The duration of animation on Xiaomi: hidden settings MIUI to speed up the work

When you open an app on a Xiaomi smartphone, switch between windows, or fold a program, the system shows smooth transitions — that's the duration of animation. At first glance, these effects seem to be just adorning the interface, but in fact they directly affect the perceived speed of the device. In MIUI (the Xiaomi brand shell), these parameters are hidden from the user by default, but they can be changed — and thereby make the smartphone significantly more responsive.

Why does this matter? Imagine that you're in a hurry to respond to a message, but each tap is accompanied by a delay of 300-500 ms due to the animation of transitions. During the day, these micropauses accumulate dozens or even hundreds. This is especially critical for devices with weak iron (for example, Redmi 9A or Poco C31), where every millisecond counts. On the other hand, completely disabling animation is also not always wise — without visual prompts, the interface can seem “teared.” In this article, we will discuss how to find a balance and adjust the duration of animation to your needs.

What is the duration of animation and why change it

The duration of animation is the time it takes for the MIUI system to make visual transitions between:

• 📱 Opening/closing of applications
• 🔄 Switching between windows (multi-tasking)
• 📂 Scrolling through lists (for example, in the settings menu)
• 🔘 Pressing buttons and switches

Xiaomi defaults to 1x (standard speed), but you can reduce it to 0.5x or disable it altogether (0x).

1. UI speeds up. At 0.5x, animation plays twice as fast, and at 0x, it disappears altogether. This is especially noticeable on budget smartphones with Snapdragon 4xx or Helio Gxx processors, where every Saved time frame matters. For example, on the Redmi Note 10 with factory settings, the transition between applications takes ~400 ms, and after the animation is turned off, only ~150 ms.

2. Extend battery life: Graphics effects require GPU resources, and reducing them reduces the load on the processor. According to tests by users of the XDA Developers forum, turning off animations can give +5-10% of battery life when used actively.

3. Comfort for people with special perceptions: some users experience discomfort from prolonged visual transitions (for example, with vestibular migraines), reducing or turning off animations helps reduce the burden on vision.

⚠️ Attention: Complete shutdown of animation (0x) It can make the interface less intuitive, for example, if you press the back button quickly, you may not notice that the application has closed and try to fold it again, which will lead to the exit of the program.

Where are the animation settings hidden in MIUI

Unlike Android in its pure form (like the Google Pixel), where animation duration changes through Developer Mode, in MIUI, these parameters are hidden deeper.

1. Using the developer menu (official method): Open Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on the MIUI version until the notification "You're a developer" appears. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional → For Developers. Scroll down to the animation block (or the duration of animation in new versions).
2. Through ADB-commands (for advanced users): If animation items are not available even in the developer menu (relevant to the user's experience). MIUI 13/14 On some models, they can be changed via computer: adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0.5 adb shell settings put global transition_animation_scale 0.5 adb shell settings put global animator_duration_scale 0.5 Where 0.5 — the desired speed (can be replaced by 0 shutdown).

On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global for the European market) animation points may be missing even after activation of the developer mode. ADB-method or installation of custom firmware (for example, Xiaomi.eu).

Optimal values of animation duration for different scenarios

There is no universal answer to the question of "how fast to choose animation speed." It all depends on the model of the smartphone, the version of MIUI and your personal preferences.

Critical nuance: On devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi) K60) Turning off animations can lead to an increase in the burn-in effect, because smooth transitions evenly distribute the load on the matrix, and sudden changes in the picture capture static elements (for example, the navigation bar) in one place.

Make sure that the smartphone has enough charge (minimum 30%)|

Backup important data |

Remember the current animation settings (in case of rollback)|

Check out the MIUI version (some firmware has animation bugs)

-->

How to return standard settings if the interface becomes uncomfortable

If after experiments with animation, the smartphone began to behave unpredictably (for example, applications are closed when folded or menus are not opened), you can return everything back in two ways:

1. Through the developer menu:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → For developers.
• 🔍 Find the points: The window animation scale → set up 1x Transition animation scale → set up 1x Duration of the animator → set up 1x
• 🔄 Restart the device (required!).

2. via ADB (if menu is not available):

adb shell settings delete global window_animation_scale


adb shell settings delete global transition_animation_scale




adb shell settings delete global animator_duration_scale

These commands will reset the parameters to the default values.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 13 Ultra) reset animation settings through ADB This can cause a developer to reset all of its parameters. Close important applications and save data before executing commands.

Common Problems and Their Solutions

When changing the duration of animations, users often encounter unexpected bugs, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

1. Applications do not open after the animation changes.

🔹 Reason: Conflict with optimization MIUI for a specific application (relevant to the MIUI 12.5+).

🔹 Solution: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management, select a problem application and disable Optimization for it MIUI.

2. The animation is reset after the system update.

🔹 Reason: Update MIUI Resets some of the developer's settings.

🔹 Solution: Reactivate the developer mode and set the desired values. To avoid problems in the future, use automation via Tasker or MacroDroid:

3. On the lock screen, the animation does not change.

🔹 Reason: The lock animation is controlled separately from the system.

🔹 Decision: B MIUI 13/14 added:

adb shell settings put secure lock_screen_animation_scale 0.5

For MIUI 12 and older, this option is not available – you will need a patch through Magisk.

Comparison with other brands: how Xiaomi is doing with animation

Xiaomi is not the only manufacturer that allows you to customize animations.

Bottom Line: Xiaomi provides more animation customization than Samsung, but is inferior in stability to the Google Pixel.The main advantage of MIUI is the ability to completely disable (0x), which is not available on most One UI devices.

💡

If you frequently use your smartphone, save it. ADB-And you can use these commands to animate them into a text file on your computer, so you can quickly apply them after each flashing without remembering the syntax.

Myths and misconceptions about setting up animation on Xiaomi

There are many myths surrounding this topic, and we'll look at the most popular ones.

Myth 1: “Switching off animation speeds up your smartphone by 30%.”

🔹 Reality: Animations only affect perceived speed; actual performance (e.g., benchmark tests) will not change; however, subjectively, the interface will become more responsive.

Myth 2: “Changing animation requires root rights.”

🔹 Reality: Most Xiaomi devices have enough developer mode or ADB. Root is only needed for deep modifications (e.g., changes to the boot animation of the system).

Myth 3: “On the new flagships (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2), you don’t need to customize the animation.”

🔹 Reality: Even on top-end chips like Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (in Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) Disabling animations increases responsiveness, such as switching between heavy gaming and messenger.

Myth 4: “Once the animation is turned off, you can’t bring it back.”

🔹 Reality: All changes are reversible. Even if you forget the values, they can always be reset through the ADB (see section above).

💡

Customization of animation is not a “tuning for geeks”, but a useful optimization tool. Even a small decrease in speed (from 1x to 0.75x) can make using a smartphone more comfortable without sacrificing the visual component.

FAQ: Frequent questions about animation duration on Xiaomi