How to Enable and Configure Animation on Xiaomi: Hidden MIUI Features

Animations in the MIUI are not just decoration, but a key element in how you feel about how fast a smartphone is. Even on a budget Redmi or POCO, properly configured transitions make interactions with the system smoother and more enjoyable. However, by default, many effects are turned off or run in a simplified mode — especially on devices with limited resources.

In this article, you’ll find current ways to enable animations on any Xiaomi smartphone (including the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS), and learn how to fine-tune them to your preferences. We’ll look at both standard settings and hidden settings for power users – without the need for root rights or complex manipulation.

It's important to understand that animations not only grace the interface, but can also affect performance. On weak devices (such as the Redmi 9A or POCO C31), excess effects can cause slowdowns.

1. Standard animation settings in MIUI

So let's start with the simplest of them all, the built-in options that are available without any manipulation, and even if you've never really delved into MIUI settings, these options can help improve the visual experience of the system.

The main elements of animation in MIUI are divided into three categories:

• 🔄 Switches between screens – smooth opening/closing of applications and menus.
• ✨ Touch Effects – Reaction to tapas (for example, circles when pressed).
• 📱 System animations – boot, screen lock, notifications.

To include basic animations:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode if not already done).
2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional settings → Developer settings.
3. Find the animation section (or animation scale) and set the values: window animation scale is 1x (standard speed). transition animation scale is 1x. Animation duration is 1x (or 0.5x for acceleration).

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global for the European region) animation options may be hidden. In this case, use the methods from the following sections.

2. Hidden animation settings via ADB

If standard options are not available or you are not satisfied with their functionality, you can activate advanced animation options via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works on all Xiaomi devices, including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and flagship Xiaomi 13/14.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and tool ADB.
• 📱 Included Developer Mode and Debugging by USB smartphone.
• 🔌 USB-Type C Cable (preferably original).

Instructions for activating hidden animations:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and open the command line (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
3. Follow the following commands in turn: adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 1.0 adb shell settings put global transition_animation_scale 1.0 adb shell settings put global animator_duration_scale 1.0
4. To apply the changes, restart your smartphone: adb shell reboot

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Enable debugging over USB on your phone | Download ADB Tools (Platform Tools) | Connect your phone with the original cable-->

After you reboot, you'll notice that animations are smoother and more detailed, like opening apps and turning the windows around, and then returning to the home screen, you'll see a smooth folding.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI for Russia) after updating the system of settings ADB To avoid this, use the command: adb shell cmd overlay enable com.android.internal.policy

3. Customize animations through MIUI themes

Few people know, but MIUI themes not only change wallpaper and icons, but also affect system animations. Some themes contain unique transition effects that cannot be activated in standard ways.

How to find themes with advanced animations:

• 🎨 Open the Topics app and go to Popular.
• 🔍 In the search bar, enter queries: Animation 3D Smooth transitions of Dynamic Effects (for English-language themes)
• 📥 Download and apply your favorite theme. Pay attention to reviews — some themes can slow down weak devices.

Recommended themes with unique animations (2026):

Important: Some themes require a Mi Account subscription (especially premium options). To avoid paid options, filter themes by category "Free" in the app.

4. Optimizing animations for performance

On weak devices (Redmi 8A, POCO C3) or when using resource-intensive applications (games, video editing), animations can cause lags, in which case they need to be optimized rather than completely turned off.

Ways to balance smoothness and speed:

• ⚡ Reduce the scale of animations to 0.5x (This will speed up the transitions without completely disabling the effects.
• 🔄 Enable Adaptive Update Frequency (if any) in Settings → This will allow the system to automatically reduce the load.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Cash cache often slows down animations.
• 🔋 Activate Performance Mode in Settings → Battery (but note that this will increase power consumption).

For advanced users: if your smartphone supports MIUI Optimization (such as Xiaomi 12T or POCO F4), you can manually edit configuration files.

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders (such as Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/build.prop and find the lines: debug.animation.scale=1.0 debug.transition.scale=1.0
3. Change the values to 0.75 or 0.5 for acceleration.

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If the animations start twitching after the changes, return the values to 1.0 and clear the cache of the Launcher application (settings → applications → find “Launcher” → clear the cache).

5. HyperOS Animations: What Has Changed

With the release of HyperOS (replacing MIUI on new devices), the approach to animation has changed dramatically, now the system uses dynamic effects that adapt to the refresh rate of the screen (60 to 144 Hz).

Key features of animations in HyperOS:

• 🔄 Adaptive transitions – the speed of animations is automatically adjusted to the FPS screen.
• 🎨 New 3D-Effects of Opening Folders and Multitasking.
• ⚡ Optimization for Game Mode – Animations are turned off in games to improve performance.

How to set up animations in HyperOS:

1. Open Settings → Display → Additional settings.
2. Find the section "Effects of animation" (in English firmware - Animation effects).
3. Choose one of the modes: Standard - balance between smoothness and performance. Smooth - the most detailed transitions (can slow down on weak devices); Fast - accelerated animations to save resources.

6. Resolving problems with animations

Sometimes animations get glitzy, twitchy, missing, or late, and let's look at the typical causes and solutions.

Frequent problems and their solutions:

If the problem persists, try resetting the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher (or System Interface).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Reset the device.

How to set up animations in Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Open the launcher settings and go to Settings → Animations.
3. Activate options: Animation to open applications - select the effect (such as Zoom or Slide Up). Animation speed - set Normal or Fast. Desktop effects - turn on Parallax for background wallpaper.

Reset.

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Side launchers may conflict with MIUI system gestures (such as swipe up for the home).To avoid bugs, turn off system gestures in Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.

FAQ: Frequent questions about animations on Xiaomi