How to remove the background mode on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: the complete guide

Why background processes are slowing down your Redmi Note 9 and how to fix it

Background mode on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is one of the most controversial features of the MIUI shell. On the one hand, it allows applications to work in the background for the user's convenience: notifications come on time, messengers do not turn off, music plays without interruptions. On the other hand, these processes eat up to 30% of battery charge per day and slow down the system, especially on budget models with 4 GB of RAM.

To make matters worse, MIUI aggressively caches apps, even those you don't use. Social networks like Facebook or TikTok can continue to consume traffic and CPU resources even when you shut them down. In this article, we'll look at 5 working ways to turn off the background, from basic settings to advanced ADB techniques.

It’s important to understand that completely disabling background processes can lead to notification delays (like WhatsApp or Telegram) and the need to restart apps more often.However, for most Redmi Note 9 users, the trade-off between performance and usability is warranted.

Method 1: Limit background activity through MIUI settings

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

1. Open “Settings” and go to the Applications → Application Management section.
2. Select the app you want to limit your background activity (such as Instagram or YouTube).
3. Slip on the battery charge point.
4. Enable the option to limit background activity.

This method works for individual applications, but it doesn't shut down background processes completely.

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Battery and productivity → Application power management.
• 📱 Select the Apps and select the ones you want to limit.
• ⚡ Activate the option to limit background activity for all selected.

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If the app stops sending notifications after limiting background activity, check its settings manually. For example, on Telegram you need to go to Settings → Notifications and sounds and turn on the option to Show notifications.

Method 2: Disabling Auto-Run Applications

Many of the applications on the Redmi Note 9 are automatically triggered when you turn your phone on or connect to the Internet, and this is one of the main reasons for the system slowing down and battery drain.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select AutoRun.
3. Turn off autoplay for unnecessary applications (such as games or rarely used services).

Note that some system applications (such as Mi Security or Google Play Services) cannot be disabled without root permissions, and should be kept active so as not to disrupt system stability.

Method 3: Use the MIUI Optimized mode (without root)

MIUI Optimized is a hidden feature of the MIUI shell that allows more flexible management of background processes. It is available without root, but requires activation via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for advanced users, as the wrong commands can disrupt the system.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Turn on USB debugging: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version to activate Developer Mode. Go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers and turn on USB Debugging.

Connect your phone to your PC

CMD

Terminal

Enter the command.

MIUI Optimized

adb shell settings put global miui_optimization 1

Reboot the phone.

Once activated, a new MIUI Optimized section will appear in the battery settings, where you can fine-tune background processes.

• 🔄 Disable background sync for individual accounts (e.g. Google or Mi Account).
• ⏳ Set tighter restrictions on the operation of applications in the background.
• 📴 Stop apps from waking up on a timer (for example, to check for updates).

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Download ADB (Android SDK Platform-Tools)|Enable USB debugging on your phone |Connect your phone to your PC with the original cable |Confirm the connection with the adb device command

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Method 4: Completely disabling background processes through Developer Mode

If you want to limit background activity as much as possible, you can use hidden developer mode settings, which is more radical and can affect the stability of some applications, but it gives you the best result in saving power.

Instructions:

1. Activate the Developer Mode (as described in Method 3).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the following options and disable them: Limit background processes → set a value Without background processes (or a maximum of 1-2 processes). Do not save actions → turn on (this will prevent applications from maintaining state after closing). Windows animation, Transition animation → set Disable animation (will speed up the system).

Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling background processes to zero may result in loss of notifications in messengers and the need to manually update applications (for example, Gmail or Mail.ru will not check new emails automatically).

To balance performance and functionality, we recommend leaving 1-2 background processes, which will allow the most important applications (such as WhatsApp) to run in the background, and the rest will close when folded.

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

If the built-in methods don't work, you can use third-party applications, and we'll look at two options: for rootless devices and root-enabled devices.

Without root: Greenify

Greenify is one of the most popular applications for managing background processes. It doesn't require root, but some features will be limited.

1. Download Greenify from Google Play.
2. Launch the application and provide all necessary permissions (including access to special features).
3. Click on the + icon and select the apps you want to “sleep” (like Facebook or AliExpress).
4. Activate the option of automatic hibernation.

Greenify will automatically close selected apps when they go into the background, which will reduce battery consumption and free up RAM.

root: Servicely or Disable Service

If you have root rights, you can completely disable unnecessary system services that run in the background, for example, Servicely allows you to:

• 🛑 Disable system applications (Mi Video, Mi Music, Mi Browser).
• ⏹ Stop Google Play Services (caution – this may disrupt some apps!).
• 🔄 Set up automatic shutdown of services on schedule.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling system services with root can lead to unstable phone operation, update errors MIUI or even a "brick" (unable to download).Be sure to back up through the TWRP Mi Cloud.

Additional Tips for Optimizing the Redmi Note 9

Turning off background processes is only part of the optimization. To keep your Redmi Note 9 running faster and holding its charge longer, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Turn off automatic sync for unnecessary accounts (Settings) → Accounts and synchronization).
• 📶 Use the “Traffic Savings” mode (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Saving traffic).
• 🌙 Activate the dark theme (AMOLED-Redmi Note 9 screen consumes less power when displaying dark colors).
• 🔄 Clean the cache regularly (Settings) → Warehouse → Clear the cache).

You also need to pay attention to the thermal mode, because if the phone overheats, MIUI automatically limits the performance, which can give the impression of "brakes."

• 📵 Do not use your phone while charging for resource-intensive tasks (games, video editing).
• ☀️ Avoid direct sunlight (for example, don’t leave your phone on a torpedo in your car).
• 🧊 Remove the case during intense work (for example, when watching high-resolution video).

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On the Redmi Note 9 with MIUI 12.5+ firmware, background processes are optimized better than in older versions. If your phone runs on MIUI 11 or lower, consider upgrading through Settings → System Update.

FAQ: Frequent background questions on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9