How to completely disable the background mode on Xiaomi Redmi 9T: 5 proven ways

Background processes on Xiaomi Redmi 9T are one of the most controversial features of MIUI, which both saves battery and “steals” performance. The smartphone continues to update applications, synchronize data and perform hidden tasks even when the screen is off. For some users, this is convenient, for others, the cause of rapid discharge and slowdown. Especially relevant problem on the Redmi 9T with its modest by modern standards Snapdragon processor 662 and 4 GB of RAM.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to turn off the background, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users. You’ll learn how to limit applications in the background, which services can be safely blocked and which should not be touched. We’ll also analyze how these changes will affect the autonomy, performance and notifications of your smartphone.

Why the background mode eats the battery and brakes the Redmi 9T

On the Redmi 9T, the background processes are controlled by two key components:

• 🔋 MIUI Battery Saver is an integrated optimizer that aggressively limits applications at low charge, but often runs too rigidly.
• ⚙️ Android Doze Mode – system energy saving mechanism that “freezes” applications when the device is inactive.
• 📱 Auto-Run Applications – a feature that allows programs to start on their own after restarting or closing.

The main “eaters” of resources on Redmi 9T:

On the Redmi 9T with MIUI 12.5+ firmware, background processes consume up to 20-30% of battery power in 8 hours of standby — 2-3 times more than on the naked Android. This is due to Xiaomi’s aggressive analytics and optimization policy, which often works against the user. For example, the system application com.miui.analytics can wake up every 15 minutes, even if you turn off all data collection permissions.

⚠️ Warning: Completely disabling background processes for system applications (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home) can result in mobile network loss or interface failure.

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings for background restriction

The safest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which do not require root rights and is suitable for beginners.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want to restrict (such as Facebook or TikTok).
3. Go to the Battery Consumption section.
4. Activate the option to limit background activity.
5. (Optional) In the AutoRun section, turn off the automatic start of the application.

For mass restriction:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
2. Select Charge Saving or Balanced (depending on the MIUI version).
3. Enable Battery Optimization for all applications.

Are notifications from limited applications turned off?

Has account sync (Google, Mi) been lost?

Is mobile internet and Wi-Fi working properly?

Did the lags appear when opening previously restricted applications?-->

This method reduces battery consumption by 10-15%, but has limitations:

• 🚫 It does not work for system applications (e.g. Google Play Services).
• 🔄 After updating MIUI settings may reset.
• 📵 Some apps (such as messengers) will stop showing notifications.

Method 2: Using ADB for Deep Limitation

If standard settings aren’t enough, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to turn off background processes at the system level, which does not require root rights, but requires connecting your smartphone to your computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. On Redmi 9T, turn on Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode).
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
4. Connect your smartphone to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (the device should appear in the list).
5. To turn off background activity for a particular application (e.g. Facebook), type: adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.katana RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny

List of popular packages to limit:

• 📘 com.facebook.katana — Facebook
• 📷 com.instagram.android — Instagram
• 💬 com.whatsapp – WhatsApp (caution: notifications will disappear!)
• 🎵 com.spotify.music — Spotify

⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB Reset after resetting settings or updating MIUI. To return background activity, replace deny with allow in the team.

Method 3: Turn off background processes via Greenify (without root)

Greenify is one of the few applications that can “freeze” background processes without root rights to Redmi 9T. It works through the Doze Mode mechanism, but allows you to point-to-point control applications.

Instructions for setting:

1. Download Greenify from Google Play.
2. Launch the application and provide all the permissions you request (including Special Access in your battery settings).
3. Click on the + icon and select hibernation apps (e.g. YouTube, Chrome).
4. Activate Aggressive Hibernation (requires ADB enabled via your computer).

The benefits of Greenify:

• ✅ It works without root (but with) ADB).
• ✅ Supports automatic hibernation when blocking the screen.
• ✅ Critical applications can be excluded (for example, messengers).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ It does not block system processes. MIUI.
• ❌ Requires manual adjustment for each application.

💡

If the app stopped showing notifications after hibernation, add it to the Exceptions in the Greenify settings. For instant messengers (Telegram, Viber), it is better to use the built-in battery saving settings in MIUI, not Greenify.

Method 4: Manual shutdown of system services (for experienced ones only)

This method requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights, but allows you to disable even those processes that ignore standard restrictions.

What can be safely turned off:

• 📊 com.miui.analytics – Xiaomi Analytics Collection.
• 📡 com.xiaomi.midrop – file transfer service (if not used).
• 🔍 com.miui.daemon - background tasks MIUI (may cause lag!).

Instructions (requires Magisk or TWRP):

1. Install Root Explorer or Titanium Backup.
2. Go to /system/priv-app/ or /system/app/.
3. Find a folder with the name of the package to be disabled (such as Analytics).
4. Rename the.apk file to.apk.bak.
5. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Disabling system services may result in: 🔴 Loss of mobile network (if you touch com.android.phone). 🔴 Interface collapse MIUI (When blocking com.miui.home). 🔴 Impossibility of updating firmware OTA. Before the changes, make a backup through TWRP!

💡

Even after system services are disabled, some processes can recover after the MIUI update. Use the App Inspector app to monitor active background tasks.

Method 5: Alternative firmware (for maximum optimization)

If you're not happy with MIUI running on Redmi 9T, you might want to consider custom firmware.

Installation instructions (briefly):

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool.
2. Install TWRP Recovery for Redmi 9T (model lime).
3. Download the firmware (e.g. LineageOS 18.1).
4. Use TWRP (wipe → install → reboot)

On custom firmware background battery consumption on Redmi 9T decreases by 30-50% compared to stock MIUI, Some functions are lost (for example, IR-Blaster or Game Turbo. Check compatibility with your model before installing!

What happens if you completely disable all background processes

Turning off background tasks completely may seem like the perfect solution, but it has serious side effects:

• ⏰ Notifications will stop coming (WhatsApp, Telegram, mail).
• 🔄 Data synchronization is blocked (Google Contacts, Calendar).
• 📱 Some apps will restart when opened (such as music players).
• 🔋 Battery will last longer, but the smartphone will become less smart».

Balance sheet recommendations:

• 🔹 Leave background activity for messengers and mail.
• 🔹 Turn off background for social media, games and rarely used apps.
• 🔹 Use Greenify to automatically hibernate unnecessary processes.

FAQ: Frequent background questions on Redmi 9T