How to turn off Zen on Xiaomi and Redmi phone: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, which run on MIUI shells and the new HyperOS, are often filled with pre-installed content that isn’t always user-friendly.One of the most intrusive features is a news feed known as Zen or Yandex Zen, which is embedded in system widgets and a browser. It can appear on the home screen, side menu, or when a device is unlocked, consuming traffic and distracting attention.

Deleting this feature completely requires understanding the shell structure, as standard methods only hide or disable notifications. In this article, we will look at all the available ways, from simple interface settings to deeper system changes, you will learn how to effectively manage content on your device.

This is often necessary for those who appreciate minimalism and speed of the interface. We will look at the methods for different versions of Android and firmware, so that the instruction is relevant to a wide range of owners of Xiaomi equipment. Follow the steps consistently to achieve the desired result.

Disabling Zen tape in the standard Mi browser

Most often, users encounter a news feed inside a standard web browser from Xiaomi, which is the default built-in app that is set to show recommendations, which creates a sense of Zen being present on the system, and to get rid of this, you need to change the start page and the content display settings.

First, open your browser and go to the settings menu, usually represented by three dots or bars in the corner of the screen. Find the section responsible for the Home page or the Start page. You need to switch the option from "Recommendations" or "News Feed" to "Empty page" or simply remove the tick from the news display.

Next, check the notification settings of the browser app itself. Often, it sends push notifications with article titles. Go to Settings → Notifications inside the browser and disable all items related to news, promotions or recommendations. This will significantly reduce information noise.

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If you don’t use the standard Xiaomi browser, simply remove its updates or turn it off in the app settings so it doesn’t work in the background.

It is also important to clear the browser cache after making changes so that the old data does not continue to load, you can do this through the application management menu in the general Android settings. After rebooting the browser, you will see a clean start page without unnecessary elements.

Removing the Zen widget from the desktop and lock screen

The second place where intrusive content is most common is desktop widgets or the so-called left screen (Google Discover or Mi Video/News). In Xiaomi shells, this screen often contains a news aggregator that syncs with the account, disabling this element returns the classic interface look.

To remove the widget from the desktop, you need to pinch the empty area of the screen with your finger to go into editing mode. Find the one among the widgets that is responsible for the news (often it has the logo of the browser or Yandex service), and drag it to the top of the screen to the delete zone (Delete or cross).

To turn off the left swipe that opens the tape, you need to go to the theme or desktop settings. The path usually looks like this: Settings → Desktop or long tap on the desktop → I'm going to have to find a news feed switch here, or"-1 screen and deactivate it.

Special attention should be paid to the lock screen. In some versions of MIUI, it may display a wallpaper carousel with news. To remove this, go to Settings → Wallpaper and turn off the wallpaper carousel function. This will return a static image when you lock your phone.

Set up notifications and permissions for Yandex services

Even if widgets are removed, background services can continue to collect data or send notifications if Yandex apps are installed on the phone.The system integration in Xiaomi is quite deep, so it's important to check the permissions for all related components.

Go to the general settings of your smartphone and select the Applications section. In the list, find the Yandex, Yandex.Browser or Mi Video app (if it is used for news), go to the Notifications menu and disable all types of alerts, which will prevent pop-ups.

Then, in the same menu, look for permissions, disable geolocation, microphone, and contacts for news aggregators if they are not directly used by you, which will not only improve the cleanliness of the interface, but also the privacy of your data.

⚠️ Warning: Disable system components such as "Mi Connect" or "Msa" (MIUI System Ads, which may affect other Xiaomi services, such as displaying ads in system folders.

If you use the Weather widget, check its settings. Often it loads the news feed at the bottom of the screen. Turn off the "Receive recommendations" option in the weather widget settings so that it only shows temperature and forecast.

Using Developer Mode and ADB for Advanced Users

For those who want to get rid of embedded services, there is a method of using USB debugging and ADB commands, which allows you to delete or freeze the system packets responsible for news without obtaining root rights.

First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI or HyperOS seven times. Once you have become a developer, go back to the settings menu and find the "Additional" → "Developers" section.

Turn on the USB Debugging Toggler. Then connect the phone to your computer, install ADB drivers, and execute a command to search for news-related packets, which usually contain the words "news," "daemon," "msa" or "browser" in the title.

adb shell pm list packages | grep news

Once you find the desired package (for example, com.miui.newmid or similar), it can be disabled by the command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.newmid

Once the command is executed, the application will stop running and disappear from the list of active processes. To return everything back, the pm enable command with the same packet name is used, which gives maximum control over the system.

Comparison of disconnection methods: performance table

The choice of method depends on your technical training and the desired result: simple concealment of widgets is safe, but leaves the background processes. Using ADB is effective, but requires caution. Below is a table that helps you choose the best path.

As you can see from the table, for most users, a combination of the first two is enough, but if your goal is complete sterility, then the ADB option is the best choice for efficiency.

It’s worth remembering that after major firmware updates, your settings may get lost, so after every Android update or shell, you should check the status of the widgets and notifications again.

Alternative launchers as a radical solution

If standard methods are not entirely satisfactory, consider installing a third-party launcher.Replacing the standard shell with a Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher completely changes the interface and removes all Xiaomi system integrations, including Zen.

Once an alternative launcher is installed, it becomes the main screen.You get a clean Android-like experience without built-in ads and news feeds.It also often speeds up older Redmi models, since the third-party shells are lighter than the standard MIUI.

However, there is a downside to this method: you lose some of Xiaomi’s branded features, such as specific gestures, dual tap to turn on the screen (if the launcher doesn’t support), and deep integration with the ecosystem.

Using a third-party launcher is a great way to customize the device for yourself, if you are willing to sacrifice some of the “chips” of the brand for the sake of cleanliness and speed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The combination of disabling the widget, banning notifications and cleaning the browser solves the problem for 95% of users without having to climb into the system code.

So to sum up, getting rid of Zen on Xiaomi and Redmi is a real and affordable process. Start with simple interface tweaks, and if that's not enough, move on to deeper methods. Your smartphone will be faster and more enjoyable to use.