Redmi 9 series smartphones have long been bestsellers due to their excellent price-performance ratio. However, over time, even powerful devices can slow down due to cache accumulation, system files proliferation and weighting down the MIUI interface. Users often notice that apps open longer and animations become intermittent.
Don't rush into buying a new gadget, because in most cases, the situation can be radically corrected by software methods. System optimization allows you to return to your former responsiveness without losing warranty or complex code intervention. We will look at proven ways that will help your device work faster.
In this guide, we’ll go from basic storage cleaning to advanced developer settings: Regular maintenance of a smartphone extends its lifespan and makes it comfortable to use. Follow the instructions consistently to get the most out of it.
Cleaning internal storage and optimizing memory
The first and most obvious step is to free up disk space: When memory is over 85% full, the speed of writing and reading data drops, causing lags throughout the system.
But standard cleaning is often not enough: You need to manually analyze folders of messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp, which accumulate gigabytes of media files for years, and removing old videos and duplicate photos can free up up to 10 GB of space.
- 🗑️ Remove the cache of heavy applications through storage settings.
- 📸 Move photos and videos to cloud storage or to your computer.
- 📲 Turn off automatic saving of attachments in messengers.
- 🎮 Remove games you haven’t used in the last three months.
It's important to understand that flash memory works faster when it's not crammed. Leave 5-7 GB free for system processes and virtual memory to work properly.
Managing Autoboot and Background Processes
Many apps continue to run in the background, consuming processor and RAM resources. This is one of the main reasons why the Xiaomi Redmi 9 starts to slow down after purchase.
There's a built-in back-end limitation mechanism in the MIUI shell, so you can prevent specific programs from running with the system or running when the screen is off, and that will significantly reduce the load on RAM.
⚠️ Warning: Do not disable system services such as Google Play Services or System Interface, otherwise the phone may not work properly or notifications will stop coming.
For manual control, go to the battery settings and select the application you want. Set the energy saving mode in the position No restrictions only for instant messengers, and for the rest, choose Energy Saving.
☑️ Configuring background processes
Animation and Interface Settings for Developers
The Hidden Menu for Developers contains tools that visually speed up the smartphone. Changing the scale of the animation does not increase the frame rate of the processor, but creates a sense of instantaneous response of the system.
To activate the menu, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. After the activation message appears, go back to the main settings menu and find the “Advanced” or “Advanced Settings” section.
Inside the menu, find the animation scale parameters. There are three: window animation scale, transition animation scale, and animation duration. Change the value from 1x to 0.5x or turn them off completely.
| Parameter | Standard value | Optimized value | The effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| The scale of window animation | 1x | 0.5x | Acceleration of opening/closing applications |
| Scale of transition animation | 1x | 0.5x | Quick switching between screens |
| Duration of animation | 1x | 0.5x | Reduction of waiting time |
| Background process | Standard. | No background processes | Maximum RAM Cleaning (Experimental) |
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If the animation settings change, return the 1x value, which may indicate a lack of GPU resources for rendering even simplified graphics.
Disabling Advertising and System Notifications
MIUI shell is known for its aggressive marketing, introducing advertising into system applications. Advertising modules consume Internet traffic and CPU time, which directly affects the speed of the Redmi 9.
First, you need to disable the MSA service (MIUI System Ads), go to settings, find "Password and Security" and then "Access to Personal Data." Go to the msa list and turn off the switch, confirming the action.
You should also go through the built-in apps: Explorer, Music, Themes, Downloads. Each of them (usually on a three-dot menu) has a "Get recommendations" option. Turn it off everywhere to remove noise.
- 🚫 Turn off personalized ads in your Mi Account.
- 📢 Remove notifications from system applications in settings.
- 🌐 Prohibit access to data for advertising services.
- 🧹 Use third-party launchers if the standard is overloaded.
After that, the phone will not only be faster, but also more enjoyable to use, and you will notice that the pop-ups and the extra banners that previously inhibited folder opening have disappeared.
Resetting network settings and software updates
Often, the speed issues are not related to the phone itself, but to software errors in the current firmware version. Xiaomi regularly releases updates containing security patches and performance optimizations. Ignoring updates can lead to unstable work.
Check for updates in the Settings → About Phone menu. If a new MIUI or security patch is available, be sure to install them. Before updating, it is recommended to back up important data.
If the phone is slow even after the upgrade, there may have been errors in network settings or DNS cache.Resetting network settings won't delete your personal files, but will return Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile settings to factory values.
What to do if there is no update?
In some cases, cleaning the update cache helps, go to the storage settings, find the space the system occupies, and try to clear the cache if this option is available in your version of the software.
Radical measures: complete reset and reflashing
If none of the above methods work, the last and most effective way is a full reset to factory settings (Hard Reset), which will remove all data, applications and settings, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state.
Before starting the procedure, be sure to back up your contacts, photos and documents. Use the Mi Cloud or your computer to save your data, as it will be impossible to recover it after a reset without a backup.
You can reset via the settings menu: Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all data. The process will take 5 to 15 minutes, after which the phone will restart and offer an initial setup.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure that the battery is at least 50% battery power before starting reset. interruption of the process during the erasure phase may cause damage to the file system.
After reset, take your time to install all the applications at once, install only the necessary ones and watch the system work. Often it is the "junk" left over from older versions of programs that causes the brakes after long use.
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A complete reset is a guaranteed way to remove software bugs accumulated over the years of use, but it takes time to reconfigure the device.