Why Xiaomi itself is changing wallpaper: all the reasons and solutions

You installed beautiful wallpaper on your Xiaomi, but after a day or two, you found that the desktop background was changed to the standard one again? Or the system itself substitutes random images from the gallery? This problem is familiar to many owners of smartphones on MIUI, the Xiaomi brand shell, and there can be several reasons for this behavior: from personalization features turned on to system failures.

In this article, we will explore all the possible reasons why Redmi, Poco or Mi change their wallpaper, as well as give step-by-step instructions to fix the problem. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden MIUI settings, which often go unnoticed, but affect the appearance of the desktop. If you are tired of restoring your favorite background, read on.

1. the Dynamic Wallpaper function in MIUI is enabled

The most common reason for automatic wallpaper change is the activated Dynamic Wallpapers option, which is built into MIUI 12+ and automatically substitutes different backgrounds depending on the time of day, weather or even battery level.

To check and disable it:

1. Open the Settings → Wallpaper.
2. Select the Dynamic tab (if any).
3. Scroll down and turn off the Automatic Shift slider.

If this option is not in your version of MIUI, then the problem is another. But don't rush to close the settings - in the next section, we'll consider another hidden feature.

2. Theme of the Day and automatic updates to the topics

MIUI has a built-in Themes store where some wallpaper can be updated automatically.If you've ever installed a theme from an official directory, the system could save the auto-update setting.

How to check it out:

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
• 🔍 Go to the section My topics → Settings.
• 🔄 Search for Auto Update Themes or Recommendations and turn it off.

Some versions of MIUI also have a Theme of the Day feature that automatically applies new wallpapers from Xiaomi’s collection, which can be turned off in the same theme settings section.

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If you don't use the theme store, but it's installed by default, you can turn it off through Settings → Apps → Application Management → Themes → Disable. This will prevent background processes associated with wallpaper.

3.Resetting wallpaper after MIUI update

Many users notice that after updating the firmware wallpaper is reset to standard, this is due to the fact that MIUI in large updates (for example, from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14) can reset some personalization settings.

To avoid this in the future:

• 📁 Save your favorite wallpapers in a separate folder in the gallery (for example, Wallpapers).
• 🔄 After updating manually, install them again through Settings. → Wallpaper. → My wallpaper.
• 📱 Use third-party launchers (like Nova Launcher) that save wallpaper settings regardless of system updates.

Important: If the wallpaper is reset after each update, this may indicate a damaged cache of the system, in which case the reset cache through Recovery (instruction below) will help.

4.Conflict with battery optimization

Battery Optimization* in MIUI sometimes blocks background processes associated with wallpaper. If the system decides that the Theme or Gallery app is consuming too much power, it may reset wallpaper settings.

To fix this:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Optimization.
2. Find the Themes and Gallery in the list of the app.
3. Choose a mode for them without restrictions.

Also check if these applications are added to Deep Optimization** (some versions of MIUI refer to this section as Application Power Management).

5. Failures in the operation of the Gallery application

If the wallpaper changes to random photos from your gallery, the problem may be in the Gallery app itself, sometimes it indexes media files incorrectly or conflicts with MIUI features.

What to do:

• 🔄 Clear the gallery cache: Settings → Annexes → Application management → gallery → Clear the cache.
• 📁 Move the wallpaper to a separate folder (such as Wallpapers) and stop the gallery from scanning other folders.
• 🛠️ Update the gallery via Google Play (if available) or reinstall it.

If the problem persists, try using a third-party gallery (like Google Photos or Simple Gallery) and install wallpaper through it.

Clear the cache of the Gallery app |Reboot phone | Check storage rights | Update the app via Google Play | Set wallpaper through a third-party gallery-->

6. Viruses or malicious applications

Rarely, it happens that the wallpaper is changed due to the action of malware. Some viruses can replace system settings, including the desktop background, to show ads or redirect you to phishing sites.

Signs of infection:

• 🚨 Wallpaper changes to banner ads or suspicious pictures.
• 📱 Unknown apps appear on the menu.
• 🔋 The battery is quickly discharged, the phone is warming.

How to check:

1. Install an antivirus (such as Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light).
2. Check the list of installed applications in Settings → Apps.
3. If you find suspicious programs, delete them and reset the wallpaper settings.

If the wallpaper changes after removing the viruses, reset to factory settings (but save important data first).

7 Hardware problems (rarely, but it happens)

In extremely rare cases, automatic wallpaper changes can be associated with damage to the memory or storage controller, not only with background reset, but also with other glitches:

• 📱 Applications are closed spontaneously.
• 💾 Files in the gallery disappear or get damaged.
• 🔄 The phone is often rebooted.

If you have these symptoms:

1. Make a backup copy of the data.
2. Check memory health through Settings → Memory → Diagnostics (if any).
3. Contact the Xiaomi Service Center for Diagnostics.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is warranty, don't try to disassemble it yourself or reflash it.

Comparison of problem-solving methods

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In 80% of cases, the problem is solved by turning off dynamic wallpaper and auto-update themes. If this does not help, check the battery optimization and gallery operation.

FAQ: Frequent questions