Does not work wallpaper carousel on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: all the reasons and ways to fix

The wallpaper carousel on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is one of the features of the MIUI proprietary shell, which allows you to automatically change the background of the desktop on a schedule or depending on the time of day. But what if this feature suddenly stopped working? Wallpaper froze in one image, the Carousel button in the settings is inactive, or the system gives an error when you try to turn on an automatic shift?

The problem is found on both older versions of MIUI 12/13 and newer builds of MIUI 14+ (including HyperOS for the Redmi Note 9). 80% of the time, software failures are to blame, but sometimes the root of the evil lies in hardware limitations or incompatibility of themes. In this article, we will analyze all possible causes - from banal cache reset to hidden developer settings, and also give step-by-step instructions for restoring the carousel without losing data.

Special attention will be paid to specific firmware bugs for Redmi Note 9 (codename merlin), which are not found on other Xiaomi models, for example, an error with the code com.miui.gallery:wallpaper or the process freeze com.android.wallpaper – these problems require a separate approach.

1. Check of basic working conditions of the carousel

Before digging deep into the settings, make sure the minimum requirements for the function are met:

• 📱 Version. MIUI: The carousel wallpaper is officially supported from MIUI On the Redmi Note 9, the box was installed out of the box. MIUI 11.0.2.0, but after the updates, conflicts may have arisen. → The phone. → Version. MIUI.
• 🖼️ Number of wallpapers: a carousel needs at least 2 images in a gallery or folder of Wallpapers. If there is only one background, the system will automatically disable the function.
• ⚡ Energy saving: in Ultra-saving mode or with activated Background Limitation for the Gallery app, the carousel may not be updated. → Battery → Energy consumption of applications.
• 🔄 Auto Sync: If the wallpaper is stored in Mi Cloud or Google Photos, enable auto sync in the settings of the respective services.

If at least one of the items is not met, the carousel will not work even after resetting the settings. For example, users often forget that after updating the MIUI, the permissions for the Gallery are reset - and the wallpaper stops loading.

⚠️ Note: If you use custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the wallpaper carousel may not work due to a lack of branded services MIUI. In this case, manual installation will be required. APK-MiuiGallery file with support for function.

2. Resetting cache and data of the application "Gallery"

In 60% of cases, the problem is solved by cleaning the Gallery cache, which is the application responsible for processing wallpaper in MIUI.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Gallery (or com.miui.gallery) and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. If it doesn’t work, click Clear Data (this will delete all gallery settings, but not the photos themselves!).
5. Reboot the phone.

After the data is cleared, it may be necessary to reissue the permissions for the Gallery:

• 📂 Access to Files and Media (enable in the application settings).
• 🔍 Permission to display over other windows (for preview wallpaper).

If the carousel started working after this action, but stopped updating again after a while, the problem lies deeper, and perhaps the conflict with MIUI optimization is to blame (more on this in the next section).

3. Conflict with the function "Optimization MIUI"

Brand-name optimization MIUI sometimes over-blocks background processes, including those responsible for wallpaper change, to test this hypothesis:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Optimize MIUI.
2. Turn off the Optimization slider (could be called Smart Optimization in newer versions).
3. Return to Settings → Battery → Energy consumption of applications.
4. Find the Gallery and set a No Limits mode for it.

Also check if the Gallery is added to the list of Blocked Apps:

• 🔒 Settings → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start → Turn it on for the gallery.
• 🚫 Settings → Battery → Blocked applications → Remove the Gallery from the list.

💡

If after disabling the optimization, the phone began to discharge faster, return the settings back and try an alternative method: add the Gallery to the list of Protected applications in the battery settings.

4.Hidden developer settings for wallpaper

MIUI has hidden parameters that affect the wallpaper, so you can activate them.

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find options related to wallpaper (may be called differently depending on the version): force_wallpaper_parallax → Turn it off (sometimes conflicting with the carousel). wallpaper_zoom_animation → set it off.. disable_wallpaper_service → must be off..

Reboot the phone.

If the developer menu does not have these items, try manually running the wallpaper service via ADB (computer required):

adb shell am start -n com.miui.gallery/.ui.WallpaperActivity

Important: After a change in the developer settings, the carousel can start working, but with a delay of up to 10 minutes. This is normal - the system needs time to re-initiate services.

5. Problems with the theme of design and launcher

The wallpaper carousel is closely related to the current MIUI theme and the launcher used.If you've recently changed the theme or installed a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair), this could break the feature.

• 🎨 Reset theme: Go to Settings → Themes, select a standard Default theme and apply it. Then try turning the carousel back on.
• 🏠 Launcher Reset: If you use a third-party launcher, go back to standard MIUI Launcher. For this: Open Settings → Annexes → By default. Select the default launcher. → MIUI Launcher.

Thematic conflict

Mi Theme Store

If you use Nova Launcher, there is a separate wallpaper section in its settings (Nova → Wallpaper Settings). Make sure that the option to Disable MIUI wallpaper is not activated there.

💡

The standard MIUI Launcher is the only launcher that fully supports the wallpaper carousel. Third-party launchers can conflict with Xiaomi's branded services.

After changing the theme or launcher, be sure to restart the phone - otherwise the changes will not apply.

6. Hardware limitations and firmware errors

On the Redmi Note 9 (model merlin) there are specific bugs associated with a lack of RAM (only 3/4 GB depending on the modification) or firmware errors.

• 🔋 Lack of RAM: If there are many applications running in the background, the system can force the wallpaper service to close. → The phone. → If it's less than 500MB, close the unnecessary apps.
• 🛠️ Firmware bug: in versions MIUI 12.5.3.0 and MIUI 13.0.4.0 for the Redmi Note 9 was a known wallpaper bug, fixed only in the July 2022 patch!
• 📱 Damaged memory: if the wallpaper is stored on SD-If the carousel is not working, try to transfer them to internal memory. Redmi Note 9 sometimes fails reading from external drives.