The battery is one of the most vulnerable parts of any Xiaomi gadget, and the number of charging cycles directly affects its longevity. The manufacturer claims that lithium-ion batteries retain up to 80% of their capacity after 500 to 800 cycles, but how do you know how many have already happened on your device? This information is hidden in system data, and you can get to it in several ways, from standard MIUI tools to engineering teams.
In this article, we will discuss all the current methods for checking charging cycles for Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO smartphones, as well as Xiaomi Buds headphones and Mi Band smartwatches. You will learn what data can be obtained without root rights, how to decrypt engineering codes and which applications give the most accurate information. In addition, we will explain why the cycle rate in MIUI Security is often underestimated by 10-15% compared to the real value - and how to fix it.
What are charging cycles and why you need to control them
A charging cycle is a full battery discharge from 100% to 0% and back to 100%, and it doesn't matter how many times you've connected the device to charging: if you've drained the battery from 100% to 50% and then back to 100%, it counts as a 0.5 cycle. Xiaomi manufacturers use lithium-polymer batteries that degrade even when it's downtime, but the main wear and tear happens during cycles.
Why it matters:
- 📉 After 300-400 cycles, the battery capacity begins to decrease significantly (by 10-20 cycles%).
- 🔋 500.+ In cycles, the device may be turned off at 20–30% charge due to incorrect display of the level.
- 💰 Replacing the battery in the service center Xiaomi costs 3-7 thousand rubles (depending on the model).
- ⚡ Fast charging (e.g. HyperCharge) 120W Xiaomi 12T Pro) increases battery wear 15-25% faster.
Controlling cycles helps you take action on time: reduce the load on the battery, calibrate it or replace it before it starts causing problems. For example, if your Redmi Note 11 has gone 450 cycles, avoid discharge below 20% and do not use fast charging all the time.
Method 1: Checking with MIUI Security (without root)
The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI Security app (formerly called Security or Security), which is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 12 firmware and later.
- Open the Security app (the shield icon).
- Go to the Optimization section → Battery.
- Slap the icon. ⚙️ (settings) in upper right corner.
- Select Battery Health (Battery Health) in Global Firmware.
Here you will see two key parameters:
- 🔋 Battery capacity (in mAh) – compare with passport value (for example, 5000 mAh for Redmi Note 12 Pro)+).
- 🔄 Number of charging cycles – usually indicated in format X/Y, where X is the current value and Y is the limit (e.g, 210/800).
⚠️ Note: Some firmware (especially global) may not have a Battery Status section, due to Xiaomi’s policy of hiding technical information in regional versions. MIUI. In this case, proceed to the next method.
☑️ Preparation for verification through MIUI Security
Method 2: Engineering menu (#4636##)
The hidden engineering menu provides advanced battery information, including actual cycles, voltage and temperature, which works on most Xiaomi devices but requires input. USSD-code:
- Open the Phone app.
- Enter the combination: ##4636## (without pressing the call button).
- In the menu that appears, select Battery Information.
In this section, pay attention to the following parameters:
| Parameter | What does it mean? | Normal value. |
|---|---|---|
| Charge counter | Actual capacity in mAh | Must be close to passport (for example, 4800-5000 for a battery of 5000 mAh) |
| Battery temperature | Battery temperature | 25–40°C (above 45°C – critical value) |
| Voltage | Battery voltage | 3.7-4.2V (4.4V and higher – dangerous recharge) |
| Charge cycles | Number of charging cycles | Up to 300 - excellent, 300-500 - average wear, above 600 - requires replacement |
🔍 Important: On some models (for example, POCO F4 GT Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the engineering menu can be blocked. ADB (method 3) or third-party applications (method 4).
What to do if the engineering menu is not opened?
Method 3: Checking through ADB (for power users)
If standard methods don’t work, you can get data on charging cycles through Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer, but provides the most accurate information, including hidden parameters.
Step-by-step:
- Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
- Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to unlock Developer Settings), then go back to Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB.
- Connect the device to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
- Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with adb.exe.
- Enter the command: adb shell dumpsy battery
In the conclusion, find the lines:
- 📊 charge_counter — current capacity in mkAh (divided by 1000 for mAh).
- 🔄 cycle_count — Number of charging cycles (may not be available on some models).
- 🔋 Capacity – current capacity as a percentage of factory capacity.
⚠️ Note: On devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) to obtain cycle data will require an additional command:
adb shell cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/cycle_countIf the team returns Permission denied, then the manufacturer has blocked access without root rights.
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If ADB does not recognize the device, try updating drivers via Windows or installing Android-sdk-platform-tools via Homebrew (macOS).
Method 4: Third-party applications for battery monitoring
If you don't want to mess around with engineering menus or ADBs, you can use specialized applications that analyze sensor data and provide convenient wear graphs.
Top.-3 cycle-testing applications:
- 📱 AccuBattery – shows real capacity, temperature and approximate number of cycles (based on charge/discharge data) Suitable for all models, but requires calibration within 2-3 days.
- 🔧 Battery Guru – displays detailed statistics, including: Charge/Discharge Cycles. works without root, but on some devices can understate data.
- 📊 CPU-Z — The Battery section shows voltage, temperature and wear. The cycles are not always displayed, but there is information about the battery health (Health).
🔍 How to check cycles in AccuBattery:
- Install the application and provide all the permissions requested.
- Charge your smartphone to 100% and discharge to 20% (at least 1 full cycle for calibration).
- Go to the Health section.
- Look at the Wear estimate, which is calculated based on the number of cycles.
⚠️ Note: Applications without root rights can show approximate data. For example, AccuBattery calculates cycles based on charge history, rather than reading them directly from the battery controller%.
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For maximum accuracy, use a combination of methods: check the cycles through the ADB or engineering menu, and then compare with the data from AccuBattery. If the difference is greater than 20%, there is a possibility of an error in the battery controller.
Method 5: Check charging cycles on smart watches and headphones Xiaomi
The Mi Band, Xiaomi Watch and Xiaomi Buds also have lithium-polymer batteries, but their cycles are harder to check due to limited functionality.
For Mi Band 6/7/8 and Xiaomi Watch S2/S3:
- 📲 Use the official Mi Fitness or Zepp Life app.
- Go to the Device section → Battery status.
- Slap the icon. ⚙️ (setting) → Additional information.
- The number of charges can be displayed here (not to be confused with cycles! one charge) ≠ cycle).
For Xiaomi Buds 3/4 Pro and Redmi Buds:
- 🎧 Connect the headphones to the smartphone.
- Open the Mi Earphones app (or Xiaomi Earbuds for global firmware).
- Go to Settings. → Battery status.
- Charge times shows the number of connections to charge (approximately corresponding to cycles).
🔋 Important: Xiaomi smart gadgets typically withstand 200-300 cycles to noticeable degradation (versus 500-800 for smartphones).If your Mi Band 7 holds charge for less than 2 days after 150+ It’s time to think about replacing the battery.
What to do if there are too many cycles: tips for extending the life of the battery
If your Xiaomi has passed 400+ cycles, don’t panic – there are ways to slow down the degradation and extend the battery life by another 6-12 months.
Top.-5 recommendations:
- 🔌 Avoid deep discharge (below 10%) and overcharging (above 90%.
- ⚡ Turn off fast charging (in settings: Battery) → Fast charging after 80% charge.
- 🌡️ Do not use your smartphone in extreme temperatures (below 0)°C or higher than 35°C) For example, do not leave POCO X5 Pro in the sun in the car.
- 📵 Turn it off. 5G, NFC Bluetooth, if not needed, increases battery load.
- 🔄 Once every 3 months, perform a full calibration: discharge the device to 0% (until it turns off), then charge to 100% without interruptions.
⚠️ Note: If the battery capacity has fallen below 60% of the factory capacity (e.g., 3,000 mAh instead of 5,000 mAh) and cycles are greater than 600, battery replacement is inevitable:
- ⚡ Sudden shutdowns at 20-30% charge.
- 🔥 Overheating and bloating of the battery (dangerous for the screen!).
- 📉 A sharp reduction in the operating time (for example, the Redmi Note 10 Pro will discharge in 2-3 hours).
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If you’re considering replacing your battery, buy only original Xiaomi-branded parts or certified analogues (such as those from Anker), cheap batteries from China often have 20 to 30 percent lower capacity and can damage the power controller.