How to speed up Xiaomi Redmi 9 to maximum performance: proven methods

The Xiaomi Redmi 9 is still a popular budget smartphone, but over time, many users have experienced its “brakes” – overloaded memory, background processes, outdated firmware, or even hardware limitations – and in this article, we’ll look at specific acceleration methods that actually work, from basic MIUI settings to radical measures like changing firmware.

It’s important to understand that the Redmi 9 is built on a MediaTek Helio G80 processor with 3/4 GB of RAM (depending on the modification), and its options are limited. However, the right optimization can restore the smartphone to its former agility. We will not recommend “magic” applications for acceleration (most of them are empty), but focus on system settings and proven methods.

1. Cleaning up memory and cache: the first step to speeding up

The most common reason for brakes is memory loss, and when less than 10 percent of the space is left on the Redmi 9, the system starts to glittle: apps slowly open, animations twitch, and sometimes the smartphone even reboots, starting with basic cleaning.

Go to Settings → Memory and look at the Garbage section, where MIUI automatically finds unnecessary files: residual application data, temporary files and cache. Click Clean, which will free up 500 MB to 2-3 GB of space. But that's not enough: you need to manually clean the cache of each application.

• 📱 Application Cash: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management, select any app (start with the heaviest ones — Facebook, Instagram, instant messengers) and click Clear Cache. Repeat for all programs where the cache is over 100MB.
• 🗑️ Download files: Download folder often contains unnecessary files APK, Photos and documents. Delete anything you don't use.
• 🎵 Media files: check folders DCIM (Photo/video, Music and Movies. delete duplicates and unnecessary files.

⚠️ Warning: Do not clear the cache of system applications (for example, com.android.systemui) - this can lead to interface failures. Also do not delete files from the Android folder manually: this is where application data is stored, and their damage will disrupt the operation of programs.

2. MIUI optimization: disabling unnecessary functions

MIUI — It's not just a shell, it's a whole range of services, many of which work in the background and eat up resources. 20-30%. Let's start with the obvious: animations.

Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 5 times in a row to activate Developer Mode. Then go back to the basic settings, find a new Developer Section, and follow the following steps:

• ⚡ Turn off window animation, transition animation, and animation duration (set the value to turn off animation or 0.5x).
• 🔄 In the background process section, limit their number to 2-3 (default 4).
• 📡 Turn off Auto Update. MIUI In Settings → The phone. → Update the system if you do not plan to update.

It is also necessary to deactivate unnecessary system services:

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If the interface seems too sharp after disabling animations, set the 0.5x value instead of completely disabling – this will smooth the transitions, but will not return the previous delays.

3. Application management: what can be removed and what can be frozen

Even after cleaning the cache, many applications continue to work in the background, consuming RAM. On Redmi 9 with 3 GB of RAM, this is critical: the system begins to “kill” active processes to free up space, which causes hanging.

First, remove unnecessary software.

• 🎮 Games (even unused ones) are up to 1-2 GB and start background processes).
• 📱 App clones (second version of WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.).
• 🔄 Optimizers and cleaners (e.g. Clean Master, DU Speed Booster – They are the brakes on the system).

For system applications that cannot be removed, use freezing. You can do this through Settings → Applications → Application Management by selecting a program and clicking "Disable." Best candidates for freezing:

Mi Video|Mi Music|Mi Browser|Themes|Game Turbo|Mi Pay|Mi Credit|GetApps-->

If there is no “Disable” button in the list, the application is critical to the system, in which case ADB (the instructions below in the section on radical methods) will help.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable Google Play Services, Services & Feedback and other Google services, which will cause account and app store disruptions.

4. Battery setup: how to extend the life of the battery and speed up the smartphone

Power modes in MIUI directly affect performance. By default, Redmi 9 runs in "balanced" mode, but it can be optimized. Go to Settings → Battery → Power mode and select:

• ⚡ Performance is the maximum speed, but fast battery life, suitable for gaming or resource-intensive tasks.
• 🔋 Balanced – the best option for everyday use.
• 🌙 Saving charge – limits background processes, but slows down the work.

Also disable battery optimization for critical applications (messaging, alarm, banking programs).

1. Go to Settings → Battery → Power management applications.
2. Select the application and set the No Limits mode.

On Redmi 9 with firmware older than MIUI 12.5, disabling battery optimization for instant messengers (such as Telegram or WhatsApp) can cause notification delays of up to 10-15 minutes. To avoid this, add apps to AutoRun in the same menu.

5. Firmware Update: Should I upgrade to the new MIUI version?

Xiaomi regularly releases updates for Redmi 9, but not all of them are equally useful. On the one hand, new versions of MIUI fix bugs and optimize work, on the other hand, fresh firmware often contains additional bloatware (preinstalled applications) and may be less stable.

Check the current version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. If you have a MIUI 12.5 or later, you don’t need to update. If the version is older (for example, MIUI 11 or 12), it makes sense to update through Settings → System Update.

Alternatively, custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, which lacks Xiaomi software and often works faster, but requires unlocking the bootloader and can be insecure.

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If your Redmi 9 runs consistently on your current firmware, don’t rush to upgrade. Newer versions of MIUI don’t always bring performance gains, and sometimes even make them worse.

Radical methods: resetting, dispersal and custom firmware

If none of the previous methods worked, it's time to consider drastic measures. Let's start with the simplest one: resetting to factory settings. This will delete all data, but return the smartphone to its original speed. Be sure to back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

For discharge:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select "Reset all settings."
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot (it will take 5-10 minutes).

If the reset didn't work, consider unlocking the bootloader and installing custom firmware.

• ✅ Remove all pre-installed Xiaomi apps.
• ✅ More recent version of Android (for example, Android 12 instead of Android 10).
• ✅ Possibility of fine tuning of the kernel (undervolting, changing the frequency of the processor).

The process of installing custom firmware is complex and includes:

1. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires Xiaomi account binding and waits 7-15 days).
2. Installation of custom recavery (TWRP).
3. Firmware of an alternative OS (for example, LineageOS 19 based on Android 12).

⚠️ Attention: unlocking the bootloader erases all data and can lead to loss of warranty.There is also a risk of bricking the device if you do not follow the instructions. For Redmi 9 (codenamed lancelot), search for suitable firmware on the forums XDA Developers or 4PDA.

Another radical method is undervolting, which reduces heat and can increase performance by 5-10%, but requires root rights and specialized applications like Kernel Auditor. On the Redmi 9 with a Helio G80 processor, undervolting only produces noticeable effects when the smartphone overheats and starts to “trot”.

7 Hardware Restrictions: When Software Methods Don't Help

If you've tried everything, but the Redmi 9 is still slowing down, the problem could be hardware.

• 🔋 Worn-out battery (less than 70% health) – leads to sudden shutdowns and slowdowns.
• 🔥 Overheating of the processor - Helio G80 Prone to trottling (automatic frequency reduction when heated).
• 💾 Damaged flash memory – Bad memory blocks slow down reading/write data.
• 📶 Faulty communication module – problems with the antenna or modem can cause freezes when transmitting data.

Check the condition of iron can be done using the following applications:

• Throttling Test CPU – will show whether the frequency of the processor is reduced due to overheating.

If the diagnosis has identified problems, the solutions may be as follows:

If the repair is not feasible (for example, the cost of replacing memory is comparable to the price of a new smartphone), consider buying a more modern model.

• Redmi 10 is a better processor (Helio G88) and camera.
• POCO M4 Pro – Dimensity 810 (5G) and 90 Hz screen.
• Realme Narzo 50 – Helio G96 and fast charging

FAQ: Frequent questions about Redmi 9 acceleration