Redmi Note 10 model.
However, not everyone knows how to manage this process or how to activate it if it was accidentally disabled. In this article, we will discuss all aspects of the work of the wallpaper carousel on your device, you will learn not only to turn on and configure the service, but also to get rid of intrusive advertising that often accompanies free system functions.
This guideline is relevant to current versions of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, as the system components remain similar. We'll look at standard activation methods through settings, as well as alternative ways for those who want to get advanced functionality. Get ready to turn a boring lock screen into a personalized information center.
What is Glance for Mi and how does it work?
Glance for Mi is a dynamic content platform designed specifically for the Xiaomi ecosystem. Unlike conventional live wallpapers that simply animate the background, it loads high-quality static images, news, weather and notifications in the background. The main advantage is the minimum battery consumption while maximizing visual effect.
Technically, the process works through a background connection to the content provider's servers. When you turn off the screen or the device is in standby mode, the system prepares the next image. New content is only downloaded when connected to Wi-Fi or mobile Internet, which is important to consider when charging traffic. Images are cached in the phone's memory, so switching between them is instantaneous and without delay.
The user experience is built on simplicity: one tap on the lock screen changes the picture, and a double tap or swipe can open additional widgets or news. This creates a sense of interactivity that standard static wallpaper does not have. AMOLED-display such a function looks especially impressive due to the deep black color and saturation of shades.
It's important to understand that Glance is not just an application, it's a system component, and if you delete it or you misconfigure it, it can cause the lock screen to malfunction, so you should make all the changes to your settings carefully, following the algorithms you've tried, and in the next section, we'll look at the step-by-step activation process.
Step-by-step activation of the carousel through settings
To enable the feature on the Redmi Note 10, you don’t need to download third-party apps from Google Play. All the necessary tools are already built into the shell. The first thing you need to do is go to the main settings menu of your smartphone. Find a section that can be called Wallpaper or Themes, depending on the version of your MIUI firmware.
Inside the menu, select the lock screen option. The interface may be slightly different, but the logic remains the same. You need to find a switch that activates the carousel service. If you use a global firmware version, look for the Glance for Mi option. In Chinese versions or older builds, it can be called the Wallpaper Carousel.
Once the slider is activated, the system will request confirmation of the terms of use, and by agreeing, you will allow the phone to download content, and then a preview window will appear, where you can select categories of images that you are interested in, which can be nature, cities, celebrities or abstractions.
☑️ Pre-activation check
To fine-tune it, go to the advanced settings, where you can adjust the frequency of the images and allow or disallow the display of ads.
- 📱 Open the Settings and go to the Wallpaper section.
- 🖼️ Find the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance for Mi.
- ✅ Activate the switch Turn on the wallpaper carousel.
- 🌐 Choose your preferred content categories for personalization.
Once you do this, lock the screen and unlock it again. If it goes well, the image should change. If it doesn't, check for network connection or updates for system components in the Security app.
Content Management and Personalization
One of Glance's key features is that it allows you to customize your content in a flexible way, and it offers multiple categories, but you can create your own feed, so you can avoid images that you don't like and focus on interesting topics.
To manage categories, you need to go to the service settings, and you'll see a list of themes available, some of them can be marked as "Recommended" and you can turn them on and off as you like, and you can also have a "Like" feature directly on the lock screen that trains the algorithm on your preferences.
The table below describes the main categories and their impact on the selection:
| Category | Description of content | Frequency of update |
|---|---|---|
| Nature. | Landscapes, animals, plants | Tall. |
| Cities | Architecture, streets, panoramas | Medium |
| Technology | Gadgets, space, science | Medium |
| Art | Pictures, digital graphics | Low. |
Remember that personalization works best if you actively interact with content. Regularly mark your favorite images. This will help Xiaomi to better match images in the future. If you notice that content has stopped updating, try clearing the app cache in the app settings section.
Hidden opportunities for personalization
How to turn off advertising in the wallpaper carousel
Many users find that along with beautiful pictures, a banner appears on the lock screen, which is the normal behavior of the free version of the service, but it can be turned off, and advertising usually appears at the bottom of the screen or as a pop-up notification when unlocked.
To get rid of it, you have to find the appropriate switchboard in the settings, the path to it may not be obvious, it is often hidden in the depths of the merry-go-round control menu, you have to find the item associated with Getting Recommendations or Advertising Offers.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling ads may cause some premium image categories to become unavailable as they are funded by advertisers.
The disconnection process is as follows:
- 🚫 Go to Settings. → Wallpaper. → Wallpaper carousel.
- 🔍 Find the Settings section (cog icon).
- ❌ Turn off the switch Receive recommendations or Advertisements.
- 💾 Confirm the action in the pop-up window.
After that, the ad units should disappear. If they remain, try restarting the device. In rare cases, an update to the msa component (MIUI System Ads) through the Security app or its complete disabling in the application list is required.
Alternative methods and third-party applications
If standard Glance for Mi functionality is not good for you or is not stable, there are alternatives. Android offers a variety of applications for creating dynamic lock screens. However, it is worth remembering security: third-party programs require extensive permissions, including access to location data and contacts.
One popular solution is Lock Screen Magazine, which works on a similar principle, but has its own servers and matching algorithms, and installing such programs requires turning off the standard Xiaomi carousel to avoid conflict.
Another option is to use widgets. You can set a static photo and add weather widgets, currency rates or pedometers to the lock screen. This won't be a full-fledged carousel, but it will informatively fill the space. For the Redmi Note 10, with its cutout under the camera in the lock screen, the widgets may not display correctly, so test each option.
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Use Do Not Disturb at night so that the wallpaper carousel does not wake you up with bright screen light when notifications arrive.
When choosing third-party software, pay attention to Google Play rankings and installs. Avoid apps with suspicious names or no updates for a long time.
Solving problems and mistakes
In the process, users may face a number of common problems, such as the carousel stops switching pictures, or images are loaded in low resolution, often due to the aggressive energy savings that characterize MIUI.
The system can kill the background wallpaper loading process to save battery power, so to fix this, you need to find the Glance for Mi app or Wallpaper Carousel in the list of installed programs. In the Battery or Energy section, select No Limits mode, which allows the service to work in the background seamlessly.
Another common problem is the lack of internet. Make sure the application has permission to use the network. You can check this in Settings → Apps → All Apps → Glance → Permits. It is also worth checking if there is a traffic limit for background applications.
⚠️ Note: If the carousel is not working properly after the system update, try to clear the application data. This will reset all settings to the factory, but often solves the problem of freezes.
If nothing works, you can try removing component updates. To do this, click three dots in the corner from the app menu and select "Delete Updates." After that, the system will download the latest version automatically. This action often eliminates program conflicts.
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Aggressive energy savings are the main reason for carousel failures, and always allow background activity for system content update services.