Xiaomi’s Redmi line of smartphones is known for their excellent value for money, but the MIUI software shell is often criticized by users for its abundance of built-in advertising and intrusive features. One of the most annoying features is the automatic change of background images on the lock screen, known as the “Wallpaper Carousel”. Owners of the Redmi 8 model often face a situation where beautiful but useless pictures override widgets, consume traffic and simply interfere with the usual use of the device.
This feature, originally conceived as a way to personalize, has become a channel for advertising content. Fortunately, Android, in conjunction with MIUI, allows you to manage these settings with a lot of flexibility, if you know where to look for the right switches, in this article we will discuss in detail all the ways to fully deactivate this feature and regain control over the appearance of your gadget.
It is important to understand that the process of disabling may vary slightly depending on the version of the installed firmware, whether it is a global Global ROM or a Chinese version with flashing. We will look at universal methods that work on most current MIUI builds for Redmi 8. Following the step-by-step instructions, you can get rid of visual noise and speed up the unlocking of the device.
What is Wallpaper Carousel and why it should be turned off
Wallpaper carousel is a MIUI-enclosed system service that automatically uploads and displays new images on the lock screen every time you turn on your smartphone. Technically, the feature is positioned as a way to constantly get fresh visual content without unnecessary action from the user. However, beautiful images often hide the mechanism of news and promotional offers from partners of the company.
In addition to the aesthetic discomfort that occurs when you can’t find the right widget quickly or just want to see a static picture, this feature has technical drawbacks. Constant downloading images via mobile Internet or Wi-Fi leads to additional traffic consumption, which is critical for tariff plans with limited Internet.
⚠️ Note: Complete shutdown of system services through ADB This can cause the device to work unstable if you are not sure of your actions. Use software-based disabling methods through the settings described below.
Another important aspect is privacy: the carousel service collects data about what images you like and can use this information to create an advertising profile. For users who value privacy, disabling this feature is the first step to clearing the system of telemetry.
📊 How annoying are you about advertising in MIUI?
Very much, infuriating every day.
Sometimes it hurts, but it's tolerable.
I don't notice.
I put up the wallpaper myself.
Preparing for System Settings Change
Before making changes to the operating system, it is recommended to perform several preparatory steps, which will help to avoid accidental data loss or confusion in settings if something goes wrong. Although turning off the carousel is a safe procedure, order is never superfluous.
First of all, make sure your Redmi 8 has enough battery power, preferably a charge level of at least 30-40%, which is the standard recommendation for any manipulation of system parameters, so that the device does not turn off at the most inopportune time.
It is also worth checking for system updates. Sometimes the menu layout may change in new versions of MIUI. Go to Settings → About Phone and click on the MIUI version to check the software's relevance. If an update is available, it is best to install it before setting up, as the interface can be changed.
It's not superfluous to remember or photograph the current state of the lock screen settings. If you decide to return it as it was, you'll find it easier to restore the original settings. Write down which widgets were active and which wallpaper sources were used.
Disconnection through lock screen settings
The easiest and most obvious way to remove intrusive image change is to use the standard settings menu, which is often not very hidden in recent MIUI versions, but the name varies, and is usually in the look and lock section.
To start, unlock your smartphone and find the Settings app. In the settings list, you need to find the Lock Screen or Wallpaper section. In some firmware versions, the desired switch is right in the main settings menu, if you use the settings search.
Inside the menu, find a item called "Wallpaper Carousel" or "Wallpaper Change," and you activate a slider that you want to put inactive, and then the system stops downloading new images.
What to do if the item is not on the menu?
In some regions (e.g. Russia or Europe), this item may be hidden. Try changing the region in settings (Settings → Additional settings → Region) to India or Ukraine, find the setting, disable it, and then return the region back.> After turning off the slider, the system may suggest confirming the action or removing previously downloaded image packets. Agreed to make room in the memory of Redmi 8. Now, when you lock the screen, only your static image will be displayed. Control via the Themes app If you can not find the switch through the standard settings, you should refer to Xiaomi app called “Themes through the global version control, especially for this content. Run the Themes app on your device. Pay attention to the bottom navigation bar or the top menu — there should be a profile icon or section associated with the carousel, often marked with an icon that resembles a stack of photos or a lock. In the menu that opens, you'll see the current status of the carousel subscription, and you can not only turn off the feature, but also select specific categories of images if you want to leave this feature, but limit its content. To completely turn off, find the switch “Enable wallpaper carousel” and deactivate it. 📱 Open the Themes app on the desktop. 🔍 Go to the user profile (little man icon) or find the banner “Carousel wallpaper». ⚙️ Click on the gear settings inside the carousel section. ❌ Transfer the switch to the position "Off». It is important to note that the Themes app may require an internet connection to apply the changes. Make sure the connection is stable. After you do the actions, restart the device so that the changes take effect at the system level. There are situations when the user has turned off all the switches, but the wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi Redmi 8 continues to work or display old images from the cache. In this case, you must force clear the system components responsible for this function. → Annexes → All applications. You should find a system application on the list that might be called Wallpaper, Mi Wallpaper, or Wallpaper Carousel. If you can't find a standard search, use the search bar at the top of the app list. Once you select the desired application, click on the Clean (or Memory) button and then select Clear Everything and Clear Cache. This action will delete all downloaded images and reset the service settings to factory, which often helps to "finish" the residual processes. Action on the system Necessity Cache Clearing Recommended Data Cleanup Resets the service settings to zero If disabling Updates Returns the old version of the component Temporary Stops the Mi Cloud Temporally, Action on the System Need to Cache Clear Update the Images Immediately After the Data Cleanup Reset, it is recommended to reboot the system. Disabling recommendations and advertising in MIUI Often the wallpaper carousel works in conjunction with other advertising mechanisms of the shell. MIUI. To ensure that you get rid of visual noise, you should also turn off related functions that can load content. This is a comprehensive approach to system hygiene. In the security settings or in the Safety app (green zipper icon), find the settings section. It often hides the item "Get recommendations" or "Recommendations" and disabling this option will prevent banner ads not only on the lock screen, but also in other system applications. ⚠️ Note: Disabling system advertising may make some free shell features less functional, as they are funded by display ads. However, this does not affect the basic operation of the phone. Go to Settings. → Mi Account. → Cloud. → Synchronize and make sure that theme or wallpaper sync is not activated. Sometimes it is cloud sync that returns remote settings to the carousel after reset. For advanced users, there is the option to disable ads via adverts. DNS. Change. DNS-A server in Wi-Fi or mobile network settings to an address that blocks ad domains (e.g., dns.adguard.com) can significantly reduce the amount of advertising traffic, including that used by the carousel. 💡Use it. DNS (Private DNS) In connection settings for blocking ads at the system level, not just in the browser. Frequent problems and their solution Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users of Redmi 8 can face a number of difficulties. For example, after updating the firmware settings may be lost, or the menu item may be renamed by the developers. Understanding typical problems will help you find a solution faster, and one of the common problems is that the carousel will be resurrected after a reboot, which often happens if only the visual interface is disabled, but the background service continues to work. In this case, it helps to re-clean the data of the Themes and Wallpaper Carousel application with the subsequent prohibition of auto-run, if such an option is available in your version. MIUI. Another problem is that there's no shutdown on the menu, and as I mentioned earlier, it might be regional, and changing the region is a workable, if not a crutchy, method. It can also help to update the Themes app through the GetApps store or Google Play, as the management interface often changes in new versions of the application. 🔄 Problem: Settings reset themselves.Solution: Check out third-party optimization apps that can restore factory settings. 🌐 Problem: No Internet when setting up.Solution: First shutdown often requires a connection to Xiaomi servers. 📱 Problem: The screen goes out too fast. Solution: This is a separate screen timer setting, not directly related to the carousel, but affecting perception. If nothing works, you might consider installing a third-party launcher or a lock-in app that completely replaces the standard one, but it could affect the fingerprint scanner or Face. ID, The impact of the outage on the performance of the Redmi 8 Redmi 8 is based on the Snapdragon 439 processor, which, despite its reliability, is not the most powerful in the modern segment. Turning off background processes such as wallpaper carousel can have a positive impact on overall system responsiveness, and when the carousel service is active, it periodically accesses the network, decodes high-resolution images, and updates the cache. All of this puts a strain on RAM and CPU on devices with 3 or 4 GB RAM, as in the case of Redmi 8, Freeing up these resources can make switching between applications smoother, and reduce power consumption, fewer calls to the communication module and fewer write/read memory cycles means that the battery will be spent more efficiently. For owners of older batteries, this can be a way to extend battery life on the battery. 10-15 So turning off the carousel is not just an aesthetic issue, it's also a way to optimize the performance of a budget smartphone. By removing unnecessary processes, you allow MIUI to work more consistently and predictably, which is especially important for devices that have been in use for several years. Alternative ways of personalizing By abandoning an automatic carousel, you may want to diversify the look of your Xiaomi in other, less intrusive ways. Android and the MIUI shell provide many customization tools that do not require constant intervention in your work. You can install static high-quality wallpapers that will please the eye, but will not change on their own. Themes app has a huge catalog of free and paid themes that do not only change the appearance, but also allow for touches and touches. Unlike carousels, they don't require Internet access and don't advertise, and they're based on local algorithms, but it's worth remembering that complex live wallpapers can consume more battery than static images. For fans of minimalism, an excellent solution will be to install widgets on the lock screen (if the version allows). MIUI) or use of an always-on display (AOD) It has a simple time display. Redmi 8 is equipped with a screen. IPS, It doesn't support a real Always On Display on the hardware level without a lot of power, so it's better to use classic but high-quality static images. Can you completely remove the Wallpaper Carousel app from your phone? This component cannot be removed by standard system tools, as it is part of the system package. MIUI. Complete removal requires superuser rights (Root) or the use of a debugging computer USB and ADB-And the reason why is that when you shut down the carousel, you don't recommend it to regular users because you're at risk of breaching the guarantee and stability of the system. MIUI It can come not only through the wallpaper carousel, but also through system applications (Conductor, Cleaning, Music). To completely get rid of it, it is necessary to find the item “Receive recommendations” in the settings of each system application and disable it, as well as use advertising blockers at the level of the system. DNS. Does turning off the carousel affect the smartphone warranty? No, changing the settings in the Themes or Lock screen menu is a standard operation provided by the manufacturer. This doesn't violate warranty obligations, because you don't change the system files of the firmware and you don't get a Root right. How do I get it back if I want a carousel again? The process is completely reversible. You just have to go back to Settings → Lock screen or theme app and activate the wallpaper carousel switch. The system automatically uploads the current packet and resumes the change.