Xiaomi Redmi smartphone owners often encounter intrusive content that is embedded by default in popular apps. One of the most annoying elements for many users is the Yandex Zen recommendation feed integrated into the Yandex Browser launch page. This news feed is automatically loaded every time a browser is launched, consuming traffic and distracting from work.
Fortunately, the developers have provided the option to customize the interface, although sometimes these options are hidden quite deep. On devices with a shell MIUI or HyperOS, the process of turning off can have its own nuances associated with system restrictions or versions of the browser itself. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to effectively remove Zen, returning the browser to a minimalist look.
You will learn not only about standard methods of disabling through settings, but also about less obvious ways that help if standard switches do not work or are hidden by the manufacturer.
Why Zen is on the Start Page
The integration of the news feed into the browser is done at the program code level of the Yandex Browser application itself, which is done to keep the user’s attention within the company ecosystem. When you first start or after updating, the application can automatically activate the display of the “Recommendations” block, considering this to be the preferred use case.
On Xiaomi smartphones, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the system often offers pre-installed services of Yandex, which are deeply embedded in the interface. The news unit occupies a significant part of the screen, especially on devices with a diagonal of about 6 inches, where each pixel counts.
It's important to understand that you can't just delete an application if it's built into the system, but you can completely hide its visual manifestations. The recommendation algorithms will stop loading, which will positively affect the speed of opening a new tab.
⚠️ Attention: After major updates to Yandex Browser, the tape display settings may be reset to factory values. In this case, the disconnection procedure will have to be repeated manually.
Basic disabling through browser settings
The easiest and most legal way to remove the news feed is to use the browser's own built-in tools, which work on most current versions of the app and doesn't require superuser or third-party rights. You'll need to do a few sequential actions in the configuration menu.
First, run Yandex Browser on your Redmi. Click on the menu button, which is usually represented by three dots or stripes in the bottom or top corner of the screen (location depends on the version of the interface). In the list that opens, select Settings. Next, find the section responsible for the appearance of the start page.
Inside the settings menu, you're interested in a block associated with the Table or the Reference Tape, and that's where the switch that activates the newscast is, and you need to put it inactive, and if you don't see it right away, try looking for the Interface or General subsection.
☑️ Checklist of tape shutdown
When you change the setting, be sure to close the application completely and run it again. For this, Xiaomi swipe from the bottom up to open the menu of running applications and click the cross on the browser window. Only after restarting the changes will take effect, and the start page will be clean.
Setting up scoreboards and widgets on Xiaomi
MIUI has its own widget and quick setup features. Sometimes Yandex Browser can add a news widget directly to the Android desktop, which confuses users. It's not a sama tape in the browser, but a separate element of the system that can and should also be removed for the purity of the interface.
To remove the widget from Redmi desktop, find it among the app icons. Press your finger on the news block before the vibration or action menu appears. In the list that appears, select the option “Delete” or drag the object to the top of the screen, where the basket icon that says “Delete” appears.
It's also worth checking the settings of the browser's start page itself. In some versions, you can edit blocks on the scoreboard. Click on the edit button (often looks like a pencil) on the home page. Here you can manually remove unnecessary widgets, leaving only shortcuts of frequently visited sites.
| Interface element | Wherever | Action. |
|---|---|---|
| Zen ribbon | Inside the browser, under the search bar | Disable in Settings → Settings |
| A widget on the desktop | Android's main screen | Long pressing → Delete |
| Notifications | Notification curtain | Settings → Notifications → Turn off |
If standard methods don’t work, your Yandex account may sync settings from other devices. Check if your browser settings are synchronized. Go to the user profile inside the application and temporarily disable the sync, then repeat the screen cleaning procedure.
Use of Turbo Mode and Incognito
There are some situational ways to avoid the feed without changing the global settings, such as Incognito, which doesn't show personalized recommendations by default, and often starts with an empty start page, which is the perfect solution for quickly finding information without unnecessary visual noise.
Turbo mode, designed to save traffic, can also change the display of pages, although its main function is data compression. On slow connections, it sometimes automatically disables the loading of heavy elements of Zen tape, speeding up the browser on budget Redmi models.
For permanent use, you can configure the browser to launch immediately in incognito mode through special shortcuts or third-party launchers, but this requires a deeper knowledge of the Android system. In normal mode, just use the incognito tab for clean search.
Secrets of the Incognito regime
Limiting background activity and notifications
Even if you remove the visual feed, the app can continue to notify with news. It's a separate Zen content distribution channel that's controlled by Android, not just by the settings inside the browser. At Xiaomi, this is managed by the notification center.
Go to your Redmi smartphone Settings, then select Notifications and Status bar (or just Notifications). Search Yandex Browser's application list. Here you'll see several notification categories. You need to find those related to Interesting, News or Zen and turn them off.
It is also useful to limit background activity. In the same app settings menu, find Activity Control or Autostart. Turn off autostart for the browser if you do not use its background features. This will prevent the news feed from loading in the background, which will save battery power.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling all browser notifications completely may cause you to miss important messages from web services, such as login confirmations or order statuses.
Alternative solutions and third-party launchers
If the built-in MIUI and Yandex settings fail to achieve the desired result, you can resort to more radical measures: installing a third-party launcher, such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher, will completely replace the standard Xiaomi interface.
Another option is to use alternative browsers that don’t have a built-in news feed.For Xiaomi devices, Firefox, Via Browser or DuckDuckGo are well suited. They consume fewer resources and ensure that there is no intrusive content on the start page.
For advanced users, it is possible to freeze system components via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to a computer and entering special commands, a method that allows you to completely remove or disable Zen components at the system level, but requires caution.
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.browser.alice
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.yandex.homeUsing ADB commands is a powerful tool, but it's not for beginners. A bug in the packet name can lead to unstable system operation. It's recommended to try all the software customization methods inside the application first.
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Try installing the Via Browser browser – it weighs less than 2MB, has no built-in news feed, and is perfect for weak Redmi devices.
Frequent problems with disconnection
Users often experience the settings fly off after an app update, which is an aggressive policy of developers to return users to consuming content. If the switch is active again, just repeat the shutdown procedure — it takes less than a minute.
Another problem is that there is no shutdown point in some versions of the browser, in which case cleaning the application data helps. Go to Phone Settings → Apps → All Applications → Yandex Browser → Clean. Select “Clean all data.” The browser will return to the state immediately after installation, and you can configure it again without unnecessary debris.
Sometimes the system cache can save old versions of pages. If you've all disabled but the news is still visible, try clearing the DNS cache or just restarting your smartphone. On Xiaomi, a full reboot often solves problems with hanging widgets.
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The most reliable way to get rid of Zen forever is to regularly check the settings of the scoreboard after each update to the Yandex Browser application.
In conclusion, removing Yandex Zen from the Xiaomi Redmi phone is quite possible using standard tools. The main thing is to find the right switch in the settings of the scoreboard and monitor the notifications of the system. A clean browser interface is not only more pleasant to the eye, but also speeds up the device.