Live Wallpaper on Xiaomi: how to turn on and configure in 5 minutes

Introduction

Live wallpaper turns your Xiaomi screen into a dynamic picture: moving clouds, shimmering lights or animated characters. But many users face the problem of whether the feature is hidden in the depths of MIUI or not at all in the basic firmware. This article will help you understand how to activate live wallpaper on any Xiaomi device, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

We’ll look at all the methods available, from standard settings to installing third-party apps, and focus on the nuances of different MIUI (12-14) and smartphone models. If you want your lock screen or home screen to come alive when you touch it or change the view depending on the time of day, read on.

Checking the compatibility of your Xiaomi with live wallpaper

Not all Xiaomi devices support live wallpaper out of the box, depending on the MIUI version and hardware capabilities.

• 📱 Flagship models (Xiaomi) 12/13/14, Mix Fold, Black Shark: Support live wallpaper at firmware level, including dynamic effects when unlocked.
• 💰 Mid-size segment (Redmi Note) 11/12/13, POCO X5/F5): Most often require installation of themes from the Theme or third-party applications.
• 🔋 Budget models (Redmi) A2, POCO C55): Live wallpaper can slow down because of a weak processor.

To know if your device supports the function:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Check the MIUI version (should be at least 12.5).
3. Go to Settings → Wallpaper – if there is a Live tab, the function is available.

Important! On devices with MIUI for POCO (e.g. POCO F5), the path to settings may be different. Use the settings search (the magnifier icon in the upper right corner).

Method 1: Standard live wallpaper in MIUI

If your Xiaomi supports the feature natively, you can turn on live wallpaper in 3 steps:

1. Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on your desktop).
2. Go to the wallpaper tab → Live wallpaper.
3. Select the animation you like and click Apply. The system will prompt you to install the wallpaper on the lock screen, the main screen or both.

MIUI 14 adds new categories of live wallpaper:

• 🌌 Space: Animation of the starry sky with a reaction to the tilt of the phone.
• 🎨 Abstraction: geometric shapes that change color depending on time.
• 🐉 Characters: Animated characters from games (e.g. Genshin Impact).

Update MIUI to the latest version

Free up 200-300 MB of memory

Connect to Wi-Fi (for downloading themes)

Close the background annexes-->

In the models with AMOLED-Xiaomi 13 Pro, Mix 4 live wallpaper with dark background reduces battery consumption by 8-12% compared to light animations.

Method 2: Installation of live wallpaper through the "Themes" app

If the standard set of wallpapers are not suitable, they can be downloaded from the official Xiaomi theme store:

1. Open Topics → Wallpaper. → Alive.
2. Click Download more (cloud icon in upper right corner).
3. In the search bar, type a query, such as: live 4K wallpaper, water animation or dynamic wallpaper.
4. Select your favorite theme and click Download, then Apply.

Pay attention to the ranking and the number of downloads of the theme, which will help to avoid low-quality animations. Popular categories in 2026:

⚠️ Attention: Some themes from the store Themes contain ads or collect data. Before installing, check the permissions of the application in Settings → Annexes → Topics → Permits.

Method 3: Third-party applications for live wallpaper

If the standard options don't work, you can use third-party apps, the best ones in 2026:

• 🎮 Wallpaper Engine (paid but with free animations): Supports 3D-wallpaper and reaction to music.
• 🌊 Kappboom (free): specializes in natural animations (rain, ocean) optimized for Xiaomi.
• 🖼️ Live Wallpapers 4K: Large library of wallpaper with permission categorization (including: 1440p Xiaomi 13 Ultra).

Instructions for installation via Wallpaper Engine:

1. Download APK from the official website (not from third-party sources!).
2. Enable installation from unknown sources: Settings → Applications → Special Access → Install unknown applications.
3. Install the application and open it.
4. Select wallpaper and press Set Wallpaper. The lock screen will require additional resolution.

For models with MIUI 13/14 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (for example, Xiaomi 13), we recommend using Kappboom – it is optimized for new chipsets and consumes 30% less power than its counterparts.

Solving the problems with live wallpaper

If the wallpaper is not working or slowing down, try the following steps:

• 🔄 Reboot: sometimes animations hang after long use. A simple reboot helps 60% of the time.
• 🗑️ Cache Clearing: Go to Settings → Annexes → Topics → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🔋 Battery Optimization: Add the Wallpaper App to Exceptions: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → All applications.
• 📉 Decline FPS: in live wallpaper settings (if any) reduce frame rate to 30 FPS charge-saving.

If the animation twitches or slows down:

⚠️ Note: On devices with a MediaTek Helio G processor (e.g., Redmi) 10A) Live wallpaper can cause overheating, in which case use static images or turn off animations in screen settings.

💡

For models with Always-On Display (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro), the live wallpaper on the lock screen is automatically simplified to a static image to save charge.

How to Create Your Live Wallpaper for Xiaomi

If you want a unique wallpaper, you can make it yourself.

• 🎥 Videos lasting 5-15 seconds (resolution not lower) 1080p).
• 📱 Video Live Wallpaper (Free on Google Play).
• 🖌️ Video Editor (e.g. CapCut) for cropping and optimization.

Step-by-step:

1. mount the video in the editor: trim to 10 seconds, make sure it is looped (a smooth transition between the beginning and the end).
2. Save the video in MP4 format with a bitrate not higher than 5 Mbps (otherwise it will slow down).
3. Install Video Live Wallpaper and import videos.
4. Set up the speed of playback and the reaction to touch.
5. Apply wallpaper through the app.

For better results:

• Use video with a resolution that matches your Xiaomi screen (e.g. 2400×1080 for Xiaomi 12T).
• Avoid too bright colors – they drain the battery faster AMOLED-screen.
• For the lock screen, choose a video with minimal movement (such as slow-floating clouds).

FAQ: Frequent questions about live wallpaper on Xiaomi