How to return the old screensaver to the Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where, after another update to the MIUI or HyperOS system, the device interface changes beyond recognition. Instead of the usual, time-tested design, the system offers new, often overloaded with animation themes, and the standard lock screen is replaced with advertising slides or news carousels. This is annoying for those who appreciate minimalism and speed of the interface. Everything can be returned to its place, but the path depends on whether it was changed: the system the the theme, lock screen wallpaper or a third-launcher.

In most cases, the problem lies in the automatic application of the “improved” default theme, which comes with the new version of the shell. The system algorithms can regard your old settings as outdated and force them to replace them with the current one. Restoring the factory look requires sequential disabling several functions that are often hidden in different menus. Don’t panic if you lose your usual icons or change the font — these are software changes that do not affect your personal data.

In this article, we will discuss all possible scenarios in detail, from simple switching of wallpaper to a complete reset of the theme of the design. You will learn to distinguish system settings from those imposed by the Mi Themes service, and also learn how to prevent automatic replacement of the screensaver in the future. This guide will be useful for both beginners and experienced users who want to quickly reanimate the usual look of their gadget without unnecessary dancing with a diamond.

Before you start taking action, you need to understand the source of the change, and most often, the Themes app takes precedence over the standard display settings, and if you just change the image in the gallery, the system can then, after a while, tighten up the "relevant" design again, so it's important to act in a holistic manner, touching on the personalization settings at a deep level.

Analysis of the current theme of design and its reset

The first step in the recovery process is to check the active theme. In the Xiaomi ecosystem, the theme is not just a set of images, but a comprehensive package that includes icon styles, system windows, sounds and, of course, screensavers. Even if you didn't install anything manually, the system could upgrade the standard theme "Classic" or "Default" to a new version with a modified design. To return the old look, you either need to find the previous version in the history or reset the the the the the theme to the factory settings.

Go to the Topic app (tap icon). In the lower right corner, click on the profile icon (humans). In the menu that opens, select the Topic item. Here you will see a list of all the designs ever downloaded. Find a theme called "Default," "Classic," or the one you installed earlier. Click on it and select Apply. This action will forcefully replace all interface elements with those in the selected package.

If the story doesn't have the right version, you can reset the theme completely. In the same profile menu, find the three dots at the top or the settings button. Look for the option to Reset the theme or Restore the default theme. This feature returns all graphic elements to the "out of the box" state, removing any customizations that could have been applied automatically. Once reset, the phone can reboot to make the changes effective.

It's important to understand that resetting the theme affects the global look of the system. App icons, notification curtains and settings menus will also change. If your goal is to return only the screensaver but leave new icons, this method may be too radical, in which case it is better to use a spot setting through the lock menu, which will be discussed in the next section. However, for a guaranteed return of the "good old" screensaver, resetting the theme is often the only reliable way.

Setting up the lock screen and disabling the carousel

One of the most intrusive features in MIUI shells is the Glance, which automatically changes images on the lock screen, uploading images from the Internet, often with advertising content, which many users perceive as a "new screensaver" that cannot be removed by standard methods, and to return a static, familiar image, you need to completely disable this service.

Go to Settings on your smartphone. Find the Lock Screen section (in some versions it's inside Wallpaper and personalization). Inside you'll see the Wallpaper Carousel or Glance. Press it and put the switch to Off. The system may try to convince you to leave the feature, suggesting you adjust the frequency of the change of pictures, but to return the old screensaver you need to be persistent and turn it off completely.

⚠️ Warning: After the wallpaper carousel is turned off, the old image may not return instantly, in which case the system will simply show the last static photo, which was set as the wallpaper of the lock screen before the function was turned on. If the screen is black or white, simply install any picture again through the gallery.

Now that dynamic change is prohibited, you can set a static screensaver. Click on Wallpaper in the same menu or select an image from the Gallery, click on three dots and select Set as Wallpaper -> Lock screen. Here, it is important to choose a static image, not "live wallpaper" that can also behave unpredictable after updates. The old screensaver stored in memory is most likely in the Wallpaper album or MIUI inside the gallery.

Newer versions of HyperOS offer more flexible customization options, so you can choose the style of the watch and the date format that are displayed on top of the screensaver. If the time is not displayed correctly after returning the old picture (for example, overlaps important parts of the photo), go to the lock screen style settings and select the classic display option, which will return the usual look to the alarm clock and notifications.

Working with live wallpaper and super wallpaper

Special attention should be paid to the so-called Super Wallpapers, which appeared in MIUI 12 and are evolving in new versions. These are complex animated backgrounds of planets or mountains that respond to unlocking the phone. Often after a system update, old static screensavers are replaced with these dynamic objects, which may not appeal to users with less powerful devices or those who prefer conservatism.

To see if you have a super wallpaper, look at the wallpaper settings, if you have Superwallpaper and you have a planet (Mars, Earth, Saturn), that module is active now, and if you want to go back to the classics, you need to go to Local or Static Wallpaper, choose any normal image from the system or upload your own.

If you want to return a specific old animation that was in earlier versions of Android or MIUI, But it's gone from the list of available, and it's complicated, because the animation files are often deleted when you update the firmware, and then the only solution is to search. APK-file of the old version of the Wallpaper application or use of third-party widgets that mimic the old style.

Remember that live wallpaper requires more CPU resources. If your smartphone started to run slower after the upgrade, returning to a static screensaver is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also a way to improve performance. Disabling heavy animations on the lock screen frees up RAM, which is especially true for entry-level and mid-range models such as the Redmi Note or POCO M series.

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Save your favorite screensaver right after installation. Go to Settings -> Wallpaper, click on the current image and select Save to Album, which will create a copy in the gallery that can be easily restored even after the theme is reset.

Third-party launchers and their impact on the screensaver

Often users install third-party shells (launchers) such as Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Evie to expand the functionality. However, after a major upgrade to Xiaomi's system, these launchers may conflict with new access rights, which forced the system to return the standard launcher POCO Launcher or MIUI Home. Along with the shell, both widgets and screensavers, if they were integrated.

Check which launcher is currently active. Go to Settings -> Applications -> Application Management. Find your familiar launcher on the list. If it is installed, open it and try to start. If the system requires additional permissions (for example, accessing autorun or displaying on top of other windows), be sure to provide them. Without this, Android will constantly throw you on the standard screen.

If you haven't installed any third-party shells, but you suspect that some program is interfering with the screen, check the list of applications with administrator rights or access to the display. Sometimes ad viruses or memory "optimizers" replace the lock screen with their own, simulating the system, but with someone else's wallpaper, in which case only removing suspicious software will help.

⚠️ Note: When returning to the standard launcher MIUI All the widgets on desktops can get lost or disappear. That's normal for a system to change interfaces. You'll have to re-add the clock, weather and calendar widgets to desktops.

To return to the factory state completely without any third-party intervention, make sure that the Desktop settings (in the system settings) select Classic or Standard, rather than any experimental mode. In some regions of the firmware, test features may be present that change the behavior of the desktop and screensaver.

Using backup copies for recovery

The most reliable way to get not only the screensaver, but all the phone settings back to a state where everything worked perfectly is to use a backup. Xiaomi has a built-in local backup tool that saves system settings, icon layouts and selected wallpapers. If you made one before the upgrade, the problem is solved in a couple of minutes.

To recover, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Backup (or just search for Recovery). Select the last restore point where you had the settings you wanted. Please note that System Recovery can overwrite current data, so make a copy of important files before starting the procedure.

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Local backup saves theme and wallpaper settings, unlike synchronization with Mi Cloud, which often ignores the graphical interface settings.

If you don't have a local copy, you can try to recover data through your Mi Account or Google account. Go to your Google account settings (Settings -> Google -> Data Recovery) and see if your device settings were saved there. However, as practice shows, wallpaper and themes through the cloud are less likely to recover than contacts and app lists, so you shouldn't count on this method as a primary method.

In the case where nothing helps, and you know for sure that the old screensaver was system (for example, the famous green grass or abstraction in the style of MIUI 10), its file can be found online on the request “stock wallpapers MIUI [version]”. By downloading the image in the desired resolution (usually 1080x2340 or higher), you can install it manually, getting a visual effect of full identity with the old version.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even following the instructions, users may encounter nuances, such as the screensaver seemingly returned, but when you turn the phone or turn on the flashlight, the image changes or darkens. This may be due to the Adaptive Brightness function or the proximity sensor, which in new versions of HyperOS work differently. Check the settings of the Environment Sensor and turn off the adaptive brightness change of the lock screen.

Another common problem is the poor quality of the restored screensaver. If you return a picture from a backup or an old theme, it may look blurry on a new screen with a high refresh rate (120 Hz), in which case the system stretches the low-resolution image. The solution is one: find the original picture in the maximum available quality (4K) and install it again, pre-deleting the thumbnail from the gallery cache.

• 📱 Problem: Screensaver resets after reboot Solution: Most likely, a conflicting launcher or virus is active.
• 🎨 Problem: The colors on the screensaver look faded. Solution: In the screen settings (Additional) change the Color Scheme from "Auto" to "Standard" or "Saturated».
• 🔒 Problem: Do not apply the image to the lock screen.Solution: Make sure you do not attempt to install a copyrighted image from some online sources directly.

If neither method helped, the theme system cache may have been damaged. Try clearing the theme and wallpaper app data. Go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps, find Topics, click Clear -> Clear all data. After that, the phone will assume that the theme has never been installed and will suggest you select the base one as soon as possible.