How to completely disable the background work of applications on Xiaomi: safe ways for MIUI

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones are known for their energy efficiency, but sometimes application background processes become a real problem: They not only drain the battery at an accelerated pace, but also slow down the system, especially on budget models with limited resources. In this article, we will examine all the ways to turn off background activity, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users.

It is important to understand that completely disabling background processes can affect notifications, data synchronization and some services. So we will show how to do this selectively – only for unnecessary applications, without affecting critical features. The instructions are relevant for MIUI 12-15 (including HyperOS) and tested on models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Pro.

Why background processes eat up the battery and how to check it

Background activity is any application activity that occurs without your direct involvement.

• 🔄 Automatic data synchronization (Gmail, Telegram, Social networks)
• 📡 Continuous search for updates (Google Play, Mi App Store)
• 📍 Location tracking (Maps, Taxi, Fitness trackers)
• 🔔 Background monitoring of notifications (Facebook, VK, WhatsApp)

To find out which applications are to blame for battery life, go to Settings → Battery → Battery Use. Here you will see the top energy consumers over the past 24 hours. Notice the Background Activity column – if there are high numbers (over 10-15%), the application is definitely worth limiting.

It's also useful to look at Settings → Applications → Application Management → Permissions → Autorun. This shows programs that run spontaneously when you turn on your phone or connect to the network, many of which can be safely turned off, such as games or rarely used utilities.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable auto-run for system applications (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter or com.android.phone) This can cause the phone to malfunction or mobile communication to be lost.

Method 1: Limit background activity through MIUI settings

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

Steps:

1. Open the settings → Battery → Battery mode.
2. Choose “Economic Mode” or “Balanced” (but not “Performance”).
3. Return to Settings → Battery and tap on “Battery Optimization”.
4. Turn on the Battery Optimization switch (if it is turned off).
5. Click on “Optimization Settings” and select “Limit Background Activity” for unnecessary applications.

For more precise settings:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔍 Select the application you want (such as TikTok or AliExpress).
• 🚫 Tap “Limit background activity” and “Disable autostart».
• ⚡ Also turn off “Show notifications” if they are not critical.

Limit background activity for social networks|Disable Autostart at Games|Ban background updates for app stores|Remove background location for unnecessary services-->

These actions will not remove the app, but will significantly reduce its impact on the battery: for example, after such manipulations, Facebook will stop waking up every 10 minutes to check new posts, and AliExpress will not update prices in the background.

Method 2: Using Deep Optimization (Hidden Function)

MIUI has a hidden Deep Optimization mode that aggressively limits background processes, which is useful if you want to maximize battery life, but are willing to sacrifice instant notifications.

How to turn on:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap the MIUI version 7-10 times until the message “You’re a developer!” appears.
3. Go back to the Settings → Additional → Developer settings.
4. Find the option “Deep Battery Optimization” and turn it on.
5. Reboot the phone.

After activation of this mode:

• ✅ Background processes will be suspended in 3-5 minutes after the application leaves the background.
• ✅ Data synchronization will only occur when the application is manually opened.
• ❌ Notifications may be delayed (e.g. WhatsApp or Telegram messages).
• ❌ Some apps (like Google Maps) will stop tracking location in the background.

To add an annex to the exceptions:

1. Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization.
2. Slip on the Apps and select the right one (such as WhatsApp).
3. Click on "Do not optimize."

Method 3: Disabling background data for individual applications

If you need to completely block your app from accessing the internet in the background (for example, for Facebook or advertising SDKs), use this instruction:

Steps:

1. Open Settings → Connections → Data Use.
2. Select “Data Use by Applications”.
3. Find the desired application in the list and tap it.
4. Turn off the "Background Data" switch.
5. To block completely, also disable the “Roaming Data” (if not used).

This method is particularly effective for:

• 🎮 Games, for example, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, which are frequently updated in the background.
• 🛒 Stores (e.g. AliExpress, Wildberries) that drain traffic to update the directory.
• 📺 Streaming services (e.g. YouTube, TikTok) that can upload content in advance.

⚠️ Note: Do not disable background data for system applications like com.google.android.gms or com.miui.securitycenter. This may result in loss of functionality (e.g., Google Pay or the fingerprint scanner will stop working).

Method 4: Using ADB for deep shutdown (for advanced)

If standard methods do not help, you can resort to ADB-This will disable background activity at the system level, but requires connecting the phone to the computer.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with drivers installed ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 📱 Developer's Included Mode and Debugging USB phone-on.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux).
2. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
3. To turn off background activity for a particular app (e.g. Facebook), use: adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.app RESTRICTED_BACKGROUND
4. To disable autorun: adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.app RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny
5. Reboot the phone.

List of popular packages for ADB:

• 📘 Facebook: com.facebook.app or com.facebook.katana
• 📷 Instagram: com.instagram.android
• 🛒 AliExpress: com.alibaba.intl.android.apps.poseidon
• 🎵 Spotify: com.spotify.music

adb shell cmd appops set PAKET APPLASS OP_NONE

where Applications are the name of the package (e.g. com.facebook.app).-->

Method 5: Use of third-party utilities (without root)

If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use specialized applications that don't require root rights, but they provide advanced background management.

Top.-3 utility for Xiaomi:

• 🛡️ Greenify - suspends unnecessary apps in the background. ADB (You need a one-time connection to the PC).
• ⚡ AccuBattery – shows which applications drain the battery the most and allows you to limit their activity.
• 🔧 Servicely – blocks background services on a schedule (for example, only at night).

How to set up Greenify:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Follow the instructions for setting up via ADB (the application will offer commands itself).
3. Add unnecessary apps to the Hibernation list.
4. Enable the option of "Aggressive Hibernation" (for maximum effect).

The advantages of third-party utilities:

• ✅ More flexible settings than standard MIUI.
• ✅ Ability to create a whitelist for important applications.
• ✅ Real-time battery consumption statistics.

⚠️ Note: Some antiviruses (such as Avast or Dr.Web) may block Greenify or Servicely from working as “suspicious.

What to do if after switching off background processes, notifications stopped coming

This is the most common problem with aggressive optimization, and if you stop receiving notifications from messengers or emails, follow these steps:

For WhatsApp/Telegram/Viber:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Choose the right messenger.
3. Slip "Notifications" and turn on all switches.
4. Go back and click “Limit background activity” → “Do not limit”.
5. Add the application to the battery optimization exceptions (see Method 2).

For Gmail/Outlook:

• 📧 Open the mail app.
• 🔄 Go to your account settings and turn on “Synchronization in the background».
• ⚡ In the phone settings (Settings) → Battery) add a mail client in exceptions.

If the notifications still don't come:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📶 Check if mobile data or Wi-Fi is enabled.
• 🛠️ Update the app through Google Play.
• 📋 Check if the notifications block the Do Not Disturb mode (Settings) → Sound and vibration → Don't disturb).

💡

If you’re using MIUI 14+ or HyperOS, check settings in Settings → Notifications → Notification Channels. You can manually enable priority notifications for individual applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning off background activity on Xiaomi