How to change the charging icon on Xiaomi: myths and reality

Many Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners, wanting to personalize their gadget as much as possible, sooner or later think about visually changing the interface. One of the most common searches in search engines is the desire to change the standard animation or zipper icon that appears when you connect the charger. Users are looking for ways to make this process more vivid, unique or simply different from the stock solution MIUI and HyperOS. However, when faced with the reality of the Android operating system, they often become confused.

The fact is that the system charge animation in MIUI is hard-stitched into system resources and does not have a built-in switch in the standard settings menu. Unlike changing the wallpaper or theme, replacing this element requires more profound intervention. With standard tools available to every user out of the box, you can change a static lightning icon or interest in a circle without the use of third-party tools or specialized software.

However, the Android modification industry offers several workarounds: some are safe and accessible to beginners, others require a computer connection and console commands. It is important to understand the difference between completely replacing system graphics and overlaying additional widgets that mimic the desired effect. Below we will take a detailed look at all available methods, from simple to advanced.

⚠️ Attention: Any manipulation of system files or installation of unverified modifications can lead to unstable operation of the device. Before starting any actions, we strongly advise you to create a full backup of data so that in case of an error, you do not lose important information.

Limitations of standard MIUI and HyperOS shells

The Android operating system that underpins the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS has a strict security architecture. The system resources that include charging graphics are in a secure section. The regular application downloaded from Google Play or Mi GetApps does not have the right to change these files on the fly. Which is why you will not find the option to replace only the charging icon in the official theme store.

Xiaomi developers are only implementing changes to the visual charging style through major shell updates. For example, MIUI 12 introduced the famous “Super Earth” animation, and newer versions of the graphics became minimalist. The user can influence this only in one legal way – by installing global themes that contain their own lock screens and charging dialogs, but they do not always work correctly.

It's also worth noting that the hardware of the power controller has nothing to do with what you see, it's just software code that draws vector or raster graphics on top of the system layer, so you can't "accelerate" charging with a change of icon, you can only change the appearance of the icon, and understanding this mechanics helps you avoid installing malicious software that promises miracles.

• 🔒 System resources are protected by rights.root, access to which is closed by default.
• 🎨 The standard theme gallery allows you to change only the lock screen, but not always the charging dialog.
• ⚙️ Deep customization requires the use of ADB or superuser rights.

Replacement method through the Themes app

The safest and easiest way to try to change the visualization of the energy recharge process is to use the official Theme app. Although there is no direct replacement for the system icon here, many theme writers create their own lock screens (Lock Screen), which are activated when the cable is connected, in which the standard lightning is replaced by author's animation, characters or abstract figures.

To find the right design, you need to open the app, go to the search section and enter keywords. Search effectiveness depends on the specific region of the Mi Account, but the richest libraries are available when choosing the region "India" or "Indonesia". In the search bar, you should use queries in English, as they give more relevant results for global versions of firmware.

After installing the theme, it’s important to check it. Not all themes support AOD (Always On Display) or specific charging dialogs on all smartphone models. If you see a standard screen after applying the theme when you connect the charging, then this theme does not support customizing this element for your Xiaomi or Redmi model.

⚠️ Note: When installing themes from third-party sources or with a changed account region, the system can warn about security risks. Ignore the warnings only if you trust the author of the topic, since the embedded code is executed with high privileges.

Use of simulation applications (Battery Charge Animation)

If you don't like the built-in features, you can use specialized apps from the Google Play store, and the most popular one in this class is Battery Charge Animation, which is basically an overlay that's activated by a power sensor over all the windows, and when you plug in the cable, the system thinks it's charging, and the app draws its graphics over the system.

Installing this software requires a number of permissions, you need to give access to the display on top of other applications, and you need to give permission to use special features (Accessibility), which is necessary so that the program can "snap" the event of the cable connection and run the animation you choose.

You can choose hundreds of ready-made effects from shooting stars and hearts to Marvel or DC logos in these utilities. However, this method has a significant drawback - it consumes additional battery power, since the processor and screen must render complex graphics even when the phone seems to be just lying on charge. In addition, on some models with aggressive energy saving MIUI, the system can automatically terminate the process of such an application.

• 📱 Does not require root rights or unlock the bootloader.
• 🔋 May increase energy consumption during charging.
• 🛑 On some devices, it may conflict with fast charging.

To keep these applications running, add them to the battery exception list. Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Protection (or Applications → Battery) and set the “No Limits” mode for the selected application. This will prevent the system from forcing the process to close.

Advanced Method: Modification through ADB and Root rights

For users who don’t want to take easy steps and want to change the system graphics rather than overlay filters, there is a method using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which allows you to replace the system files responsible for rendering icons. However, for a full-fledged replacement of files in the system partition, superuser rights (Root) obtained through Magisk are almost always required.

The process starts with connecting your smartphone to your computer and running the console utility, and you need to find specific files in your phone's file system that control the charging schedule, usually on a path that contains framework-res or SystemUI resources. Specific paths may vary depending on the Android version and the MIUI shell.

adb shell


su




cd /system/media/audio/ui (example path, may differ)




ls -l

Once you find the target files (often with the.png or.xml extension depending on the OS version), they need to be replaced with modified versions. It is critical that the file names, resolution and format match one to the same. If you put a picture with a different resolution, instead of beautiful animation, you get a black screen or a "bootloop" (cyclic reboot).

Alternative options for customization

If you find it too risky or difficult to change the icon directly, you should look at the adjacent interface elements that also create the mood when charging, such as the Always On Display (AOD) setting. In the new versions of MIUI and HyperOS, you can choose many styles of displaying time and date on the off screen, which are activated when you connect the power.

Another option is to use home screen widgets that respond visually to the level of charge, and although they don't replace the system lightning, they allow you to keep the status of the battery in front of you in a unique style, and there are widgets in the form of batteries that fill with liquid, or scales in the style of cyberpunk.

And also, don't forget the audio, you can assign a unique charger connection sound, some themes have files, or you can use automation through MacroDroid or built-in scripts, and when the phone talks when you plug in the cable, it'll create a novelty effect even without changing the graphics.

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Use automation scenarios so that when you connect charging, the phone not only shows animations, but also turns on the Do Not Disturb mode or changes wallpaper to night ones.

Possible problems and solutions

When experimenting with the interface, users often face typical problems, the most common being a black screen instead of animation, which occurs when a simulator application cannot properly draw a layer on top of the system, or when a system file has been corrupted by modification, the solution being to reboot the device or remove the problem application.

Another common problem is the fast charging conflict, where some heavy animations can load the processor as the system tries to match fast charging protocols with the power supply, which can cause the phone to charge slowly despite using the original cable, in which case it is better to turn off the animation while charging.

If you used the Root-enabled method and after replacing files, the phone stopped responding to touches or went into a reboot, don't panic. If you have Magisk installed, try booting into Safe Mode (usually by pressing the volume button when you turn on) to deactivate modules. If that doesn't work, you'll need to reset via Recovery or flash it.

⚠️ Note: Using modified system files may trigger SafetyNet or Play Integrity protection, which will cause banking applications and Google Pay (Wallet) to stop working.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The safest and most effective way to change charging animation on Xiaomi is to use specialized imitation apps from Google Play, as they do not require root rights and do not violate the integrity of the system.