Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, released in 2020, is still a popular device due to its excellent price-performance ratio. However, over time, even the powerful Snapdragon 720G processor may begin to experience difficulties with handling modern applications and updates to the MIUI interface. Users often notice that animations have become less smooth and launching programs takes longer than when buying a device.
The main reason for the slowdown is not so much the physical wear of components as the accumulation of system debris and fragmentation of internal memory. The Android operating system over time becomes overgrown with cache, temporary files and residual data of remote applications, which puts a strain on the disk subsystem. In this guide, we will discuss effective and safe methods that will help return your smartphone to its former sharpness.
It’s important to understand that a comprehensive approach will give a better result than a one-time cleaning. We will consider both the standard optimization tools and the hidden features of the engineering menu available to owners of Xiaomi devices.
Diagnostics and analysis of the current state of the system
Before we start taking drastic measures, we need to identify the bottlenecks that are most likely to inhibit the interface. MIUI's built-in tools provide enough information for initial analysis, but for deep diagnostics, we'd better use specialized utilities. Often users do not suspect that background processes consume the lion's share of the CPU's resources.
Particular attention should be paid to the state of internal memory: when the storage is over 85-90%, the speed of writing and reading data drops significantly due to the peculiarities of the operation of flash memory.
To study the processes in detail, you can use developer mode, which displays real-time loading of the CPU cores, which allows you to identify “gluttonous” applications that are imperceptibly consuming battery power and computing power.
Memory Cleanup and Storage Optimization
The first and most effective step is to free up disk space. The standard MIUI Security app can remove obvious debris, but often skips deep caches of messengers and social networks. It is the Telegram and WhatsApp folders that can grow to several gigabytes, stealthily eating resources.
Manually analyze the contents of the Download folder and social network directories. Deleting old video files, unnecessary APK installers and duplicate photos can instantly free up several gigabytes. Free space is critical for file system performance.
☑️ Checklist for quick cleaning
You should also look at the memory extension feature, if it's available in your firmware version, which allows you to use part of the internal storage as virtual RAM, which can have a positive effect on multitasking, but if you fragment the disk, this method can backfire.
Managing Autoboot and Background Processes
Many applications tend to run with the operating system and continue to run in the background, even if you don't use them. There is a powerful autoload control tool in MIUI settings that users often ignore. Disabling unnecessary programs significantly reduces RAM.
To access these settings, you must go to the Appendix section → Autorun. You just leave messengers and alarms, and all other services like stores, games and news feeds, you better turn them off. It doesn't remove apps, it just stops them from starting automatically.
⚠️ Note: Do not disable system services marked with an Android or Xiaomi icon, as this can lead to unstable phone operation or loss of communication.
You can also check the background permissions, and you can set up your battery and performance strategy for each application separately from the Battery and Performance menu, and set background limits for heavy applications to prevent them from running unobtrusively.
Customization of animations and MIUI interface
Visual smoothness of the smartphone depends largely on the speed of rendering animations. By default, Android and MIUI set standard values that on powerful screens can seem tight. Changing the scale of animation creates the illusion of faster system operation.
To change these settings, activate the developer menu by quickly clicking 7 times on the build number in the About Phone section. Then, in the Advanced Settings menu → For developers, find the "Windows Animation Scale", "Scale of transition animations" and "Duration of animations." Set 0.5x or completely disable them.
Hidden Developer Flags
It's also worth turning off or minimizing the use of live wallpaper and heavy widgets on the desktop. Each widget that updates real-time data consumes CPU resources. A static desktop image is the easiest option for the system.
Comparison of productivity optimization methods
There are many ways to speed up your device, but the effectiveness and risk vary, and here is a table to help you choose the best strategy based on your situation and level of training.
| Method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing the cache | Low. | Low. | No. |
| Shutdown of animations | Medium | Low. | No. |
| Reset to factory settings | Tall. | Medium | High-pitched |
| Installation of custom firmware | Maximum | Tall. | Medium. |
As you can see from the table, the safest methods only have a temporary or visual effect, and the most fundamental solutions often require a complete reset or flashing, which requires prior preparation.
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The combination of cleaning up memory and turning off animations gives a tangible visual boost in speed without the risk of data loss.
Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing
If the software methods don't work, the "nuclear option" is a complete factory reset, which deletes all user data, apps and settings, returning the phone to the "out of the box" state. Before that, be sure to back up contacts and photos in the Mi Cloud cloud or on your computer.
To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. The process will take 5 to 15 minutes. Once turned on, the phone will work as quickly as possible, as all the accumulated software debris over the years of use will disappear.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure that the battery is at least 50% battery power before starting the reset. interruption of the process can cause damage to system files and inability to download.
For advanced users, custom firmware installations (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS) are available, lacking the heavy MIUI shell and running much faster and more stable, but this requires unlocking the bootloader, which is officially only possible 7 days after submitting an application to Xiaomi.
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After resetting, don’t install all apps at once, just set essentials and use your phone for a couple of days to see if it’s working in a clean state.
Prevention and operational rules
To make Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro enjoy the speed of work as long as possible, it is important to follow certain rules of operation. Regularly restarting the device (at least once a week) helps to reset errors in RAM and complete the hanging processes. Reboot is a simple but effective method of maintenance.
Avoid updating apps over the mobile Internet if the connection is unstable, as this can lead to the download of broken data packets, and it is also not recommended to install dubious accelerators from the Play Market, which often become a source of advertising and load on the system.
Watch the temperature of the device. Constant overheating leads to trotting, which automatically reduces the frequency of the processor to protect against damage. If the phone is hot, remove the case and let it cool, avoiding direct sunlight.