How to turn off ultra-saving mode on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are famous for their energy efficiency, but aggressive battery optimization sometimes goes too far. Users often face a situation where the device spontaneously goes into ultra-saving mode, turning the interface into a black and white circuit with a minimum set of functions, this can happen at a critical discharge or due to misconfiguration of the MIUI system.

Faced with this limitation, many people are confused as the usual icons of applications disappear and the settings menu becomes inaccessible by standard methods. Ultra-saving mode is designed to extend autonomy in emergency situations, allowing you to make calls and send messages, but to fully work with the gadget it must be deactivated. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to return to a normal interface.

Whether you have a version of the shell, MIUI 12, MIUI 13, MIUI 14 or the new HyperOS, the algorithms will be similar, although the visual design may vary slightly. We will look at both the standard methods of disconnecting through the menu and the forced ways to reboot the system if the interface is completely blocked.

What is ultra-saving and why is it needed?

The ultra-energy saving feature is the last resort to protect the battery’s charge: When the battery level drops below a certain threshold (usually 10% or 20%), the system suggests limiting background processes, turning off mobile Internet, reducing brightness and changing the theme to dark, which allows the phone to run in standby mode for several days.

However, turning this feature on automatically can be annoying if you are near the charger or you urgently need access to messengers and navigation.In this mode, the operating system blocks most installed applications, leaving only the basic set: phone, messages, contacts and sometimes a calculator or clock.

It's important to understand that this is not a failure, but a regular feature of Android in the manufacturer's shell, designed to prevent the device from completely draining at the most inopportune moment, but that in order to make the smartphone work comfortably for everyday tasks, this mode must be turned off, returning full functionality to the interface.

⚠️ Note: In ultra-saving mode, some system services may not work properly, so don’t rely on alarms or important notifications while this mode is active.

Understanding the logic of this feature helps you find a solution faster. Prioritizes only the most important processes. If you accidentally activate this mode, don't panic - all your data and applications are stored, they are simply hidden by a limited interface.

Standard way to disconnect through the notification curtain

The fastest and most obvious way to get out of power-restriction mode is to use a quick access panel. Even in a stripped-down interface, Xiaomi often leaves the ability to manage basic communication and energy-saving functions, by unlocking the screen and swiping from top to bottom to open the notification curtain.

At the top of the screen, you should see an icon for active saving mode. It can look like a battery with a leaf or a lightning icon. Clicking on this icon usually unfolds a menu where you can select the option to turn off or turn off saving mode. If the swipe down does not open the full bar, try swiping up from the bottom of the screen, as in some versions of MIUI navigation is inverted.

In some cases, the system may request confirmation of action, you may need to enter a screen unlock password or use a fingerprint scanner, a security measure to prevent accidental changes in settings when the battery is critically low.

• 🔋 Swipe from top to bottom to open the control center.
• 🔋 Find an active save mode icon (usually highlighted in green or yellow).
• 🔋 Press the switch to deactivate the function.
• 🔋 Confirm the action if the system window appears.

If the standard curtain method doesn't work, the interface may be completely locked in the system to save energy, so move on to deeper system settings.

Disconnection through battery settings in the smartphone menu

When fast access is not available, you should use the main settings menu. Even in ultra-saving mode, the Settings icon (cog) usually remains available on the desktop or in the application menu. Go to Settings and find Battery or Advanced Settings.

Inside the power management menu, look for the Power Savings tab or shield icon (depending on the MIUI version) that will show the current status: "Ultra Savings Mode On," and click on this option, you will be taken to the Mode Selection menu where you can switch to Balanced or Performance Mode.

Sometimes the path may be different. Try the following sequence: go to Settings → Battery → Three dots in the corner (or menu) → Power saving modes. Here you will see a list of available profiles. Selecting a profile "No" or "Default" will return the phone to normal operation.

After changing the profile, the system may need to reboot or update the interface itself. The screen may blink, and in a few seconds you will see your usual wallpaper and application icons.

What to do if the menu is not available or the phone is frozen

When Xiaomi’s interface responds to late presses or does not open the settings menu at all, it is common, and this can be caused by a lack of RAM or a software failure of the savings mode itself, in which case the software methods may not work, and a forced reboot will be required.

To perform a hard reboot, hold the power button. Most Redmi and POCO models need to hold the power button for 10-15 seconds. The screen will go out and the device will start the start cycle again. When turned on, the system usually resets the time limits of saving mode, if the charge level allows.

If the phone is connected to the charger, disconnect the cable before rebooting, and then reconnect after turning on, which will help the system re-assess battery status and not activate the savings mode automatically.

⚠️ Warning: Forced reboot does not delete your data, but unsaved data in open applications may be lost.

In rare cases, when the phone responds to commands but the menu does not open, you can try using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from your computer if the phone previously had USB debugging enabled. The command to reset the battery settings looks difficult for the average user, so it is better to limit yourself to restarting:

adb shell am start -n com.miui.powerkeeper/.ui.HiddenSettingsActivity

But for 99 percent of users, it's easy to hold the power button, and if that doesn't work, it could be the hardware of the button or a deep system failure that requires a factory reset.

Set up exceptions and prevent auto-inclusion

To prevent this from happening again at the worst possible moment, you need to set the thresholds for the function to work, go to the battery settings and find Ultra or Auto-on, and you can turn off the automatic mode at a certain percentage of charge.

It is also useful to set exceptions for important applications. From the Battery menu → Energy saving applications, select mission-critical programs (messengers, navigator, work email) and set a “No Limits” limit for them, which will allow them to work even with power saving on, although the ultra-saving mode itself will still limit the functionality of the interface.

Another important aspect is system updates. Often, the problems with cycling saving mode are solved by updating MIUI or HyperOS. Check for updates in the About Phone section.

• 🛡️ Turn off auto-on mode at 20% charge if it causes inconvenience.
• 🛡️ Add important apps to the list of energy saving exceptions.
• 🛡️ Regularly update the system to fix bugs.
• 🛡️ Monitor the health of the battery in service centers.

Competent setting of these parameters will allow you to enjoy the long-term operation of the phone without unexpected transitions to black and white mode.

Comparison of power saving modes on Xiaomi

Not all users understand the difference between normal saving mode and ultra mode. Conventional mode simply limits background activity, while ultra mode changes the entire logic of using the device. Below is a table to help you understand the differences.

As you can see from the table, ultra-saving mode is a last resort. If you just want a little savings, it's better to use a regular mode that's less aggressive with the user experience.

Problems after the withdrawal from the economy

After successful disabling of the mode, users may experience residual effects, such as the screen may remain dim and some applications may not open, because the system takes time to restore background services.

If the Internet didn't work right away, try turning on and off flight mode, this will restart the radio module, and if the problem with the touchscreen or interface response persists, cleaning the system cache through the Recovery menu or rebooting it will help.

In some cases, after you leave the saving mode, you may experience increased battery consumption in the first 10-15 minutes. This is normal: the system re-indexes files and starts stopped processes. Give the phone a few minutes to overclock.

Don’t panic if the battery starts to melt right after the mode shutdown, which is a fee for returning a full-featured smartphone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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To extend the battery life, try not to bring the charge to 0% and do not keep the phone on charge at 100%.

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Timely system updates and proper battery calibration are the best ways to avoid inadvertently turning on aggressive energy saving modes.