Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the desire to capture not just a static frame, but a full moment with movement and sound. Live Photo, a feature that has become a standard in the Apple ecosystem, is now available on devices with a MIUI or HyperOS shell. However, unlike competitors, the activation of this option on Chinese and global versions of firmware may differ, which raises questions among users.
Many people search for the Live Photo button in the standard interface but don’t find it, believing that their device doesn’t support this technology. In fact, Android Xiaomi has powerful tools for creating dynamic snapshots that only require the right setup. In this article, we will discuss all the activation methods, including hidden menus and third-party solutions.
Understanding how Xiaomi's camera works will help you take more expressive shots, and we'll look at not just the regular tools, but also the nuances that are rarely mentioned in official manuals. Get ready to dive deeper into the world of mobile photography.
What is Live Photo and how does it work on MIUI?
Live Photo is a short video recording of about 1.5-3 seconds, which is played when you click on an image in a gallery. Unlike conventional video, it retains high resolution and the file takes up much less space. On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, this process is processed by the processor neural networks.
The buffering principle is that the camera starts recording a fraction of a second before you hit the down button, and continues for a while after that. This allows you to capture the most important thing that could have been missed in a normal photo shoot. The stabilization algorithms in MIUI often make these images even clearer than normal photos when moving.
It's worth noting that the feature can be called differently depending on the version of the shell, in some regions it's "Live Photos", in others it's "Motion Photo" or just "Live", regardless of the name, the essence remains the same: creating dynamic content for social networks or personal archives.
⚠️ Note: Live Photo may not be available in Professional mode or when using some real-time filters.
It is important for users to know that dynamic images require more CPU resources. If your smartphone is in the budget segment, processing may take longer, which will lead to a delay before the next frame.
Where to find the activation button in the standard application
Finding the switch is the first step to creating live frames. Most current versions of MIUI 13, 14 and HyperOS have put this feature in the top dashboard. Open the Camera app and switch to Photo mode.
Look at the top of the screen, where you have flash icons, HDR, timer icons, and other settings, and you need to find an icon that looks like a few concentric circles or a target, and that symbol is Live mode, and if you see the words "Live" or "Live," it means that the function is already active.
In some cases, especially on global firmware, this button can be hidden in an optional menu. Click on an arrow or three dots in the corner of the screen to expand the full list of tools. There may be a Settings → Live photo switch.
- 📸 Look for a target icon in the top panel of the camera interface.
- ⚙️ Check the “More” menu or three points for hidden settings.
- 🔄 Make sure you select the Photo mode, not Video or Portrait mode».
If the button doesn’t appear after all the manipulations, your current version of the camera app may not support this feature out of the box, in which case it’s worth checking for updates in the GetApps store or Google Play.
☑️ Checking the camera interface
Activation through the engineering menu and developer settings
Sometimes the feature is locked software for a specific region, but is physically available in the camera module, and in such cases activation through hidden settings helps, which requires caution, since you interfere with the system settings of Android.
First, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings. → On the phone and press quickly 7-10 once by “Version” MIUI» Or, "OS version." Once you have a "You're a developer" message, you can move on to the following steps.
Then you go through the developer menu: Settings → Advanced Settings → Developer. You need to find a section that's related to the camera or MIUI features. Look for Enable Live Photo or something like that. Enabling this switch forcefully adds a button to the interface.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Default value | Recommended value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developer mode | About the phone (7 clicks) | Off | On |
| Enable Live Photo | For developers | Off | On |
| AI camera | Camera interface | On | Choices. |
| Watermark | Camera settings | Off | Off (for cleanliness) |
Beware: changing the settings in the developer menu can affect the stability of other applications. If after turning on the function, the camera began to work unstable, just return the switch to its original position.
⚠️ Warning: Interfering with system settings can cause resets. Remember what you changed to reset your actions if necessary.
This method is especially relevant for users who have bought devices in the Chinese market and use global firmware, where some features can be cut out.
What if there is no item in the developer menu?
Using Google Camera (GCam) for enhanced features
The regular app is often limited, and here comes the Google Camera, a modified version of Google's camera that works wonders on Xiaomi smartphones, and it's in GCam that Motion Photo (the equivalent of Live Photo) is implemented with the most quality and flexibility.
For installation you will need to find APK-A file that is adapted to your smartphone processor (Snapdragon or MediaTek). Once installed, open the GCam settings, go to the "Advanced" section, and find "Save Video with Photo" or "Motion Photo." Activate it.
The advantage of using GCam is better HDR processing and night shooting, dynamic images are more detailed, stabilization algorithms work more efficiently, and it is easier to convert them to a format compatible with social networks.
- 📥 Download. APK only from proven resources (e.g. Celso Azevedo).
- ⚙️ Different Xiaomi models need different versions of GCam.
- 🎞️ Motion Photo in GCam often has better compression quality.
The main camera is usually perfectly handled.
💡
Before installing GCam, back up your contacts and photos, as in case of application conflict, data may be lost.
Customization of quality and preservation formats
The quality of live photos depends on the resolution settings you choose. High resolution requires more space and processing power. Go to Settings → Photo quality inside the camera app.
It is recommended to choose a balance between quality and speed: 50 MP or 64 MP mode can slow down the processing of Live Photo, making serial shooting impossible.