How to turn off Zen in Yandex on Xiaomi: a step-by-step guide

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are famous for their functionality, but the pre-installed software often raises questions among users. One of the most intrusive features that owners of Android devices face is the Zen recommendation tape, which can appear in a browser, on a desktop or as widgets, consuming traffic and distracting from work. You can remove this element of the interface, but the methods will differ depending on where it is displayed.

Many users confuse Yandex.Browser with the system news feed MIUI or HyperOS. It is important to understand the difference: in one case we configure a specific application, in another – change the settings of the desktop operating system. The instructions below cover all possible scenarios, allowing you to completely clean the interface from unnecessary information noise. We will consider both standard tools and advanced methods for Xiaomi smartphones.

Features of integration of Yandex services in MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi has long been working with Yandex to implement its services at the system level, which means that Zen tape can be embedded in the search bar on the desktop, displayed when swiping to the left, or be part of the Card widget. Deleting such elements requires care, since system components can behave differently from regular applications. In some firmware for the global market, these services are replaced by Google Discover, but in the CIS versions it is Zen that dominates.

It's worth noting that completely removing system components without root rights is impossible, but they can be effectively hidden or deactivated, keeping the operating system stable without annoying factors. Users often notice that settings may reset after a firmware update, so it's important to know where the key switches are.

⚠️ Attention: Before making changes to the system settings of the desktop, it is recommended to back up important data to avoid accidental loss of launcher configuration.

How to turn off Zen in Yandex.Browser

The most obvious place to live in the recommendation feed is the browser itself from Yandex. When you launch the app, the default tab opens with news, which is Zen. To change this behavior, you need to go to the settings of the app itself. Find the icon with three dots or stripes at the bottom or top of the screen, then select Settings.

In the menu that opens, you'll find the section that controls the look of the start page, which can be called "Recommendation Tape," "Show Ribbon," or "Design." If you put the switch in an inactive state, you'll see that the next time you run your browser, you'll open a clean search bar without news flow, which greatly speeds up work and saves mobile traffic.

• 📱 Open Yandex.Browser on your Xiaomi.
• ⚙️ Go to the settings menu via the profile icon or three dots.
• 📉 Find the “Recommendation Tape” option and turn it off.
• ✅ Check the result by returning to the browser’s main screen.

If the standard method didn’t help, you may have an outdated version of the application installed. Update Yandex.Browser via Google Play or AppGallery to the latest version, as new releases often change the location of settings to improve usability.

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If you rarely use news, but sometimes you need it, try not to turn off the tape completely, but to customize its topics, so you can only see the categories that interest you, such as technology or sports.

Removing the Zen widget from the Xiaomi desktop

Often, the news feed is hanging right on the desktop in the form of a widget. On Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell or a new HyperOS, widgets are controlled through editing mode. To do this, you need to pinch the empty space on the screen or pinch with two fingers to activate the viewing mode of all desktops.

Find a widget with a Zen logo or news feed, and you'll see a deletion button or action menu in the corner of the widget, and you'll be able to remove the item from the current screen by clicking on it, but if the widget is part of the search bar, you may not be able to delete it easily, so you'll need to change the search bar widget.

Once you remove the widget, the system may suggest replacing it with another one: Choose a standard Google search bar or a clean search so that nothing else appears in the news site, which will return the desktop to the minimalist look that many Xiaomi users value.

Disabling the recommendation tape when swiping to the left

One of the most annoying features is that you have Zen tape swipe to the left of the first screen, which is what's called Google Assistant or Yandex.Services, depending on the regional settings. To turn that off, go to desktop settings. The path usually looks like this: Settings → Desktop or through a long tap on the blank space of the screen.

In the launcher settings menu, look for "Additional Screens," "Slider," or "Widget Ribbon," and there's a switch that activates the newsfeed on the left, and when you turn it off, you'll notice that nothing happens when you try to swipe left, and you stay on the first desktop, which is especially useful for those who accidentally open the tape and take the time to close it.

If you don't find an exact match, look for synonyms associated with the lock screen, slider, or extra pages. In HyperOS, these settings are often combined into an "Advanced" section inside the desktop menu.

Set up notifications and background activity

Even if you have hidden the visual part of Zen, apps can continue to send push notifications with news headlines. To get rid of this, you need to go to the Android notification settings. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.

In the app list, look for Yandex, Yandex.Browser or Zen Services, and when you go inside, you'll see a detailed list of notification types, disable the Recommendations, News, Interesting categories, and leave only critical ones, such as Taxi status or account sign-in confirmation.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling notifications for Yandex system services may affect the weather widgets or Alice’s voice assistant if you use them.

Also, limit background activity. In the Applications → All Applications → Yandex, find the “Start” and “Saving Charge” option. Set a background activity limit so that the service does not consume CPU and battery resources when you are not using the phone.

Using ADB for Advanced Removal

For power users who want to completely remove Zen-related system components, there is a method through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to a computer and having basic command line knowledge, which allows you to remove packets that are usually hidden from the user.

Before you start, make sure your phone is debugging USB. This is in Settings → About Phone → (7 times click on build number), then in Advanced Settings → For Developers. Once connected to your PC, follow the command to search for packages:

adb shell pm list packages | grep yandex

Find packages containing the words dzen, news or recommendations. Use the command adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 packet name to remove. Be extremely careful: removing system components can lead to unstable launcher operation or cyclical reboot.

This method is radical and only recommended if regular funds have not helped.In most cases, it is enough to simply hide widgets and disable notifications, as described in the previous sections. Using ADB can violate the warranty or cause errors after a system update.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Completely cleaning the Xiaomi interface from Zen requires a comprehensive approach: setting up the browser, desktop and system notifications.