Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones allow users to personalize the interface beyond recognition, turning a standard screen into a unique space. One of the most popular ways to customize is to set your own image as a background or create a widget with your favorite photo right on the home page. This not only improves visual perception, but also helps you navigate the menu faster if you use thematic wallpaper.
However, many users have difficulty trying to fix the image exactly as they intended.The standard MIUI shell or the new HyperOS has its own features with gallery and desktop, which differ from pure Android. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods, from simple wallpaper installation to creating complex widgets with photos.
You'll learn to use the built-in tools to avoid installing too much software that often overloads your device's RAM. We'll look at the nuances of working with image resolutions and explain why images can be rendered incorrectly. A deep understanding of these processes will allow you to manage the appearance of your smartphone at a professional level.
Using the Gallery widget to display photos
The most common way to display a particular image on the desktop is to use a special gallery widget. Unlike conventional wallpaper, which is static and is "under" icons, the widget allows you to place a photo on top of the interface layer or in a separate frame, which is especially true for owners of large screens where empty space is used inefficiently.
To start, you need to go to desktop editing mode. To do this, do a long tap (tap and hold) on the free area of the screen or pinch with two fingers, bringing them together. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a toolbar where you want to select the Widgets. In the list that opens, find the Gallery or Photos section.
The system will offer several options for the size of the widget, from a small 1x1 square to large 4x4 rectangles. Choose the format that best fits into your icon layout. After selecting the size, the widget will appear on the screen, and you will be asked to select an image from the device's albums.
- 🖼️ Single photo: the classic version, where one picture you choose is displayed in the frame without the possibility of automatic change.
- 🔄 Slideshow: A widget that periodically changes images from a selected album to create a dynamic composition.
- 🎨 Art frame: special style widget, imitating a physical photo frame with fields and shadows.
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Use widgets 2x2 or larger for quality photos, as on a small 1x1 size, image details will be unreadable.
Once installed, the widget can be moved around the screen, combined with app icons. If you want to change the image, just click on the widget itself (or the edit button if it is provided with style), and the system will again open access to your media library, which allows you to quickly change the "decor" of the smartphone to suit your mood.
⚠️ Note: When installing a large number of heavy widgets with photos, battery life can be reduced, as the system has to constantly render graphics and load data from memory.
Set up live wallpaper and slideshow on the full screen
If your goal is to make photos change automatically every time you turn on the screen or swipe, you’ll need a wallpaper carousel or live wallpaper customization feature. In Xiaomi devices, this feature is often integrated into the system theme and lock screen settings, but can also be adapted for the desktop.
To activate automatic background change, go to Settings → Wallpaper. Here you will find the Wallpaper Carousel (or Glance in global versions). Although this feature is primarily designed for the lock screen, there are ways to apply the same principle on the desktop through third-party themes or special widget sliders.
To set a static but high-quality photo to the entire background of the desktop, open the desired image in the Gallery app. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner or the "More" button, then select "Install as wallpaper". The system will suggest selecting the crop area, as the proportions of the photo may not match the proportions of the screen.
It's important to choose the right framing area. If you want the photo to occupy the entire screen without white fields, make sure the slider covers the entire area available. In some versions of MIUI, you can have Panorama or Perspective, where the image shifts slightly when you tilt the phone, creating a depth effect.
For users who want to see different photos from the same album as a background, there are specialized launcher apps or Photowallet widgets that stretch to the full screen. However, with standard Xiaomi tools, it is easiest to set up a change of wallpaper on a schedule in the theme section, if this option is supported by your firmware version.
Creating collages and complex customization of the interface
Standard widgets sometimes limit creativity, forcing users to look for more flexible solutions. If the built-in widget displays photos too small or does not produce the desired effect, collage creation applications come to the rescue, which can then be used as a single widget.
You can use apps like Layout or the built-in Gallery editor to combine multiple images into a single file. Once you create a collage, you save it as a single image and install it through a widget, as described in the first section, which bypasses the limit on how many photos are displayed in a single widget.
Another layer of customization is the use of transparent widgets, some launchers and widgets that allow you to make the background transparent by overlaying photos on top of system elements, which requires more fine-tuning and often using themes from the GetThemes store.
| Type of widget | Size (cells) | Support for video | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard photo | 1x1, 2x2, 4x2 | No. | Low. |
| Slideshow | 2x2, 4x4 | No. | Average. |
| Live wallpaper | All screens. | Yes. | High. |
| A widget calendar with a photo | 4x2, 4x3 | No. | Low. |
When creating complex compositions, it is important to consider the resolution of the original files. If you stretch a small image onto a 4x4 widget, it will become grainy and low-quality. Always use the original photos at the maximum available resolution.
The Secret of the Perfect Widget
Working with themes and third-party launchers
The MIUI and HyperOS shell has a powerful built-in theme store that is often overlooked. In the Themes section, you can find not only ready-made icon sets, but also specialized widgets that allow you to display photos on the desktop in an unusual style (for example, in the style of Polaroid shots or retro frames).
To find the right functionality, open the Themes app, go to the Widgets section (or search for the word "Photo", "Gallery", "Picture"). By downloading and applying the theme, you often get access to exclusive widgets that are not in the stock build. Using theme can change icons, so read the description carefully.
If the standard Xiaomi launcher seems too limited, you can install a third-party launcher, such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher. These applications provide much more freedom in hosting widgets and allow you to overlay icons over photos, creating unique compositions.
When using third-party launchers, the process of installing photos on the desktop is often simplified to dragging the Photo widget from the Android widget menu. However, it is worth remembering that third-party launchers can consume more resources and are not always perfectly optimized for Xiaomi management gestures.
⚠️ Note: When installing themes from unverified sources or third-party launchers from unknown app stores, there is a risk of malware infection of the device.
Solving problems with the display and quality of photos
A common problem for users is blurring images or incorrect color reproduction after installation on the desktop, which is because the system compresses the previews of widgets to save RAM. To minimize losses, make sure that the display settings set the maximum resolution.
Check Screen → Screen resolution. If you select "Energy Saving" or low priority automatic mode, widgets may look worse. Switch to WQHD+ or similar maximum for your device.
Also worth paying attention to is the file format. Android works best with JPG and PNG formats. If you use HEIC (from iPhone) or RAW formats, the system can convert them on the fly, sometimes resulting in artifacts or delays when loading the desktop.
- 📐 Cutting: Always check framing before final approval, especially for portrait photos on horizontal widgets.
- 💾 Cash: If the widget stopped updating or shows an old photo, try clearing the cache of the Gallery app in the application settings.
- 🌑 Dark theme: Keep in mind that in a dark theme, some widgets may invert colors or become too bright.
Another factor is energy saving: Aggressive battery settings can kill the process of updating the gallery widget, which causes the photo to remain unchanged or not loaded. Add the gallery widget to the exclusion list or allow background activity for the Gallery app.
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The quality of displaying photos on the desktop directly depends on the screen resolution and format of the source file, as well as on the settings of energy saving system.