How to speed up the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 phone: the full guide

Owners of the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 smartphone may experience slowdowns, long-running apps, or slowdowns in games over time. This is a natural process for any Android device, as system files, app cache, and data fragments accumulate over time, which make it difficult for the processor to access the necessary information.

Competent system optimization allows you to return the former sharpness of the screen response and stability of the background processes. Owners of Redmi Note 9 do not need to be programmers to perform basic cleaning and configuration of hidden parameters of the operating system MIUI. In this article, we will look at a comprehensive approach to speed up your device, from simple actions to advanced settings.

Before embarking on radical measures such as a full reset, it is worth trying less aggressive cleaning methods. Often the problem lies in overcrowded storage or incorrect applications that consume resources in vain. Next, we will go into detail each step of optimization so that you can choose the most suitable for your situation.

Analysis and cleanup of system resources

The first step to speed up the Redmi Note 9 is a deep revamp of the occupied space. Android requires free space to create temporary files and swaps; if the memory is crammed, the speed of writing and reading data drops critically. Use the built-in Security app, which is preinstalled in the MIUI shell, for the initial scan.

But standard cleaning is often superficial: You need to manually check folders with heavy content like DCIM/Camera, WhatsApp/Media, or downloads from instant messengers. Deleting old videos and unnecessary APK installation files can free up gigabytes, which will instantly affect the speed of your smartphone file system.

⚠️ Warning: Before deleting files from system folders, make sure they don't contain important documents. Android/data It can reset the settings of some games and applications.

You should also look at the Memory Extension feature, if available in your firmware version, which allows you to use part of the internal drive as RAM, which helps when working with heavy applications. You can activate this option in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (by clicking several times) or in advanced memory settings.

Removing Advertising and System Garbage (Bloatware)

One reason why the Redmi Note 9 may be slower than expected is the background activity of MIUI ad services. Advertising is not only annoying, but also consumes traffic, CPU time and battery power. Disabling the msa service (MIUI System Ads) is a must-do for any user who wants to increase interface responsiveness.

To do this, go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data. Find the msa service in the list and turn off the switch. The system will insist on leaving everything as it is, requiring you to wait 10 seconds before trying to turn off again. Be patient and turn off this service, as this will significantly reduce the load on the processor.

• 🗑️ Remove unnecessary pre-installed apps through Settings → Annexes → All applications.
• 🚫 Turn off personalization of in-app advertising Services and feedback.
• 📉 In the Security app, disable receiving recommendations and news.
• 🔍 Check the autoload list and stop running heavy apps you rarely use.

Beyond system advertising, it’s worth checking out the installed third-party apps. Often users forget about programs that hang in the background and mine cryptocurrency or show hidden banners. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Consumption and sort apps by energy consumption. If you see an unknown app at the top of the list, it should be removed immediately.

Optimization of animations and MIUI interface

The visual smoothness of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is directly dependent on the animation settings. By default, the system uses long transitions to create a “premium” effect, but this creates the illusion of slow work. Accelerating animations is the easiest way to make the interface visually faster without losing functionality.

To access hidden settings, you need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI Version. After the message “You became a developer” appears, go back to the main settings menu, select Additional → For developers.

Settings → Additional → For developers → The scale of the animation window (0.5x)


Settings → Additional → For developers → Transition animation scale (0.5x)




Settings → Additional → For developers → Duration of animation (0.5x)

In the same menu, find three items related to scaling animation: “Scale of window animation”, “Scale of transition animation” and “Duration of animation.” Change the value from 1x to 0.5x. This will reduce window opening and transition times by half, which instantly changes the perception of smartphone speed.

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If the animation scale changes, return the value to 1x. On some versions of MIUI, the minimum scale can cause artifacts.

Energy management and background processes

The aggressive energy saving policy in MIUI sometimes plays a cruel joke by preventing applications from working properly, or, conversely, allowing them to "eat" resources. To speed up the Redmi Note 9, it is important to adjust the performance profile. In the notification curtain or in the Security → Battery application, choose Performance or Balanced mode, avoiding the "Energy Saving" mode in everyday use.

Also, limit background activity for applications that don’t require a permanent connection. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, select a heavy app (like social media) and find AutoRun or Other Permits. Disabling background work for dozens of apps will free up RAM, which is critical for models with 4GB of RAM.

Remember to reboot the device regularly. Many users stay on their smartphone for months, which leads to memory errors and cache bloats. Rebooting every 2-3 days is a great habit for maintaining the system's health.

Resetting and radical measures

If the software cleanup didn't work and the Redmi Note 9 continues to slow down, there may have been some critical bugs or conflicts in the system after a lot of updates, in which case the method is a full factory reset, which will put the phone back out of the box, removing all the debris and conflicts.

Before you do this, make sure to back up all your important data to the cloud service or computer, as your internal memory will be completely cleared. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all your data. The process will take 10-15 minutes.

⚠️ Warning: After a reset, do not restore all apps from Google backup. Install only the necessary programs manually to avoid returning junk apps that caused the problems.

There is also a less radical but effective method, resetting network and Wi-Fi settings. Sometimes interface speed problems are associated with the system's constant attempts to connect to unstable networks. Path to reset: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth.

Updating firmware and working with recaveri

Xiaomi regularly releases security and optimization updates for its devices. Make sure your Redmi Note 9 has the latest available MIUI installed. Often patches fix memory leaks and optimize the Snapdragon 665 processor.

You can check the updates through Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. If the automatic update does not come, you can use the Three Dots function in the upper right corner and select Select a firmware file by downloading the current version from the official website.

For advanced users, custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) can be installed that lacks MIUI and is much faster on older hardware, but this requires unlocking the bootloader, which voids the warranty and requires technical knowledge.

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Consistently following the steps to clean and customize animations solves 90% of the speed problems without the need for flashing.