Launching in the background on Xiaomi Redmi: the full guide

Many Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners face a situation where apps stop notifying, music stops when the screen is turned off, or the navigator is silent at the right moment. This is a direct consequence of the aggressive MIUI shell energy saving policy, which by default limits the background activity of programs. Understanding how to run in the background is key to the stable operation of your device.

Unlike stock Android, Xiaomi requires manual adjustments to make messengers, trackers, and smartwatches work correctly. If you want important notifications to come instantly and apps not to fall asleep at the wrong time, you need to configure autorun and background settings correctly, not just an option in settings, but a whole ecosystem of constraints that you need to configure correctly.

In this article, we will examine in detail the mechanisms of the background processes, consider the developer tools and system settings that will help you find a balance between the autonomy of the device and its responsiveness.

Architecture of background processes in MIUI

The Android system on which MIUI is based is originally designed to ensure that applications do not consume CPU resources when they are not used. However, Xiaomi has implemented additional levels of control that are often too strict. When you fold an application, it does not always remain active, but instead moves to a “freeze” state or completely completes the process to save battery power.

The main control tool here is MIUI Optimization, which is a hidden mechanism that analyzes the behavior of programs and forcibly closes those that the system considers “heavy” or rarely used, which is why messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp may not send messages until the moment the screen is unlocked.

⚠️ Attention: Complete optimisation disabling MIUI This can lead to chaotic battery consumption, as the system will no longer control the “voracious” applications.

To manage these processes, we use a task manager that works independently of the standard Android menu. It is important to distinguish between standard freezing and complete completion of the process. In the first case, the application can be quickly restored, in the second case, it is re-run, that consumes more resources.

Setup of Auto-Run Applications

The first step in setting up the background is AutoRun control, a feature that allows or prohibits applications from running with the operating system or after other processes have finished, and without that permission, many programs simply won't be able to run in the background.

To set this setting, go to Settings → Applications → Auto Run. Here you will see a list of all installed programs. Turning the toggle in front of the application ensures that it will receive the necessary permissions to initialize services when the system starts.

But auto-runs are often not enough, and the system can shut down the application some time after it starts, so it's critical to also configure the permissions for each application in the Battery section.

Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, select the desired program (for example, Viber) and find the Battery item. Set the value “No restrictions.” This is a command to the system to ignore the standard energy saving rules for this program.

Blocking applications in memory

One of the most effective ways to make an app work in the background on Xiaomi Redmi is to lock it in RAM, which creates an anchor that prevents the system from unloading the process even when there is a lack of free memory (RAM).

To do this, open the menu of running apps (swipe from the bottom up and hold or menu button). Find the card of the desired application, hold it with your finger and wait for the lock icon to appear. Now, even if you click the "Clear" button, this application will remain hanging in memory.

The use of locking is especially important for navigation applications such as Yandex.Navigator or 2GIS, which must work continuously. Without a lock, the system can decide that you no longer need a map and cut the connection to the GPS.

Advanced battery settings

Modern versions of MIUI 13, MIUI 14 and HyperOS have more detailed power management settings that allow you to create customized profiles for each application, determining how aggressively the system will “strangle” them.

Note the Energy Saving feature in the application-specific section, where you can choose Smart Mode, which tries to balance between performance and battery, or No Limits mode, which gives full priority to the application. The latter is recommended for activity trackers and smartwatches.

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Use No Limits mode only for applications that really need to work 24/7. Constant operation of the navigator or playing in the background will significantly reduce battery life.

Also worth checking the global battery settings. Go to Settings → Battery and see if Ultra-Energy Saving mode is on. In this mode, background activity is limited as tightly as possible, and most applications cease to function normally.

⚠️ Warning: When power saving mode (yellow battery) is turned on, the system automatically limits background synchronization and operation GPS. For full operation of background services, the charge should be above 20% and the saving mode is turned off.

Specifics of working with smart watches and trackers

A separate category of devices that require constant background connectivity are smartwatches and fitness bracelets (e.g. Amazfit, Mi Band, Garmin) whose companion apps must constantly scan Bluetooth and transmit pulse or step data.

A common problem with Xiaomi users is that they break the connection to the watch hours after they carry the smartphone in their pocket, because the system kills the Bluetooth scanning process, and the solution is to set up the app with all the permissions, enable auto-start, remove the battery limitations, and lock the app in memory.

Also, it's important for wearables to work well, not to clean up too often. If you're used to shutting down all apps with a "Trump" button, the watch will lose touch all the time.

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For stable operation of smart watches on Xiaomi Redmi, you need to perform the “four settings”: auto-start, no battery restrictions, all resolutions and lock in memory. (all at once).

Using the Developer Menu

For advanced users who want to gain full control of background processes, a developer menu is available, where you can manage the limits of background processes globally for the entire system, not just for individual applications.

To get into this menu, you have to click on the build number several times in the About Phone section. Then in the advanced settings, look for the Developer section. We're interested in the "Background Process Limit" item. The default is "Standard Limit," but you can set "No Limits" or a specific number of applications.

Path: Settings -> About Phone -> (7 times tap on "MIUI Version") -> Advanced Settings -> Developers -> Limit background processes

Be careful, though: installing too many background processes can cause the phone to slow down due to a lack of RAM. Android knows best when to close an old process to make room for a new one.

Typical problems and their solutions

Despite the correct setup, users may experience periodic failures, such as resets after a system update, or a new MIUI update changes the algorithms of working with memory, in which cases, rechecking all points is required.

If notifications are suddenly gone, try restarting the device, which will clear the system cache and restart all background services, which often solves the problem of “hangover” processes, and it is also worth checking whether the phone is not a third-party antivirus or “cleaner”, which may conflict with the system settings Xiaomi.

In some cases, removing and re-installing the problem application helps, and when you first install it, the system will ask for permissions again, so you can immediately set the right energy saving parameters without waiting for the system to limit the program itself.