UI personalization is the first thing that most new smartphone owners start with. The screensaver sets the mood for the whole day and allows you to stand out from thousands of identical devices. In the MIUI operating system, or its new HyperOS, this process is implemented in the most flexible way, allowing you to use not only standard images, but also videos.
Users often get confused about the variety of settings they need, not knowing where the feature is hiding, some try to find it through general system settings, others through the gallery. In fact, there are several effective ways to change the visual style of your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO. In this guide, we will break down all the current methods, including installing live images.
Before we start, it's worth noting that the quality of the original image directly affects the perception of the interface. The resolution of the file must match or exceed the resolution of the display of your smartphone. If you download a low-quality picture, it can look blurry or pixelated, which will spoil the impression of an expensive AMOLED screen.
Standard method through system settings
The most obvious and reliable method of changing the background is in the system menu, which contains all the basic tools for controlling the appearance of the device, and to get there, you need to open the main application menu and find the Settings icon. Next, scroll down to the Wallpaper section.
In this menu, the system will offer you several categories: system wallpaper, live wallpaper and gallery download. By selecting Systems, you will access a collection optimized by the company's engineers specifically for your screen resolution, which ensures that the application icons are read clearly and the time is displayed correctly.
When you select an image, it will suggest you apply it to the lock screen, the main screen, or both, and this flexibility allows you to create an interesting visual effect when you unlock the picture slightly shifts or changes. For owners of flagship models with a high refresh rate, this is especially true.
⚠️ Warning: When installing too dark wallpaper on Always On Display devices, make sure the time and notifications remain readable.In some themes, the font may merge with the background.
Don't ignore the preview option. Before you use it, press the preview button to see what the widgets and shortcuts on top of the image you've selected will look like. Often, a beautiful image in the gallery looks overloaded.
Using the Application Topics to Enhance Opportunities
Themes app is the central hub for customization in the Xiaomi ecosystem, where you can find not just static pictures, but entire design packages that change icons, fonts and sounds. Use the built-in search or Wallpaper category to find only background images.
The algorithm is simple: you open the application, you type in a search bar, like "nature" or "abstract," and you go to the appropriate section, and the great advantage of this method is that all the images are already adapted to the MIUI interface, and you don't have to worry about the clock overriding an important part of the picture.
Many users don't know that you can download high-resolution wallpapers in the Themes app for free, even if the billing package itself is paid, just open the theme, go to the wallpaper preview section and click the download button, and then the file will be saved in memory and will be available for installation through standard settings.
Secret codes for themes
It is important to keep track of the size of the files you download. If you plan to set a lot of different backgrounds and change them all the time, they can take up a significant place in the cache of the system. Periodic cleaning of the data of the Themes application through the memory management menu will help keep the smartphone running.
Installation of the picture from the Gallery
The most popular way to do this is to use your own photos, so you could take a beautiful picture on the main camera module or download an image from the Internet, and to install it, open the Gallery app and select the photo you want.
Click on the three dots in the lower right corner of the screen (or swipe up, depending on the version of the shell) to open the action menu. In the list of options, select Set as wallpaper. The system will automatically prompt you to fraternize the image if its proportions do not match the screen.
The key here is the right framing. MIUI allows you to move the image up and down and zoom in, and try to leave some space at the top of the screen so that the battery-charged status bar doesn't override important details.
☑️ Pre-installing check
If you use photos taken on your smartphone, the quality is perfect, but if you download the image from messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, it can be compressed, in which case you'd better request the file as a "document" or use the web version to download the original.
Setting up live wallpapers (Live Wallpapers)
Live wallpapers are animated screensavers that respond to touch or just play a video sequence in cycles, making Xiaomi's interface more dynamic and modern, and you can find them in the standard wallpaper menu by switching the tab to Live.
Now, if you consider that active animation consumes more CPU resources and therefore more battery power. On current models with Snapdragon 7 or 8 series processors, this is almost invisible, but on public sector workers, it can cause light heating. If you notice a decrease in autonomy, it's better to go back to the static picture.
Some firmware versions have a Wallpaper Carousel feature that allows you to automatically change images on the lock screen at a certain frequency, and you can set this up in the Settings menu → Wallpaper → Wallpaper Carousel, and you can also choose the sources of images: nature, cities, art or technology.
| Wallpaper type | Impact on the battery | Memory requirements | Where to find out. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static (Systemic) | Minimum | Low (up to 5MB) | Settings → Wallpaper |
| Live (Animation) | Medium/High | High (10-50MB) | Tab Live. |
| Photo from the Gallery | Minimum | Depends on the photo. | Gallery → Menu |
| Carousel (Lock Screen) | Average (loading) | Cashing some photos. | Carousel settings |
When choosing live wallpaper, be sure to check if a particular file supports your version of Android.Old packages may not work properly on Android 13 or 14, causing the interface to twitch.
Working with Superwallpaper in HyperOS
With the release of the HyperOS shell, the company introduced an improved mechanism for working with backgrounds, called Superbugs, whose main feature is deep integration with the unlock system and application opening animations.
Unlike normal live wallpaper, Superwallpapers respond to user actions. When unlocking a smartphone, the image can smoothly change scale or angle, creating a depth effect. This requires a more powerful GPU, so this feature may not be available on older models.
To activate this mode, go to the wallpaper settings and select the Superwallpaper category, and there will be multiple scenes available: space, earth, abstraction, each with its own unique color settings and animation speeds.
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Save originals: Always store source image files in the cloud or on your computer. compressed versions in the phone gallery after editing can lose quality irrevocably.
Users note that Superwallpapers are especially impressive on screens with Dolby Vision technology or high brightness. If you have a Xiaomi 13, 14 series model or flagship Mix, this feature will unlock the potential of the display by 100%.
⚠️ Warning: Installation of third-party live wallpaper from unverified sources (APK-forum files) can lead to a conflict of the system process miui-home and constant desktop crashes.
Elimination and Optimization Tips
Sometimes, after installing new wallpaper, users encounter artifacts: black stripes, the wrong color or the absence of a picture on the lock screen. Most often, the problem lies in the launcher cache. The solution is simple: clear the theme app cache and System Launcher in the application management menu.
Another common problem is color mismatch. The screen can display colors too rich or, conversely, fade. Check the settings of the screen in the section Additional → Color scheme. Bright colors mode can distort the idea of the wallpaper author, try to switch to Classic or Standard.
If you use a dark theme system, make sure that the selected wallpaper is combined with it. A bright picture in a dark theme can create an unpleasant contrast around the icons. MIUI has a feature to adapt the color of the icons under the wallpaper, it should be included for a harmonious look.
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Optimal balance: The best choice for daily use is static high-resolution wallpaper in JPG format. They do not plant a battery, do not heat the phone and look clear in any lighting.
Remember to regularly update the Themes app via GetApps or Google Play.Newer versions often fix image rendering bugs and add new categories of free content that may not be available in the older version.