What you can and should disable in a Xiaomi smartphone: 12 features for speed, battery and security

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are known for their functionality, but many chips work in the background, eating battery power, slowing the system and even passing data to the manufacturer. 80% of users do not suspect that half of the preinstalled services are not only useless, but also harm the device. For example, automatic optimization MIUI can artificially limit the performance of the processor by 30% to “extend life”, although this does not give a real effect.

In this article, we have a checklist of 12 features that should be turned off on any Xiaomi device (including the 2023-2026 models on MIUI 14/15 and HyperOS).

• 🔋 What kills the battery the fastest (spoiler: it's not a screen!).
• ⚡ How to speed up your phone without root and custom firmware.
• 🛡️ What features are watching you and how to block them.
• 📱 Hidden settings that are silent even in official instructions.

All recommendations have been tested on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5, but are relevant for most models of the brand. If your device runs on Android One (for example, Xiaomi A3), some points may be missing - this is normal.

1. Automatic MIUI Optimization (and Why It’s Harmful)

System Optimization in MIUI is marketed as a tool to extend the life of a smartphone, but in fact it artificially limits performance. The algorithm closes the background processes, blocks application autoloads, and even reduces the CPU clock rate if the phone is not connected to charging. The result is that apps open longer, games slow down, and the cost savings are minimal - only 3-5%.

How to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → System Optimization.
2. Turn off the Automatic Optimization slider.
3. In the same menu, click Cleanup and uncheck all items (especially Cleanup when blocked).

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If after switching off the optimization, the phone began to warm up - check the background processes in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Background processes. Most likely, it is not the hardware that is to blame, but a specific application (most often messengers or games).

⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO X3 Pro, Redmi 10) after disabling the optimization, a notification “System not optimized” may appear. → Notifications → System notifications.

2. MIUI Advertising: How to Delete Forever

Xiaomi embeds ads in system applications (Browser, Music, Themes), notifications, and even settings menus. According to XDA Developers, MIUI 14 ad modules consume up to 120 MB of traffic per month and reduce battery life by 8-12%.

Step-by-step:

• 📱 System Notifications: Settings → Notifications → Additionally. → Promotional notices → Turn off all sliders.
• 🌐 Browser: Open Mi Browser, go to Settings → Additionally. → Advertising preferences and uncheck all boxes. → Confidentiality Disable Personalized Recommendations.
• 🎵 Music: In the Mi Music app, go to Settings → Advertising and deactivating all options.
• 🎨 Topics: In Topics, click on the avatar → Settings → Advertising preferences → Turn it off.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI To avoid this, block ad domains through the hosts file (root required) or use Blokada (free app to block traffic).

3.Data Collection and Analytics: What Xiaomi Knows About You

Xiaomi collects data about the device usage, including:

• 📍 Location (even if it is GPS switched off).
• 📱 Behavioral patterns (which apps you run, how often).
• 🔧 Technical information (firmware version, IMEI, MAC-address).

By default, most of this data is sent to the servers of Xiaomi and partners (including Google and Facebook).

Instructions:

1. Settings → Privacy → Analytics of use → turn off all sliders.
2. Settings → Privacy → Advertising Personalization → Deactivate Personalized Recommendations
3. Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Privacy → turn off Use Data Sync and Error Reporting.
4. For full control, use App Ops (Adb activation required): Adb shell pm grant com.spazedog.appops27 android.permission.GET_APP_OPS_STATS

⚠️ Note: Disabling analytics does not prevent Xiaomi from collecting anonymous data (for example, statistics of system failures).To be completely anonymous, you will need to abandon your Mi Account and use custom firmware (for example, LineageOS).

4.App Background Activity: Who's Stealing Your Battery

By default, MIUI allows apps to run in the background, update and send notifications even if you don't use them. For example, Facebook in the background can consume up to 20% of the charge per day, and Mi Fit can constantly pull GPS.

Optimization methods:

• 🔄 Manual setting: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application Management, select the application and disable: Autostart Background Activity Show notifications
• ⚡ Butch mode: In Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization Select All Apps and Set Restricted Mode for Them (except Messengers and Calls).
• 🤖 Through ADB: For full control, use the command: adb shell cmd appops set PAKET Apps RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND Replace the Applications with the Real Applications ID, For example, com.facebook.katana).

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Even after manually shutting down background activity, some system applications (Mi Push Service, Security) will restart. To block them permanently, you will need to disable them via Titanium Backup (you need root) or remove updates in Settings. → Annexes → Show it all. → Menus (⋮) → Reset updates.

5. Animations and Visual Effects: How to Speed Up the Interface

MIUI is known for its beauty: smooth transitions, animations when opening apps, unlock effects. But all this graphics tinsel loads the processor and slows down by 15-25%, especially on budget models (Redmi 9A, POCO M3).

How to turn it off:

• 🎨 Animation Speed: Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on Version) MIUI In Settings → About the phone, then go to Settings → Additionally. → For developers and install: The window animation scale → Disable the animation scale of the animation transition → Disable animation of the animator duration scale → Turn off animation.
• 🖼️ Wallpaper and effects: In Settings → Screen. → Lock screen animation select No. Also turn off Touch Effects in Settings → Sound and vibration.
• 🔄 Transitions between applications: C Settings → Home screen turn off animation when opening/closing folders.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (HyperOS), disabling animations may cause the screen to flicker when switching between applications. If this happens, return the settings to 0.5x shutdown.

6. Useless system applications: what can be removed

Xiaomi installs dozens of pre-installed apps on smartphones, most of which are never used, take up space in memory, update in the background, and can send data, and remove them carefully — some are related to system processes.

List of safe apps to remove (via adb or Titanium Backup):

• 🗑️ com.mi.android.globalFileexplorer - Mi Explorer (can be replaced by Solid Explorer).
• 🎵 com.miui.player - Mi Music (if you don't use it).
• 📺 com.miui.videoplayer — Mi Video.
• 📰 com.miui.weather2 — Weather (using a lot of traffic).
• 🛒 com.xiaomi.midrop – Mi Drop (unhelpful without other Xiaomi devices).
• 🎮 com.miui.gamecenter.sdk.service - Game Center (if you don't play).

The command to remove via adb:

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 Name package

⚠️ Attention: Do not delete:

• com.miui.securitycenter – Security (responsible for permissions)
• com.android.settings - Settings.
• com.miui.home – MIUI Launcher (phone will not boot).

7 Automatic Updates: Why They Are Dangerous

Xiaomi likes to update firmware and apps in the background, even if you didn't ask for it.

• 📴 Battery discharge (downloading firmware weighing 2-3 GB puts the battery on 10-15%).
• 🐢 Brakes (updates are installed at the most inconvenient moment).
• 🔧 Failures (new versions) MIUI often contain bugs).

How to turn it off:

• 📱 System Updates: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → Menus (⋮) → Settings → Automatic booting → Choose Never.
• 🔄 App Updates: Go to Settings on Google Play → Auto Update Apps and Choose Never.
• 📦 Updates via GetApps: Remove the GetApps app or disable auto-updates in its settings.

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If you still want to upgrade, do it manually and only through stable firmware. MIUI beta versions often contain critical bugs (for example, MIUI 14.0.4 for the Xiaomi 12T had a bug with a constant reboot).

8 Sensors and Permits: Who is Watching You in the Background

Many applications (including system) have access to the sensors of the phone: microphone, camera, GPS For example, Mi Browser asks for access to the location and microphone (allegedly for voice search), and Mi Fit can include a camera for scanning. QR-codes without your knowledge.

How to restrict access:

• 📍 GPS: Settings → Privacy → Permits → Location. → Disable access for unnecessary apps (such as Facebook or TikTok).
• 🎤 Microphone: In the same menu, select Microphone and deny access to everyone except instant messengers and recording apps.
• 📷 Camera: Limit camera access to all apps except Instagram, WhatsApp and the standard Camera app.
• 🔄 Background activity of sensors: C Settings → Privacy → Special access → Access physical activity data, disable everything except fitness trackers.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. Google Maps) may stop working correctly after the sensors are disabled, in which case only allow access while using the app.

FAQ: Frequent questions