How to speed up the work of the Xiaomi smartphone: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often face a situation when a once-quick gadget after a year or two of use begins to noticeably slow down. the interface of MIUI or HyperOS hangs down, applications open longer than usual, and games turn into slideshows. This is not necessarily a sign of breakdown, most often the problem lies in the accumulated software “garbage” and incorrect system settings.

There are many effective ways to get your device back to normal without going to the service center. In this article, we will explore proven optimization methods, ranging from basic cleaning to hidden engineering functions.

Before we go to radical measures like total reset, we should try comprehensive software optimization, which takes no more than 20 minutes, but you'll be surprised by the results. We'll look at both standard tools and advanced methods for power users.

Storage audit and cleaning of system debris

The first thing you need to do to speed up your work is to make room in your internal memory, and when the free space runs out, the file system runs slower because the system doesn't have enough space for temporary files and caching operations, and the critical threshold is to fill up more than 85 percent of your memory.

Use the built-in Security app, which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones. It automatically scans the device for temporary files, remnants of deleted programs and social media cache. However, automatic cleaning does not always remove everything superfluous, so manual checking of messenger folders is recommended.

Special attention should be paid to the Telegram and WhatsApp folders, which for years can store gigabytes of photos and videos viewed, these files are duplicated in the gallery and occupy double the volume, removing unnecessary media through the settings of the messengers themselves is the most effective way to free up space.

• 🗑️ Remove the thumbnails folder in the directory DCIM, where the miniatures of the gallery are kept, which are constantly recreated.
• 📂 Check the Download folder, installations often accumulate there. APK-files and old documents.
• 📸 Clean the cart in the Google Photos Gallery and Cloud if sync is enabled.
• 💾 Transfer heavy files (movies, archives) to SD-map or cloud storage.

⚠️ Warning: When cleaning through third-party accelerators from Play Market, be careful.Many of them consume resources and display intrusive advertising, which only slows down the smartphone.

Optimization of MIUI interface and animations

The visual component of the shell heavily affects subjective perception of speed. Beautiful but heavy transition animations can create the illusion of lags on mid-range processors, and turning off or accelerating these effects is one of the most powerful ways to speed up the response of the system.

To access the advanced settings, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly press 7 times on the MIUI version (or OS version). Once you have the "You became a developer" label, you can move to fine-tuning.

In the Advanced Settings menu → For developers, find the section related to rendering. We are interested in three parameters: the scale of window animation, the scale of transition animations, and the scale of the animator duration. Changing values from 1x to 0.5x or completely shutting down (without animation) makes the interface significantly sharper.

• 🚀 Reduce the scale of animation to 0.5x Balance between smoothness and speed.
• 🎨 Turn off live wallpaper by replacing it with a high quality static image.
• 📱 Remove widgets from the home screen if they are not in constant use – they consume RAM.
• 🌙 Use a dark interface theme, which is especially relevant for the user. AMOLED-screens and saves charge.

Managing Autoboot and Background Processes

Many apps tend to run with the phone on and continue to run in the background, even if you don't use them, which leads to heat up the processor and lower performance in games. Autoboot control is a key step in optimizing the Android system.

In the battery settings, find AutoStart. Here's a list of all the apps that start with the system. Leave only messengers (for notifications) and antivirus on. Social media, marketplaces and games can be safely turned off - they will start themselves when you open their icon.

It's also worth checking the application permissions. Often, unnecessary programs have access to geolocation, microphone and other sensors, polling them in the background. Go through the list of installed applications and revoke unnecessary rights, especially for simple utilities like a calculator or flashlight.

⚠️ Note: Do not disable Google system services and Xiaomi (Mi Service) services unless you are sure of their purpose.This can disrupt push notifications and account sync.

Disabling Advertising and System Notifications

One of the features of the MIUI shell is the built-in advertising in system applications. Advertising modules load in the background, consume Internet traffic and processor resources. Disabling advertising (MSA) is a must-have for Xiaomi owners.

To start, turn off personalized ads in your Mi Account settings. Then go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to Personal Data. Find in the MSA (MIUI System Ads) list and turn off the switch. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds before confirming.

And you also need to remove ads in specific applications: Explorer, Music, Themes, Cleanup, and each of them has a "Get recommendations" option in the settings that you need to deactivate, which will not only speed up the work, but also make using your smartphone more comfortable.

• 🚫 In the Security app, click on the gear and turn off "Get recommendations».
• 🎵 In the Music app, go to the settings and also remove the tick from receiving recommendations.
• 📁 In “Conductor” go to the settings and turn off the display of advertising.
• 📺 In the “Themes” app, turn off the display of banners in the “Profile” section».

Use of game mode and extended memory

For gamers and demanding users, Xiaomi has Memory Extension, which allows you to use part of the ROM as an additional RAM, which can help with a lack of free RAM.

The feature is in the Settings menu → Advanced Settings → Expanded Memory. But here's a caveat: virtual memory is slower than physical memory. If you have 8 GB of RAM or more, turning on this feature may not even increase, and in rare cases, reduce the write speed. For devices with 4-6 GB of RAM, it is justified to turn on.

Also, remember Game Turbo, which not only blocks notifications, but also redistributes CPU resources to the running game, disabling background processes, and you can activate it through the sidebar during the game.

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Reboot your smartphone at least once every 2-3 days. This clears the memory of accumulated errors and resets the frozen processes, which is often more effective than any cleaners.

Resetting settings as a last resort

If none of the above methods work, the radical, but most effective way is a complete reset to factory settings (Wipe Data), which deletes all applications, settings and files, returning the phone to the “out of the box” state.

Before the procedure, be sure to back up important data to the Mi Cloud cloud or to your computer. Reset can be done via the recovery menu (pressing the volume and power button) or through settings (About Phone → Reset).

After reset, don't rush to install all the applications at once. Watch the clean system. If the phone flies, it's the software problem. If the lags are still on the clean system, it could be the wear and tear of the drive or the hardware malfunction.

⚠️ Warning: Before reset, make sure that the battery is at least 50%, or better fully charge the device.

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Full reset eliminates 95% of software brakes caused by update conflicts or file system errors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)