Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often aim to personalize their device by making it unique. One of the most spectacular features is the ability to set up live wallpapers that move when you turn on the screen or touch. It's not just a decoration, it's a way to stand out and add speakers to the MIUI or HyperOS interface.
However, the installation process can raise questions for beginners, as standard system settings offer a limited selection of static images. To access animated backgrounds, you need to know a few secrets of the built-in Themes app or use special tools. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods, from official methods to advanced settings through the gallery.
It's important to understand that using video wallpapers can consume more power than a static picture. However, modern Snapdragon and MediaTek processors can easily do this without any noticeable impact on performance. Let's look at how to adjust the animations to make them pleasing to the eye rather than draining the battery.
Use of the official annex Topic
The easiest and safest way to change the design is to use the built-in Themes app. This is where Xiaomi developers have assembled a huge database of free and paid content, including animated backgrounds. You don't have to search for files on the Internet if you're happy with the official store's range.
To get started, open the app and go to the Profile tab (the person icon at the bottom right) and look for Wallpaper. Unlike older firmware versions, now animated wallpaper is often categorized or marked with a special icon. Choose your favorite option and click Download.
⚠️ Note: Some items in the official store may be paid or require a subscription.Always check the price before downloading to avoid accidental charge-offs.
After downloading, click Apply. The system will tell you to choose where to install the wallpaper: on the lock screen, on the desktop or on both screens at once. For maximum effect, you better choose the option “Both”, but if your goal is to surprise friends when calling or unlocking, select the appropriate item.
Installation of video from the Gallery on the lock screen
If you already have a favorite video or GIF you want to see when you turn on your phone, MIUI allows you to use it directly, which is especially useful when you download a video from social networks or shoot it yourself, but there is a technical limitation: the system works with MP4 format.
Open the standard Gallery app and find the video you want. Click on the "More" button (three dots) and select "Set as Wallpaper" option. If the video is too long or has the wrong resolution, the system will suggest cropping it or selecting a specific snippet for up to 15 seconds.
In the settings menu that opens, you'll see a switch that allows you to select the type of wallpaper. Make sure you select the Lock Screen, as by default the system can only offer desktop installation. Once confirmed, the video will be converted to a special live wallpaper format.
- 🎬 Permits are maintained until 1080p for optimal performance.
- ⏱️ Video duration is limited to 15 seconds in the playback cycle.
- 🔋 Video wallpaper can consume more battery power in standby mode.
It is worth noting that not all Redmi models support the installation of arbitrary video from the gallery without third-party utilities. On some devices, this feature is hidden or only available for videos downloaded through the official theme store.
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If the system does not allow you to install video from the gallery, try pre-encoding it to MP4 with a bitrate of no more than 4 Mbit / s for better compatibility.
Third-party applications for creating live wallpaper
When standard features are lacking, Google Play Market apps come to the rescue, and the leader in this niche is Video Live Wallpaper, which allows you to assign any video file to the background of the system, a one-stop solution for those who want complete control over the source of the image.
Once you install the app, launch it and press the video file selection button, you can select a video from your phone's memory or use the built-in search. Once you select the video, an editor will open where you can adjust the volume (usually better removed), quality and crop area.
An important step is to set the playback settings. In the app menu, look for the Settings section and make sure that the Play sound option (if you need sound) or Mute (for silence) is enabled, and you can set the playback cycle once or permanently.
⚠️ Note: Third-party launchers and wallpaper applications can be stopped by the power saving system. Add the app to the exceptions ("No restrictions") in the battery settings.
After setting up, press the installation button. Android will ask for confirmation to use this app as a live wallpaper. Agree, and the selected video will take its place on the lock screen of your Redmi.
☑️ Check before installing a third-party application
Set up parameters and performance
Using dynamic content on the lock screen is not only beautiful, but also resource-intensive. To keep Xiaomi smartphone running consistently, it is important to adjust the playback settings correctly, especially with respect to resolution and frame rate.
Too high a resolution video (for example, 4K) on a screen with a diagonal of 6 inches can be excessive. the system will waste the resources of the processor to scale or decode heavy data stream. The optimal choice is considered to be a resolution of 1080x2400 (FullHD+) for modern models.
The most optimized for mobile devices is the H.264 codec in an MP4 container. Formats like HEVC (H.265) can be of smaller quality, but not all Redmi processors can hardware decode them as wallpaper without jerks.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | 1080 x 2400 | Medium (quality balance) |
| Bitreit | 2-4 Mbps | Low (battery savings) |
| Format | MP4 (H.264) | Minimum CPU loading |
| Duration | 10-15 sec. | Optimal for the cycle |
If you notice the phone is starting to heat up or discharge faster, try lowering the bitrate of the video or replacing the complex animated background with a more static one: Live wallpaper doesn't play back while the screen is off or if the phone is lying down screen, which helps save energy.
Solution: Wallpapers are not working or being dropped
MIUI users often face a situation where, after a phone reboot, live wallpaper is blown off and replaced with a standard static image, due to an aggressive memory cleanup policy built into Xiaomi's shells.
To fix this, you need to manually configure permissions. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the app you used to put wallpaper through (like Themes or Video Live Wallpaper). Go to AutoStart and turn it on.
Next, in the same menu, look for "Saving Charge" (or "Battery") and select "No Limits" option, which will prevent the system from forcibly closing the application. Without these actions, it is impossible to stable the live wallpaper on the lock screen.
- 🔄 Check for updates to the Themes app via the Mi Store.
- 🔒 Make sure that the Security app doesn’t have hard memory limits.
- 📱 On some models, you need to include “Advanced Optimization” in the menu for developers.
Another reason for resetting can be a crowded theme cache: Try clearing the theme app cache through the storage settings and re-applying the wallpaper, often solving the problem of "flying" settings.
Secrets of the Developer's Menu
Where to Find Quality Content for Redmi
Searching for quality content is half the success. The official theme store is good, but often contains advertising or paid content. You should consult specialized resources to find free and unique video wallpapers.
A popular source is the 4PDA and XDA Developers forums, where the branches dedicated to specific Redmi Note or Xiaomi Mi models share links to adapted wallpaper packages, and Telegram channels dedicated to customizing MIUI are also worth paying attention to.
When downloading files from unverified sources, be careful:.mtz files are archives of topics and may contain malicious code if they are from an unreliable author. Always check the author rating of the topic in the official store.
⚠️ Warning: Do not download files with the extension.apk from dubious sites promising "secret live wallpaper" This can lead to infection of the device with an ad virus.
Stock video sites (Pexels, Pixabay) are great for finding video fragments, where content is distributed for free. Download your favorite vertical video, crop it in the editor and install it through the gallery, as described above.
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The best source of safe and optimized wallpaper is the official Theme Store, but for uniqueness, you can use stock videos from proven resources.