Smartphone personalization is not just a way to make a device look more beautiful, it’s also an opportunity to express your personality. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the need to change the standard image that meets them every time they turn on the screen. The MIUI shell and its new HyperOS analog provide a wide range of tools to do this, allowing you to install not only static pictures, but also complex animations.
The process of replacing a standard image can seem confusing due to the abundance of settings and partitions in the system. Many users are looking for a way to put a screensaver on the lock screen of Xiaomi, but stumble upon limitations or are not aware of hidden features. In this article, we will break down all the available methods, from classic to advanced, so that you can customize your gadget exactly the way you want.
It's important to understand that choosing the right image affects the readability of widgets and time. Too colorful backgrounds can interfere with the perception of information, so you should choose wallpapers based on the location of the interface elements. We will also touch on the topic of battery optimization when using live wallpaper.
Personalization of the interface starts with the main screen that the user sees most often. A properly selected image creates a mood for the whole day of use of the device. Below we will look at step-by-step algorithms for different versions of the software.
Standard Replacement Method through Gallery
The easiest and fastest way to change the background is to use an embedded image viewing app, which is universal for most models, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Mi and Xiaomi series, and you won’t need to access the Internet or install additional software if the image is already stored in the device’s memory.
To start, open the Gallery app and find the image you want, which could be your personal photo, a texture you downloaded from the Internet, or a screenshot. Click on the picture to open it on the full screen, and find the three-dot button or the "More" icon in the bottom menu. In the list that opens, select "Install as wallpaper."
The system will tell you to choose whether to apply the image to the lock screen, desktop or both. Choose the "lock screen" option. Then the system can suggest framing the image to fit perfectly into the proportion of your display. Move the frame or resize it until you achieve the desired result, and press "Done" or "Apply".
- 🖼️ Open the desired photo in the Gallery app
- ⚙️ Click on three dots in the menu and select "Install as wallpaper"
- 📱 Select the target screen (blocks or desktop)
- ✂️ Remove the image if necessary.
It's worth noting that when using this method, the image quality can be slightly compressed by the system for optimization. If you want to keep the maximum detail, it's better to use the source files in high resolution. Also remember that the resolution of the picture must match the resolution of the screen of your smartphone to avoid blurring.
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Use images with a resolution of at least 1080x2400 pixels so that on modern high-pixel density screens, the wallpaper looks clear and has no compression artifacts.
Use of the theme of design and store Topics
The official Xiaomi theme store is a powerful tool that is often underestimated, not just changing pictures, but installing entire design sets where the lock screensaver is part of a single style, especially for those who want to see unique widgets, watches or unlock animations on the lock screen.
To use this method, look for the Themes app on your desktop (usually an icon with an A or a brush) and at the bottom of the screen go to the Profile tab (a man's icon), and then select the Wallpaper section, and here you will find a huge library of images sorted by category: nature, abstraction, cars, celebrities and more.
Pick the image you like and click Download and then Apply, and the thing about this method is that many of the wallpapers in the theme store are live or interactive, and they can respond to touch or change depending on the time of day, but be careful: excessive use of complex graphics can increase battery consumption.
⚠️ Note: When installing themes from third-party sources or unofficial stores, the system may not work smoothly or advertising appears.
Inside the store, there is also a feature called "Create a Theme" that allows advanced users to create their own design sets, including lock screens. For the average user, just download the finished package. If you liked the whole theme but want to leave your old icons, select the "Apply only wallpaper" option when using the theme or the same one if it is available in the current version of MIUI.
Setting up the wallpaper carousel
A unique feature of the MIUI and HyperOS shell called Wallpaper Carousel (or older versions of Wallpaper Carousel) allows you to automatically change the images on the lock screen every time you wake up the device, which turns the lock screen into a dynamic news feed where pictures are combined with interesting facts, quotes or news.
To activate this feature, go to Settings -> Always On and Lock Screen. Find Wallpaper Carousel and turn it on. In this menu, you can adjust the refresh rate, select image categories (travel, art, nature) and even add your own photos from the gallery to the rotation.
The main advantage of the Carousel is the ability to interact with content. For example, swiping aside on the lock screen, you can read a brief help about the place in the photo, or see a quote of the day. This makes the unlocking process more informative. However, if you don't like the picture changing constantly, this feature can be easily disabled by returning a static image.
How to add your photos to the carousel?
It’s important to distinguish between “Wallpaper Carousel” and simply changing pictures through themes. The carousel is a system service that works even without an internet connection (if the images are uploaded in advance), whereas some themes require constant connection to work properly for animations.
Installation of video screensaver on the lock screen
Modern Xiaomi smartphones have screens with high refresh rates and rich colors OLED-Matrices, which is ideal for video wallpapers. Installing video as a screensaver is a spectacular way to revitalize the interface. However, unlike static pictures, this method requires more powerful hardware and can consume more energy.
With MIUI, installing random video from the gallery to the lock screen is often limited or requires the use of the Video Wallpaper feature, which may not be available in some regions, in which case specialized widget applications or the built-in Live Wallpaper functionality in the system settings come to the rescue. Go to Settings -> Wallpaper and select the category Video or Live.
If you want to install your own short video, you may need to convert it to a special format or use the Themes app. The Themes app often has a Video Wallpaper section where you can upload your clip. The process will take some time, as the system will process the video file to optimize playback.
| Type of screensaver | Impact on the battery | Memory requirements | Visual effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static photo | Minimum | Low (up to 5MB) | Standard. |
| Live wallpaper (animation) | Average. | Medium (10-30 MB) | High-pitched |
| Video screensaver | High. | High (50+MB) | Maximum |
| Wallpaper carousel | Low/Mediocre | Depends on the cache. | Dynamic. |
When using video screensavers, you should keep in mind that when unlocking the phone, the animation should smoothly move to the desktop so as not to create a “lag” feeling. Xiaomi’s system usually does this well, but on older models it is better to use short cyclical videos up to 10-15 seconds.
☑️ Checking before installing video wallpaper
Working with fonts and elements of the lock screen
The screensaver is not just the background, but also the way information is displayed. In MIUI and HyperOS, you can customize the style of the watch, the date and the widgets that are on top of your image separately. Often users change the picture, but forget that black font may not be visible against a dark background, or vice versa.
Go to Settings -> Wallpaper -> Lock screen settings (the path may vary slightly in different OS versions). Here you can change the style of the watch, choose a different font (if installed in the system), or change the color of the displayed text. Some themes allow you to completely change the location of the elements, but standard means you are limited in moving the clock.
You can also choose whether to display double-tapping to turn on the screen, whether to display notifications on the locked screen, and whether to hide the content of messages for privacy, these settings directly affect the perception of your screensaver.
If you have a dark screensaver, it makes sense to include a dark theme in the system so that the settings menu that comes out from above harmonize with the background. HyperOS has added more options for customizing the lock screen, allowing you to change even the shape of the weather widget or flashlight icon in some themes.
⚠️ Note: When installing third-party fonts from the store, make sure that they support the Cyrillic alphabet, otherwise instead of Russian letters on the lock screen you will see squares or characters.
Solving and eliminating errors
Sometimes users are faced with a situation when after installing a new image, it is not applied or displayed with errors, often due to a crowded cache of the Themes or Gallery application, in which case you need to clear the cache of these system applications through the memory management menu.
Another common problem is changing the proportions of the image. If you put a horizontal photo on a vertical screen, the system automatically trims the edges. To avoid losing important details, use the built-in editor to pre-crypt before installation. Also check if the Adaptive Wallpaper feature is enabled, which can dynamically scale.
In rare cases, after updating the firmware, wallpaper settings may get lost. If standard methods don't work, try resetting the Themes app to factory settings. To do this, go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps -> Find Themes -> Clear -> Reset. This won't delete your downloaded themes, but will return the menu settings to their original state.
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If the image is not installed, check the file format (preferably JPG or PNG) and make sure the device has enough free RAM to handle the graphics.
Remember that some corporate security policies or specific software versions for specific regions may limit the ability to change the lock screensaver, in which case the system may force the return of a standard image with the brand logo.