Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face situations where important notifications don’t arrive on time or background apps suddenly shut down, due to aggressive optimization of MIUI and HyperOS, which seeks to save battery power as much as possible. Understanding how the autostart mechanism works is key to the stable operation of the device.
Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to allow the application to run in the background. However, in the Xiaomi ecosystem there is a multi-level system of restrictions. If you do not adjust the settings manually, the system can forcefully terminate the process within minutes of the program being folded.
Autostart settings are a balance between autonomy and functionality. If you allow too many programs to start automatically, you run the risk of quickly draining the battery. On the other hand, excessive restrictions will make the smartphone “dumb” by blocking messages from instant messengers.
Principles of operation of the MIUI power management system
The MIUI operating shell is based on a heavily modified version of Android, which prioritizes energy saving, automatically analyzes the behavior of running applications and, if the program is not used for a certain time, it is marked as “heavy” or “unnecessary”, and then the kill process stops the code execution in the background.
The thing about autoruns on Xiaomi is that standard Android resolutions are often ignored here in favor of the battery optimizer's own algorithms. Even if you gave all the rights when you installed, MIUI Optimization can overwrite those settings the next time you restart or update the system, which is why messengers often require manual tuning.
⚠️ Warning: Forced shutdown of system services through the developer menu can lead to unstable interface operation and loss of communication with synchronization servers.
It's worth noting that the algorithms change from version to version, and new HyperOS updates are incorporating smarter machine learning algorithms that try to guess for themselves what app you need right now, but it's still too early to trust them 100%, and the user must maintain control over critical processes.
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The MIUI system by default blocks auto-runs of most third-party applications to save power, requiring manual resolution for important programs.
Where to find and how to set up auto-launch applications
To manage the list of programs that are eligible for self-enablement, the system has a special tool, which is not hidden deep, but not everyone can find it the first time, because the logic of the Xiaomi menu often changes, and these settings are accessed through the Security application, which is the system control center.
To get to the menu, do the following: open the Security app (green zipper icon), scroll down to the Apps section, and select AutoRun. Here you will see a full list of installed programs with switches opposite each of them.
- 📱 Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber – be sure to turn on auto-run for them so as not to miss messages.
- 📧 Email clients: Gmail, Yandex.Mail – require permission to synchronize emails in real time.
- ⏰ Alarm clocks and trackers: exercise apps or alarm clocks should be running constantly.
Once you switch on the switch in front of the application, the system can issue a warning that it will affect battery life, which is a standard reaction to agree if the functionality of the program is more important to you than saving a few percent of charge, without this step, the application will not be able to start itself after restarting the phone.
☑️ Auto-start setup
Connection of Auto Start and Battery Savings
Autostart resolution is only half the setup, and even if an application has the right to start with the system, it can be stopped after a while in the background, and that's a separate mechanism, Battery Savings, and there are different modes in MIUI that dictate the behavior of the background processes.
You can choose a customized scenario for each application, and the default mode is often "Energy Savings," which limits background activity, and for messengers and navigators, you have to choose "No Limits" mode, which means that the system doesn't apply any energy-saving algorithms to the process.
Let’s take a look at the main battery modes in the table below to understand their impact on auto-start:
| Mode of work | Impact on auto-start | Impact on notifications | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saving energy | Limited. | Delayed. | For games and video |
| No restrictions. | Complete. | Instantly. | For messengers. |
| Smart mode. | Systemic | Depends on the algorithm. | For most applications |
| Energy saving regime | Locked down. | They don't come. | Only at low charge. |
It is important to understand the difference between a global energy saving mode (when the yellow battery is turned on in the curtain) and individual settings. The global mode overrides individual settings and forcibly stops almost all background processes, regardless of your preferences.
What is MIUI Optimization?
Additional permissions and blockers
Beyond the basic autorun, Xiaomi has another layer of protection that is often overlooked: a built-in blocker that can prevent apps from displaying notifications or blocking other windows. Without the appropriate permissions, even a customized autorun won’t have the full effect.
Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select the right program, and find the Other Permissions section. It often hides critical items like “Master on top of other apps” or “Login.” Without permission to display on top of other windows, you won’t see a call pop-up if the phone is locked.
- 🔔 Notifications: Make sure the “Show Notifications” and “Sound” sliders are active.
- 🔒 Blocking: Check if the app is on the list of blocked in the Security app».
- 📍 Geolocation: For maps and taxis, select the Always Allow mode, otherwise the navigator will fall asleep in the background.
Also worth mentioning is the Advanced Insulation feature (or similar names in newer versions of HyperOS), which creates a sandbox for applications by restricting their access to other data. If the application is not working properly, try turning off extended isolation for it in the privacy settings.
⚠️ Warning: Allowing microphone and camera access to all applications immediately creates a security breach.
Problems with notifications in popular apps
The most common problems with autoruns occur on social networks and instant messengers, and users complain that messages only come after opening the application, a classic symptom of Doze mode working in conjunction with the aggressive killer of MIUI processes.
WhatsApp and Telegram have the same algorithm: you need to enable auto-start, remove battery restrictions and lock the application in memory. To do this, open the menu of running applications (swipe from the bottom up and hold), find the messenger window, press the lock or pull the card down until the lock icon appears. This is a signal to the system not to unload the application from RAM.
The situation with Viber and Instagram is often complicated by the fact that these apps themselves are poorly optimized to work in the background on Xiaomi shells.This may require additional customization via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to turn off deep sleep for specific packages, but this is already a method for advanced users.
Resetting settings and eliminating errors
If you've tried all the settings, but autostart doesn't work, or if the phone is constantly warming up due to unnecessary processes, you may need to reset the optimizer settings, and sometimes configuration errors accumulate in the system that prevent the correct application of the rules.
Try to clear the data from the Security app. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Security and click Clear → Clear all data. Don’t worry, your files and contacts won’t be affected, only the antivirus and optimization settings will reset.
As a last resort, if the problem is systemic, you can reset all settings to factory settings, make sure to back up your data to the Mi Cloud or your computer before doing so, and this is guaranteed to return all system permissions to default, eliminating any conflicts.
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After a major system update (e.g., from MIUI 14 to HyperOS), recheck autorun settings – the updated OS often resets user permissions for security purposes.