Changing the charging screen on Xiaomi: from standard themes to custom animations

The charging screen on Xiaomi smartphones is the first thing you see when you connect your device to the network. Standard animation with percentages and batteries quickly sank, especially if you have been using the phone for several years. Fortunately, the manufacturer and the enthusiast community offer several ways to change it, from official themes in MIUI to deep customization through ADB or third-party firmware.

In this article, we’ll break down all the current methods, from the simplest (available even for beginners) to the advanced ones that require unlocking the bootloader. You’ll learn how to install alternative charging themes through Themes, replace animations with Magisk modules, or even create your own graphics. We’ll focus on the nuances for different versions of MIUI (12 to 14) and popular models – Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T and others.

Important: Some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, which can affect the warranty and security of the device, and we will describe in detail the risks and alternatives for each method.

1.Official method: charging themes in MIUI

The safest and easiest method is to use the built-in theme change feature in MIUI firmware. Xiaomi offers several pre-installed charging screen styles, as well as the ability to download additional ones from the official theme store.

How it works:

• 📱 Settings menu → Select the “Block screen” section (on some devices, the option is called “Charging style»).
• 🎨 Scroll down to the Charging Screen block – available options (usually 3-5 pieces) will be displayed here).
• ⬇️ Click Download More to open a theme store. Search for "charge" or "battery».
• 🔄 After applying the theme, the charging screen will change automatically the next time you connect to the network.

Limitations of the method:

• ⚠️ Not all themes support charging animations – some only change the background or battery icon.
• ⚠️ On devices with MIUI Lite (e.g. Redmi) A2) option may not be available.
• ⚠️ After updating the firmware, the selected theme is sometimes reset to the standard one.

2. Castomy themes through MTZ-files without root)

If there are few official themes, you can install informal styles in.mtz format. This method does not require root rights, but will require manual installation through the file manager.

Step-by-step:

1. Download your favorite theme in.mtz format from trusted sources (for example, MIUI SU or Xiaomi.eu).
2. Place the file in the MIUI/theme folder on the internal storage (create it if it is not available).
3. Open the Themes app, go to My Themes → Import and select the downloaded file.
4. Apply the theme and reboot the device. The new charging screen style is activated automatically.

Download the.mtz file from a trusted source |

Check the integrity of the archive (at least 1 MB) |

Create a MIUI/theme folder at the root of the storage |

Disable battery optimization for the Themes app-->

Attention: Some MTZ-topics may contain ads or malicious code. Before installing, check the file through VirusTotal and read the reviews on the forums.

3. Change the charging screen through ADB (for advanced)

If you need more control, you can change the system files of the charging screen via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that works on most Xiaomi devices with the bootloader unlocked, but does not require root.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-tool.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap; then additionally → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔓 Unlocked loader (instructions: miui.com/unlock).
• 📁 Folder with custom charging files (can be downloaded from XDA Developers).

Instructions:

adb devices # Checking the connection


adb shell # Going to the shell




su # Getting root (if any)




mount -o rw, remount /system # Rewire the system to record




cp /sdcard/custom_bootanimation.zip /system/media/bootanimation.zip




chmod 644 /system/media/bootanimation.zip




reboot

Warning:

⚠️ Incorrect replacement of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped boot).Before changing, back up the original files with the command: adb pull /system/media/bootanimation.zip C:\backup\ If something goes wrong, you can recover the file via fastboot.

💡

If the charging screen has not changed after the replacement, check the path to the animation file, POCO F4) he may be in /system/media/miui_bootanimation.zip or /product/media/bootanimation.zip.

4.Magisk modules (root required)

For users with an unlocked bootloader and Magisk installed, there are many modules available that change the charging screen, which is more flexible than ADB, as it allows you to quickly roll back changes.

Popular modules:

How to install the module:

1. Download the module file (.zip) from XDA or Telegram channels.
2. Open Magisk Manager and go to Modules.
3. Click “Install from storage” and select the downloaded file.
4. Reboot the device. The new charging screen settings will apply automatically.

Important: Before installing the module, check its compatibility with your version of MIUI and Android. Some modules conflict with SafetyNet, which can block banking applications.

💡

Magisk modules are the most flexible customization method, but require root and an unlocked bootloader. Always back up before installing a new module!

5.Creating your own charging screen

If you don't like the off-the-shelf solutions, you can design your own animations, which will require basic skills in working with graphic editors (Photoshop, GIMP) and an understanding of the structure of MIUI files.

What needs to be prepared:

• 🎨 Static screen: Image at your device resolution (e.g, 1080×2400 For the Redmi Note 11) png.
• 🎬 Animation: sequence of frames (for example, 30 file frame_001.png, frame_002.png etc.) or video format.mp4 (will be converted into personnel).
• 📝 Configuration file: desc.txt with animation options (size, FPS, position).

Example of file structure for custom animation:

/custom_charge_screen/


├── desc.txt




├── part0/




│   ├── frame_001.png




│   ├── frame_002.png




│   └── ...




└── part1/




└── battery.png

Where to place files:

• For MIUI 12–13: /system/media/miui_charge/
• For MIUI 14: /product/media/miui_charge/ or /vendor/overlay/

Attention:

⚠️ Incorrect settings in desc.txt can lead to no animation or charging errors. Use templates from proven sources, such as: 640 480 30 p 1 0 part0 p 0 0 part1 Where 640,480 is resolution, 30 — FPS, part0 and part1 — frame-file.

6. Alternative firmware (LineageOS, Pixel Experience)

If you’re ready to make radical changes, installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) will completely replace the charging screen with the Android One or Pixel style.

Pros of the method:

• ✅ Complete interface redesign, including charging screen.
• ✅ Lack of advertising and unnecessary services Xiaomi.
• ✅ Regular security updates from the community.

Cons:

• ❌ Loss of official guarantee.
• ❌ Risk of "bricking" of the device in case of installation error.
• ❌ Certain functions (e.g, IR-Game Turbo or Blaster may not work.

How to install custom firmware:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool.
2. Install TWRP Recovery for your model (see instructions at twrp.me).
3. Download firmware (for example, from lineageos.org) and GApps (if you need Google services).
4. Reboot to TWRP, make a full backup (including EFS and Modem).
5. Flip the firmware and GApps through Install → Select ZIP.
6. Clear the cache (Wipe) → Dalvik/ART Cache and reboot.

On dynamic partition devices, you must execute fastboot delete-logical-partition before running the firmware. product_a, Otherwise, the new firmware won't stand up.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

When changing the charging screen, users often encounter typical errors.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔋 Battery condition – with severe wear (more than 80%), the charging screen may be displayed incorrectly.
• 🔌 Cable and Power Unit – Some animations don’t start when charging slowly.
• 📱 The firmware version - on beta versions MIUI Customization often breaks down.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions