How to install several photos on the lock screen Xiaomi: instructions for MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi’s lock screen is the first thing you see when you turn on your smartphone, and many users want to make it unique. The standard settings of MIUI and HyperOS allow you to set only one static image, but few people know that there are several ways to add slideshows from photos or cyclical wallpapers. This feature is especially useful if you want to see different moments from life on the lock screen – family photos, travel landscapes or motivational pictures.

In this article, we will discuss three working methods that will work for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models based on MIUI 12/13/14 and the new HyperOS. Some methods require only standard system tools, others – installing third-party applications. We will also explain how to avoid common mistakes, for example, why photos can be displayed in low resolution or why the slideshow works unstablely.

Before you start, make sure that your device has the latest firmware version installed. Some features may not be available on older versions of MIUI (before MIUI 12.5). If you use custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), some of the instructions may not work, in which case, refer to the sections on alternative applications.

1. Built-in Lock Screen Album feature in MIUI/HyperOS

The easiest way to add a few photos to the lock screen is to use the built-in Lock Screen Album tool, which is available on most Xiaomi devices starting with MIUI 12.5 and works without installing additional apps, the main advantage of which is full integration with the system, which guarantees stable operation and minimal battery consumption.

To activate the album, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Open the Settings app and go to Lock Screen (or Wallpaper → Lock screen on some models).
• 🖼️ Select the Lock screen Album option (may be called Slideshow or Dynamic Wallpaper).
• ➕ Click Add photos and select images from the gallery. You can add up to 50 photos (restriction depends on the model).
• ⚙️ Set up the photo swap interval (from 10 seconds to 1 hour) and transition effects (e.g., smooth dimming or scrolling).
• 🔒 Save the changes and unlock the screen to check the result.

If the lock screen album option is missing from the settings, it could mean one of two things:

1. Your firmware is outdated – upgrade Xiaomi to the latest version of MIUI/HyperOS via Settings → About Phone → System Update.
2. The manufacturer has disabled the feature for your model (often found on budget Redmi or POCO) in which case move on to the next method.

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To make sure that the photos in the album are clearly displayed, use images with a resolution of at least 1080×2340 pixels (for Full HD+ displays). The system will automatically crop the images to the screen size, but low-quality shots may look blurry.

2.Use of the Google Photos app for dynamic wallpaper

If the built-in feature is missing or is not stable, you can use the Google Photos app, which allows you to create dynamic wallpapers from selected albums that will automatically update on the lock screen, this method is universal and works on any Xiaomi devices, including those where MIUI is heavily stripped (for example, on the POCO M-series).

Instructions for setting:

1. 📲 Install or update Google Photos from Play Market.
2. 📷 Create a new album in the app and add the photos you want to see on the lock screen.
3. 🔧 Go to Settings → Wallpaper (or Themes on some firmware) and select Dynamic Wallpaper.
4. 🌄 In the source list, search for Google Photos and select the album you created. Set the rate of change of images (from every time you unlock to once a day).
5. 🔄 Apply the wallpaper and check the result. If the photos are not displayed correctly, try changing the cropping settings in Google Photos.

Advantages of this method:

• ✅ It works on all versions. MIUI HyperOS.
• ✅ You can use photos from cloud storage (does not take up the device’s memory).
• ✅ Automatically update albums (for example, you can configure the display of the latest photos from trips).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Requires an additional app to be installed (although Google Photos is pre-installed on many models).
• ❌ Some firmware may conflict with system wallpaper, leading to accidental crashes.

3. Third-party slideshow apps on the lock screen

If the first two methods do not work (for example, due to outdated firmware or manufacturer restrictions), you can use third-party applications.

• 🎨 Wallpaper Changer – allows you to create slideshows from local or cloud photos with flexible shift settings.
• 🔄 Muzei Live Wallpaper supports dynamic wallpaper with automatic updates from a variety of sources (including Flickr, Reddit and local folders).
• 🖼️ Zedge offers not only a slideshow, but also a huge library of wallpaper optimized for the lock screen.

Let’s look at the Wallpaper Changer:

1. 📥 Install an application from the Play Market.
2. 📂 Select a photo folder or create a new album right in the app.
3. ⏱️ Set the wallpaper change interval (15-30 minutes is recommended to save battery).
4. 🔒 In the application settings, enable the option to Apply to the lock screen.
5. 🛠️ If necessary, turn off battery optimization for Wallpaper Changer in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Battery optimization.

Important: Some dynamic wallpaper applications may conflict with MIUI, especially if the Privacy Protection feature is enabled in the lock screen settings, in which case disable it or add the app to the exception list.

Install the app from the official store (not APK)

Provide access to storage and photos

Disable battery optimization for the app

Check compatibility with your version of MIUI/HyperOS

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4 Manual wallpaper change via ADB (for advanced users)

This method is suitable for those who are ready to work with the Android debugging bridge (ADB), it allows you to manually write a path to the folder with photos that will be displayed on the lock screen, the advantage is complete control over the process, the disadvantage requires technical skills and can lead to failures if used improperly.

Step-by-step:

1. 🖥️ Install. ADB Fastboot Tools on the computer.
2. 📱 Enable Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI and press 7 times. Then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers and activate Debugging on USB.
3. 🔌 Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: Adb devices Make sure the device is identified.
4. 📂 Create a photo folder on your phone (e.g., /storage/emulated/0/LockscreenWallpapers/) and put images there.
5. 🔧 Run the command to install the folder as the wallpaper source: adb shell settings put global lock_screen_wallpaper_slideshow_folder /storage/emulated/0/LockscreenWallpapers/
6. ⏳ Reboot the device. Once you turn on the photos from the folder, they should start cycling on the lock screen.

This method does not work on all firmware, as Xiaomi can block changes to system settings through ADB. If the command does not work, try an alternative option:

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.SET_WALLPAPER

This will open the system menu of wallpaper selection, where you can manually specify the folder with photos.

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Using ADB can cause a lock screen to crash if you incorrectly specify the path to the folder or use incompatible images.

5.Why are the photos on the lock screen not displayed correctly?

Even after successfully setting up a slideshow, users often face problems: photos are cropped, lose quality or are not displayed in full size.

If the problem persists, try the following:

• 🔄 Reboot the device — sometimes it helps to reset the wallpaper cache.
• 📁 Check if the photo folder is hidden (e.g., in MIUI, the folder with the dot at the beginning of the name is considered hidden).
• 🔧 Update the firmware — newer versions MIUI/HyperOS often fix wallpaper display bugs.

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To avoid cropping photos, use online services to customize images to your screen resolution, such as iLoveIMG or Canva.

6. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

Each of these methods has its pros and cons, and to make it easier to choose, we have compiled a comparative table:

Selection recommendations:

• 📱 If you have a new firmware (MIUI 14/HyperOS) use the built-in album.
• 🌐 If you want cloud sync, go to Google Photos.
• 🛠️ If you’re ready to experiment, try third-party apps or ADB.

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On HyperOS devices, the built-in lock screen album is more stable than on MIUI, thanks to the optimization of the background battery consumption.

7. Security and confidentiality

It's convenient to add personal photos to the lock screen, but it's important to keep privacy in mind. If your smartphone falls into the wrong hands, the photos will be available without unlocking, to minimize the risks:

• 🔐 Use a pattern lock or fingerprint to unlock.
• 🚫 Do not add photos with confidential information to the lock screen (documents, screenshots of correspondence, etc.).
• 🔒 In settings MIUI/HyperOS, turn off the notification display on the lock screen (Settings → Notifications → Lock screen).
• 📁 Store the original photos in a protected folder (e.g., in Google Photos with the Secure folder enabled).

Also, check the Smart Lock settings (if enabled), which can automatically unlock the device in trusted locations (such as at home), which reduces the level of protection, to check the settings:

1. Go to Settings → Security → Smart Lock.
2. Make sure that the Trusted Devices and Trusted Places options do not reduce security.

FAQ: Frequent questions

Now you know all the ways to add multiple photos to the lock screen Xiaomi. If none of the methods worked, check the compatibility of your model with the chosen method or contact Xiaomi for clarification of the available features. Remember to regularly update the firmware - new versions of MIUI and HyperOS often have additional customization features.