Live wallpaper on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones look spectacular, but often cause increased battery consumption, overheating of the device and even slowing the interface. Especially relevant problem for budget models with limited resources – Redmi Note 10, POCO M4 Pro or Xiaomi 11 Lite, where animation in the background can eat up to 15-20% of charge per hour of active use.
In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to disable live wallpaper, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users. We will also look at why the system sometimes automatically returns animations after an update, and how to prevent this. All instructions are relevant for the MIUI 12-14 firmware versions (including global and Chinese builds).
Why is the wallpaper harmful to the smartphone?
Animated background images are not just static images with light motion, but MIUI launches under the hood:
- 🔄 Constant operation of the graphics processor (GPU), This is what causes the chipset to heat up (especially on Snapdragon). 6xx/7xx).
- 📉 Increased RAM consumption – up to 300-500 MB only for background animation.
- 🔋 Active battery consumption even in standby mode (up to 5-7% per night).
- ⚡ Conflicts with optimization MIUI, Because of which the system can “forget” the settings of energy saving.
According to XDA Developers, the Xiaomi 12 Pro with a live wallpaper Always-On Display consumes 40% more energy than with a static background, and on budget models like Redmi 9A, animation can cause micro-hangs when opening heavy applications (for example, games or Google Maps).
⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi Mix Fold 2), live wallpaper is integrated into system themes, and disabling it can reset personal font and icon settings.
Method 1: Disconnect via wallpaper settings (the easiest)
This method works on all Xiaomi models with MIUI 12+ and does not require superuser rights.
- Open Settings → Wallpaper (or make a long tap on the home screen and select Wallpaper).
- In the “My Wallpaper” section, find active live wallpaper (usually marked with an icon). ⚡ or the words Dynamic).
- Slip on them and select Remove or Disable animations (depending on the MIUI version).
- Choose a static background from the gallery or standard Xiaomi wallpaper.
If you don't have the "Disable animation" item, it means that the wallpaper is tied to the system theme.
Try changing the topic in Settings → Theme → My themes
Install third-party wallpapers from Google Play (e.g. Wallpapers Craft)
Restart your phone - sometimes MIUI «forgetting to apply the changes-->
On the POCO F4 GT and other Xiaomi gaming smartphones, live wallpaper can be part of Game Turbo mode. To remove them, go to Settings → Special Features → Game Turbo → Wallpaper Settings.
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If the animation comes back after the shutdown, check if Adaptive Wallpaper is included in Settings → Display → Additional. It automatically adjusts the background to the time of day, sometimes adding unnecessary animations.
Method 2: Disconnect via battery settings (to save charge)
MIUI has a hidden background limiting feature to save energy, which doesn't remove wallpaper completely, but pauses animation when the phone isn't in use:
- Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
- Select App Selection and find Wallpaper (or Wallpaper Carousel on global firmware) in the list.
- Set the background activity limit in the Limit position.
- Go back and activate Energy Saving or Supereconomic.
| Energy saving regime | Impact on live wallpaper | Battery consumption (in 8 hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Off. | Animation always works. | 22–28% |
| Energy conservation | The animation is suspended after 30 seconds. inactivity | 14–18% |
| Super-economic | The animation shuts down completely. | 8–12% |
Xiaomi 13 Ultra and other flagships with AMOLED-This method also reduces pixel burnout, since static elements are displayed less often.
⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI 13.0.4+) Restricting wallpaper through the battery may conflict with the Always-On Display function. AOD, Return the battery settings to their original state.
Static (single or photographic)
Live (with light animation)
Interactive (responds to touch)
MIUI System Themes
Your wallpaper from third-party applications-->
Method 3: Remove via ADB (for power users)
If the live wallpaper is built into the system theme and is not removed by standard methods, you can resort to disabling through ADB. This method requires a computer and basic command line knowledge.
Preparation:
- 🖥️ Install Platform Tools on PC.
- 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on the phone: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Slip 7 times, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
- 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your computer and confirm your trust in the device.
Next, execute commands in the terminal (in order):
adb shell
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper
pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.wallpaper.livepickerOnce you reboot your phone, the live wallpaper will be completely removed, and the settings will only have static options.
pm install-existing --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper
pm enable --user 0 com.android.wallpaper.livepickerWhat if the ADB can’t see the device?
⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi with a blocked bootloader (bootloader) team ADB In this case, you will need to unlock through the Mi Unlock Tool, which will reset all the data on the phone!
Method 4: Disconnect via Safe Mode (if the wallpaper is “stuck”)
Sometimes the live wallpaper continues to work even after it is removed from settings, due to failures in the MIUI cache, in which case it helps to download in safe mode:
- Turn off the phone.
- Press the Power button and hold it until the MI logo appears.
- As soon as the logo appears, release the power button and immediately press Volume down.
- Keep Volume down until the phone boots into Safe Mode (there will be a sign at the bottom of the screen).
In safe mode:
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Wallpaper and change background to static.
- 🔄 Restart your phone in normal mode.
- 🧹 Clear the Wallpaper app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Wallpaper. → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
This method works in 90% of cases when the wallpaper “does not want to” turn off, if the problem persists, then the animation is written in the system files (see Method 5).
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Safe Mode disables all third-party applications, but does not affect system files, which allows you to determine exactly whether the problem is caused by wallpaper or other software.
Method 5: Manual editing of system files (for advanced ones)
On some firmware (for example, MIUI 14 China) live wallpaper tightly integrated into system APK-You'll need to remove the files:
- 🔓 Unlocked bootloader (bootloader).
- 🛠️ Root rights (e.g. via Magisk).
- 📂 File Manager with root access (e.g. Root Explorer or Mixplorer).
Instructions:
- Open the file manager and go to /system/priv-app/MiuiWallpaper.
- Find files with the.apk extension that have a LiveWallpaper or Dynamic name in their name.
- Rename them by adding.bak at the end (e.g. LiveWallpaper.apk → LiveWallpaper.apk.bak).
- Reboot the phone.
After that, the live wallpaper will disappear from the selection menu. To return it, simply delete the.bak from the filenames.
⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to bootloop ( looped boot).Before making changes, back up the folder /system/priv-app/!
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If after editing system files, the phone stopped booting, try going to Recovery Mode (press Power + Volume up) and restore the backup via ADB Sideload.
What if the live wallpaper returns after the update?
Many Xiaomi users are faced with the fact that after the MIUI update, the live wallpaper returns on its own.
- 🔄 The system resets the theme settings when major updates (for example, with MIUI 13 → 14).
- 📦 The update reinstalles system applications, including Wallpaper Carousel.
- ⚙️ In some regional firmware (e.g. India), live wallpaper is enabled by default.
Decisions:
- Reverse to the old version of MIUI via Fastboot (instructions on XiaomiUI).
Xiaomi. 12T Pro and other models with HyperOS (new firmware from Xiaomi) live wallpaper can be part of SystemUI. In this case, only a complete replacement of firmware with a new one will help. AOSP-version (e.g. Pixel Experience).