Live wallpaper on the lock screen Xiaomi: 5 ways to customize removable pictures

Xiaomi's lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on your smartphone, and the design directly affects the device's perception. Standard static wallpaper quickly squashes, and the ability to automatically change pictures adds personalization and freshness to the interface. However, in MIUI, this feature is hidden deep in the settings or not at all in the basic configuration - it all depends on the version of the shell and the phone model.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to install removable wallpaper on the lock screen for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from built-in tools to third-party solutions. We will focus on the nuances for different versions of MIUI 12, 13 and 14, and also bypass the typical system limitations. If you want the lock background updated daily or every time you unlock, read further.

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have a default replacement wallpaper feature?

Unlike Samsung or Google Pixel, where dynamic lock wallpapers are integrated into the system, Xiaomi has traditionally simplified this functionality, the reasons being the MIUI philosophy:

• 📱 Saving resources: animation and frequent change of pictures consume battery power and RAM, which is critical for low-end models Redmi.
• 🎨 Focus on themes: Xiaomi promotes its own ecosystem of themes (GetApps) → Themes where interchangeable wallpaper is implemented as part of design packages.
• 🔒 Security Limitations: Dynamic content on the lock screen may conflict with data protection (e.g. when using Face Unlock).

However, you can get around these limitations -- and we'll show you how -- Importantly, on devices with MIUI 14 and later, some of the methods may require you to turn off battery optimization for wallpaper applications.

Method 1: Built-in MIUI themes with dynamic wallpaper

The easiest and safest method is to use official themes from Xiaomi store, many of which support interchangeable wallpaper for the lock screen, but it is not always easy to find them.

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the Wallpaper section → Lock screen.
3. In the search bar, enter a query: dynamic, live or change.
4. Choose your favorite theme and click Apply. Pay attention to the description - it should indicate that the wallpaper changes automatically.

🔹 Examples of working topics (relevant to the MIUI 13/14):

• 🌄 "Dynamic Landscape: Landscapes that change every 12 hours.
• 🖼️ "Art Gallery Lock – works of art (change once a day).
• 🌌 "Cosmic Shift – Space Wallpaper with Paralax Effect.

Turn off VPN (some topics are blocked by region)

Update the Themes app on Google Play

Clear the app cache in the phone settings

Check the space available (themes weigh) 10-50 MB)-->

⚠️ Warning: After applying the theme, restart your phone - sometimes the wallpaper does not activate immediately. If the shift does not work, check the resolution Automatically update the wallpaper in the theme settings.

Method 2: Manual setting of wallpaper from the gallery (MIUI 14+)

The latest versions of MIUI 14 have the ability to assign separate wallpapers to the lock screen directly from the gallery, which does not automatically change, but allows you to quickly update the background manually:

1. Open the Gallery and select the folder with images.
2. Click on the photo → More (three dots) → Install as → Wallpaper lock screen.
3. In the window that appears, select Only the lock screen (not to be confused with Home and lock).

🔹 How to Automate the Process:

• 📁 Create a folder in the gallery (for example, Lockscreen Wallpapers) and add it to the gallery. 10-15 picture.
• 🔄 Use the script for Tasker (see spoiler below) to change the wallpaper on a schedule.

⚠️ Limitation: This method does not work on data-encrypted devices (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro with File-Based Encryption enabled.

Method 3: Third-party applications for live wallpaper

If you don't like the built-in MIUI tools, third-party apps will come to your aid, and we tested 5 popular solutions and selected those that work consistently on Xiaomi:

🔹 Muzei step-by-step configuration (recommended for most users):

1. Install Muzei and open it.
2. In the settings, select the source of the wallpaper (e.g. 500px or Local Files).
3. Activate the option Apply to Lock Screen (overlay permission required).
4. Set up the update interval in Wallpaper Schedule.

Wallpaper Engine|Muzei|Zedge|Built-in themes MIUI|Other-->

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 Wallpaper applications may require permission through ADB: adb shell pm grant net.nurik.roman.muzei android.permission.SET_WALLPAPER Without this, the wallpaper will only apply to the desktop, but not to the lock screen.

Method 4: Use Always On Display (AOD) for dynamic backgrounds

On devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Pro, Redmi K50 Ultra) can use Always On Display to simulate live wallpaper, which does not change the background of the lock completely, but adds dynamic elements:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Always On Display
2. Choose the Digital Watch or Image style.
3. Activate the Dynamic Background option (not available on all models).
4. In the Settings section, specify the folder with images for rotation.

🔹 Advantages of the method:

• 🔋 Minimum battery consumption (thanks to) AMOLED).
• 🕒 The wallpaper changes with each screen turn on.
• 🎨 Animated elements are supported (e.g., falling snow in winter themes).

⚠️ Disadvantages: It only works on devices with AOD and does not replace the background lock when the screen is fully turned on. POCO F4 GT and other devices with LCD-This method is not available in the display.

💡

If your model does not have the Dynamic Background option in AOD, try installing a theme that supports this feature (for example, AOD Dynamic in the theme store).

Method 5: ADB-Forcing a change of wallpaper (for advanced ones)

For users willing to work with ADB, there is a way to force the lock wallpaper to change via the command line, a method that works even on Xiaomi with a locked bootloader, but requires initial setup.

🔹 Preparation:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click to unlock the developer options).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.

🔹 Wallpaper change teams:

# Install wallpaper from the file (path on the phone)


adb shell cmd wallpaper set --lock /sdcard/Download/wallpaper.jpg




Check the current wallpaper.



adb shell dumpsys wallpaper




Reset to standard



adb shell cmd wallpaper clear --lock

🔹 Automation through script (Windows):

• 📁 Put the images in the folder. C:\Wallpapers\ PC-only.
• 📜 Create a.bat file with the following content: @echo off setlocal enabledelayedexpansion set /a "count=0" for /f "delims=" %%i in ('dir /b "C:\Wallpapers\*.jpg"') do ( set /a "count+=1" set "wall!count!=%%i" ) set /a "random=!random! %% count + 1" adb push "C:\Wallpapers\!wall%random%!" /sdcard/Download/current_wall.jpg adb shell cmd wallpaper set --lock /sdcard/Download/current_wall.jpg
• 🕒 Run the script on schedule through Windows Task Planner (e.g., every 4 hours).

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 after the use of wallpaper through ADB The system protection may work by resetting the background to the standard. To avoid this, disable battery optimization for the System settings application (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → System settings → Battery → No restrictions).

Problem Solving: Why doesn’t the wallpaper change?

If you have set up replaceable wallpaper but it is not updated, check the following points:

🔹 Additional advice:

• 🔄 If the wallpaper doesn’t change in the themes, try resetting the themes (Settings) → Topics → Drop it).
• 📥 For stable Muzei, download the latest version from GitHub – it is often updated earlier than Google Play.
• 🔧 Nana POCO-Devices may need to disable background minimization in developer settings.

💡

On devices with MIUI Global Stable, some wallpaper features are blocked. If none of the methods work, consider switching to MIUI EU (unofficial firmware) - there are no regional restrictions.

FAQ: Frequent questions about replaceable wallpaper on Xiaomi