Setting a traffic limit on Xiaomi MIUI 12: a detailed guide

Modern smartphones consume a huge amount of data, and even unlimited tariffs often have hidden speed limits after reaching a certain threshold. Users of Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 shell face the need for tight cost control, as background processes and automatic updates can stealthily “eat” the entire package of gigabytes in a couple of days. In this article, we will discuss how to correctly adjust the limits to avoid unpleasant surprises from the carrier.

Android features in conjunction with Miui tools provide powerful tools for monitoring, but they are not always obvious to the beginner. Proper traffic management allows not only to save money, but also to extend the battery life of the device, as constant network search and data transfer load the processor. We will consider standard methods that do not require the installation of third-party software, which often contains advertising.

Before we get into the technical details, it's important to understand that setting limits is a preventive measure, and it's especially relevant when roaming trips or using prepaid cards, where every megabyte counts, and then we'll go through all the menus and parameters in steps.

Built-in traffic monitoring tools

Xiaomi’s system is equipped with a deep system application called “Security”, which combines the functions of an antivirus, a cleaner and, importantly for us, a traffic counter. This tool works at the kernel level, so its readings are most accurate compared to third-party counterparts, accessed through a standard icon with a green shield on the desktop.

Inside the app, we're interested in a section that might be called Traffic or Data Use, and that's where the key control mechanism lies: it automatically collects statistics on all applications by volume, and it allows you to instantly identify voracious programs that you might not even know you had.

⚠️ Note: The data in the system counter may differ slightly from the statistics of the operator due to the delay in synchronization or the peculiarities of counting the service headers of packets. 5-10%.

The meter needs to be set up once in the first place to work properly. Without this step, the system will simply record the numbers but not be able to warn you when it is approaching the limit. MIUI 12 offers flexible resetting options, which is critical for different operators.

Setting up the tariff plan and the discharge period

The first step in the restriction process is to calibrate the meter to your carrier's terms. Most of the time, the rates are updated on a specific date of the month, and it's important that the digital meter in the phone is reset at the same time. To do this, go to the traffic settings menu and find the Settings or gear in the corner of the screen.

You're going to have to activate Traffic Limit and set a specific date. The reset period is the parameter that determines when the statistics will be zeroed out. If you put the wrong date, you'll already have a tail of gigabytes on the first day of the new month, which will knock all the calculations down.

You also need to enter the volume of your data packet. In the Limit field, enter the number of megabytes or gigabytes provided by the operator. Xiaomi system allows you to set separate limits for mobile Internet and Wi-Fi, but in the context of saving money, we are interested in mobile connection.

• 📅 Reset date: Select the number when your plan is updated with the operator.
• 📉 Monthly limit: specify the exact amount of traffic (e.g. 20 GB).
• 🔔 Notifications: Enable the option to display alerts in the status bar.
• 📶 Network type: make sure that the settings apply to SIM-mobile-internet.

Once you have entered all the parameters, the system will start counting, and at the top of the Traffic screen, you will see a progress bar that visually displays the occupancy of your package, and the green zone represents security, the yellow zone represents approaching the limit, and the red zone represents critical overdose.

Setting strict restrictions and warnings

Beyond simple monitoring, MIUI 12 can respond to thresholds, which is the most important part of the setup, as it prevents financial loss. In the traffic settings menu, find the "Limit Warning" or "Limit traffic" section.

There are two layers of protection: soft alert and hard lock. A soft alert just shows a notification when you've spent, like 80 or 90 percent of a packet. It's a signal to be careful. A hard lock will shut down the data transmission completely when you reach 100 percent of the limit.

To activate the lock, move the corresponding slider to the "On" position. After that, when the counter reaches the set value, the mobile network icon in the "curtain" will change, and Internet access for all applications will be terminated until the next reset or manual activation period.

⚠️ Note: When traffic blocking is enabled, system notifications (e.g. from instant messengers) will stop coming in real time.

Some users prefer not to block the Internet completely, but only to limit speed, but with standard MIUI tools, it is a complete lock that is available, a reliable way to ensure that a background update of a map or video on social networks does not write off excess funds at the rate of “no limit for everything” with a speed limit.

Control of consumption by application

Often times, the total limit seems to be not exceeded, but a particular application behaves inadequately. MIUI 12 implements a detailed control function for each program separately. In the Traffic section, scroll down to the Data Use list.

And you can see the detailed statistics here, how many megabytes are spent on the mobile network and how many are spent on Wi-Fi. You can click on any app on the list and see a detailed graph. If you see YouTube or Instagram having gigabytes in the background when you're not using them, that's a reason to intervene.

You can set individual rules for each application, click on the program you want, and find "Background Activity Restriction" or "Background Connection," and if you turn off this option, you'll stop the app from using the Internet when it's down, which saves battery life and traffic.

By analyzing this table, you can quickly find the culprit for traffic consumption. It often turns out that cloud storage tries to synchronize heavy video files over a mobile network unless the appropriate restrictions are set. MIUI 12 allows background synchronization for most applications by default, which requires manual verification.

Data saving regime and its features

Xiaomi has a special mode in its arsenal that helps extend the life of a traffic packet at critical moments, called Traffic Savings, and is located in the same meter settings menu, activating this mode causes the system to compress the data transmitted and restricts background activity.

When the mode is on, the browser can load pages in a simplified form, images on social networks can not be loaded automatically, and the video will run in lower resolution, which can affect the comfort of use, but ensures that you will reach the end of the month with the remaining gigabytes.

It is important to note that this mode does not affect the operation of the navigator or messengers to the full extent so as not to disrupt their functionality, but the background downloads of application updates via the mobile network will be blocked.

• 🚀 Data compression: reduces the amount of information transmitted in the browser.
• 🚫 Block Auto Updates: Applications will not be updated via mobile network.
• 📉 Background Limitation: Prohibits applications from working in the background more actively than the system allows.
• 🔋 Battery savings: As a side effect, the modem also reduces power consumption.

It's not recommended to use saving mode all the time, because it reduces the quality of the user experience, but as a temporary measure for a bad signal or nearing limit, it's a great solution. You can put the mode switch in the curtain of notifications for quick access.

Resetting statistics and problem solving

Sometimes, you can have the statistics on your phone that are not real, or you change your data plan and the old data gets in the way, and you can and should reset the statistics, and you can do that from the Settings menu inside the Security app -> Traffic.

Find the Reset button or the Reset button, and the system will tell you that all the data stored will be deleted, and then the meter will start counting again from the current moment, which is useful to do immediately after you have connected a new tariff or change. SIM-map.

If the internet is gone, even though the limit is not reached, a faulty lock may have worked, check if Do Not Disturb or Plane mode is activated, and it is also worth rebooting the device so that Xiaomi network modules re-register on the operator’s network and update the APN settings.

⚠️ Attention: Resetting statistics does not restore the traffic spent by the operator, it is only an internal function of the phone for easy counting. If you exceed the limit from the operator, the Internet will not work after resetting the statistics on the phone.

In rare cases, the Security app may fail. If you see traffic coming and the meter is still (or vice versa), try clearing the Security app's cache through the Apps -> All Apps menu. Don't delete the data completely so as not to knock down the settings, just the cache.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)