How to set up a wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi Mi 9: all ways + error solving

Automatic wallpaper change to Xiaomi Mi 9 is one of the MIUI features that make smartphone use more comfortable. Wallpaper carousel allows you not only to diversify the appearance of the desktop, but also automatically adjust the background to the time of day, the weather or even your mood. However, many users are faced with the fact that the feature either does not work out of the box or behaves unstable.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to customize the wallpaper carousel on the Mi 9, from standard MIUI tools to hidden features available through the engineering menu, how to enable automatic background change, where to get quality wallpaper collections, and what to do if the carousel stopped working, and we’ll also reveal a few life hacks that will help make animations smoother and avoid common bugs.

Important: the instruction is relevant for Xiaomi Mi 9 (codename cepheus) on all versions of MIUI - from 10 to the last 14.Some points may differ depending on regional firmware (Global, China, EEA) or custom builds.

What is a wallpaper carousel and how it works on Xiaomi Mi 9

Wallpaper carousel (or dynamic wallpaper) is a MIUI function that automatically changes the background of the desktop according to a given schedule or triggers. Unlike static images, it can:

• 🔄 Change every N minutes/hour (configurable interval)
• 🌅 Adjust to the time of day (morning/day/evening/night)
• 🌦️ Respond to weather (rain, snow, sun)
• 🎨 Use collections of multiple wallpapers with smooth transitions

On the Mi 9, the carousel works through the built-in Themes app, but there are nuances:

• ⚙️ In the global firmware (MIUI Global), the function can be trimmed compared to the Chinese version.
• 📱 On some custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), the carousel is disabled by default.
• 🔋 The function consumes additional energy as the system periodically checks for background changes.

By default, MIUI offers several standard carousel wallpaper collections, but they can be expanded through third-party sources, and the key is to understand that not all wallpapers support dynamic shifting. For example, live wallpapers and paralax wallpapers are usually incompatible with the carousel.

Preparation of the smartphone: what to check before setting up

Before you set up the carousel, make sure your Xiaomi Mi 9 is ready for it. Here are the prerequisites for the function to work correctly:

Update. MIUI last-minute|Free up at least 500MB of memory|Turn off the power saving mode|Check your internet connection (to download wallpaper)-->

If one of the items is not met, the carousel may malfunction or not start at all. For example, the energy saving mode often blocks the background processes responsible for changing the wallpaper, and the lack of memory leads to the fact that the system can not cache new background images.

It's also worth checking if the system-level function is disabled.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Themes app and tap it.
3. Make sure it has Warehouse, Internet and Display rights over other windows.
4. Check if notifications for this application are disabled.

If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or HavocOS), you may need to install the MIUI Themes module via Magisk.

⚠️ Warning: Some firmware (especially Chinese) have a wallpaper carousel tied to your Xiaomi account. If you are not logged in, the feature may not be available. Sign in to Settings → Xiaomi Account.

Method 1: Configure the carousel through the standard MIUI menu

The easiest way to turn on the carousel is to use the built-in MIUI tools. Here is a step-by-step instruction:

1. Long press on the free space of the desktop → select Wallpaper.
2. In the lower menu, go to the Carousel tab (or Dynamic Wallpaper in new versions of MIUI).
3. Choose one of the proposed collections (e.g. Nature, Cities, Abstraction).
4. Click Apply and select where to display the wallpaper: on the Lock Screen, Desktop or both.
5. Turn on the Automatic Shift switch and set the interval (from 1 hour to 1 day).

If there is no Carousel tab, then your version of MIUI does not support it, in which case try updating the firmware or using alternative methods (described below).

The standard wallpaper collections in MIUI are quite meager, but they can be expanded.

1. Open the Themes app.
2. Go to Wallpaper section. → carousel.
3. Slip on the Download button more (or more in English firmware).
4. Choose your favorite collection and click Download.

Note that some collections may be paid (from 10 to 50 MI- credits).

💡

If you don’t like standard wallpaper, download.mtz collections from sites like zhuti.xiaomi.com and import them through the Themes app.

Method 2: Hidden carousel settings through engineering menu

If the standard method didn’t work or you want to gain more control over the carousel, you can use the MIUI engineering menu.

You have to open the engineering menu first, and you can do this in two ways:

• 📱 Through code: Enter the phone application with the combination ##4636##, then go to MIUI Testing.
• 🔧 Through ADB: connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.DevelopmentSettings

After that:

1. In the engineering menu, find the Wallpaper Carousel Settings section (or Wallpaper Carousel Settings).
2. Turn on the Enable Carousel switch (if it is switched off).
3. Set up the settings: Interval - shift interval (in milliseconds; 3600000 = 1 hour). Smooth Transition - smooth transition between wallpaper. Battery Optimization - optimization for saving charge (better to turn off).

Save the settings and restart the phone.

Be careful: the wrong settings in the engineering menu can lead to interface failures or even to a phone reboot. If the carousel is not working properly after changes, reset to factory settings in the same menu.

⚠️ Warning: Some versions of MIUI may not have Wallpaper Carousel Settings, which means your firmware does not support advanced carousel settings via the engineering menu, in which case use alternative methods.

Method 3: Third-party applications for wallpaper carousel

If the built-in MIUI tools don't suit you, you can use third-party apps that offer more customization options, including:

• 🎨 Support for custom wallpaper collections.
• ⏱️ Flexible shift schedules (e.g., day-to-day shifts).
• 🌍 Synchronization with weather services (e.g. AccuWeather).
• 🔄 Smooth transition animations (fade, slide, zoom).

Here are the top-3 wallpaper carousel apps tested on Xiaomi Mi 9:

Before installing a third-party app, disable the standard MIUI carousel to avoid conflict.

1. Go to the Settings → Wallpaper → Carousel.
2. Turn off the automatic shift option.
3. Set up static wallpaper (anything).

You can then configure a third-party application, for example, in Wallpaper Changer, the setting algorithm is this:

1. Open the application and give access to the storage.
2. Select a folder with wallpaper (or download from the built-in gallery).
3. Set the shift interval in the Schedule section.
4. Enable Apply to Home Screen and Lock Screen (if necessary).
5. Activate the service in the Accessibility section (for some functions).

⚠️ Warning: Some applications (such as Muzei) require Special Features (Settings → Special Features → Installed Services) to be enabled. Without that, they won’t be able to automatically change wallpaper.

Solving the problem: why the carousel doesn’t work

If you set up a carousel but it doesn’t work, here are the most common reasons and ways to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the settings of the Themes app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Topics.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Reboot your phone and reset the carousel.

Critical information: Some versions of MIUI (especially Chinese ones) have wallpaper carousel tied to the system application com.miui.miservice. If it is disabled or removed, the function will not work, and it can only be restored through a full reset or flashing.

Lifehacks: how to make a carousel wallpaper better

To make the carousel work as efficiently as possible, use these tips:

• 🌈 Pick up a color gamut: Use wallpaper with similar colors to make transitions look organic. MIUI has a built-in Color Analysis tool in the theme settings.

If you use a dark theme in MIUI, pick up dark-colored wallpapers to make the transitions look more harmonious, and for that, Themes has a Dark Mode Friendly filter.

Another useful trick is to tie the merry-go-round to the weather.

1. Download the Weather & Wallpaper app from Google Play.
2. Set up sync with a weather service (such as OpenWeatherMap).
3. Choose wallpaper collections for different conditions (sunshine, rain, snow, etc.).
4. Turn on automatic update in the background.

This will allow your Mi 9 to automatically adjust the wallpaper to the current weather outside the window.

💡

For maximum smoothness of the carousel, turn off the animation of transitions in MIUI: Settings → Additional → System Animation → No animation. This will reduce the load on the processor and save battery power.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions