Xiaomi smartphone users often face a situation where important apps suddenly stop working if you fold them or lock the screen.This is especially true for messengers, navigators and activity trackers that must function constantly. The aggressive battery optimization system MIUI by default seeks to complete processes that it considers unnecessary to save battery power.
As a result, you may not receive a notification of an important message or a call via Viber or Telegram will come only after unlocking the device. Fortunately, the Android operating system in the shell from the Chinese manufacturer provides flexible tools to control this behavior. By adjusting the settings manually, you can make the smartphone keep the desired programs active 24 hours a day.
In this article, we will take a look at all the layers of application protection against closing, where hidden battery settings are hidden, how task manager works, and why routinely turning on notifications often doesn’t help. Without comprehensively configuring all three layers (launch, no battery limitations, and locking in memory), the system will still close the application.
The Problem of Aggressive Energy Saving in MIUI
The main reason for the problems with background work lies in the philosophy of developing the MIUI shell. Engineers rely on maximum autonomy, believing that the user is more important than battery life than instant delivery of all notifications. AI algorithms analyze the frequency of use of programs and independently decide on their “sedation”.
Often users don’t understand why emails or step data stop coming after a firmware update, because the new security version may have stricter default rules. Android’s standard settings work differently than they do on pure Android, requiring owner intervention.
⚠️ Warning: Forced retention of a large number of heavy applications in the background can lead to a noticeable reduction in battery life and increased heating of the device housing.
Auto-run allows the program to start immediately after the phone is turned on, but does not guarantee its survival in memory after an hour of use. To work consistently, you need to adjust both parameters. In some cases, even changing the region in settings helps, since for European countries, GDPR rules require less aggressive behavior of the system.
Set up auto-run and application permissions
The first step is to automatically start the services you need, and without that, further manipulation may not make sense, because the system will simply prevent the process from being born after restarting or clearing the memory, and you can find this parameter through the central settings menu or directly through the properties of a particular application.
To access the global settings, go to Settings → Applications → Auto Run. This will show a list of all the programs installed that have the appropriate permissions. You need to find the desired application (for example, a navigator or messenger) and activate the switch next to it. The interface may vary depending on the version of MIUI.
☑️ Checklist of basic settings
However, just enabling autorun is not enough. You also need to make sure that the application has all the necessary rights. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, select the desired program and click Permissions. Make sure that you activate location permissions, microphone (if necessary), and, critically, the right to display on top of other windows.
- 📱 Auto-Start: guarantees the start of the program with the system.
- 🔔 Notifications: Allows the display of information on the lock screen.
- 👁 Over Other Windows: Allows you to display widgets or calls over running games.
Once you have auto-run enabled, the system can show a warning that it may increase battery consumption.This is a standard message that you can ignore if you really need background work.In newer versions, the shell settings can be hidden deeper, so use a search by settings by typing the app name.
Battery management and removal of restrictions
The most important step is to set up the power consumption policy for a particular application, which is where the question of why the program "dies" in the background is answered, and most third-party programs have a "Battery Saving" mode that severely limits background activity.
To change this behavior, open Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the program you want in the list and go to the Battery section (or "Battery Consumption"). You will see a menu with three behaviors. You will select No Limits. This is a command to the system to ignore the standard energy saving algorithms for this process.
Why is the No Limits regime important?
It's worth noting that after you select the no-limit mode, the battery icon in the Task Manager may change, or the corresponding saving icon will disappear next to the application name, which is a signal that the process has been prioritized, and the system will try to keep it in RAM for as long as possible.
If you can't find a battery setting inside a particular app, try a global search. Type the program name into the settings search bar, select it, and then look for "Activity Control" or "Battery." In some cases, especially on older versions of Android, this item may be called "Background Mode."
Blocking applications in RAM
Even after all the settings, the user can accidentally clear RAM by swiping all the applications in Task Manager. To prevent this, there is a lock or lock mechanism in memory, which tells the system that this application is critical and not subject to closure when clearing the cache.
To implement this method, open the menu of running applications (usually a swipe from the bottom up with a hold or a menu button). Find the window of the desired application and pull it down (or click on the lock icon if your version of MIUI has one). When the application is blocked, a small lock symbol will appear next to its icon.
| Action. | Where to find out. | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-start | Settings → Applications | Start with the OS |
| No restrictions. | Properties of the application → Battery | Working in the background without sleep |
| Lockdown (Castle) | The menu of tasks running | Protection against manual cleaning |
| Permits | Properties → Permits | Access to phone functions |
Locked apps won't be closed even when you use Clear All, which is especially useful for music players or navigation when you don't want to have the playback interrupted by accident, but keep only the services you really need in mind.
⚠️ Warning: Memory locking is not an absolute guarantee; if a system critically lacks RAM to run a heavy game, it can force even protected processes to be terminated.
Additional settings for stability
There are a few other things that are often overlooked, like Memory Extension, which uses a part of the drive as RAM, which can sometimes conflict with background processes. If you see strange system behavior, try turning it off in the Additional → Extension section.
Also worth checking is the Developer Options settings. There's a "Background Process Limit" item on this menu. Make sure it's "No Limits" or "Standard Limit"; if it's "No Background Processes" you're not going to get any other settings, it's going to kill everything.
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Use Settings Search: Type the app name into the phone’s settings search bar to instantly get into its battery and permissions management menu.
Another important aspect is widgets. Some widgets on the desktop require constant activity. Make sure they also include auto-update. Newer versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14 have added smart scripts that can automatically turn on performance mode when certain games are running, which can also affect background tasks.
- 🚀 Developer Mode: Check the limits of background processes.
- 🧩 Widgets: Require separate permissions to update.
- ⚡ Turbo mode: Can disable background downloads to maximize FPS.
Remember that third-party memory cleaners from Google Play can conflict with Xiaomi’s system mechanisms, they can force the processes you’ve been setting up so carefully, and better use built-in cleaners that take into account the exceptions you’ve made.
Diagnosis and Frequently Asked Questions
If you've done all the instructions, you've got a problem, maybe it's a firmware version or a bug in the application itself. Try reinstalling the problem program by clearing the data beforehand. Also check if the phone has a past or future date, because time dissynchronization often disrupts network services in the background.
In some cases, resetting the network or completely resetting the phone helps, but these are extreme measures. Most often, you just need to carefully recheck all three layers of protection: autostart, battery and lock in memory. MIUI is complex, but logical, if you understand its priorities.
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Only a comprehensive setup (autostart + battery + lock) gives 100% guarantee of the application in the background on Xiaomi.
Below are answers to the most popular user questions that will help eliminate the remaining doubts about the operation of background processes on your devices.