Blurring thumbnails on Xiaomi phone: reasons and how to fix it

Have you noticed that on your Xiaomi smartphone, the thumbnails of photos, videos, or even app icons have become fuzzy? MIUI — The blur can be in the gallery, messengers (such as Telegram or WhatsApp), on the lock screen or even in the app menu. In most cases, this is not a hardware malfunction, but a feature of the system or settings.

In this article, we will discuss why the thumbnail blur occurs on Xiaomi, which models are most susceptible to this (for example, the Redmi Note 12 series, POCO X5 Xiaomi 13, and what to do to bring clarity back to the images, and consider cases where blurring is not a bug, but a feature that the manufacturer has planted to save resources or privacy.

If you've tried to reboot your phone or clean your cache, but the problem is still there, don't rush to reset to factory settings. Perhaps the solution lies in a few clicks on the menu or update your firmware.

What is the blurring of miniatures and how it manifests itself

Blurring thumbnails means losing clarity of previews (previews) of photos, videos, documents or app icons. MIUI It can look different:

• 📷 Gallery: Photography sketches become slurred, although the original is displayed normally when opened.
• 💬 Messengers: previews of sent/received media files are blurred (for example, in Telegram or Viber).
• 📱 Lock screen: background image or thumbnail widgets lose detail.
• 🔍 Device Search: App icons in search results look ‘soapy".

It is important to distinguish thumbnail blur from full screen blur (e.g., due to reading mode on or display issues). In the first case, only sketches become unclear, and the original files remain clear; in the second, the picture floats completely, which may indicate hardware malfunctions.

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi 10 or X-rays) POCO M4 Pro) blurring of thumbnails appears after update MIUI before new versions (e.g. with MIUI 12 on MIUI This is due to system optimizations, which sometimes conflict with the display of previews.

Reasons for blurring miniatures on Xiaomi

The blurring of sketches is rarely accidental, most often due to one of the following reasons:

1. Optimization MIUI The system can automatically reduce the resolution of thumbnails to reduce the load on the processor and battery, especially on budget models (e.g. Redmi). 9A or POCO C40).
2. Privacy settings. MIUI There is a function of Hiding sensitive content, which blurs the preview in the gallery or messengers to protect personal data.
3. Cash and app data. Damaged gallery cache (Google Photo, MIUI Gallery) or messengers may lead to distortion of sketches.
4. System updates after installing the new version MIUI (for example, MIUI 14.0.5) display settings are sometimes confused.
5. Hardware limitations: On devices with low RAM (2-3 GB), the system forcibly reduces the quality of previews.

On some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro)+) Blurring of miniatures in Telegram due to restrictions API Android for third-party applications. This is not a bug, but a feature of the messenger with the file system. MIUI.

⚠️ Note: If the blurring of thumbnails is accompanied by freezes or overheating of the phone, the problem may be due to a malfunction of the GPU.

How to remove the blur of thumbnails in the gallery Xiaomi

If you have pictures and videos in a standard gallery MIUI Become fuzzy, try the following methods:

Clear the gallery cache|Reboot the phone|Check the display settings|Update the annex to the Gallery"-->

1. Clearing the cache and gallery data:

Go to Settings. → Annexes → App management, find the Gallery (or Google Photos if you use it), then:

• 🧹 Click Clear the cache.
• 🔄 If it didn’t work, choose Clear Data (Warning: This Will Remove Albums and Sort Settings!).

2. Disabling optimization MIUI:

In some versions MIUI There's a hidden setting that reduces the quality of the preview:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the MIUI version to activate Developer Mode.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Find the option to Limit background processes and install Without Limits.
5. Also disable Optimization. MIUI (if).

Checking the settings of the screen:

Sometimes blurring is associated with incorrect resolution or scaling:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Screen. → Screen resolution and select the maximum value (e.g, FHD+ or 2400 × 1080).
• 🔍 In the same menu, check the text size - it should be at 100%.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) blurring of thumbnails can be associated with the mode on DC Dimming. Try turning it off in Settings. → Screen. → Reading mode.

Blurring thumbnails in instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber)

If the preview of photos and videos are blurred only in messengers, the problem lies in the settings of the applications themselves or restrictions. MIUI. Here's what we can do:

For Telegram:

• 📥 Open the Settings. → Data and memory → Autoboot media.
• 🖼️ Install Always Upload for Photos and Videos (if traffic savings are enabled, previews will be compressed).
• 🔄 Restart the app or clear its cache.

For WhatsApp:

• 📸 Go to chat, click on the blurred preview and select Download (sometimes media is not automatically loaded).
• 📶 Check the mobile data settings: ⋮ → Settings → Data and memory → Use of data.

General tips for all messengers:

• 🔒 B Settings → Annexes → Permits to check if the messenger has access to the Warehouse and Media Files.
• 📱 B Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management disable restrictions for messenger (e.g., Battery Optimization).

Settings MIUI, precision-impacting miniatures

V MIUI There are a few hidden and explicit parameters that can affect the display of sketches:

Performance mode:

Go to Settings. → Battery and productivity → Performance mode and select High Performance. In Battery Saving mode, the system can force the preview quality to decline.

Memory optimization:

B Settings → The phone. → Memory (or Settings) → Memory) disable the option to clear memory when blocked. It can delete the thumbnail cache.

3. Privacy settings:

V MIUI 14+ And we have a Privacy Protection feature that blurs the previews in the gallery and messengers to turn it off:

1. Open the Settings. → Confidentiality.
2. Choose Privacy Protection.
3. Turn off the options to Hide sensitive content and Blurr thumbnails.

Adaptive brightness and color mode:

Sometimes blur is associated with incorrect color reproduction.

• 🌈 Settings → Screen. → Color mode (select Standard instead of Saturated).
• ☀️ Turn off Adaptive Brightness in the Same Menu.

💡

If the changes to the settings have left blurry, try changing the theme. → Select a standard theme MIUI Default – sometimes custom themes conflict with the display of thumbnails.

Hardware causes of blurring and when to contact the service

If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be hardware.

Damage to the display or plume:

If the blurring of thumbnails is accompanied by stripes on the screen, flickering or uneven illumination, this may indicate:

• 💥 Physical damage to the matrix (for example, after a fall).
• 🔌 Display plume detachment (frequent problem after disassembling phone).

Failure of the graphics processor:

On devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (for example, POCO X3 Pro) or Mediatek Helio (e.g. Redmi 10) blurring may be due to overheating or degradation GPU. Check it out:

• 🌡️ Processor Temperature in the Application CPU Monitor (norm: up to 45-50)°C to the plain).
• 🎮 Run a graphically loaded application (such as a game) if the blur is getting worse, it's a sign of a problem with the game. GPU.

Damage to flash memory:

If thumbnails are blurred and the original files are opened with artifacts (such as green stripes or pixels), this may indicate memory wear. AIDA64 (storage → State of health).

⚠️ Warning: If the phone has fallen or been exposed to moisture, don't try to disassemble it yourself - this could lead to permanent breakdown.

Prevention: How to avoid blurring miniatures in the future

To avoid recurring problems, follow these guidelines:

• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI. In new versions of firmware, bugs with displaying miniatures are often fixed.
• 🧹 Clear the cache of the gallery and messengers every 1-2 months (via Settings) → Annexes).
• 📱 Avoid battery saving mode in settings MIUI, If you care about the clarity of the sketches.
• 🔒 Do not install themes and launchers from third-party developers – they may conflict with system settings.
• 📁 Store media files on a memory card (if the phone supports microSD) to relieve internal memory.

It is also useful to disable automatic photo optimization in Google Photos (if you use this app).

1. Open Google Photos.
2. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization.
3. Select the download quality → Original quality.

💡

If you often encounter blurring thumbnails after updates MIUI, Before installing a new firmware, back up the gallery settings through Settings → System system → Backup. This will help you quickly restore the previous display settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about blurring thumbnails on Xiaomi