Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the need to quickly free up RAM or force the work of the hung software. MIUI shell and the new HyperOS offer advanced management capabilities running processes that are significantly different from standard Android.
Many users mistakenly believe that simply swiping on the lock screen completely clears the system, but in reality, there are deeper levels of control that allow not only the active window to close, but also completely stop background services, especially for devices with low RAM or heavy games.
In this guide, we will take a look at all the ways to shut down applications, from basic gestures to using engineering menus, and learn to distinguish between a routine shutdown and a forced shutdown, and understand when to intervene and when to trust automation.
Standard management through the multitasking menu
The most obvious and frequently used way is to work with the multitasking menu, which is called by swiping from the bottom up with a delay (when you use gestures) or pressing the square navigation button, and here you can see the cards of all the programs you have recently run.
To close one particular application, you just swipe up the card, but if you want to clear all the memory at once, you need to press the "Clear" button (usually a cross or an X at the top of the screen), which completes the main process, but does not always delete services from memory completely.
Importantly, MIUI has built-in protection against accidental closure of important applications, and some system services can automatically restart immediately after cleaning, which is normal behavior for a stable Android operating system.
- 📱 Swipe up the card closes one selected application.
- 🧹 The “Clean” button ends all user processes at once.
- 🛡️ System services may ignore cleaning command for stability.
- ⚡ A long press on the card opens the quick action menu.
⚠️ Attention: Constant manual cleaning of all applications “just in case” can negatively affect the speed of work. Android system effectively manages memory, unloading old processes when resources are scarce.
Forced stop through settings
When an application is frozen, does not respond to touch, or consumes an abnormally high amount of power, a simple card closure may not be enough, and in such cases, a “Forced Stop” function is required, which is available in the settings menu of each installed application and allows you to completely kill the process along with all its services.
To use this method, go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the right software (such as a game or social network) in the list and click on it. In the menu that opens, select the “Stop” or “Forced Stop” button. The system will warn you of the possible consequences, since unsaved data may be lost.
This method is particularly useful for diagnosing problems: If the application starts to work incorrectly again after a forced stop, it may need to be reinstalled or cache cleaned. For system applications, the stop button may be inactive (darked), which protects critical HyperOS components from failure.
☑️ Verification of the problem application
There is also a hidden mass control feature available through the developer menu, but for the average user, standard tools are enough. The main thing is to understand the difference between background work (which is necessary for notifications) and an active process that can be safely stopped.
Use of the Application Security
The unique feature of Xiaomi smartphones is the built-in Security app, which not only scans for viruses, but also provides a powerful tool for memory management and closing processes. The green icon with lightning on the desktop is the performance control center of your device.
Inside the app, go to Clean Memory or just press the big scan button. After analyzing, the system will suggest closing background applications that consume resources. This is a more “aggressive” method than a standard swipe, as it tries to complete even those processes that resist conventional closure.
In addition, you can set up automatic cleaning in the Security settings, you can set a rule that the system will close the applications itself when you reach a certain RAM load threshold. This is useful for gaming smartphones in the Black Shark or Poco F series, where maximum performance is important.
| Closure method | Efficiency | Impact on the battery | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swipe on the task menu | Low. | Neutral. | Daily rapid cleaning |
| Security Annex | Medium | Positive. | Periodic optimization |
| Forced stopping | Tall. | High (dumping) | Treatment of suspended programs |
| Auto-cleaning in memory | Medium | Positive. | Automatic maintenance |
Why are apps opening again?
Set up auto-start and background work
To prevent applications from running themselves and hanging in memory without your will, MIUI and HyperOS have strict auto-run controls, and many programs try to get permission to start with the system by default, which leads to slowdown and battery drain.
Go to Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun. Here you will see a list of all programs that are authorized to run themselves. Turn off autorun for all applications except messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and alarm if you do not need their notifications in the background. This drastically reduces the number of processes that you have to close manually.
You should also pay attention to setting the "Energy Saving" for specific applications, so you can choose "No Limits" (for important tasks) or "Strict Limits" from the application management menu, and the second option will cause the system to kill the application process as soon as you roll it off the screen.
- 🚫 Disabling Autostart Prevents Programs from Starting When Phone Is Turned On.
- 🔋 Power saving mode “Hard” automatically closes the background processes.
- 📩 For messengers, it is recommended to leave autorun on.
- ⚙️ Settings are in the deep menu of system permissions.
⚠️ Note: If you turn off auto-run for a bank or smart home app, you may stop receiving important notifications or commands from the server.
Advanced methods: ADB and USB debugging
For advanced users who don’t have the standard methods, there are ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands, which allows you to close applications even when the system interface is completely blocked or the sensor is not responsive, and you will need a computer and USB debugging on your smartphone to work.
Connect your phone to your PC, open the command line, and type in a command to get a list of packages to find the name of the application you want. Then use the stop command. This is guaranteed to kill the process at the Linux kernel level, on which Android is based.
adb shell am force-stop com.package.nameReplace com.package.name with a real application identifier (e.g. com.whatsapp) that is indispensable for removing system debris or fighting undeleteable miner viruses that masquerade as system processes and prevent them from being closed by conventional methods.
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For quick access to the packet name, use analyzer applications like “App Inspector” that show the packet ID directly on the application icon.