Blackout wallpaper on Xiaomi: causes and 5 ways to fix the problem

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi smartphone suddenly dimmed, lost its brightness or began to look like they are superimposed on a gray veil? This problem occurs on devices with a shell MIUI different versions — from Redmi Note 10 to flagship Xiaomi 13 Pro. Most often, the blackout is not due to physical breakage of the screen, but with software settings or features of energy saving.

In this article, we will analyze all possible causes of wallpaper darkening - from the banal inclusion of the reading mode to the hidden color reproduction parameters in the engineering menu. You will learn how to return the wallpaper to its original juiciness in 2 minutes (if the software is to blame) and when to contact the service center (if the problem is in the matrix). MIUI 14 Many users complain about the gray tint of the desktop and how to fix it without resetting the settings.

Why Xiaomi is darkening wallpaper: 7 main reasons

Before we start to correct, it is important to understand what caused the loss of brightness.

• 🔦 Reading Mode or Vision Protection – automatically switches on as scheduled and adds a yellowish-gray filter.
• 🌓 Adaptive brightness - in low light conditions MIUI forcefully reduces contrast.
• 🎨 Color profile settings - in MIUI There is a hidden option “Wallpaper saturation” that is reset after updates.
• 🔋 Ultra-low power consumption mode - limits the operation of the graphics processor, which affects the rendering of wallpaper.
• 📱 Firmware problems - bugs in MIUI 13/14 It can lead to failures in the processing of graphics.
• 🛠️ Damage to the matrix or plume – if the dimming is local (for example, only at the top of the screen).
• 🖼️ Incorrect resolution of wallpaper – if the picture is stretched or compressed, the colors may be distorted.

In our experience, the first four are 90% to blame, which can be fixed without a phone being disassembled, and the remaining 10% is due to hardware malfunctions or critical damage to system files (for example, after a failed rooting).

Method 1: Disabling reading and vision protection

The most common reason is the activated Vision Protection mode (aka Read Mode or Night Light), which not only adds yellowness, but also artificially reduces contrast, making the wallpaper look faded.

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Find the badge. 🌙 "Eye protection" (or "Read Mode"). If it's illuminated, tap it to turn it off.
3. If there is no icon, go to Settings → Display → Vision Protection and deactivate the slider.

Pay attention to the schedule in the vision protection settings. Sometimes the mode is automatically turned on from 21:00 to 7:00, and the user forgets about it. Turn off the "Automatically Enable" option or reconfigure the time.

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If the wallpaper is still dim after turning off the vision protection, try manually increasing the brightness of the screen to the maximum - sometimes MIUI resets this parameter along with the color profile.

Method 2: Reset adaptive brightness and color profile

MIUI uses adaptive brightness algorithms that adjust not only the backlight of the screen, but also the contrast of the wallpaper. If the light sensor is not working correctly (for example, due to dust in the connector), the system may mistakenly assume that you are in a dark room, and force the "mut" colors to reset these settings:

If this doesn’t work, try resetting your color profile:

1. Open the Settings → Display → Color mode.
2. Choose Standard (not "saturated" or "gentle").
3. Go back and tap on the additional settings of the display → wallpaper saturation.
4. Move the slider to 100% (if you have one in your version of MIUI).

On some models (such as the Xiaomi 12T or Redmi K50), the wallpaper saturation item is hidden.

Enter the code ##6484## → select Display test → Saturation

Method 3: Disconnecting the energy saving mode

MIUI has two levels of energy saving, conventional and ultra-low, which aggressively restricts GPU performance, which can distort wallpaper colors (especially if they are animated or in high resolution).

• 🔋 Open the Settings. → Battery. → Energy saving regime.
• 🚫 Make sure you choose the “High Performance” or at least “Balanced” mode".
• ⚡ If the "Ultra Low" mode is turned on, turn it off and restart the phone.

On POCO F3 and other devices with Snapdragon processor, there is an additional setting Settings → Additional → Performance Optimization. Make sure that the “Background Limitation” option is not activated there – it can also affect graphics rendering.

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Ultra-low energy saving mode not only darkens wallpaper, but also turns off animations, reduces the frequency of screen refreshes and limits the operation of background applications.

Method 4: Checking and Replacing Wallpaper

Sometimes the problem isn't with the phone settings, it's with the wallpaper itself.

To check if the wallpaper is to blame, temporarily install standard wallpaper from MIUI:

1. Press and hold the empty area on the main screen.
2. Put it on the wallpaper.
3. Select the "MIUI" section and apply any standard picture.

If the problem with standard wallpapers is gone, then it is your previous image that is to blame. Try downloading wallpapers from trusted sources (for example, WallpapersCraft or Backiee) and make sure that they match the resolution of your screen.

Method 5: Reset display settings and update MIUI

If none of the previous methods worked, the problem may lie in the failure of the system files responsible for processing graphics.

1. Reset Display settings: Go to Settings → System → Reset. Select "Display Settings Reset" (not to be confused with a full reset!). Confirm the action and restart the phone.

MIUI Update

• Open Settings → About the phone → System update.
• If a new version is available, install it.
• After the update, reset the display settings again.

If the problem has occurred after the MIUI update, try to roll back to the previous version via Fastboot or MIUI bootloader. Instructions for rollback are available on the official forum Xiaomi Community (section "MIUI ROM").

When the wallpaper is darkened - a sign of a screen breakage

If you've tried all the software methods, but the wallpaper still looks gray or divorced, the problem may be hardware.

• 🔍 Local dimming (for example, only at the top or bottom of the screen).
• 🖥️ When watching a video or photo in the gallery, the blackout disappears - this indicates damage to the layer responsible for wallpaper.
• 💥 On the screen you can see divorces, spots or stripes even on a white background.
• 🔌 Darkening appears after a phone drop or moisture hits.

In these cases, the issue is:

• 🛠️ Matrix damage (replacement of screen required).
• 🔌 oxidation of the plume (cleaned or replaced).
• 🔋 Failures of the lighting controller (repair at the level of the chips).

The cost of repair depends on the model:

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Before repairing, check your phone for hidden damage: connect it to your computer and run a screen test through the Dead Pixel Buddy or Screen Test program from Google Play.

FAQ: Frequent questions about wallpaper blackout on Xiaomi