How to Turn Off Traffic Savings on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones are equipped with powerful screens and fast processors, but sometimes users are faced with a situation where pages in the browser load slowly and images appear for a long time. Often the reason for this is aggressive traffic savings, which can be activated by default in the system or browser. This feature, designed to save megabytes in roaming or at limited rates, in the era of unlimited Internet, only prevents comfortable use.

With MIUI and its new version of HyperOS, there are several layers of protection for managing network flows, whether it’s a system economy, a specific application setting, or a browser feature, and disabling these restrictions unlocks the potential of your data plan and speeds up content loading.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can eliminate artificial slowdowns in the Internet, find hidden switches in the settings menu, manage permissions for individual applications, and optimize the performance of your Google Chrome or Mi Browser browser. Understanding how background synchronization and data compression work will help you manage resource consumption flexibly.

System settings for data savings in MIUI

The first step should always be to check the operating system's global settings. There's a separate module in the MIUI shell that monitors the network activity of all installed programs, and that's where the basic priority of speed or economy is set, and if that switch is active, it can forcefully limit the background load of mail, messengers, and application updates.

To access these options, you need to open the standard Security app with a shield icon that is preinstalled on each Xiaomi device. Inside the menu, you should find the section responsible for using the mobile network. The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same for all models, whether it is a budget Redmi Note or flagship Xiaomi 14.

In the menu that opens, you'll see "Traffic Savings," which removes the general constraints on the system, but it's worth remembering that after that, apps will start using the background Internet more actively, which can lead to faster battery discharge if the appropriate energy saving profiles are not configured.

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If you travel abroad frequently, create a separate settings profile or use Flight mode when boarding to avoid accidentally activating paid roaming after turning off savings.

This section also often features the option of customizing “Unlimited Traffic” for specific applications, which is a critical option, as system restrictions can block the navigation or streaming service even when the overall savings are turned off.

Setting up Google Chrome browser on a smartphone

Even if the system settings are optimized, the browser itself may have its own built-in compression mechanisms. Google Chrome for Android has long had a “Lite mode” feature that skipped pages through Google servers to reduce their weight. Although new versions have eliminated this feature, residues of settings or experimental flags can affect speed.

Check the settings of the app itself. To do this, click on the three dots in the top right corner and go to the Settings menu. Pay attention to the privacy and performance sections, and sometimes there may be items like "Simplified Mode" or "Page Preload" that are worth reviewing.

Pay special attention to the function "Page preloading" It can work in "Always" or "Only through Wi-Fi." If you have the option "Never" or economical mode, the browser will not load links in advance, which will create the illusion of slow Internet when you click on them, changing this parameter will significantly speed up surfing.

Also, it’s worth checking the extensions or plugins installed if you’re using their mobile versions. Some ad blockers or security scripts can artificially slow down content rendering while trying to analyze traffic.

Managing application network permissions

Android and MIUI have a detailed permission system that allows you to deny a particular application access to mobile Internet or Wi-Fi. This is often used to prevent background spending, but can cause the program to not update content until you manually open it.

To manage these settings, go to Settings on your phone, then select Apps and All Apps. Find a program that is not working properly (like a social network or news aggregator) and click on it. Inside the app menu, look for Data Use or Network Connections.

Here you'll see switches for Wi-Fi and Mobile Data. Make sure they're active. Also important is "Background Connection" or "Background Activity Limitation." If this feature is enabled, the system will freeze the program's network activity when the screen is off.

⚠️ Warning: Completely disabling background data for messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will lead to the fact that you will stop receiving notifications about new messages before opening the application.

There's also the Smart Network Selection feature, which tries to switch a device between Wi-Fi and mobile internet in search of the best signal. Sometimes this algorithm doesn't work properly, causing connection breaks. Try turning this option off in advanced Wi-Fi settings if you see constant reconnections.

Disabling battery saving mode

Energy saving mode is one of the most aggressive optimization tools that directly affects network speed: When the battery drops below a certain level (usually 20% or 10%), the system automatically triggers restrictions that can affect network traffic.

MIUI has several energy saving profiles: "No Limits," "Balanced," and "Energy Saving." In saving mode, the system reduces brightness, turns off vibration, and, important for our theme, limits background synchronization and CPU speed, which can lead to slow loading of "heavy" pages.

To check your current status, open the Security app and go to the Battery section. In the upper right corner is the settings icon or mode selection slider. Make sure you select the Unlimited or Balanced mode, especially if you care about the maximum network response speed.

One of the things that I want to mention is Super-Energy Saving, which is where you turn your phone into a basic caller, and you can either have the Internet running only for your chosen applications or shutting it down completely, and you can actually get the network modules back to normal.

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Power saving mode is the most common reason for the sudden slowdown of the Internet, since it is more important than settings of individual applications.

Comparison of the built-in Mi Browser browser and alternatives

Many Xiaomi users default on the built-in Mi Browser.It has its own traffic compression settings that work independently of the system.In this browser, the saving function can be enabled by default to speed up loading on weak networks.

To turn it off, open the browser, click on the menu (three bars or dots) and go to Settings. Find the Privacy and Security section or Traffic Savings section. Here you need to switch the slider to Off. It's also worth checking the Night Mode or Simplified View settings, which can change the display of pages.

To compare the capabilities of different browsers, consider a table that shows the main parameters of traffic management:

If you do not use the built-in browser, its network settings do not affect the operation of other applications, but the browser itself can continue to consume traffic in the background for news. It is recommended to either completely disable news reception in its settings, or delete the application if you prefer third-party solutions.

Resetting network settings and additional methods

If manually disabling all restrictions failed, a software failure may have occurred in the network configuration, and accumulated DNS errors or incorrect access point (APN) parameters can mimic the work of saving traffic, slowing down the connection.

The most effective way to fix this is to reset your network settings. Note that this operation will delete stored Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairs, but will not affect your personal files, photos or contacts. To complete this, go to Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile Networks and Bluetooth.

Settings → Connection and Sharing → Resetting network settings

It is also worth checking the settings of the access point (APN) Sometimes the providers change the settings and the phone stays on the old ones. SIM-maps, select "Access Point Type (APN)» and click “Reset to Standard” or create a new point with up-to-date data from the operator’s website.

After all the procedures are done, it is recommended to restart the device, which will allow the system to re-initialize the network modules and apply all the configuration changes made, usually after a reboot, the Internet speed returns to the standard values provided by your data plan.

⚠️ Note: When using public Wi-Fi networks in cafes or airports, it is recommended to temporarily include background activity restrictions to protect personal data and prevent hidden information transmission.