How to increase the performance of the smartphone on Android Xiaomi: the complete guide

Many Xiaomi device owners have noticed over time that the once-quick interface is starting to hang and apps are opening longer than usual. It’s a natural process of accumulation of system debris and fragmentation of data, but in the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS, the situation is aggravated by an abundance of background processes. Understanding how the memory management system works is the key to returning the old responsiveness of the gadget without having to replace it.

Unlike stock Android, firmware from the Chinese manufacturer has many built-in services that consume CPU resources even in standby mode. Competent optimization allows you to release these resources and direct them to perform user tasks. In this article, we will discuss proven methods that will help speed up Xiaomi’s work and extend the comfortable use of the device.

Before we go to radical measures like resetting, we should try software acceleration methods, which are safe, reversible and often yield tangible performance gains. It's important to understand that system optimization is a set of measures, not a single magic act, so it's recommended that you follow all the steps consistently to achieve maximum effect.

Analysis and cleaning of system debris

The first step in the battle for speed is to free up internal storage. When free disk space runs out, the speed of writing and reading data drops, causing lags throughout the system. Xiaomi's built-in Security app is able to find temporary files, but often leaves deep debris in application folders.

For deep cleaning, you need to manually check the directories of messengers and social networks, where gigabytes of cache accumulate. WhatsApp/Media Telegram cache can be released to 10-15 GB space, which is critical for stable operation of flash memory.

Keep in mind the Cleanup feature in the storage settings menu, which will prompt you to remove unused applications and duplicate files, and doing it regularly prevents the interface from slowing down and speeds up the launch of heavy programs.

• 🗑️ Temporary files of the system and browsers take place.
• 📦 Remote app cache often remains in memory.
• 📸 Autocopies of photos in messengers duplicate the contents of the gallery.
• 📂 Downloaded files from the Internet are often forgotten to delete.

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Use the Deep Clean feature only after manual verification, as the automatic algorithm can delete important logs or authorization data in rare cases.

Managing Autoboot and Background Processes

One of the main reasons Xiaomi is slowing down is the excessive number of apps running simultaneously, many of which are prescribed to autoboot and continue to consume RAM even after closing, and this process is controlled through the Apps menu and advanced battery settings.

In the battery settings, you can choose a power saving strategy for each application. You need to set the "No Limits" mode for messengers, but for rarely used programs, you better choose "Strict Limitation", which will prevent their background activity and reduce the load on the CPU.

Also worth paying attention to is the memory extension feature, which uses a portion of internal storage as virtual RAM. On low-end models with slow eMMC memory, turning on this option can, on the contrary, reduce performance. Experimentally check whether your phone is faster with the extension on or off.

• 🚫 Turn off auto-start for unnecessary services.
• ⚡ Set up a “Performance” profile in the battery menu.
• 🔒 Limit background activity for heavy applications.
• 🔄 Reboot the device once in a while. 2-3 trial-day.

⚠️ Note: Do not disable system processes called “System”, “Framework” or «MIUI», This can lead to unstable interface operation or cyclic reboot.

Optimization of visual effects and animation

The visuals of the MIUI shell are beautiful, but they require graphics accelerator resources. If your smartphone is not flagship-level, complex transition animations can create the illusion of slow work. The hidden developer menu allows you to fine-tune the speed of these effects or turn them off completely.

To access hidden settings, you need to click on the build number several times in the About Phone section. Once the developer mode is activated, a new item will appear in the Advanced Settings menu, and we are interested in the options "Scale of Windows Animation", "Scale of Transition Animation" and "Duration of Animation".

Setting a value of "0.5x" or "No animation" makes the system's response instant. The interface gets jerky, but subjectively seems much faster. This is especially true for entry-level Redmi and Poco models, where the margin of performance is limited.

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Reducing the scale of animation is the easiest way to visually speed up your phone without losing data or risking the system.

Disabling Advertising and System Recommendations

MSA (MIUI System Ads) services consume Internet traffic and processor resources to download and display promotional materials. Disabling ads not only eliminates annoying banners, but also significantly unloads the system, making it more responsive, a must-have for any Xiaomi owner.

The disabling process requires you to go through several menus in sequence. First, you need to find the "Receive recommendations" item in the security settings and deactivate it. Then, in each system application (Conductor, Music, Themes), you need to separately disable receiving recommendations in the settings of the application itself.

The most effective way is to disable the msa service through the Password and Security menu» → «Access to data. Find msa in the list and deny it access to the network, after which the system will stop loading advertising content, which will reduce the load on RAM.

• 📵 Turn off “Get recommendations” in security settings.
• 🎵 Remove Advertising in Music and Video Apps.
• 🔍 Disable network access to the msa service.
• 📱 Turn off personalization of ads in your Mi Account.

⚠️ Attention: After disabling the msa service, the system may suggest waiting 10 seconds before confirming. This is the normal behavior, you need to wait for the timer to end and press "Disable" again.

Setting up developer parameters for gamers

For users who use a smartphone to play, there are additional settings in the developer menu to redistribute resources. It's important to understand the difference between real performance and process priority. Changing these settings can increase FPS in demanding projects.

One of the useful features is Do Not Save Actions, which when activated, the system will completely unload the application from memory immediately after folding, which frees up a maximum of RAM for running the game, but does not allow you to save the state of the background applications.

Also, check the background limit. Set a limit of "No more than 2-3 processes" if you have little RAM, this will prevent the accumulation of "hanging" in the background of applications that can cause micro-freezes in games. However, for comfortable multitasking, it is better to leave the standard values.

• 🎮 Activate Game Turbo mode for priority games.
• 🧠 Limit the number of background processes.
• 🚀 Use the “Do Not Save Actions” function for games only.
• 🌡️ Watch the temperature at high loads.

Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing

If software optimization failed, it may have accumulated critical errors or conflicts after multiple updates, in which case the most effective way to increase Xiaomi’s performance is to completely reset to factory settings, which returns the device to the “out of the box” state.

Before you reset, make sure to back up all your important data. Photos, contacts and correspondence will be permanently deleted. It is recommended to use Mi Cloud cloud storage or transfer files to your computer. After the reset, take your time to restore all applications at once - install only the necessary ones to check the speed of work.

In some cases, changing the region in the phone settings helps: Installing the India or US region often reduces the amount of pre-installed advertising software and changes the algorithms of some system services, which has a positive effect on performance.

Remember that older smartphone models can’t physically run as fast as new flagships because of memory wear and processor obsolescence. However, a clean installation often gives the device a second life and a few months of stable operation.