How to Add an App to Protected on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to 2026

The secure app feature on Xiaomi smartphones is a key element of MIUI security that often raises questions among users, which can prevent background processes from being closed spontaneously, protect data from being cleaned when the screen is locked, and even bypass some of the energy saving limitations, but not everyone knows that adding the app to this list is possible not only through standard settings, but also through hidden system capabilities.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to add applications to the protected list on Xiaomi, Redmi and the Internet. POCO (including models 2023–2026 years MIUI 14/15). You will learn how to start, background and lock cleaning, and how to get around the limitations of the system if the desired application is not displayed in the list. ADB and MIUI Hidden Settings – These methods work even where the standard interface refuses to cooperate.

If you find instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) constantly rebooting, music players (Spotify, VK Music) interrupted when you lock the screen, or background services (such as pedometers or sleep trackers) suddenly turn off – this guide will help solve the problem. We will also look at the risks of improper configuration and explain why some applications (banking, system) can automatically fall into a protected list without your participation.

What are secure applications on Xiaomi and why do they need them?

Protected Apps is a MIUI mechanism that prevents the system from forcing background processes to close, and unlike standard auto-start or background activity resolution, protected status ensures that the application:

• 🔄 Will not be killed by the system when cleaning up memory (Cleanup) RAM)
• 🔒 Will not lose data when blocking the screen (for example, chats in messengers)
• ⚡ Priority in allocation of resources CPU/RAM
• 🛡️ It will be protected from battery optimization (even in Ultra-Economic mode)

By default, system applications (Settings, Phone, Messages) and some third-party services (Mi Pay, Mi Home) fall into the protected list. However, the user often needs to add instant messengers (Telegram, Viber), navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps), fitness trackers (Mi Fit, Google Fit) or banking applications (Sberbank Online, Tinkoff).

It is important to understand that protected applications ≠ Auto-start. Auto-run just lets the application start when the phone is turned on, but it doesn't guarantee it's running in the background. But protected status is the highest priority, giving the application almost the same rights as system processes.

⚠️ Warning: Abuse of a protected list can lead to accelerated battery drain and slowdowns. Don't add more than 10 to 15 apps — MIUI It is beginning to misallocate resources.

Method 1: Adding through standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with the MIUI 12-15 firmware version. The instructions are relevant for models from 2020 to 2026, including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13 and POCO F5/X5.

Steps to add an application to protected:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application from the list (for example, Telegram).
3. Slip on Battery.
4. Select the No Limits option or the Secure Application (the name may vary depending on the version of MIUI).
5. Confirm the action by clicking Allow.

If there is no Safe App, try an alternative path:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Application Battery Management.
2. Select the application and activate the Protect (or No Limits) switch.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 Global), the path may look different: Settings → Applications → Permissions → Autorun, where you first need to enable autorun and then manually add the application to the protected ones.

⚠️ Attention: POCO shelled POCO Launcher menus can be hidden behind additional tabs. If you can't find Secure apps, try changing the theme to standard. MIUI display-setting.

Method 2: Use Hidden Settings for MIUI Hidden Settings

If the standard method didn’t work (for example, the desired item is not on the menu), you can use the hidden MIUI settings. This will require the MIUI Hidden Settings application (available on Google Play), which reveals additional features of the system.

Instructions:

1. Install. MIUI Hidden Settings from Google Play.
2. Open the application and grant it ADB rights (if requested).
3. Go to the Battery section → Protected Apps.
4. In the list, find the desired application and activate the switch.
5. Reboot your smartphone to apply the changes.

The advantage of this method is that it allows you to add to the protected applications even those that are not displayed in the standard menu (for example, some system services or applications with non-standard resolutions).

Note that after using MIUI Hidden Settings, some functions may not work well. If you notice increased battery consumption or freezes**, return the settings to their original state.

Method 3: Adding via ADB (for power users)

If previous methods have failed, an advanced method is ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and working with the command line, but it is guaranteed to work on all versions of MIUI, including MIUI 15.

Step-by-step:

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

ADB Tools

cmd

adb devices

Make sure your device is listed.

com.example.app

org.telegram.messenger

adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.example.app

Reboot your smartphone.

To find out the batch name of the application, use the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"

For WhatsApp, it would be com.whatsapp.

adb shell cmd deviceidle whitelist +com.example.app

On some firmware MIUI 14+ This syntax works more consistently.-->

Critical! After using ADB, check if your settings reset after the reboot. On some devices (Xiaomi 12T, Redmi K50), the protected status can be reset, in which case you will have to repeat the command after each system update.

Why the app is not added to protected: common problems

Sometimes even after all the instructions are done, the application doesn't get on the protected list or keeps closing.

Another common problem is that banking applications (SberBank, VTB, Alfa-Click) are automatically added to protected applications, but they block other services, due to MIUI's security policy, which prioritizes financial applications, to rectify the conflict:

• 📱 Move the banking application to the Normal (not secure).
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🔒 Add the desired application to the protected first (bank will be added automatically second).

How to check if the protected status is working

Putting an app in a secure one is half the battle, and you have to make sure that it doesn't actually kill its processes.

Method 1: Screen lock test

1. Open the app (such as Telegram or music player).
2. Lock the screen for 5-10 minutes.
3. Unlock and check: 💬 Messenger: chats loaded instantly (no reconnection). 🎵 Music player: playback is not interrupted. 📍 Navigator: the route did not reset.

Method 2: Checking with ADB

1. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist
2. Make sure your app package is on the list.

Method 3: Monitoring through Developer Options

1. Activate Developer Mode (if not already enabled).
2. Go to Settings → For developers → Working applications.
3. Check if your app disappears from the list after the screen is locked.

💡

If the application still closes, despite the protected status, the problem may be deep optimization of MIUI. Try to disable the Adaptive Battery and Background Limitation for this application manually.

What happens if you add too many apps to your protected apps?

Many users, trying to solve the problem with background processes, add to the protected all-in-a-kind applications — instant messengers, games, social networks, services. This is a dangerous practice that leads to the following consequences:

• 🔋 Accelerated battery discharge (up to 20-30% in 4-5 hours in standby mode).
• 🐢 Slowing down the system due to overload RAM.
• 🔥 Overheating of the processor, especially on budget models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3).
• 🚫 Automatic removal from the list — MIUI It can reset if it detects too many secure applications.

Optimal number of secure applications: 5-10. Prioritize:

1. Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber).
2. Navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps, 2GIS).
3. Fitness trackers (Mi Fit, Google Fit, Strava).
4. Music players (Spotify, VK Music, YouTube Music).
5. Banking applications (unless they are added automatically)

Games (PUBG, Genshin Impact), social networks (Instagram, TikTok) and browsers (Chrome, Firefox) do not need to be added to protected ones – they consume too much resources and do not require constant work in the background.

FAQ: Frequent questions about secure apps on Xiaomi