Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the desire to personalize their device beyond standard static images. Dynamic animations, videophones and interactive elements can turn a lock screen into a living organism that responds to touch or just pleases the eye with movement. In the MIUI ecosystem and the new HyperOS, this process has its own features that distinguish it from pure Android.
Installing live wallpaper isn't just about changing a picture, it's about embedding a full widget or video file into the system, which can make a big difference to the autonomy of a device if you don't set the settings right. In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can do it, from built-in tools to third-party apps that can get around the limitations of regional firmware versions.
It’s worth noting that the settings interface may vary slightly depending on the shell version, but the basic principles of working with the theme remain unchanged for most models, whether it’s the flagship Xiaomi 14 or the budget Redmi Note.
Use of the built-in Mi Themes app
The most reliable and optimized way to revive the lock screen is to use the official theme store.Themes app (or Mi Themes) is pre-installed on all devices of the brand and contains a huge catalog of content tested for compatibility.
To get started, you need to open the app and go to the bottom tab "Profile" or "Mys." Here you should find the section "Wallpaper" or "lock screen." At the top of the screen, there is often a category switch where you want to select "Animated" or "Video" and the system will automatically filter the content, leaving only dynamic options.
Once you have selected your favorite option, click Download and then Apply. It is important to understand that some themes may be paid or require a Mi Premium subscription, but there is also plenty of free content, especially if you change the region in the app settings.
⚠️ Note: When you install themes from third-party regions (e.g. India or Indonesia) to access more free live wallpaper, old themes may fly off. Before changing region, save important themes if they are not synced with your account.
Setting up live wallpaper through the Gallery
The standard MIUI gallery features a customized wallpaper set of videos from a personal collection, which is a great option for those who want to see a specific video downloaded from the Internet or shot on their own screen.
Open the Gallery app and select the video you want. Click on the More button (three dots) or swipe up to open the optional menu. In the option list, find "Install as wallpaper" or "Install as lock screen." The system will prompt you to select the frame area if the video format does not match the screen resolution.
Once the video is selected, it will be processed and applied. But there's a caveat: not all video formats are natively supported. Most often, the system works with.mp4 and.webp formats. If the video is not installed, it may be too high bitrate or codec is not supported by the system decoder.
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For best quality and compatibility, convert the video to your screen resolution (e.g. 1080x2400) and use the H.264 codec before installing through the gallery.
Application of third-party applications from Google Play
If built-in tools are not enough, Google Play offers a variety of customized applications, led by the Wallpaper Engine, Video Live Wallpaper, and IntoLive, which provide more flexible playback settings.
The way these applications work is to create a layer on top of the system, and after you install the application and select the video file, it asks permission to display on top of the other windows, which is necessary for the animation to work properly on the lock screen.
In the settings of the selected application, be sure to activate the option “Start when the screen is turned on” or similar. Without this, live wallpaper can only be displayed on the desktop, but not on the lock screen, since Android limits background activity to save energy.
- 🎨 Wallpaper Engine: Requires you to buy an app on your PC for sync, but provides thousands of high-quality scenes.
- 🎥 Video Live Wallpaper: a completely free solution with a simple interface for installing any video files.
- 🖼️ IntoLive: specializes in creating live wallpapers from ordinary photos and short video fragments.
☑️ Checklist before installing a third-party application
Working with animated WebP and GIF images
Animated images deserve special attention. The GIF format is familiar to many, but it often has color and weight restrictions. The WebP format developed by Google provides better quality with a smaller file size, which is critical for mobile devices.
To install this image, search the network for a file with the extension.webp or.gif. Download it to the device. Next, the algorithm is similar to installing a video: open the file through a gallery or file manager, select "Install as wallpaper".
Some live WebP wallpapers are interactive. They can respond to a phone's tilt (gyroscope) or touch. These features often require a plugin or theme that contains a rendering engine for these effects.
| Parameter | Video (MP4) | Animation (WebP) | Super wallpaper. |
|---|---|---|---|
| File size | Large (5-50 MB) | Medium (1-5 MB) | Very large (50+MB) |
| Impact on the battery | High. | Average. | Very high. |
| Interactivity | No (cycle) | Partially. | Complete. |
| Complexity of installation | Low. | Low. | Tall. |
Super Wallpapers and their installation
A special category of live wallpapers is Super Wallpapers, which are complex three-dimensional scenes (like the planets Earth or Mars) that seamlessly transition from the lock screen to the desktop when unlocked, and were originally only available on flagships, but now they can be installed on many models.
To install super wallpaper on unsupported devices, you often need to download a special one. APK-You can file a SuperWallpaper component or install a theme that mimics their work. Once you install the component, a new category will appear in the wallpaper selection menu.
Choose the desired planet or scene. The system will warn you of high resource consumption. Confirm the action. Now, when you press the power button or touch the screen, you will see detailed information. 3D-A model that scales when you enter a password.
Where to find the official super wallpaper?
Optimization and Impact on Autonomy
The use of dynamic content inevitably leads to increased battery consumption: the processor and graphics accelerator are forced to constantly process the video stream or animation, even when the phone is in your pocket (unless a shutdown is configured).
To minimize the damage to autonomy, in the live wallpaper settings (especially in third-party apps), find the option “Stop video when the screen is off” or “Do not use when saving energy” to save a beautiful visual, but turn off animation when the battery charge drops below 15-20%.
Also, consider the load on RAM. If the device has a lot of heavy widgets and live wallpaper, the system can more often unload background applications, which will lead to more frequent download of content when returning to programs.
⚠️ Note: Do not install high-resolution live wallpaper (4K) on devices with a RAM capacity of less than 4 GB. This can cause noticeable delays (lags) when unlocking the smartphone and operating the interface.
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Balance between beauty and performance: For daily use on mid-budget smartphones, optimised WebP animations are better than heavy 60 FPS video backgrounds.