Owners of modern Xiaomi smartphones often face intrusive visual noise that appears immediately after waking up the device. The lock screen, designed to protect data, turns into an information board displaying the weather, quotes, news or advertising slogans. This is especially annoying for those who prefer minimalism and a clean interface without unnecessary distractions. In the operating systems MIUI and the new HyperOS, developers have implemented many personalization functions that are active by default and require manual deactivation.
The problem is not just aesthetics, but resource consumption. The constant loading of images and text consumes traffic and battery power, even when the phone is not actively used. Users often confuse system inscriptions with the work of third-party applications, although the root of the problem lies deep in the system settings of the shell. The main source of text is the Wallpaper Carousel service, which is turned on by default on all global versions of firmware. Understanding which element creates the inscription is the key to solving the problem.
In this article, we’ll look at all the possible sources of text, from standard watch widgets to hidden developer settings. You’ll learn to distinguish between system messages and ads, and learn how to permanently remove unnecessary elements from the home security screen. The instructions are relevant for a wide range of devices, including the Redmi Note, Poco and Xiaomi’s flagship lineups. Get ready to dive deep into the settings menu to regain control of your gadget.
The Nature of Text and System Widgets
Before you start to shut down, you need to understand what you're seeing. In most cases, the text on the locked screen is part of the Always On Display functionality or the standard time widget with a date. The Xiaomi Android system, in conjunction with the shell, offers many options for displaying information in sleep mode, it can just be the current time, date, battery level or more complex compositions with weather conditions.
Often, users notice that under the clock appears small text with the name of the city or temperature. This is the work of a weather widget that is integrated into the theme. If you changed the theme in the Themes app, the new design could automatically activate additional elements on the lock screen. MIUI tends to impose its services, so even after resetting, these functions can be activated when you first sign in to your Mi Account.
- 🕒 Standard clock and date are a basic element that can be changed, but not always removed completely without third-party launchers.
- 🌤 Weather widget – dynamic text that updates in real time, often takes place under time.
- 🔋 Charge indicator – a digital or graphical display of the remaining battery energy.
- 📢 Notifications – text previews of messages from messengers that can be hidden in privacy settings.
It's important to distinguish between static text, which is part of a theme, and dynamic content that is uploaded from the Internet: the first will disappear when you change the theme to the standard, the second requires you to turn off specific services. Some users mistakenly believe that the text on the screen is a virus, but in 99% of cases it is a regular shell function.
⚠️ Warning: Completely removing all elements from the lock screen can make the device less informative.You will stop seeing times and notifications without unlocking the phone, which in some situations is uncomfortable.
Disabling the Wallpaper Carousel and Advertising Signatures
The most common source of unwanted text is the wallpaper carousel feature, which periodically changes the background image and adds a description, a collection name or an advertising slogan to it. To get rid of this, you need to go to the lock screen settings. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of HyperOS or MIUI, but the logic remains the same.
Go to Settings, then select the Lock Screen section, and you'll find wallpaper carousel or wallpaper here. When you enter this menu, you'll see the wallpaper carousel switch, which you need to put inactive, and then you'll have to choose a static image or a standard wallpaper, which will instantly remove the changing text and captions.
☑️ Checking the lock settings
If you have left the carousel, check the wallpaper settings. Some themes have a "Show description" or "Text on screen" option. You should also look at the Security -> Cleanup app settings, where recommendations that pop up on the locked screen are sometimes hidden. Disabling all recommendations in the "Receive recommendations" section will significantly clean up the interface.
Why does the text appear again?
Always on display and watch style
Technology Always on Display (AOD) allows you to display information on a switched-off screen AMOLED-This is where you often get text that you can't remove from the standard wallpaper settings, AOD It's energy-efficient, and it has its own design settings, and the text here can be large, take up half the screen, or be barely visible in the corner.
To manage these settings, go to Settings -> Lock screen -> Always On Display and Lock screen (or just Always On Display). Here you can turn off the function completely by selecting "Off" or adjust its behavior. If you want to leave the function but remove the text, choose a display style that contains only a clock or no text at all, only graphics.
| Type of display | Description | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|
| Always on. | The screen is always on, the text is always visible. | High (~15-20% per day) |
| 10 seconds after touching | The text only appears when you pick up the phone. | Low (~3-5% per day) |
| Scheduled. | Display at specified hours (e.g., at night) | Average (depending on duration) |
| Smart mode. | It is switched on when moving or in your pocket (not on all models) | Optimal. |
Newer versions of HyperOS have the ability to create their own AOD styles, so you can choose the font, color and position of elements. If the standard options don't suit you, create your own style without adding text blocks to it, which ensures that no extra text will appear.
Management of notifications and previews of communications
A significant portion of the text on the lock screen is app notifications, messengers, social networks and games can display titles and even message content, which not only spoils the view, but also compromises privacy, and anyone who takes your phone will be able to read the correspondence without knowing the unlock password.
To hide this text, go to Settings -> Notifications and Status bar -> Lock screen. This is the important Notification Format switch. Select the option "Do not show" or "Hide content." In the first case, the screen will be clear, in the second case, you will see only the application icon and the word "Notification", without the text of the message.
- 🔒 Hide content – shows the presence of a notification, but hides the text of the message.
- 🚫 Do not show – completely removes any signs of presence of notifications from the locked screen.
- 📱 Show everything – Standard mode that displays full text (not recommended for privacy).
- 🔇 Quiet notifications are a separate category that can also be configured to hide.
It's also worth checking the settings of specific applications. Some programs, such as bank clients or dating apps, have their own privacy settings that can override the system settings. Go to the settings of each important application and find the Notifications section to customize their display on the locked screen in detail.
⚠️ Warning: Completely concealing notifications can cause you to miss an important call or message if you don’t constantly check your phone after unlocking.
Third-party themes and launchers
Often the problem is not the system, but the established theme. Theme writers at MIUI Themes often embed their logos, quotes of the day, or widgets that can't be removed by standard means. If you installed the topic recently and the text appeared after that, the reason is probably because of it. Even after returning to a standard theme, some files may remain in the cache.
To solve the problem, go back to the default theme. Go to the Themes app, go to the profile (human icon) and select My Themes. Apply the Classic or No Limits theme. If the text is left, try clearing the Themes app data through the app menu, which will reset all the cached display settings.
Using third-party launchers such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher can also affect the lock screen if they have the appropriate permissions or plugins. However, more often than not, launchers only change the desktop. If you use specific widgets from third-party developers (such as KWGT watch widgets), check their settings separately.
💡
Before installing any theme from the MIUI store, look carefully at the screenshots in the preview. It always shows how the theme looks on the lock screen, and the presence of excess text is easy to notice in advance.
Special opportunities and access modes
There are a number of system features designed for people with disabilities that can add text to the screen. High contrast, Color Inversion or Screen Reading mode can change the interface beyond recognition, and text can add Do Not Disturb or Focus modes to display the status of the mode on the screen.
Check the Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Special Features. Make sure that it doesn't activate features you don't need. In particular, look at the Visuals or Auditorials section. Sometimes users accidentally activate Mono-audio or Magnify, which can affect the display of interface elements.
Another source of text is Pocket Mode, which is designed to prevent accidental taps in your pocket and can display large text or animations when you remove your phone, and you can turn it off in the lock screen settings or in the advanced settings by finding Mode in your pocket.
💡
Availability features are a powerful tool, but their random activation often causes strange text and interface behavior that the user cannot explain with standard settings.