What is Auto Launch on Xiaomi and Why You Need It
The MIUI AutoRun feature is one of the most talked-about apps among Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners. It determines which programs can automatically start when the device is turned on or after a reboot, and also affects their operation in the background. Without the right setup, you may find that messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) do not send notifications, activity trackers stop syncing, and music services are interrupted when the screen is blocked.
Unlike other manufacturers, Xiaomi aggressively optimizes background activity through MIUI Optimization.This extends battery life, but often breaks the logic of the application. Autorun is part of this system, and its setup requires understanding how MIUI manages resources. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or Xiaomi 13 Ultra, optimization algorithms may differ from those used in the budget POCO M5 or Redmi A2+.
It is important to distinguish between two concepts:
- 🔄 Auto Start – permission to automatically start the application when booting the system.
- 📱 Background activity – the ability of a program to run in a folded state (for example, playing music or tracking location).
- ⚡ Battery optimization – limitations that MIUI imposes on applications to save charge.
Where is the Auto Start setup in MIUI
The path to the autorun menu depends on the MIUI version and the smartphone model. In recent versions (for example, MIUI 14/15 on Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13 Pro), the interface has been simplified, but the logic has remained the same.
- Open the settings (cog icon).
- Go to the Apps → Application management.
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select AutoRun.
On some devices (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi K60), the path may look different:
Settings → Applications → Permissions → AutorunIf you have MIUI 12.5 or older but don’t have AutoRun on the menu, try an alternative way to:
- 🔍 Enter the word "autostart" in the settings search».
- 📌 On some firmware, the function is hidden - use the instructions for hidden settings.
Step-by-step: how to enable auto-start for the application
Let’s analyze the process on the example of Telegram (Viber, Spotify, Google Maps and others are similarly configured).
- Open the autorun settings (see previous section).
- In the list of applications, find the desired one (for example, Telegram) and activate the switch next to it.
- Return to Application Management, select the same app and go to Permissions.
- Turn it on: 🔔 Showing notifications 🔄 Auto-start (if there is a separate item) ⚡ Background activity or No restrictions (in Battery Optimization)
On devices with MIUI 14+, after auto-start, it may be necessary to restart the smartphone for the changes to take effect.
Enable autostart in the main menu | Allow background activity | Turn off battery optimization for the application |Reboot device (for MIUI 14+) | Check notifications after setting-->
Why Auto Starting Shuts Down on Its Own
Xiaomi users often experience auto-run settings reset after a system update or after a while.
| Reason. | How it manifests | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI Update | After the update, permissions for all applications are reset | Set up AutoRun Again and Disable Automatic Updates |
| Optimizing the battery | Apps are killed in 5-10 minutes in the background | Disable optimization for a specific application in Settings → Battery |
| Reset to factory settings | All permits are reset | Restore settings from backup or configure manually |
| Conflict with “Security” | Antivirus or Memory Cleaner Blocks Auto-Run | Add the app to the exceptions in Security → Optimization |
On the POCO X5 Pro and other Game Turbo devices, auto-start can be blocked due to performance mode.
Settings → Special features → Game Turbo → Settings → Disable optimization for non-gaming applicationsHow to check if MIUI kills your app in the background?
Hidden Auto Start Settings: How to Access
On some firmware (especially on Redmi for the global market), the AutoRun item is hidden to unlock it:
- Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times)
- Go back to Settings → Additional and open for developers.
- Find Show Hidden Settings (or Show Hidden Settings) and turn it on.
- Reset the device.
After that, the AutoRun tab will appear in the Application Management menu, and if it is not available, try an alternative method using ADB:
adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1💡
On devices with MIUI EU (European firmware), hidden settings are often available by default. To check the firmware version, go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
Auto-Run for System Applications: What Can and Cannot Be Disabled
In the autorun list, you'll see not only custom programs, but also Xiaomi system services, some of which may cause the device to run in an unstable way, and what you can touch and what you can't touch:
- ✅ You can turn it off: 🎵 Mi Music (if you don't use it) 📺 Mi Video (alternatives: VLC, MX Player) 📊 Mi Browser (if you use Chrome or Firefox)
- ❌ You can't turn it off: 🔧 com.android.systemui (system interface) 📱 com.miui.home (launcher) MIUI) ⚙️ com.miui.securitycenter (security center) 🔋 com.miui.powerkeeper (Battery management)
⚠️ Warning: Disabling autorun for com.google.android.gms (Google services) will cause problems with Google Play, Gmail, and other apps. If you notice push notifications have stopped working after the changes, return your default settings.
Features of auto-run on different models Xiaomi
Autorun control algorithms may vary depending on the device series and firmware version.
| Model/Series | Features of auto-start | Recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi K60 | Aggressive battery optimization, auto-start resets after updates | Disable automatic updates or use ADB to fix settings |
| POCO F/X series | Less restrictions, but there are conflicts with Game Turbo | Disable Game Turbo for Non-Game Apps |
| Redmi Note 10/11/12 | Frequent notification bugs due to background optimization | Set up Auto Start + Disable MIUI Optimization in Developer Settings |
| Redmi A Series (budget) | Limited settings, no separate auto-start menu | Use ADB or third-party utilities like AutoStart |
On Xiaomi Pad 6 and other Xiaomi tablets, the logic of autorun is similar to smartphones, but there is a caveat: because of the large screen, the system keeps applications in memory longer. However, after blocking the screen, background processes can still be killed. The solution is to turn on the Always Active Screen mode in the display settings (but this will reduce battery life).
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On devices with a Snapdragon processor (for example, Redmi K70), autorun is more stable than on MediaTek (for example, Redmi Note 12 5G), where bugs with background processes are more common.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even after you set up autoruns correctly, users have problems, and let's look at the typical errors:
- Notifications don't come, even though autorun is enabled Reason: background activity is turned off or battery optimization is turned off. Solution - check both settings in the application settings.
- Autostart resets after reboot Reason: bug in firmware. Solution - update MIUI before the latest version or use it ADB For settings: adb shell cmd appops set [package_name] RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND allow
- The app starts, but immediately closes the reason: conflict with Security or Game Turbo. Solution - add the app to the exceptions.
⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) after manual activation of auto-start for 10+ The system starts to ignore the settings to avoid this, limit yourself to the 5-7 most important programs.
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If you reboot your smartphone frequently (for example, due to firmware testing), back up your autorun settings using the Swift Backup app (root required).