How to turn off the wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter an intrusive service that automatically changes images on a locked screen.This feature, known as “Wallpaper Carousel” or “Glance”, not only consumes mobile traffic, but also annoys users by imposing advertising content. Many have a natural desire to return a static picture and clean the interface of unnecessary visual noise.

MIUI and the new HyperOS shell have deep settings to allow flexible control of the look of the device. However, finding the right switches can be difficult because of their location in different menus or hidden subsections. In this article, we will discuss in detail all known ways to disable this feature, including standard methods and deeper system settings.

You'll learn how to completely deactivate the service, clear the cache, and prevent it from being reactivated after updates. We'll look at the nuances for different firmware versions and models so you can customize your gadget exactly as you like. Let's get rid of unnecessary advertising and make the lock screen clean.

What is a wallpaper carousel and why does it appear

Wallpaper Carousel is a system service designed to automatically change background images on the lock screen, originally conceived as a way to personalize, it often turns into a channel for distributing ads and news, and can be activated by default when the device is first started or after a major system update.

The main purpose of this service is to retain the user’s attention and monetize through advertising integrations. Glance (as this component is often called in system processes) loads content from the Internet, requiring a constant connection to the network, which can adversely affect the autonomy of the device, especially if the screen is often turned on in your pocket.

⚠️ Warning: Complete shutdown of system components through ADB This method can cause an unstable interface, and only use it if the standard methods do not help.

Many users don’t know that this service is closely integrated with the system application “Security” and “Themes”, which is why simply removing the icon from the desktop does not work – the process continues to work in the background. Understanding the architecture of Xiaomi helps to more effectively combat unwanted features.

Disconnection through the lock screen settings menu

The easiest and safest way to remove intrusive images is to use the regular settings menu, which works on most current versions of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and HyperOS. You don’t need third-party programs or root rights, just follow the instructions carefully.

To start, open the main settings menu for your smartphone. Find the partition that controls the look of the locked screen. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

• 📱 Go to Settings and select Lock Screen.
• 🖼️ Find the Wallpaper Carousel (or Glance) section).
• 🔘 Translate the slider Include the wallpaper carousel in the "Off" position».
• 🗑️ If there is a suggestion to delete the data, agree to clear the cache.

After these steps are completed, the system will stop downloading new images, however, to be sure of a complete shutdown, it is also recommended to check the settings in the Themes app, where these settings are sometimes duplicated.

Management through the “Themes” app

The carousel component is often controlled through the Themes system app. Even if you have disabled the feature in the settings, there may still be an active switch that will start the service again the next time you update the page.

Open the Themes app on your device, which usually has an icon in the form of a brush or palette, and go to the user profile, which is located in the lower right corner of the screen (the human icon).

In the profile menu, look for Settings. You're interested in the wallpaper carousel section. Make sure the Receive Content or similar switch is off. This action breaks the link between the system service and the content download servers.

If you can't find this item, try switching the region of the device. In some regions (for example, India or Indonesia), the functionality of the carousel is more intrusive than in the global versions for Europe.

Settings in the Security app

A unique feature of Xiaomi’s shell is the presence of a powerful built-in antivirus and optimizer called “Security”, which hides some of the settings that affect the operation of the lock screen and memory cleanup.

Launch the Security app (green icon with shield). Quick tools are often located at the top of the screen, but we need a settings menu. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner.

In the list that opens, look for the wallpaper carousel, and there may be additional options like "Show locks on screen" or "Download Wi-Fi." Turn off all available switches.

⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the Security app itself, even if it allows it to.It is a system component necessary for the operation of calls, SMS and permissions of other applications.

There's also a Cleanup feature in the Security app, and sometimes the wallpaper carousel is disguised as an optimization process, and check if there's any active tasks to update the background or the news feed.

Comparison of disabling methods for different versions of MIUI

Different versions of the shell offer different interfaces and menu item names, and to make it easier for you to navigate, we have prepared a summary table that shows the ways to disable the popular versions.

As you can see from the table, the logic remains similar, but the path to settings may change. If you do not find a paragraph in the specified place, search for settings (the magnifier at the top of the settings list) and type in the request "Carousel" or "Glance".

Removal via ADB for advanced users

If standard methods don't work, or if the wallpaper carousel returns by itself after a reboot, a more radical method is to remove the system packet via the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a connection to a computer.

First, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → About phone and quickly press 7 times on the item Version MIUI (or OS). After that, the settings menu will appear section Additional → For developers.

Turn on the USB debugging switch. Connect your smartphone to a PC with ADB installed. In the command line, type the following command to remove the component:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.misystem

Depending on the version, the package may be called:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.thememanager

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Before using ADB, make sure to back up important data. Deleting system packages can affect other features, such as the theme store.

This method doesn't physically remove the application from memory, but hides it for the current user, effectively disabling the functionality completely. To get it back, use the cmd package install-existing command.

Cleaning cache and preventing returns

Even after a shutdown, temporary files may remain in the system, which take up space and sometimes cause crashes, and it is recommended that the residual service data be completely cleaned.

Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find wallpaper carousel, Glance or Carousel Services. Go inside and select Memory.

• 🧹 Press the Clear Data button (or Clear Data).
• 🚫 Press the Stop button if it is active.
• 📉 Check the Auto Start and disable it.

Also, you should limit background activity. In the same menu, find Activity Control (or Battery) and select No Limits - turn this off so the system can "sleep" the process. This will help save battery power.

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Comprehensive approach: disabling in settings + data cleanup + disabling autorun guarantee 100% result and no advertising.

Check the update list periodically in the GetApps store or Google Play. Sometimes the carousel components are updated separately from the main system and may return their default settings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)