Xiaomi Redmi 5A, released in 2017, was once considered the king of the budget segment, offering excellent value for money. However, time is inexorable: modern applications are getting heavier, web pages are overgrown with scripts, and the Android operating system is overgrown with new background processes that require more and more resources. Owners of this device often face the fact that the phone begins to “slow down” when opening a menu, responds to touch for a long time or unexpectedly closes applications.
Making matters worse, the hardware that includes the Snapdragon 425 processor and just 2 or 3 gigabytes of RAM was not originally designed to meet modern standards of multitasking. However, it is too early to write it off. Competent software optimization can work wonders, returning the gadget to its former frolic.
In this article, we will discuss a comprehensive approach to speed up your smartphone, not using questionable accelerator applications that consume resources themselves, but turning to proven system settings, hidden MIUI functions and radical but effective methods of cleaning the system.
Analysis of the current state of the system and storage
Before we start to take active acceleration action, we need to do a diagnostic. Often the reason for the poor performance is not the age of the processor, but a critical lack of free space in internal memory. When the storage capacity exceeds 85-90%, the speed of writing and reading data drops by many times, which causes lags throughout the system.
Check how much space is left on your device. Go to Settings → Memory. If the occupancy indicator is red, you need to immediately free up space. Remove unnecessary videos, old downloads from instant messengers and apps that you haven't used in the last six months.
⚠️ Note: Do not store large amounts of files on internal memory if you have a microSD card. Move photos and music to an external medium, leaving the built-in storage as free as possible for the system cache to work.
Also worth paying attention to the background activity of applications. Many programs, especially social networks and marketplaces, are constantly hanging in memory, consuming RAM and battery power. In Redmi 5A, with its modest RAM capacity, this is critical.
Memory Cleanup and Autoboot Management
The MIUI-based Android operating system has its own memory management features, and unlike pure Android, it aggressively caches applications for quick launch, but on weak devices it plays a cruel joke. The first step is to manually clean and set up autoboots.
Use the built-in Security app that is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones. Run Cleanup to remove system debris. However, that's not enough. Go to Permissions → Auto Start and disable all apps that don't need to start immediately after the phone is turned on.
- 📱 Turn off auto-runs for heavy-duty apps like Facebook, Instagram and AliExpress.
- 🛡️ Leave only system services and instant messengers enabled, from which instant notifications are needed.
- 🗑️ Use the Deep Clean feature in the Security app regularly to delete residual files.
Additionally, you should limit background activity for each heavy application separately. Go to Settings → Apps → All applications, select the desired program, find the Battery option and set the No Limits mode only if notifications are critical to you, otherwise select Battery Savings or Background Activity Limitation.
☑️ Checklist of memory optimization
Set up developer parameters to speed up the interface
One of the most effective ways to visually speed up the interface is to reduce or completely turn off animations. On powerful flagship animations make the interface smooth, but on Redmi 5A they put extra strain on the GPU, forcing the user to wait for the end of transitions between screens.
To access these settings, activate the developer mode. Click seven times in a row on the "MIUI Version" item in the About Phone menu. After the "You're a developer" message appears, go back to the main settings menu, go to the "Additional → For Developers".
Find the section related to drawing (usually near the end of the list). We're interested in three things: "Scale of window animation," "Scale of transition animation," and "Duration of animator." These are set to 1x by default. Change them to 0.5x or completely disable (0x).
| Animation parameter | Standard value | Recommended value | The effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window animation | 1x | 0.5x or Off | Acceleration of opening/closing applications |
| Transition animation | 1x | 0.5x or Off | Accelerating switching between desktops |
| Duration of the animator | 1x | 0.5x or Off | Accelerating the system’s response to action |
When you change these settings, the phone will respond to touch instantly. The interface may seem a little twitchy, but the speed will increase significantly, which is especially important for budget devices with 60 Hz screens, where every millisecond of delay is noticeable.
What to do if the developer’s settings are missing?
Disabling MIUI system services and advertising
MIUI is known for its background services, which collect statistics and display ads in system applications, processes that not only annoy the user, but also take away precious resources of the Snapdragon 425 processor.
Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Access to Personal Data. Find the MSA (MIUI System Ads) app and turn off the slider. The system will ask you to wait 10 seconds, then confirm the shutdown. It is also worth turning off the Mi Daemon service if it is on the list.
Next, remove ads from each system application separately, open the Security app, click on the settings gear, and turn off "Receive recommendations." Repeat the same steps in the Music, Video, Explorer, and Downloads apps.
⚠️ Warning: A complete shutdown of system services may affect the performance of personalized recommendations, but for older devices it is a necessary sacrifice for the sake of performance. ADB, If you are not sure about their purpose, this can lead to a cyclical reboot.
It's also recommended that you disable data synchronization for accounts you rarely use. A constant survey of Google or Mi Account servers loads the network module and the processor. Leave synchronization only for contacts and calendar.
Radical methods: Resetting and flashing
If the software cleaning and animation settings don't work, you'll have "heavy artillery" left over. The accumulated debris in the system partitions over the years can be so large that just cleaning the cache doesn't help, and you'll need a complete reset.
There are two ways: reset to factory settings via menus or flash the device. reset via menus (Settings → Advanced Settings → Reset → Erase all data) will return the phone to the “out of the box” state, guaranteed to remove all errors and accumulated software debris.
However, if the current version MIUI It is too heavy for your iron (for example, MIUI 9 or 10 on the Redmi 5A It can be heavier than earlier versions, you can consider installing custom firmware or a lighter version of the official firmware (Global Stable). 5A (codename riva) there are many optimized builds, for example, based on LineageOS, which work much faster than stock MIUI.
- 🔄 Make a full backup of the data before resetting, as everything will be deleted.
- 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 60% before starting the firmware or reset procedure.
- 💾 Save important photos and documents to your computer or the cloud.
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Use the Mi Flash Tool to cleanly install firmware in Clean All mode.This will delete all user data and partitions, ensuring the cleanest system possible without traces of previous updates.
Hardware constraints and realistic expectations
It's important to understand that software methods can't turn a budget smartphone into a flagship. The Snapdragon 425 processor has four cores with low clock speed, and the Adreno 308 graphics accelerator is not designed for today's heavy games. After all the optimizations, the phone will run fast in the interface, messengers and browser, but in games miracles will not happen.
Modern versions of social networks like Facebook or Instagram have become extremely “heavy” and can slow down even on more powerful devices. For Redmi 5A, the ideal solution is to use lightweight versions of Lite apps (such as Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, Google Go).
These versions of applications take up significantly less space, consume less RAM and less load the processor when working. Installing lite versions is perhaps the most effective way to extend the life of an old smartphone in the modern Internet.
⚠️ Warning: Don't install third-party boosters and accelerators from Play Market. They are apps that hang in memory, display ads, and often slow down the system, rather than speed it up. MIUI fairly.
It's also worth considering battery wear. Over time, the battery loses its ability to deliver peak current, which can lead to trottling (reduced processor frequency) to save energy. If the phone is several years old, replacing the battery can have a positive effect not only on autonomy, but also on the stability of operation.
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Using Lite versions of applications is the most effective way to reduce the load on the processor and RAM of an old smartphone.