Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the desire to personalize their device’s interface. The standard appearance of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS can seem boring, especially if you’ve been using the device for months. Fortunately, the company has provided powerful tools to change the visual style without having to get root rights or reflash the device.
The theme change process affects not only desktop wallpaper, but also system icons, lock screen, notification sounds and even fonts. The theme is a system application that allows you to implement deep changes to the interface, making it unique. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways of personalization, from standard methods to advanced settings through third-party resources.
Before we get started, visual changes don’t affect processor performance, but they can slightly increase RAM consumption if the theme contains complex animations. The system’s graphics engine adapts to new assets, which can sometimes lead to micro-latency on older models. However, on modern devices with Snapdragon or Dimensity processors, the difference is completely invisible to the user.
Standard ways to change the topic through the application
The easiest and safest method is to use the built-in Themes app, which is pre-installed on all global and Chinese firmware versions, and to get started, you need to open an app that usually has an icon with a brush or the name "Themes."
In the main menu, you'll see the Recommended, For You, and Top sections, which have thousands of design choices created by both the company and independent designers, and the directory is constantly updated, so you can sort them by date of addition or popularity. Choose your favorite, click Download, and then Apply.
⚠️ Note: Some topics may be paid or require a subscription.Always check the terms of use before downloading to avoid unexpected charges from your mobile account.
Once you use the theme, the system will automatically replace the icons of system applications such as Phone, Messages and Settings, and if you want to return everything back, just go to the user profile (the icon of the person in the corner) and select My Themes, where you store your download history, and you can delete files that occupy space in memory.
Configuring components: icons, fonts and lock screen
The flexibility of the MIUI shell allows you to change the interface elements individually, so you don't have to use the whole theme. Go to the Profile section of the theme app and select Set up theme. There are tabs available for individual components.
In the Icons section, you can choose the style for each application individually or replace the entire package at once. Icon customization is especially popular among users who prefer minimalism or bright graphics.
- 🎨 Lock screen: allows you to change the clock, weather widgets and the way to unlock.
- 🔊 Sounds: Replacing ringtones, SMS System notifications for unique audio files.
- 🔤 Fonts: Install third-party fonts that support Cyrillic to change the display of text throughout the system.
The font section deserves special attention. Installation of a new font requires rebooting the interface or the device itself. Some fonts may not display special characters or emoji correctly, so after installation, it is recommended to check the display of text in messengers. If the text becomes unreadable, load in Safe Mode or quickly select the standard font through the recovery menu (if it is available without logging in).
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Before installing a new font, take a screenshot of the standard settings menu, which will help you navigate the menu faster if the new font is too decorative and difficult to read.
Use of third-party resources and APK-file
The official theme store is sometimes limited by regional restrictions or lacks style, and in such cases, users turn to third-party resources, theme files are.mtz extension, and can be found on specialized forums and portals dedicated to the Xiaomi ecosystem.
To install themes from.mtz files, you may need a special bootloader or a modified version of the Themes application. The standard method involves turning on the developer mode. MIUI In the "About Phone" section, then the expanded settings activate the item «USB-debugging».
| Type of resource | Security | Complexity of installation | Regional restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official store | Tall. | Low. | Possible. |
| Forums (4PDA, XDA) | Medium | Medium | No. |
| Telegram channels | Low. | Tall. | No. |
| Third-party launchers | Medium | Low. | No. |
When downloading files from unverified sources, there is a risk of malware. Antivirus protection of a smartphone may not recognize the threat in the theme file, as it is perceived by the system as a design resource. Always check the comments of other users and the reputation of the author of the file before installing.
What is Region Code in the Topics?
Alternative launchers for a complete interface change
If built-in capabilities aren't enough, third-party launchers come to the rescue, and these are apps that completely replace the desktop, control panel, and app menu. Popular options include Nova Launcher, Lawnchair, and Microsoft Launcher.
Installing an alternative launcher gives you complete control over the desktop grid, gestures, and animations. You can create folders of any shape, resize widgets, and add hidden menus, while productivity can both rise (on light launchers) and fall (on heavy, with many effects).
To activate the new launcher, go to Settings → Home Screen. Here the system will prompt you to select the default application. Once you select, the interface will change instantly. However, it is worth remembering that system elements such as the notification curtain and the settings menu will remain MIUI-style, since the launcher does not have the right to change them without root rights.
- 🚀 Nova Launcher: the benchmark for speed and flexibility of settings, ideal for experienced users.
- 🌿 Lawnchair: a great choice for those who love the style of pure Android).
- 🎨 Smart Launcher: automatically sorts applications by category, convenient for large screens.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers, some gestures may stop working MIUI, For example, swipes to call the control menu or a quick search. Check the compatibility of gestures in the settings of the launcher itself.
Compatibility issues and bugs after the topic change
A common problem with installing third-party themes is that icons are not displayed correctly in new versions of apps. When you update Instagram, Telegram, or a banking app through Google Play, their icon can become standard by ignoring the theme style, which is because the theme contains static icon images for specific versions of the software.
To fix this, you don't have to delete the theme. In the Themes app, go to profile, select an active theme, and click Set up. In the Icons section, find an app with an incorrect icon and replace it manually with a standard one, or select a similar one from another set. The system will remember this choice for future updates.
Another common problem is the layout that goes on the settings menu or the "On the Call" layout, and some themes change system resources, and after the firmware update, the layout is not available (OTA-updates) these changes may conflict with new system files, resulting in text being overlaid on buttons or disappearing completely.
adb shell pm clear com.android.thememanagerIn critical cases, when the interface becomes unreadable and it is impossible to enter the settings, you can try to reset application data via Recovery or ADB-This will bring back the standard visual style, while retaining the user's personal data.
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If the interface is unstable after the system update, the first thing to do is to reset the theme to a standard ("Classic") one before diagnosing other problems.
Optimization and Impact on the Battery
Visual enhancements don't go unnoticed by the battery. Live wallpaper and themes with active animation on the lock screen require constant GPU calculations. This leads to faster battery discharge, especially on the computer. AMOLED-screens, if the theme uses bright white colors (although black, on the contrary, saves energy on such matrices).
Complex themes can also affect RAM performance: If there are many applications running in the background, a heavy theme can cause programs to be unloaded more often from memory, and the system will have to reboot background processes more often, which also consumes charge.
To test the impact of the theme on autonomy, you can use the built-in battery analyzer. Compare screen and system performance before and after installing a new theme. If you notice a significant difference, consider using static wallpaper and standard icons, leaving the customization minimal.