Many Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone users, when they first encounter the news feed on the left of the home screen, question its origin and functionality. It's not just a news line, it's a smart Google Discover service that analyzes your interests, search history and location, and automatically generates a personalized selection of articles, videos and cards that you might be interested in right now.
Unlike standard widgets, it requires an Internet connection and a Google account login to work properly, and it's deeply integrated into the MIUI or HyperOS shell, as part of a system launcher, and understanding how to manage that flow of information is critical for anyone who wants to clean up the desktop of unnecessary visual noise or make it more informative.
Next, we will discuss in detail the mechanics of this service, how to fine-tune it to your preferences and methods of completely disabling it if you do not need it.
The essence and principle of the smart tape
Google Discover is an evolution of Google Now, which is represented by a visual card feed. The main difference from SERPs is that you don't have to type in queries; the algorithms themselves offer content based on your behavior in the Google ecosystem. On Xiaomi devices, this service is often displayed as a separate screen or widget embedded in the system shell.
It's built on a constant collection and analysis of data, and it takes into account the topics you're looking for, the YouTube channels you're following, and even your current location to show you the weather or traffic, and if you're a frequent reader of technology, the feed will be filled with news about new gadgets, and sports fans will be waiting for the results of matches.
It's important to understand that it's not a static list, it's a dynamic stream. Content is updated in real time, and algorithms are constantly adjusting the results based on which cards you click on and which you ignore. It requires an active Internet connection and an enabled history of activity in your Google account to operate.
- 📱 Personalization: Content is tailored to the interests of each individual user.
- 🌐 Multilingualism: Support for articles and news in many languages, including Russian.
- 🔄 Auto Update: The tape is constantly updated without the need to manually reload the page.
⚠️ Note: Using Google Discover requires sharing your interests and Google’s history. If you are strictly privacy-friendly, consider limiting your account settings.
How to turn or return the tape to the main screen
If you accidentally delete the widget or it disappeared after updating the MIUI firmware, it is easy to return it. In most cases, the service is already installed on the system, but hidden by the launcher settings. You do not need to download individual applications from the Play Market, since the functionality is built into the system component of Google.
To activate, you need to go to the desktop settings. The path may vary slightly on different versions of the shell, but the logic remains the same. You have to find the item responsible for the additional screen or the newsfeed widget, often located in the "More" section or in the settings of the widget itself.
When you turn on the slider, the tape will appear to the left of the first page of the desktop. If you swipe to the right, you will see a Google search box with the news, and if that does not happen, check whether the search engine is chosen by Google, not, for example, Yandex or Bing.
☑️ Checking the display settings
In some regions or on specific firmware versions (e.g., Chinese globals), the standard widget can be replaced with Mi Video or Yandex, in which case you will need to change the region of the smartphone or additionally install Google components if they were removed by the manufacturer.
Setting of interests and personalization of extradition
To make the Google Discover feed really useful, you have to train it. You can automatically set it up automatically, but you can manually adjust your preferences, and there's a "Tune" or "Interest" section at the bottom of the feed screen (or Google's settings menu).
So here you'll see a list of topics: sports, technology, entertainment, science, etc. You can add topics that you're interested in and hide those that you don't want to see, for example, if you're not interested in politics, you can delete that category and the corresponding cards will stop appearing.
It's also important to manage your activity history. Algorithms are based on what you've seen before. If you accidentally clicked on an article about car repairs, the tape may be temporarily filled with auto-thematics. To fix this, you need to clear the story or click "Not Interested" on specific cards.
| Setup parameter | Where to find out. | Impact on the tape |
|---|---|---|
| Topics of interest | Google settings → Set up Google settings | Identify the main categories of news |
| Activity history | myactivity.google.com | It affects the accuracy of content selection |
| Language of content | Google language settings | Specifies the language of articles and headlines |
| Location | Google App Permissions | Includes local news and weather |
Hidden theme settings
Notification management and traffic saving
Constant tape syncing can consume traffic and battery power, especially if you have an unstable Internet connection. Android and Xiaomi shell allow you to flexibly manage these options. You can prevent background content loading when using mobile data.
To do this, go to the settings of the Google app on your smartphone. Find the Data Use section and turn off the Video Upload option or limit background data transfer. This won't turn off the feed completely, but news will only load when you open it while on the Wi-Fi network.
Notifications are also worth paying attention to. Google Discover can send push notifications about breaking news or events you are tracking, and if they annoy you, you can turn them off in the system's general notification menu by finding the Google app there.
- 📉 Traffic savings: Disabling video autoloads significantly reduces megabyte consumption.
- 🔋 Battery: Limiting background activity keeps battery charge.
- 🔕 Silence: Turning off fluffs eliminates constant notification ringing.
⚠️ Attention: Completely limiting background data may cause you to wait a few seconds for the content to load when opening the feed.
💡
Use the Google app's Light mode if you have very weak internet, making it easier to make cards and speed up loading, sacrificing image quality.
Complete disabling and removing the widget
If you decide you don't need Google Discover, you can turn it off completely. On Xiaomi smartphones, this is done by regular means without the need to remove system applications or use ADB. The process is reversible and takes a few seconds.
First, remove the widget from the screen. Click the empty space on the desktop or pinch your fingers to go into page editing mode. Find the screen with the newsfeed (usually the leftmost) and switch the slider to the "Off" position.
If you want to go further and disable data collection for this service, go to your Google account settings via your browser or app. In the Data and Personalization section, find Google Discover and disable it, which will stop the creation of personalized results, although basic search will remain available.
Settings → Desktop → News Feed → OffIt is worth noting that on some global firmware versions, completely removing the component can lead to errors in the search bar, so it is recommended to disable the widget, rather than trying to remove the Google system application by force.
💡
The safest way to get rid of tape is to disable it in the desktop settings, rather than delete system files, which can disrupt the stability of the system.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Redmi and Poco users often experience a situation where the feed stops updating or displays content in a foreign language, usually due to de-synchronization of cache data or malfunctioning of Google Play services.
The first thing you need to do is clear the cache of the Google app. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google. Select “Clear Cache” (do not confuse it with “Clear All Data”, otherwise you will have to reset your account).
If the problem is language, check the settings of the Google app itself. Sometimes the phone's system language is Russian, and Google's settings are randomly set to English, and also make sure that the Google account in the "Personalization" section selects the correct region.
In rare cases, updating the Google App component through the Play Market helps. Make sure you have the latest version installed, as older versions may not work properly with new HyperOS shell features.
- 🔄 Cache reset: Often solves the problem of hover tape.
- 🌍 Region Check: Make sure your country is selected in your account settings.
- 📲 Update: Install the current version of the Google app from the store.