How to install changing (live) wallpaper on Xiaomi phone: 5 working ways

Static wallpaper on a smartphone screen is no longer trendy. Dynamic (live) wallpaper not only transforms the look of Xiaomi, but also adds interactivity: they respond to touch, change depending on the time of day or even synchronize with the weather. However, many users face problems with installation, from the lack of options in settings to fast battery discharge.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to install live wallpaper on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones (including models on MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS), learn how to circumvent system limitations, which applications are safe to use, and how to minimize the impact of animation on autonomy, focusing on the hidden features of the theme store and optimization for weak devices.

Before you start, check out your shell version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. New devices (such as Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13 Pro+) have HyperOS installed by default, where the live wallpaper installation algorithm differs from the classic MIUI.

1. Standard live wallpaper via MIUI/HyperOS settings

The easiest way is to use built-in shell tools. Xiaomi offers a limited set of dynamic wallpapers, but they are optimized for charge savings and work consistently even on budget models.

How to turn on:

1. Open the Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Select the Live Wallpaper tab (in HyperOS it can be called Dynamic).
3. View the available options (usually abstract animations, weather effects, or wallpaper with paralax effect).
4. Click "Apply" and choose where to display: on the lock, the home screen or both.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi) K60 Pro) Integrated live wallpaper can increase battery consumption by 5-12% due to constant pixel lighting. To reduce the load, activate the option Dark theme in the display settings.

Check out the MIUI/HyperOS version

Battery charge > 30%

Close the background applications

Turn off the power saving mode-->

HyperOS has a unique Super Wallpaper feature that transforms smoothly between the main screen and the lock screen, which takes up to 150 MB of storage, so make sure you have enough free space before installing.

2. Installation through the Xiaomi Theme Store

The official MIUI Themes store contains thousands of live wallpapers, including exclusive collections for fans of the brand, but not all of them are available for download, some of the content is blocked due to regional restrictions.

Step-by-step:

• 📱 Open the “Themes” app (icon with brush).
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter live wallpaper or live wallpaper.
• 🎨 Choose your favorite option and click “Download».
• 🔧 After download, click “Apply” and specify where to display animations.

⚠️ Note: Some of the themes from the store require a subscription MIUI Premium (cost - from 199) ₽/To avoid unexpected write-offs, check the Premium mark under the preview before downloading.

The algorithm is similar for HyperOS devices, but the interface of the store has become more minimalist, where live wallpaper is often combined in collections by topic (for example, “Space”, “Nature” or “Cyberpunk”).

3. Third-party applications for live wallpaper

If built-in options are not enough, you can use third-party apps from Google Play, and we tested the top solutions and identified the best in terms of quality and load on the system.

Top.-3 apps:

How to install live wallpaper through a third-party application:

1. Download and install the selected application from Google Play.
2. Select your favorite option and click “Install”.
3. The system will redirect you to the Settings menu → Wallpaper.
4. Confirm the application by selecting “Live Wallpaper” → the name of the application.

Critical information: Apps like Wallpapers Craft or Kappboom can conflict with MIUI optimization if the settings enable Ultra Battery Savings. Turn it off in Settings → Battery before installing.

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If the live wallpaper is slowing down after installation, try to reduce the animation frame rate in the application settings (usually the option is called “FPS Limit”). The optimal value for weak devices is 30 FPS.

4. Live wallpaper from video or GIF

You want a unique wallpaper? You can convert any video or GIF-This is a dynamic image. Live Wallpaper Maker or Video Live Wallpaper is a good fit.

Instructions for creating live wallpaper from the video:

• 🎥 Upload a video (up to 15 seconds) to the phone gallery.
• 🛠 Open Live Wallpaper Maker and select “Create from Video».
• ✂️ Cut the fragment (recommended duration - 5-10 seconds).
• 🔄 Set up the settings: Permission: 1080p (for FHD-Screen format: MP4 (less than GIF) Cyclicality: “Smooth transition»
• 📲 Apply wallpaper through the standard Settings menu → Wallpaper.

⚠️ Warning: Video wallpaper significantly increases battery consumption (up to 20-25% per hour when used actively) to reduce load:

1. Use video with a resolution not higher than 720p.
2. Turn off animation on the lock screen (leave only on the home screen).
3. Set the FPS limit at 24 frames/s.

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For devices with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (such as Xiaomi 13 Pro), video wallpaper has little to no effect on performance, but on weak chipsets (such as the Snapdragon 480 in Redmi 10) can cause lags.

5. Battery optimization when using live wallpaper

The main disadvantage of dynamic wallpaper is the increased power consumption, but there are ways to reduce the load without losing the visual effect.

5 working councils:

• 🔋 Turn off the live wallpaper on the lock screen (leave it only on the home screen).
• ⚡ In battery settings, add the wallpaper app to “Optimization Exceptions” (path: Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery).
• 🌙 Use the dark wallpaper on AMOLED-Displays – they save up to 30% of charge.
• ⏱ Set a timer to turn off animation (for example, in Kappboom there is an option “Pause at low charge»).
• 🔄 Regularly clean the app cache with wallpaper (in Settings) → Annexes).

For HyperOS devices, a new feature called Adaptive Animation has been introduced, which automatically reduces the frame rate of wallpaper when the battery is below 20%, to activate it:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Additional.
2. Find the option “Animation Optimization” and turn it on.

6. Solving the problems with live wallpaper on Xiaomi

Sometimes, once you've installed the wallpaper doesn't work, slows down, or disappears after you reboot it, and let's look at the typical errors and how to fix them.

Frequent problems and fixes:

If the wallpaper is gone after the MIUI/HyperOS update, try resetting the wallpaper settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find “Wallpaper” and click “Erase Data”.
3. Restart your phone and reset the wallpaper.

Important: On some devices (such as the POCO X3 Pro), after resetting the wallpaper settings, the Live Wallpaper tab may disappear from the menu, in which case only a full reset of the phone to the factory settings will help.

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Before resetting, back up your wallpaper via the Mi Mover app or manually copy files from the /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.wallpaper folder.

7. Alternatives to live wallpaper: paralax effect and widgets

If dynamic wallpaper is too much to plant the battery, but want a variety, consider alternative options:

• 🌌 Paralax effect: static wallpaper with the illusion of depth when tilting the phone (included in Settings) → Wallpaper. → Effects).
• 📊 Interactive widgets: for example, KWGT Allows you to create animated panels with weather, time and notifications.
• 🎨 Thematic icon packages: change the appearance of the interface without loading on the system (Nova Launcher applications) + Icon Pack Studio).

For HyperOS devices, Dynamic Icons are available, which change color depending on the wallpaper, to activate it:

1. Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
2. In the launcher settings, select “Adaptive Icons”.
3. Use wallpaper with a predominance of one color - the icons will adjust to them.

FAQ: Frequent questions about live wallpaper on Xiaomi