Animated wallpaper from GIF-The files transform Xiaomi's screen, adding dynamics and personality. MIUI This does not always allow you to download the GIF directly as a background – it requires workarounds or third-party utilities. In this article, we will analyze 5 proven methods, including official features and alternative solutions for models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
It's important to understand that not all methods are equally stable. For example, live wallpaper through MIUI Themes can eat up to 15% of the battery per hour when used actively, and third-party launchers sometimes conflict with the system's gestures. We tested each method on MIUI 13.0.6 and MIUI 14.0.3, the results are summarized in the comparison table below.
1.The official way: live wallpaper through "Themes"
The safest method is to use built-in animated themes. Xiaomi regularly adds new collections to the Themes store, which also has gif-like wallpaper.
- 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
- 🔍 In the search box, enter “live wallpaper” or “animated wallpaper».
- 🎨 Choose your favorite theme and click Apply → Install lock/home on the screen.
- ⚙️ In the theme settings, you can adjust the animation speed (if supported).
⚠️ Attention: Official live wallpapers only work on the lock screen. For desktop, they are converted to a static image (the first frame of animation). To circumvent this restriction, read the next section.
Among the popular topics with the GIF effect:
- Ocean waves – smooth animation of water (supports color tuning).
- The “space sky” is a star and nebula with a paralax effect.
- Digital rain is a retro style with falling symbols (reminiscent of Matrix).
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If there are no suitable wallpapers in the theme store, try changing the region in the Mi Account to India or Russia - there collections are updated more often.
2. Convert GIFs to live wallpaper via Video Wallpaper
This method allows you to use any GIF-The file is animated wallpaper on both screens, and you'll need a free Video Wallpaper app (available on Google Play:
- 📲 Download and install Video Wallpaper.
- 🖼️ Move yours. GIF-file DCIM/VideoWallpaper (The application will automatically create it).
- 🎬 Open the app, select your file and click Set as Wallpaper.
- 🔄 In the settings, specify: 🔄 Loop Mode - On (Linking). 🎵 Audio - Off (Switch off the sound). 🔋 Battery Optimization – Medium (Balance Between Quality and Energy).
⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 the app may not appear in the wallpaper list:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Video Wallpaper.
- Press Permissions and enable Display on top of other windows.
- Reboot your smartphone.
How to return the standard MIUI launcher?
4. Manual addition via ADB (for advanced)
This method is suitable for users with unlocked bootloader and access to ADB. It allows manual integration of GIFs into system wallpaper, but requires caution.
Steps:
- 🔧 Install Platform Tools on PC.
- 📱 Turn on Debugging. USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → Press 7 times; then additionally → For developers).
- 🖥️ Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell pm grant android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS settings put global wallpaper_effect_enabled 1
- 🖼️ Place it. GIF-file /sdcard/Pictures/Wallpapers/ name-name live_wallpaper.gif.
- 🔄 Reset the device.
⚠️ Attention: Wrong commands ADB You can reset your settings or lose your data. Before experimenting, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
| Method | Support for MIUI | Lock screen | Desktop | Battery consumption |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official themes | 12-14 | ✅ | ❌ (static) | Low. |
| Video Wallpaper | 12-14 | ✅ | ✅ | Medium. |
| Third-party launchers | Anybody. | ❌ | ✅ | High-pitched |
| ADB (manual) | 12-14* | ✅ | ✅ | Low. |
| KLWP (prof) | 12-14 | ✅ | ✅ | Very tall. |
* Requires a root or unlocked boot loader.
5. Advanced customization with KLWP (for enthusiasts)
Kustom Live Wallpaper Maker (KLWP) is a tool for creating fully customizable animated wallpapers that allows you to integrate GIFs, add widgets, and even tie animations to smartphone data (such as battery level).
How to set up:
- 📲 Install. KLWP and KLWP Live Wallpaper.
- 🎨 Import a template with support GIF (for example, GIF Animator from the Kustom community).
- 🖼️ Download yours. GIF into KLWP → Media → Import.
- 🔧 Set up the layers and animations through the editor (it takes time to master).
- 📱 Apply wallpaper through Settings → Wallpaper. → Live wallpaper.
KLWP can reduce performance on smartphones with a processor weaker than the Snapdragon 730 (such as the Redmi 9 or POCO M3). On the Xiaomi 12 Pro with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, delays are minimal, but battery consumption reaches 20% per hour when used actively.
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KLWP is the most flexible tool, but it takes time to set up, and is ideal for users who want unique wallpapers with interactive elements (weather, time, notifications).
Optimizing GIFs for Wallpaper: 5 Rules
Not every GIF is suitable for wallpaper. To make the animation work smoothly and not drain the battery in half an hour, follow these recommendations:
- 📏 Resolution: Scale to screen size (e.g, 1080×2400 For the Redmi Note 11). Use it. EZGIF.
- ⚡ FPS: Limit to 24-30 staff/sec. High-level FPS (>60) slug.
- 🎨 Color palette: Convert to Indexed Color (up to 256 colors) to reduce file size.
- ⏱️ Duration: Optimal 3-10 Long GIFs are cyclically reproduced with pauses.
- 📁 Format: Video Wallpaper is better converted to MP4 (via FFmpeg or HandBrake).
Example of a command for converting GIF to MP4 (for Video Wallpaper):
ffmpeg -i input.gif -vf "scale=1080:2400:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:2400:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -r 24 -b:v 1M output.mp4Frequent problems and solutions
Even after you set it up properly, you can have bugs, and here are the most common ways to fix them:
- 🔄 Animation slows down: Reduce resolution GIF before 720p. Turn off the transition animation in the developer settings. Check the CPU load in Settings. → Status of the system.
- 🔋 Fast battery drain: In Nova Launcher, turn off App animation. In Video Wallpaper, install Battery Mode → Low.Add the wallpaper app to Battery Optimization (Settings) → Battery).
- ❌ The wallpaper is reset after reset: For KLWP: In the settings, enable Auto-apply on boot. ADB-Re-execute the command settings put global wallpaper_effect_enabled 1.
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If the GIF is displayed with artifacts (strips, ripples), try converting it to APNG via APNG.Photos – this format is better supported on MIUI 14.