The live carousel-effect wallpaper transforms the Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro screen into a dynamic gallery where background images change smoothly over timer or unlocked, not only adding visual originality, but also allowing you to automatically update your desktop with fresh photos from your albums or artists collections. However, standard MIUI settings do not include the built-in option for such animation — it will have to be activated through third-party apps or hidden system features.
In this guide, we’ll break down three working ways to install wallpaper carousels: from simple solutions using Google Play apps to manually adjusting through ADB for advanced users. Focus on performance nuances — on the Redmi 9 Pro with a Snapdragon 720G processor, live wallpaper can increase battery consumption by 8–12% when used actively. You’ll learn how to minimize this effect without losing visual quality.
What is a wallpaper carousel and why it is not in the standard MIUI settings
A wallpaper carousel (or wallpaper slideshow) is a feature where the background of the desktop automatically changes at specified intervals. Unlike static images, this animation creates a live screen effect, for example, you can adjust the change of photos from the last trip every 30 minutes or every time you unlock your phone.
Despite the popularity of the feature, Xiaomi does not include it in the standard MIUI settings for two reasons:
- 🔋 Saving resources: the constant change of wallpaper increases the load on the processor and RAM, which is critical for budget models.
- 🎨 Design philosophy: MIUI Bets on minimalism and stability, avoiding “extra” animations.
- 📱 Device fragmentation: on flagships (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) this feature may appear, but for the Redmi 9 Pro it is not a priority.
However, we can circumvent this limitation with third-party tools, and then we'll look at the most reliable ones.
Method 1: Apps for wallpaper carousel from Google Play
The easiest way to install a dedicated app is to test 5 popular solutions and select two of the most stable ones for the Redmi 9 Pro.
| Annex | Ratings. | Pluses | Cons | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper Carousel | 4.7 ⭐ | ✅ Minimalist interface ✅ Support for local and cloud albums ✅ Shift time from 1 minute to 24 hours | ❌ Advertising in the free version ❌ No manual transition settings | Download |
| Muzei Live Wallpaper | 4.5 ⭐ | ✅ Integration with Unsplash and other services ✅ Blurring and brightness settings ✅ Open source code | ❌ Hard for beginners. ❌ Not all themes support animation. | Download |
To install through Wallpaper Carousel, follow the steps:
- Download and install the app from Google Play.
- Open it and click Select Album – specify the folder with images (for example, DCIM/Camera).
- In the settings (⚙️ → Select the change rate (recommended 1 hour to save battery).
- Click Set Wallpaper and select Home Screen or Lock Screen.
⚠️ Note: If the wallpaper does not change after installation, check the application permissions in Settings → Annexes → Wallpaper Carousel → Permissions. Make sure Warehouse and Display are enabled on top of other windows.
Download the app from the official store | Check the version of MIUI (must be at least 12.0) |Free 200-300 MB of memory for the wallpaper cache | Disable battery optimization for the wallpaper application-->
Method 2: Manually configure via ADB (for advanced users)
If you do not want to install third-party applications, you can activate the hidden wallpaper change function through ADB-This method works for teams. MIUI 12.5+, It requires connecting the phone to the computer.
You'll need:
- 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
- 📱 Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro with Debugging enabled USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).
- 📁 A folder with wallpaper on the phone (for example, /sdcard/Pictures/Wallpapers).
Instructions:
- Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command line: Adb devices Make sure the device is identified (it should appear its name).
- Activate the hidden carousel function: adb shell settings put global wallpaper_slideshow_enabled 1
- Add the adb shell settings put global wallpaper_slideshow_folder /sdcard/Pictures/Wallpapers
- Set the interval of the shift (in milliseconds, for example, 3600000 = 1 hour): adb shell settings put global wallpaper_slideshow_interval 3600000
- Reboot your phone: adb reboot
After the reboot, the wallpaper will automatically change. To turn off the function, do:
adb shell settings put global wallpaper_slideshow_enabled 0⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI This method can cause wallpaper to reset to standard after the system update. To avoid a problem, back up your settings through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
What if the ADB can’t see the device?
Method 3: Use Kustom Live Wallpaper (maximum customization)
For those who want not just a change of wallpaper, but a full customization of animations, the KLWP Live Wallpaper Maker app is suitable. It allows you to create dynamic wallpaper with paralax effects, weather widgets and even interactive elements.
How to set up a carousel in KLWP:
- Install KLWP and open it.
- Select Load Preset → Slideshow (if there is no such preset, download it from the Kustom community).
- In the editor, find the Globals section and specify the path to the wallpaper folder: $si(wpdir)/Pictures/Wallpapers$
- Set up the interval in Animations → Slide Duration (recommended 10,000 for a smooth change).
- Save the preset and use it as wallpaper.
The advantage of KLWP is that it can combine the carousel with other elements, such as displaying time, weather or notifications on top of wallpaper, but the application is difficult for beginners and takes time to learn.
💡
If the wallpaper in KLWP slows down, reduce the resolution of the original images to 1080×2340 (screen resolution Redmi 9 Pro) and turn off unnecessary animations in the preset settings.
Optimizing performance and battery
Live wallpaper is one of the main battery devours. On the Redmi 9 Pro with a 5020 mAh battery, this is especially noticeable: in our tests, a wallpaper carousel at intervals of 1 hour reduces battery life by 6-10% in moderate use.
- ⚡ Increase the shift interval to 3-6 hours (most apps configure this).
- ⚡ Use the dark wallpaper on the AMOLED-They reduce the energy consumption of screens.
- ⚡ Turn off animation when unlocking (in the wallpaper app settings).
- ⚡ Add the app to the optimization exceptions: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → All applications → [Your appendix] → Not optimize.
It's also useful to clear the cache of the wallpaper app once a week.
- Go to Settings → Apps → [Your App].
- Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
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On the Redmi 9 Pro, the optimal balance between beauty and performance is achieved with a change of wallpaper interval of 2-3 hours and disabled animation when unlocked.
Problem Solving: Wallpaper doesn’t change or slows down
If the wallpaper carousel is not working properly, check the following points:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper doesn't change. | Lack of rights to folder Shift interval too large | Check the permissions of the application in Settings → Applications. Set the interval to no more than 6 hours. |
| Brakes and lags | Too high resolution wallpaper Many open applications | Reduce the resolution of images to 1920×1080. Close the background applications through Recent → Clear everything. |
| Wallpaper is reset after resetting | System optimization of MIUI | Add the application to boot via Settings → Permissions → Autostart. |
If the problem is not solved, try an alternative app or reset the wallpaper settings to the standard:
- Go to Settings → Wallpaper.
- Select the standard MIUI wallpaper and apply it.
- Remove the cache of the wallpaper app (as described in the previous section).
- Reinstall the carousel app.
Alternatives: Other Ways to Diversify Wallpaper
If the wallpaper carousel seems too resource-intensive, consider alternative options:
- 🌄 Google's live wallpaper: Wallpapers offers dynamic wallpapers with paralax effects and time-of-day shifts, optimized better than third-party solutions.
- 🖼️ Topics MIUI: In Settings → Themes can be downloaded ready-made wallpaper packages that automatically adjust to the system colors.
- 🎨 Creating collages: Use apps like Photo Grid or Canva to combine multiple photos into a single image and set it as wallpaper.
Minima is suitable for fans of minimalism – it generates abstract wallpapers based on the selected color palette and updates them once a day without loading on the system.