How to put a photo on the screen of the Xiaomi phone: a step-by-step guide

Personalizing the smartphone interface is the first step that makes the new gadget truly yours. Owner of a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO device wants to see the screensaver favorite moments, not standard wallpaper from the manufacturer. The process of installing the image seems trivial, but in the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS, there are many nuances that allow you to control the visual style with high accuracy.

There are several ways to change the background image, from the classic choice through the gallery to the use of live wallpaper and themes. In this article, we will discuss each method in detail, paying special attention to the setting of the lock screen, since this is the element of the interface that the user sees most often.

It is important to understand the difference between system limitations and customization capabilities. Some features depend on the version of the Android operating system and regional firmware (Global, China, EEA).

Image Preparation and Format Requirements

Before you start installing it directly, you need to make sure that the source file meets the system specifications. Screen resolution plays a key role: if the image is too low quality, it will look blurry and pixelated. The optimal choice is images with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels or higher, which meets the standards of FullHD+.

The file format also matters. The system works seamlessly with common JPG and PNG extensions. However, live wallpaper or specific animations may require GIF formats or special theme packages. If you plan to use the photo as depth-effect lock wallpaper, make sure the image doesn't have important details at the edges that can be cropped with watch or notification widgets.

⚠️ Avoid using images with bright white areas at the top of the screen if your smartphone has a AMOLED-This can lead to uneven wear of the pixels and the appearance of "burnout" over time.

Modern flagships often have elongated screens, while older photos can be square or have a 16:9 ratio. When installed, the system will suggest framing the image, but it is better to prepare the file in the desired format in advance so as not to lose important details of the composition.

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Use photo editing apps to pre-fit the image to your screen resolution by adding blurred fields on the sides if the original is too narrow.

Installation of photos through a standard gallery

The fastest and most obvious way to install a picture on a desktop or lock screen is to use the built-in Gallery app, which does not require a hidden menu search and is available immediately after the device is turned on, and the algorithm of actions is the same for all versions of the shell, which makes it the most reliable.

To start, open the Gallery app and select the image you want. Click on it to open in full size, then find the "More" button (usually indicated by three dots) in the lower right corner or swipe up. In the menu that opens, select Set as. The system will offer two main options: "Wallpaper" (for desktop) or "Wallpaper and lock screen".

• 📸 Click on the “More” button in the lower photo viewing menu.
• 🖼️ Select the item "Install as wallpaper».
• 📱 Define the display area by moving and scaling the image.
• ✅ Click "Apply" and select the target screen.

Once you select the target screen, you'll have a zoom-in preview window, so you can move your finger to pick the best shot, zoom in to bring a person's face or an important object closer to the edges, and this is especially true for vertical shots that don't always fill the space perfectly.

If you choose to install only on the desktop, the lock screen will remain unchanged. If you choose the combined option, the system will apply the same image to both screens, which creates a continuity effect when unlocked, a popular technique among users who appreciate minimalism.

Setting up through the menu "Themes" and "Wallpaper"

The MIUI and HyperOS shells have powerful customization tools built in, which hide more possibilities than a simple gallery. The Themes app provides access not only to static images, but also to complex animations, live scenes and video wallpapers that respond to touch or time of day.

To use this method, look for the Themes app on your desktop. At the bottom of the screen, go to the Profile tab, and then select Wallpaper section. Here's a huge catalog of images sorted by categories: nature, abstraction, space, art. Many of them are available for free and optimized specifically for Xiaomi screens.

Special attention should be paid to the so-called Super Wallpaper, which is a unique feature of the ecosystem, where the background changes depending on the time of day or the status of the connection to Wi-Fi. For example, when you connect to a home network, a picture of a smart home can appear in the background, and when you turn off, an abstract landscape.

Features of the lock screen in MIUI and HyperOS

The lock screen in Xiaomi smartphones is a complex software module that can be configured much deeper than in standard Android. The user can not just put a photo, but also change the font of the watch, their position, add pedometer widgets or battery status directly to the screensaver.

To access advanced settings, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. This is the wallpaper carousel switch. If you activate this feature, the phone will upload new professional photos from the Internet every time you wake up the device, which eliminates the need to manually change pictures.

However, if you want to capture a particular photo, make sure the carousel is turned off or configured to use only one folder with your images. New versions of HyperOS have the ability to create “deep portraits.” The system automatically cuts out an object (human or pet) and places it behind the time digits, creating a stylish multilayer effect.

⚠️ Note: When using complex live wallpaper on the lock screen, the response time of the fingerprint scanner may slightly increase due to the increased load on the GPU.

Also worth mentioning is Magnetic Lock (in some regions) which allows you to display new notifications as large icons on top of your photo on a locked screen, which is convenient but can overlap important parts of the image, so when choosing a photo, it is better to leave the top third of the frame relatively free of semantic objects.

Use of third-party applications and live wallpaper

Standard functionality is sometimes not enough, especially if you are looking for unique animations or specific widgets. The Google Play store offers a variety of substitute applications, such as Wallpaper Engine, Live Wallpapers 4K or Widgetsmith. These tools allow you to use video files (MP4) and interactive scenes as backgrounds.

When installing these applications, the system will request a number of permissions, including access to storage and, in some cases, permission to display on top of other windows, which is necessary for the animation to work correctly. Once the application is installed, the photo installation process usually takes place inside the launcher application itself or through its settings in the system.

• 📥 Download the app for live wallpaper from a reliable source.
• 🎬 Download or select a high quality video file.
• ⚙️ Set up playback parameters (sound, cycle, reaction to gyroscope).
• 🔋 Optimize settings to save battery power.

Constantly running the GPU and CPU for rendering graphics can reduce battery life by 10-15% per day, and on budget models with entry-level processors (Helio G series), this can cause micro-twitching of the interface.

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Live wallpaper is beautiful, but it sacrifices autonomy. Use it if the visual style is the priority, not the maximum battery life.

Solution: Photos not installed or cropped

Often, users are faced with a situation when after installing a photo it looks different from the gallery: black stripes appear, the image is shifted or not applied at all. One of the common reasons is conflict with the theme of the design. If you use a third-party theme from the MIUI Themes store, it may have rigidly defined cropping parameters or its own wallpaper that blocks changes.

To solve this problem, try temporarily switching to a standard Classic or Default theme and repeating the installation procedure. Also, the problem can be in the file format: some exotic formats (for example, HEIC with an iPhone or WebP from instant messengers) can be incorrectly handled by the system Cropper. Converting to a standard JPG usually solves the problem.

Another nuance is the Simplified Mode (for older people), which can limit or hide some of the personalization features from developers to make the interface easier, and check if you have this mode activated in your screen settings.

To sum up, setting up a photo on the screen of a Xiaomi phone is a creative process that allows you to fully adapt the device to your taste. Using built-in gallery tools, theme store and third-party applications, you can create a unique interface. The main thing is to balance beauty and performance by choosing optimized images.