Visual interface updates are the first thing that users notice after installing the new MIUI 12 shell. Xiaomi has taken a huge step forward with the introduction of Super Wallpapers technology, which turns the lock screen into a dynamic space with smooth animations when unlocked. However, many smartphone owners do not know how to activate these features or where to find hidden settings for setting their own video backgrounds.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can personalize your desktop, how to access a full catalog of wallpapers, even if your smartphone was purchased in a region other than China, how to install wallpapers from third-party sources and optimize your system for heavy graphics.
High-quality graphics require resources, so it’s important to understand how to balance the beauty of the interface and battery life. We’ll analyze the technicalities of rendering animations on Snapdragon and MediaTek processors so you can customize the device as efficiently as possible.
Super Wallpapers in MIUI 12
Super Wallpapers is not just a set of static images, but full-fledged three-dimensional scenes. Unlike standard live wallpapers of the past, which were often simple cyclical animations, the new system responds to the user's actions. When you press the power button or touch the screen, a smooth zoom from the globe of the planet to its surface occurs.
These effects are powered by an engine that renders real-time graphics, which means that the image is not a pre-recorded video file, but is computed by a processor and graphics accelerator on the fly, which is why older smartphone models can run less smoothly or consume more power.
⚠️ Warning: Using Super Wallpapers on devices with less than 4GB of RAM can lead to noticeable interface delays and accelerated battery discharge.
MIUI 12 offers multiple planets, Earth, Mars and Saturn, each with a unique texture and atmosphere, and users often wonder why only one option is available on their device, due to regional firmware limitations that are easily circumvented by software methods.
Activation of a full set of planets through region settings
The easiest way to unlock all available live wallpaper without installing third-party software is to change the regional settings of the smartphone. The logic of the MIUI shell is that the content part of the system is customized to the selected region. The Chinese version of the firmware contains the most complete set of graphic elements.
To do this, you don't need root rights or access to debugging via USB, just go to the settings menu and change a few settings, and after changing the region, the list of available wallpapers in the standard Themes app will be updated automatically.
☑️ Checking before changing the region
It is important to note that changing the region can affect the performance of some system applications, such as news feed or voice assistant, but for the background setting function, this action is safe and reversible at any time.
- 📍 Open the Settings app on the main screen.
- 📍 Go to the Additional Settings section (or Advanced Settings).
- 📍 Select Region and set the value "China».
- 📍 Wait for the interface to reboot and check the wallpaper gallery.
After doing this, additional planet variations should appear in the standard background selection menu, and if that doesn't happen, your version of the shell may be too trimmed and more advanced techniques will be needed.
Installation of live wallpaper through the Topics app
The official MIUI Themes store is the primary source of content for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. The Live Wallpapers section features thousands of options created by both the company's designers and independent authors, some free, others requiring payment or subscription.
The application interface allows you to sort content by popularity and date of addition. To install, just click on your favorite option and select the "Apply" button. The system automatically downloads the necessary files and applies them to the lock screen and desktop.
Keep in mind that live wallpaper from the theme store can have different resolutions. On modern screens with refresh rates of 120 Hz and high resolution of 2400×1080 and above, low-quality videos can look blurry. Always pay attention to the full-size preview before downloading.
⚠️ Attention: When loading a large number of live wallpapers through the mobile network, traffic can quickly run out.
There's also a hidden section in the Themes app with test features, and to access it, you have to repeatedly click on the profile avatar in the top right corner, which will open up additional settings, where experimental animations sometimes appear.
Use of third-party applications for video wallpapers
If standard MIUI 12 isn't enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, and the leader in this niche is Video Live Wallpaper, which allows you to set any video file from your smartphone's memory as a background, giving you complete creative freedom.
The process of installing through third-party software is a little different from the system one: you'll first have to download the video in the desired format, and then point the path to it in the player app. Android creates a special layer on top of the desktop that plays the video stream.
But there are technical limitations to this method: video wallpapers running through a third-party player can conflict with MIUI navigation gestures or overlap with widgets, and battery optimization is less efficient in these cases.
- 📱 Download Video Live Wallpaper from Play Market.
- 📱 Upload a short video (up to 15 seconds) in vertical orientation.
- 📱 Launch the application and select a file from the gallery.
- 📱 Set up the zoom settings and click "Install».
💡
Use a video with a dark background and low bitrate to minimize battery consumption and avoid burnout AMOLED-screen.
For advanced users, there is also an ADB installation method that allows you to inject a video file deeper into the system, making it part of the system process, but that requires a computer and basic command line knowledge.
Comparison of installation methods and battery impact
The choice of how to install live wallpaper directly affects the autonomy of your Xiaomi.Native Super Wallpapers are optimized at the core level of the system, while third-party solutions work like regular applications in the background. The difference in power consumption can be significant.
The table below compares the main characteristics of the different types of live wallpaper available on MIUI 12, and this data will help you choose the best balance between visual and battery life.
| Wallpaper type | Battery consumption | CPU loading | Graphics quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Wallpapers (Native) | Medium. | High (in animation) | Maximum (3D) |
| Living wallpaper from Tham | Medium/High | Depends on optimization | Good (Video) |
| Third-party players | High-pitched | Continuous load | Depends on the file. |
| Static images | Minimum | Absent. | High. |
As you can see from the data, native MIUI wallpapers only consume power when they interact with the lock screen; when static, they don't load the processor very much; and third-party video wallpapers may require constant stream decoding, which keeps the processor active.
💡
For maximum autonomy, use static wallpapers or native Super Wallpapers by turning off animation in the battery settings.
If you notice that your smartphone is running out quickly after you install a new graphic, check the consumption statistics in the Battery section, and you can often see the process responsible for rendering your desktop at the top of the list.
Optimization and problem solving
Xiaomi users often face a situation where live wallpaper stops working or is reset to a static image after a reboot.This is due to the aggressive energy saving policy of the MIUI shell, which “kills” background processes to save charge.
To fix this, you have to manually configure permissions for system services, you have to prevent the system from restricting the application that controls the wallpaper, and without this step, you can't have any animations running smoothly.
List of system processes to be excluded from savings
There may also be problems with a lack of RAM, and if you have a lot of heavy applications open, the system will force the resource-intensive wallpaper to be unloaded, and it is recommended to regularly clean up memory or increase virtual RAM, if this feature is available in your model.
- 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
- 🔧 Find the Theme Manager and Wallpaper.
- 🔧 Go to Saving Charge and select No Limitations.
- 🔧 Enable auto-start for these components.
Another common problem is desynchronizing sound and video when using third-party live wallpaper, which is solved by updating codecs or choosing a video file with a different bitrate.