Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the urge to personalize their device, making it unlike the standard gadgets of acquaintances. One of the most noticeable interface elements that catches the eye every day is the lock screen and animation when connecting the power cable. The standard "lightning" or brand logo can get bored quickly, especially if you often recharge your smartphone during the day. Fortunately, the MIUI shell and HyperOS provide flexible enough tools for customization, allowing users to change the visual style without deep interference with the system.
There are several proven ways to change the charging style on the shaomi, from simple settings in the menu to install third-party applications. Some methods require minimal effort and take a couple of minutes, while others may require downloading special theme files. It is important to understand that visual effects do not affect the speed of power transfer, but significantly improve the aesthetic perception of the device. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods available at the moment, including nuances for different versions of the operating system.
Before we make any changes, it’s worth noting that some features may only be available in certain regions or firmware versions. If you didn’t find an option right away, it doesn’t mean it’s not available for your device — you may need to switch regions in settings or update the Themes app. Prepare for the process to take you into a world of deep personalization, where you can change your icons, fonts and sounds in addition to charging.
Official lock screen settings
The easiest and safest way to change the look of the screen that you get when you plug in the charger is through standard settings. In the latest versions of the MIUI shell, developers have integrated the ability to choose a lock style that directly affects what you see when you start charging, and you don't need to download third-party software if you're comfortable with the options offered by the manufacturer.
To access these settings, you need to go to the Settings menu, then select the Lock Screen. Here you are interested in the Wallpaper Carousel or Lock Screen Style, depending on your firmware version. This section often hides switches that allow you to activate animated wallpaper or special styles that change the behavior of the battery indicator.
⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may have limited or no wallpaper carousel functionality. If you don't see these items, try changing the region in the settings (More) → Region) to India or Indonesia, where functionality is often expanded.
Also, you should pay attention to the Always On Display settings if your smartphone supports this technology, such as models with AMOLED arrays. The time and date display style on the off screen is often duplicated or transformed when you connect to charging. By changing the design of the AOD, you automatically change the way you charge in sleep mode.
Using the Topics app to change style
The most popular and effective method to radically change the charging style on shaomi is the use of the regular application Themes. MIUI Theme Store contains thousands of free and paid designs, many of which include unique lock screens with its own power connection animation, which is the most reliable way to get a quality result without risking damage to the system.
The process of installing the new style begins with the launch of the Themes app. At the bottom of the screen, find and click on the profile icon or menu to go to the control section. Here you select the Topic item and enter keywords in the search bar such as "Charging", "Battery", "Animation" or "Lockscreen".
Once you have selected your favorite theme, click Download and then Apply. The system will suggest selecting components to use: it is recommended to tick the Lock screen and the System to make the effect manifest. After applying the theme, simply connect your smartphone to the charger and evaluate the result. If you do not like the style, it can be instantly removed through the profile, returning the standard look.
☑️ Checking before setting the topic
Note that not all themes support all smartphone models. Some developers create designs specifically for flagship lines such as Xiaomi 13 or Xiaomi 14, and on budget models Redmi animation may not start or display incorrectly.
Third-party applications for animation customization
If standard MIUI functionality and theme store don’t offer anything, third-party apps available on Google Play come to the rescue, allowing you to create your own image or video scenarios when you connect a cable, and the most popular solutions are applications like Battery Charging Animation or Custom Battery Charging Widget.
The way these applications work is to create a layer on top of a standard lock screen, so when the system detects the power supply, the app activates the media file you select. You can upload any short video you want, GIF-It's a kind of animation, or even a set of images, and it turns charging into a real show, and it gives you the freedom to be creative that standard tools don't have.
| Title of the annex | Type of content | Impact on the battery | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Charging Animation | Video/GIF | Average. | Available (in the free version) |
| Custom Battery Widget | Images | Low. | No. |
| Volta Battery Charger | Video/Gifts | High. | There is. |
However, using third-party software has its drawbacks: applications like this require permanent permits to work in the background and access to battery status, which can lead to increased battery consumption. In addition, on new versions of Android and MIUI, the system can aggressively close such applications to save energy, so they will have to be added to exceptions and autoboot.
How to add an application to the autoload?
Setting up the battery indicator in the status bar
Many users use the phrase "charging style" to mean not only full-screen animation, but also how the charge level is displayed in the top status bar. MIUI provides a flexible setup of this element, allowing you to change the shape of icons, percentages and even hide them. This is less noticeable than full animation, but important for the overall visual style.
To change the display, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar (or Lock Screen and Status bar).Look for Battery Indicator. Here you will be offered several options: display the number inside the battery icon, the numbers next to the icon or only the graphical icon. The choice depends on your version of the shell, as in HyperOS the menu could be renamed.
For deeper customization, such as changing the color of the battery icon depending on the level of charge (greener at 100%, red at 10%), standard means are not enough. This will again require the Themes app. Themes that change the system icons often change the design of the battery. Look for themes marked "System Icons" or "Status Bar".
⚠️ Note: When installing themes that change system icons, keep track of the indicators. Some design decisions may make the battery icon too pale or merge with the color of the wallpaper, which will lead to inconvenience in use.
Also worth mentioning is the Enlarged Battery Indicator feature, which is sometimes found in extended settings, which makes the icon more visible, which can be useful for people with low vision, but this option is not available on all Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones.
Creating your own charging animation
For advanced users who want a truly unique experience, it is possible to create their own charging animation from scratch.This requires basic skills with graphic editors and an understanding of the file formats supported by the system. You can draw your logo, make a gif animation or edit a short video.
The process of creating a media file starts with the preparation of the media file. The optimal resolution will be the native resolution of your screen, for example, 2400×1080 for modern models. The file format depends on the implementation method: MP4 or GIF will be suitable for substitute applications, you will need to convert to specific formats of the MIUI shell, often requiring unpacking and repackaging the theme file (.mtz).
If you decide to modify an existing theme, you’ll need a computer and a program to work with the archives of the themes (such as MT Manager on the root-right phone itself or special utilities on a PC), you’ll need to find the file responsible for the lock screen (often called lockscreen.xml or similar), and replace the links to images or videos with your own.
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When creating your own animation, try to use a dark background and bright elements. It not only looks stylish on the ground. AMOLED-screens, but also significantly saves energy during charging, since black pixels on such arrays do not consume current.
After modification, the theme file must be signed and installed through an engineering menu or special downloaders. This method is complex and requires caution: an error in the XML code can lead to a cyclic reboot or black lock screen. Always have a way to reset or enter safe mode.
Problems and their solution when changing style
When experimenting with charging styles, users may encounter various technical problems, most often when new animations simply don’t start or the phone freezes on the lock screen, and understanding the causes of these failures will help quickly return the device to work.
One common cause is conflict of versions: The theme or app may not be optimized for your version of Android, for example, themes created for Android 11 may not work properly on Android 13 due to changes in the system interface code, in which case only finding an updated version of the theme or refusing to use it will help.
Another common problem is aggressive battery optimization. Xiaomi is known for its strict control of background processes. If you use a third-party animation app, it can be killed by the system immediately after the screen is turned off. The solution is to manually prioritize the process to High and turn on all permissions.
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If after installing the theme, the phone stopped responding to touch or went into reboot, press the power and volume button (or only power for 10-15 seconds) to force the reboot. In Safe Mode, all third-party themes are turned off.
It’s also worth remembering that some “heavy” animations can cause the device to heat up when the screen is turned on while charging. If you notice that the phone has become warmer than usual immediately after connecting the cable, try turning off the complex visuals and return to standard style.
The impact of customization on productivity
The impact of beautiful images on smartphone speed is a concern for many, and it's worth noting that a static theme or a simple animation built into the system through the Theme store has little to no impact on performance, and these resources are already optimized by MIUI developers and loaded into memory efficiently.
That’s changing when it comes to third-party applications that use live wallpaper or video backgrounds, which consume RAM and CPU time. On budget models like the Redmi Note of the initial series, this can lead to micro-latency (lags) when unlocking the phone immediately after charging.
Also, the constant use of complex animations can slightly increase the overall power consumption of the device, although at the time of charging from the network this is not critical. However, if the animation works even when discharged (like live wallpaper), then the autonomy can decrease by 5-10% per day of active use.