Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter a baffling interface element that appears when swiped to the right of the home screen.This space, known as App Vault or My Day, is an aggregator of widgets, news and quick action. Many users perceive it as an intrusive element filled with ads, but when set up correctly, it can become a powerful tool for improving productivity.
In this article, we will discuss in detail what lies behind this feature, how it is connected to the Google ecosystem and why it can be useful for you. We will look at the mechanics of widgets, how to disable advertising recommendations and methods of fine-tuning the feed to the individual needs of the user.
Understanding App Vault will allow you to turn a chaotic set of icons into a personalized smartphone control panel, learn to distinguish between MIUI system widgets and content from third-party services, and learn how to completely eliminate unnecessary information noise if you do not need it.
What is App Vault and how does it work for MIUI?
App Vault (which can be called “My Day” or “Google Discover” in different versions of the firmware) is a dedicated space to the left of the first desktop, whose primary purpose is to provide quick access to frequently used apps, widgets, and relevant information without having to unlock your phone and search for the right shortcuts.
Technically, this section is a separate launcher screen that is integrated into the MIUI or HyperOS system shell. It can display weather, currency rates, steps, calendar reminders and news. It is important to understand that the content here is divided into two categories: Xiaomi system widgets and recommendation feed, which is often downloaded through services like Google or partners like Yandex depending on the region.
The functionality of this space depends on the version of the Android operating system and the specific device model. On older smartphones, it was a simple list of widgets, whereas modern flagships offer interactive controls. A key feature of the App Vault on Xiaomi is the ability to display widgets even when the screen is turned off (Always-on Display), if this feature is supported by a specific model. AMOLED-display.
It’s worth noting that App Vault consumes minimal RAM in the background, but can use internet traffic to update your news feed. If you notice increased battery consumption, it’s worth checking which widgets are activated in this section, as some of them can constantly poll servers.
The main functions and capabilities of widgets
Inside this section, there's a wide range of tools that can make everyday use easier, and users often ignore them, unaware of the useful features, and let's look at what you can put in this space for maximum convenience.
First and foremost, these are health and activity tools, built-in step meters, sleep monitoring and motion reminders integrated directly with system sensors, allowing you to see statistics as soon as you wake up the screen without running a heavy MI Fitness or Google Fit app.
- 📰 News Feed: Aggregation of articles from selected sources that is updated in real time and can be customized according to interests.
- 📅 Calendar and tasks: display of upcoming meetings, birthdays of contacts and deadlines from system applications.
- 🎵 Music Player: Quick access to control track playback from Spotify, Yandex Music or local player.
- 💡 Smart Home: Widgets to control devices in the Mijia ecosystem that turn off lights or check the camera with a single touch.
Quick action shortcuts, which allow you to run specific functions of applications without going over the main screen, for example, you can add a shortcut to create a new note, turn on a flashlight or start a voice recorder, and this is especially true for the Redmi Note and Poco F series, where speed is important.
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Use the Notes widget in the App Vault to quickly save ideas – it works faster than unlocking and finding an app.
Step-by-step: how to turn on and configure App Vault
If you accidentally deleted this screen or it was disabled by default, it's easy to return.The setup process may vary slightly depending on the MIUI version (12, 13, 14) or the new HyperOS, but the overall algorithm of actions remains the same for most devices.
You need to go to desktop editing mode first, and this is done by long pressing the free space or pinching two fingers, and at the bottom of the screen, you'll see a settings menu where you can select "Add screen" or find the "My Day"/"App Vault" switch. Once activated, swipe left to open the panel that appears.
☑️ Setting up the App Vault
Once you turn on the screen, click the "Tune" button (usually at the bottom or top of the screen). The menu will open with a list of available widgets. Here you can drag and drop items, change their order and remove excess ones. To remove, just drag and drop the widget to the top of the screen in the basket or click on the cross.
It is important to distinguish between the widget settings and the display settings. Some widgets, such as Sport or Finance, require separate authorization or data source selection. Without this, they can show empty values or standard data. Make sure the application has the necessary permissions to work in the background.
Advertising and news recommendations management
One of the main reasons users are looking to turn off App Vault is the abundance of advertising content. In the standard configuration, the news feed is often overflowing with promotional material and clickbait headlines, and fortunately, the system allows for flexible management of this flow of information.
To clear the feed of garbage, you need to go to the settings of the News or Card widget. Depending on the region, the source of news can be Google Discover, Yandex or Xiaomi's own aggregator. In the settings of each of these services, there is an option "Interests" or "Personalization" where you can turn off the display of advertising recommendations.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the news feed in some firmware versions may require you to shut down the internet for the Card or Glance system app, but it will also deprive you of up-to-date weather and currency information.
It's also worth checking the About Service section in the widget settings, and often there are hidden switches like Get Personalized References or Show Ads, and turning off these options will make the feed sterile, leaving only the article titles from the publications you choose, a trade-off between functionality and cleanliness.
If you're annoyed by specific topics, you can "train" the algorithm. By clicking on three dots next to the news and choosing "Not Interesting" or "Hide the Source," you gradually clear the feed of unwanted content. This process takes time, but the result is worth it for those who like to read the news in a convenient format.
Comparison of App Vault and Google Discover
Many users confuse Xiaomi’s native App Vault with Google Discover, which can also be located to the left of the home screen. Although visually they may seem similar, they are different services with different functionality and resource consumption. Understanding the difference will help you choose the best option for your use case.
Google Discover is a product of the search giant that is deeply integrated into Google’s services, knows your search queries, YouTube history and location, and offers highly relevant content, but it requires a constant connection to a Google account and may be more demanding on battery power due to constant synchronization.
At the same time, the App Vault is a lighter solution, sharpened to control the smartphone itself, with smart home widgets, steps and system shortcuts more conveniently located, and the news is often less smart, but more manually customizable.
| Characteristics | App Vault (My Day) | Google Discover |
|---|---|---|
| Main objective | Widget and telephone management | Consumption of news content |
| Integration | MIUI/HyperOS System | Google services |
| Battery consumption | Low/Mediocre | Medium/High |
| Advertising | Depends on the region and settings | Present in the tape |
| Widgets | Systemic and third-party | News cards only |
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Choose App Vault for quick access to your phone’s tools, and Google Discover if reading personalized news is a priority.
How to completely disable App Vault on Xiaomi
If you've come to the conclusion that you don't need this screen at all, you can turn it off painlessly, so it frees up the swipe left for other actions, or it just removes the extra finger movement, and it's reversible at any time, so it's safe to experiment.
There are two main ways to turn off: One is through desktop settings, as described earlier; the other is through global settings. Go to Settings → Home Screen (or Desktop), find My Day, App Vault, or Google Discover, and turn the switch to Off.
⚠️ Note: After disabling App Vault, the swipe left may stop responding or start opening another service if you have a launcher app from Google or Yandex installed as your main service.
In some cases, especially on global firmware versions, the shutdown may be blocked or hidden. In this situation, you can try resetting the launcher settings. Go to Settings → Apps → All Applications → Find System Launcher (or MIUI Home) → Memory → Clear. Be careful: this action will return the location of the icons on the desktops to the factory state.
For advanced users, there is a possibility of hiding through ADB, but in modern versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS, this is rarely necessary, since the standard tools work steadily, the main thing is not to remove system components forcibly, so as not to disrupt the stability of the interface.