How to Speed Up Android on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Optimization

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where the once-flashy device starts to work slower. The interface hangs down, apps open longer than usual, and games begin to twitch even at medium graphics settings. This is not necessarily a sign of breakdown; most often the problem lies in the software limitations of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, which over time overgrow cache and background processes.

There are many effective ways to get your gadget back to its original apex without having to flash or buy a new device. In this guide, we will discuss both secure standard settings and more advanced methods of optimizing the Android system, you will learn to turn off unnecessary services, manage RAM correctly, and configure hidden developer settings for maximum speed.

Before we get to the radical measures, it is worth understanding the nature of the brakes: the RAM of the device can be filled with “junk” processes, and crowded internal storage often becomes the main culprit of the file system performance, and do not discount the thermal throttling of the processor, which reduces the frequency when the case overheats.

Cleaning the system and memory management

The first step to speed up Xiaomi’s work should be a deep cleaning of storage and RAM. Android is designed so that free disk space critically affects the speed of writing and reading data. When more than 85% of the volume is filled, the memory controller starts to work slower, which causes lags throughout the interface.

Xiaomi’s built-in Security app can delete temporary files, but it often leaves a deep cache of messengers and social networks. To clean up better, you need to manually walk through folders with heavy content. Pay special attention to DCIM folders, Download and browser cache, where gigabytes of unused data accumulate.

☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning

Done: 0 / 4

Remember that the constant running of background applications eats up the CPU resources. Many programs that you rarely use continue to hang in memory and track geolocation. Turning off background activity for unnecessary services is an easy way to free up resources for basic tasks.

  • 🗑️ Remove unused applications that were preinstalled by the manufacturer or installed by you long ago.
  • 📸 Transfer photos and videos to a cloud server or computer, freeing up the device’s physical memory.
  • 🚫 Turn off auto-update apps in the background via Google Play settings.
  • 🔄 Reboot your smartphone at least once a week to reset system processes and clean up RAM.

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Use Memory Cleanup mode in the notification curtain before launching heavy games, but don’t rely on it as a permanent solution to the RAM shortage problem.

Developer settings to increase speed

The hidden Developer Menu contains options that directly affect the visual responsiveness of the interface. By default, MIUI and HyperOS set standard animation values that may seem slow on budget models. Changing the scale of animation creates the illusion of faster system operation.

To get into this menu, you have to click on the build number several times in the About section. After the message "You became a developer", a new item will appear in the settings menu, and here we are interested in the options related to rendering windows and transitions.

⚠️ Note: Do not turn off animation completely (value) 0x), Because it can lead to incorrect display of transitions between the screens and visual "twitching" of the interface — 0.5x.

Another important parameter is the limit of background processes: if you set a limit, you will prevent the system from holding more than a certain number of inactive applications in memory, this will free up RAM, but can lead to more frequent reboot of tabs in the browser or messengers.

List of useful parameters for acceleration
In the developer menu, find the items: "Window animation scale", "Scale of transition animation", "Scale of animation duration." Set a 0.5x for everyone. You can also turn on the option "GPU processing acceleration", which will cause some elements of the interface to render through the GPU, unloading the CPU.

Optimization of game mode and graphics

For gamers, stable frame rate (FPS) is critical. Xiaomi shells have a built-in “Game Turbo” (or “Game Acceleration”) that redistributes system resources in favor of a running application.

Inside the game accelerator menu, you can customize the performance profile for each game separately, and it is recommended to choose the "No Limits" or "Performance" mode so that the system does not reset the CPU frequencies when heated, but this will lead to faster battery discharge and heating of the case.

Setup parameterRecommended valueImpact on the system
Sensitivity to touchElevatedReduces the input delay in shooters
Network priorityHigh-pitchedReduces ping in online games
Blocking notificationsIncluded.Prevents micro-lags when windows pop up
Improved graphicsOff (for weak devices)Reduces the load on the GPU, increasing FPS

Also worth paying attention to is the resolution of the screen in the display settings: Decreasing the resolution or refresh rate of the screen (for example, from 120 Hz to 60 Hz) in games can significantly improve performance on older smartphone models, a trade-off between the smoothness of the picture and the speed of the frames.

📊 What is more important to you in games on the smartphone?
Maximum schedule
High FPS (frames per second)
Long battery life
Lack of heating of the body

Combating Advertising and Systemic Garbage (MSA)

One reason Xiaomi's interface is slowing is system advertising and analytics services. MSA (MIUI System Ads) and other similar services are constantly running in the background, downloading banner ads and collecting data about usage, and turning them off will not only speed up the phone, but also increase privacy.

To turn off ads, you need to go to password and security settings, find access to personal data, and disable permission for msa. After turning off, you need to wait 10 seconds and confirm the action. If the system says that “failed to disable”, the procedure should be repeated several times until the success message appears.

Also, you should disable personalized recommendations in system applications, this is done in the "Get recommendations" section within the settings of each system application (Music, Explorer, Downloads), disabling these functions reduces the load on the network module and processor.

  • 📉 Turn off the mds service (MIUI Daemon, responsible for the collection of usage statistics.
  • 🚫 In the security settings, forbid the “Cleanup” application to show advertising recommendations.
  • 🔒 Turn off personalized ads in your Google account through your privacy settings.
  • 📡 Blocking Advertising Domains Through Private DNS It can further speed up the loading of pages.

⚠️ Note: When disabling system services through ADB Be careful not to remove or disable critical system components such as Security, Google Play Services or System UI», Otherwise, the phone may go into a cyclical reboot.

Managing Autoboot and Background Processes

Many apps in the Android ecosystem tend to run with the operating system. On Xiaomi smartphones, this process is controlled by stricter, but some programs still manage to sign up for autoload, which leads to the fact that immediately after turning on the phone, the processor is loaded by 50-70%.

Modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS don't have a direct boot menu for third-party apps, as they used to, but you can limit their activity in the background. Go to the application settings, select a specific program, and find "Stop." Leave only what you really need (such as messengers or alarms) on.

There's also a mechanism for freezing applications, so if you rarely use a program but don't want to delete it, you can shut it down completely in the background, and then the app will open a little longer (cold start), but it won't consume resources until you start it.

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Complete disabling of background activity for messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will lead to the fact that messages will only come when you open the application.

Advanced Optimization through ADB (for Advanced)

For users who are not afraid of the command line, there is a powerful tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge) by connecting a smartphone to a computer, you can remove system applications that are impossible to uninstall through the settings, and disable deep system services that slow down work.

Before you start working, you need to enable debugging over USB in the developer menu and connect the phone to the PC. To work, you will need to install drivers and Platform Tools. Commands are entered in the terminal or command line of the computer.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.misys


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.bips

One command disables the system analytics service, the other one disables the printing service, which often hangs in the background. There are many debloat lists that can be found in the public domain, and using these scripts, you can turn the heavy shell of MIUI into a lightweight analogue of pure Android.

  • 💻 Delete com.google.android.apps.tachyon (if not using Duo) frees up resources.
  • 🗑️ Disabling com.xiaomi.joyose could remove artificial restrictions FPS in games, but will increase the heat.
  • ⚙️ With help. ADB You can change the pixel density (DPI), making the interface more compact.
  • 🔋 Disabling Xiaomi Cloud Services Will Speed Up Your Work If You Don’t Use Them.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Removing a critical system packet can lead to a "bootloop" (cyclic reboot). Always check the name of the packet before entering the pm disable-user command.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will resetting to factory settings speed up an old phone?
Yes, a full reset (Wipe Data) removes all the accumulated software debris, registry errors and file conflicts. This is the most radical, but often the most effective way to return speed if the software methods did not help. Remember to back up important data before the procedure.
Should you install third-party software-cleaners (Clean Master and analogues)?
No, modern versions of Android and MIUI shells have built-in efficient memory management mechanisms. Third-party cliners often work in the background, consume the battery and display intrusive advertising, which in the end only slows down the device.
Does a crowded memory affect the speed of the Internet?
Indirectly, yes. If memory is clogged, the system is slower, data buffering takes longer, and switching between applications (e.g., browser and messenger) causes delays that the user perceives as “slow internet.”
Do I need to close applications through the “Close Everything” menu?
On Android, this is not recommended. When you re-start the application, it boots from scratch, which consumes more power and CPU time than storing it in a frozen state in RAM. Only close programs that are frozen or not working properly.