Personalizing the smartphone interface is not just a way to stand out, but also an opportunity to make the use of the gadget more comfortable. Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 9 model often look for ways to revitalize the lock screen and desktop so that they do not look static and boring. The standard image gallery, alas, does not always provide the necessary tools to automate this process without third-party assistance.
Fortunately, the MIUI shell on which the device's software is based has a lot of customization options, so you can adjust the changes to schedules, every time you turn on the screen, or even depending on the time of day, and it turns your smartphone into a dynamic storefront that constantly delights the eye with new visual solutions.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods, from built-in system functions to the use of specialized applications, and you will learn how to create live slideshows that will work steadily and do not drain the battery faster than usual.
Use of the built-in function "Carousel wallpaper"
The easiest and most energy-efficient way to make images change automatically is to use the standard wallpaper carousel function, which is built into the system and does not require additional software, which is especially important for budget devices, where every megabyte of RAM counts.
To activate the mode, you need to go to Settings of your Redmi 9. Next, find the section responsible for the appearance, which can be called “lock screen” or “Always on screen and lock screen.” This is where the main levers of visual design control hide.
Inside the menu, you'll see a switch called "Wallpaper Carousel," which, when activated, will prompt you to select the source of the images, which can be either standard collections from Xiaomi or your own photos from the gallery, and select the folder you want to use for rotation.
⚠️ Warning: Activating the Wallpaper Carousel can increase battery consumption, as the screen will light up more often to show new images when notifications are received.
Once you select the source, adjust the change rate, you can set the interval, for example, every 5 minutes, or leave the shift only when the screen is turned on, and you can also display information about the picture, which adds aesthetics, but takes up space on the display.
☑️ Customization of the carousel
It's important to understand that the wallpaper carousel is primarily affecting the lock screen, and if you want to change the background of your desktop, this method is only partially suitable, since the image on the home screen will remain static unless other methods are used.
Setting up a slideshow through the “Themes” app
Xiaomi’s official Themes app offers more advanced features for those who want to see changing images not only on a locked screen but also on the desktop, and offers a huge catalog of free and paid sets that support dynamic shifting.
Open the Themes app and go to the Profile tab (the person icon in the corner). In the profile menu, look for the Settings or Wallpaper option. This often hides the Wallpaper Subscription or similar feature, which allows you to upload new images daily.
You can choose a category, like "Nature" or "Abstraction," and subscribe to it. The system will automatically upload new images from the selected category and apply them in the background, which is a great way to always have fresh content without unnecessary action.
However, it is worth remembering that this feature requires a stable Internet connection to work, and if you are in a poor area, new wallpaper may not load in time, and the previous image will remain on the screen.
| Parameter | Wallpaper carousel | Annex Topics | Third-party annexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Local/Online | Xiaomi server | Anybody (Unsplash, Pexels) |
| Impact on the battery | Average. | High. | Depends on the app. |
| Flexibility of settings | Low. | Medium | Maximum |
| Demands the Internet. | Only downloadable | Constantly. | Only downloadable |
Using official Themes ensures compatibility with your version of MIUI. Unlike third-party solutions, system themes are less likely to cause conflicts or occasional interface reboots.
The use of live wallpapers (Live Wallpapers)
If static images, even changing ones, seem too boring, you can install live wallpaper on the Xiaomi Redmi 9, which is animated backgrounds that respond to touch or just play a video sequence cyclically.
To install, go to Settings → Wallpaper and select Live Wallpaper. Here you will find a set of pre-installed animations. Some of them can be quite heavy for the processor, so monitor the performance of the device after installation.
And many Themes themes have live wallpaper, and when you download them, it's going to offer not only icons, but also dynamic backgrounds, which creates depth and makes the interface more modern.
⚠️ Warning: Installing complex live wallpaper on Redmi 9 can lead to a noticeable decrease in the autonomy of the device, as the video processor will be constantly active.
There is a caveat: live wallpaper is often turned off automatically by the system when you go into power saving mode. If you notice that the animation is missing, check the battery settings and add the Wallpaper app to the exceptions.
How to turn off the wallpaper to save energy?
The visual effect of Live Wallpapers is really impressive, but on a 1080×2340 pixel screen like the Redmi 9, the finer details of the animation may not be as noticeable as on the flagships.
Use of third-party apps for slideshows
When built-in tools aren't enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, and the leader in this niche is Wallpaper Changer, or analogues that allow you to create complex algorithms for changing images.
Once you install this app, you’ll need to give it permission to access files and overlay them over other windows, and without that, Android won’t allow it to change the image on your desktop or lock screen.
In the app settings, you can create an album by adding hundreds of photos, then you can set the shift intervals, from 10 seconds to a few hours, and some programs can change wallpapers depending on the time of day, picking up dark colors at night.
The main advantage of third-party software is the ability to sync with cloud services, you can set up the upload of photos from Instagram or Google Photos, and they will automatically become part of your rotation.
Settings → Applications → Wallpaper Changer → Permissions → All Permits (ON)However, be careful with the choice of the application. Many free versions are oversaturated with ads that may pop up at the most inopportune time.
💡
Use smart sorting apps to avoid repeating the same images throughout the day.
Remember that third-party programs run in the background all the time. On Redmi 9 with its Helio G80 processor, this can cause micro-latency in the interface if there is no free space left in RAM.
Optimization of operation and impact on the battery
The constant change of graphics content is a load on the hardware of the smartphone. The processor has to decode the images, and the screen has to re-engineer the pixels. On the Xiaomi Redmi 9 with a battery of 5020 mAh, the power supply is large, but optimization is still important.
MIUI aggressively manages background processes, and if you use a third-party wallpaper change app, the system can kill the process to save energy, so you can lock the app into memory to prevent that from happening.
Open the list of running applications (bottom-up swipe and hold), find your wallpaper app and click on the lock. This will prevent the system from closing it automatically. Also, in the battery settings, remove restrictions for this particular application.
Another important aspect is the resolution of images: uploading images in 4K resolution to a FullHD+ screen makes no sense, but it costs processing resources.
⚠️ Warning: Do not set the wallpaper interval to less than 1 minute unless you use Wi-Fi. Mobile traffic can be consumed very quickly.
Watch the heating of the case. If the phone is warmer than usual in standby mode, then the process of changing the wallpaper is not working correctly and creates a constant load, in which case it is better to return to a static background.
💡
The balance between beauty and performance is achieved by setting a change interval of at least 15-30 minutes and using optimized images.
Decision (Frequently Asked Questions)
Users often face typical problems during the setup process, such as the wallpaper being reset after a reboot or not being applied to the lock screen, usually due to access rights or MIUI version conflict.
Sometimes the system offers to update the wallpaper and personalization component. Don't ignore this offer through the GetApps store or Play Market. Updated modules often contain bug fixes that interfere with the correct operation of the slideshow.
If nothing works, try clearing the Topic and Gallery app cache. The accumulated garbage in the system folders can prevent new content from being displayed correctly.
Remember, the Xiaomi Redmi 9 is an entry-level device, and overloading its interface with dozens of widgets on top of dynamic wallpaper can lead to slowdown.