How to turn off the background mode on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI or HyperOS have powerful hardware, but aggressive system optimization sometimes leads to incorrect notifications. Users often face a situation where messengers stop sending messages and music players stop sending immediately after locking the screen, this is because the built-in energy saving mechanism forcibly completes processes that the system considers inactive.

Turning off background restrictions is not just a way to extend battery life, but also a necessary measure for the stable functioning of important applications. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to configure the system so that the programs you need always remain active without consuming unnecessary resources in the background without your knowledge.

It is important to understand that background management requires a balance between performance and energy efficiency.Switching off all constraints completely can result in faster battery discharge, so we'll consider spot tuning.

The principles of background processes in MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi shells are known for their aggressive approach to memory cleanup. Unlike pure Android, here the system seeks to free up RAM in any way, often killing processes immediately after a user has folded an application. Background mode in the context of MIUI is a state in which the application continues to work but does not appear on the screen.

The main control tool is a special service that monitors the activity of running programs. If an application does not play sound, does not use navigation and does not make calls, the system can classify it as “sleeping” and limit access to the network and CPU time. This helps save charge, but often interferes with the work of messengers and email clients.

Newer versions of HyperOS have made algorithms smarter, they analyze usage patterns, but basic energy saving settings remain a priority for the system unless the user sets rules, and understanding this logic is essential to fine-tuning the device.

⚠️ Warning: Uncontrolled backup resolution for all installed apps can reduce smartphone battery life to 30-40% day-by-day.

System limitations are particularly noticeable on low-cost models with less RAM, where cleaning is much more frequent, and flagship owners may not notice problems because the resource reserve allows more applications to be kept open.

Let’s look at the main types of restrictions that the system applies:

• 🔋 Background activity restriction – banning the execution of the application code when the screen is off.
• 📶 Blocking Network Traffic – The app can’t download data until you’re using it.
• 🧹 Automatic Memory Cleanup – Forced Process Shutdown When Shortages RAM.

Configuring the energy saving mode for applications

The most effective way to allow a particular application to run in the background is to change its power settings, which tells the system not to interrupt the program even if it is not in use at the moment, and is the most flexible method, allowing you to customize each application individually.

To start, you need to go to the settings menu. Find the application section and select the program you want from the list. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the battery or power option inside the settings of a particular application.

⚠️ Warning: Changing battery settings for system applications can lead to unstable interface performance, so be careful when choosing system processes.

Once you log in, you'll see a few different behaviors, often with "Energy Saving" or "No Limits" (depending on the firmware version) chosen by default, and we'll have to choose a mode that guarantees it to work.

Select the No Limits option. This action removes all software bans on background activity for the selected software, and the system will now prioritize this application.

When you change the settings, it is recommended to restart the device so that the new settings take effect correctly, especially for older firmware versions where caching energy saving settings can be aggressive.

Managing Auto Startup and Background Rights

There's a separate auto-run control mechanism in the Xiaomi ecosystem. Even if you let an app run in the background, it won't be able to start after the phone restarts unless auto-run is enabled. It's a dual protection that often baffles users.

To manage this, open the Security app, which is preinstalled on every smartphone of the brand. Inside, find the Permissions section and select AutoRun, and here is a list of all the programs that can run with the system.

Activate the switch against the right applications. These are usually messengers, email clients and habit trackers. You should not turn on auto-run for games or heavy editors, as they do not require constant presence in memory.

It’s also worth checking the rights to display over other windows and work in the background in the main permission settings. Sometimes the system blocks not startup, namely the ability to display notifications or continue the process.

The combination of auto-start and battery deconstraint releases gives the best result. If you enable only one of these actions, the application may still stop responding to messages after several hours of downtime.

Fixing applications in RAM

Another layer of control is manually fixing an application in RAM, which is useful for programs that need to work reliably, such as a voice recorder while recording a lecture or a navigator while on the go.

Open the menu of running apps (swipe from the bottom up and hold or menu button). Find the card of the desired application. Depending on the version of the interface, you either need to pull the card down, or click on the lock icon, or select the menu item "Secure".

Once secured, a lock symbol will appear next to the icon, which is a signal to the system that the application cannot be unloaded from memory when the RAM is cleared with the Crestik button or automatic optimization scripts.

It's not recommended to use this method for a lot of programs, and if you pin a dozen applications, the system will have difficulty allocating resources, which will lead to micro-freezes of the interface and slow down.

This is especially true for Xiaomi with 4GB or less of memory, and on 8-12GB RAM devices, the system manages memory efficiently, and manual fixing is rarely required.

Use of Extended Developer Settings

For advanced users who want to gain full control over the behavior of the system, hidden developer menus are available, where you can manage the limits of background processes globally, but you need to do this with extreme caution.

To get into the developer menu, you need to click on the build number several times in the About Phone section. Once the corresponding notification appears, a new Developers item will appear in the Advanced Settings menu.

Within this section, we're interested in the background limit, and the default is "Standard Limit," which is to change to "No Limits," which theoretically allows the system to keep all processes open, but in practice, this can be unstable in MIUI.

• ⚙️ Standard Limit: The system algorithm decides how many processes to keep.
• 🚫 Without background processes – no application will work in the background (useful for tests).
• 🔢 No more than N processes – a hard limit on the number of simultaneously running background tasks.

You can also turn off MIUI optimization from the developer menu, and you can find the option “Enable MIUI optimization” and turn it off, which changes the behavior of the system to make it more like pure Android, but can disrupt some system functions, such as themes or app duplication.

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Before disabling MIUI optimization, create a full backup of data, as some system settings may be reset and topics may stop working correctly.

Changes to the developer menu take effect immediately, but for a full reboot of services, it is better to restart the device, and you can return all settings back at any time by simply turning on optimization or returning the standard process limit.

Diagnostics and troubleshooting notification problems

If you've set up apps that don't work properly after all, you should do a diagnostic. Often the problem isn't with the phone settings, but with the version or cache conflict. First of all, try clearing the cache of the problem app through the settings.

It's also worth checking if Do Not Disturb or Sleep mode is turned on, which can block notifications. Newer versions of HyperOS have a smart sleep mode that shuts down internet and background activity at a given time.

Check the list of blocked applications in Task Manager. If the application is blacklisted or sleeper, no other settings will help it. Make sure the switch next to the application is active and lit in blue.

In extreme cases, if nothing helps, you can try to remove updates to the application or, conversely, update it to the latest version. Sometimes bugs in the program itself conflict with Xiaomi's energy saving algorithms.

Regularly checking settings after a firmware update is a good habit. Newer versions of MIUI often reset user energy saving settings to factory values, which brings the problem back to square one.

Comparison of approaches and final recommendations

To sum up, there is no one magic button for all situations, and the most effective approach is a combination of battery setting + auto-start + memory fixation for mission-critical applications.

For ordinary users, only setting the “No Limits” mode in the battery partition is enough in 90% of cases for stable operation of messengers; more in-depth adjustments are required only in specific use cases.

Remember, background work is a trade-off: the more apps you leave active, the faster the device will discharge, and the smart setting allows you to find a middle ground when the phone is fast, the notifications come on time, and the battery holds a charge all day.

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The optimal strategy is to set up “No Limits” for only 5-7 really important applications, leaving the rest of the standard saving mode.

Following these instructions, you can fully tailor your Xiaomi experience to your personal needs, eliminating the annoying stops of background tasks.