How to completely ban the work of applications in the background on Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

Background processes are one of the main reasons for fast battery drain and slowdown of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. Even when you are not actively using the application, it can continue to consume resources: update data, send notifications or sync with servers, resulting in a battery that goes down in a few hours, and the device heats up for no apparent reason.

Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to swipe the application in the multitasking menu — but this does not stop background activity. MIUI (even in the latest versions 14/15) by default allows most programs to run in the background to provide a “smooth user experience.” However, this approach often leads to the opposite effect: lags, overheating and the need to recharge the phone in the middle of the day.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at all the ways you can limit background activity, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users, and learn how to disable auto-runs, block background data, and even completely freeze unnecessary apps without root rights.

⚠️ Note: Some methods may affect the performance of notifications (e.g., messengers or email clients).Be sure to check which apps are critical for your daily use before using them and exclude them from the restrictions.

1. Standard MIUI settings: Background activity restriction

Starting with MIUI 12, Xiaomi has added built-in tools for managing background processes, which are available without additional applications and do not require technical skills.

The first step is to open the Settings menu → Apps → Application Management. Here you will see a list of all installed programs. Select the desired application (for example, Facebook or TikTok), then go to the Permissions → Autorun. Disable this option, now the application will not be able to start on its own after rebooting the device.

However, this is not enough to completely lock. Go back to the main settings of the application and find Battery → Background activity. There are three modes available here:

• 🔄 Without restrictions – the application can work in the background without restrictions (consumes maximum resources).
• ⚡ Restrict background activity – the program will be suspended 10 minutes after closing.
• ❄️ Deep Optimization – Complete blocking of background processes (suitable for rarely used applications).

For most social networks, games and unnecessary services, it is optimal to choose the Deep Optimization mode. The exception is messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and email clients - for them it is better to leave Limit background activity so as not to miss important notifications.

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If there is no “Background Activity” item in the application list, upgrade your MIUI to the latest version or use alternative methods in the following sections.

2. Block background data through "Traffic Limitation"

Many apps continue to consume Internet traffic even in the background, updating their news feed, downloading ads, or synchronizing data, and to avoid this, MIUI has a built-in Traffic Limitation tool.

Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Data Use → Traffic Limitation. Here you will see two sections: Mobile Data and Wi-Fi. Choose the type of connection you want, then:

1. Click on the app from the list (like Instagram).
2. Activate the switch to limit background data.
3. For full lock, also disable AutoRun and Secondary Start.

This method is especially useful for saving mobile traffic: For example, if you restrict background data for YouTube or Netflix, they won’t load content in the background when you’re listening to music or watching videos on another app.

⚠️ Note: Restricting background data for system applications (e.g. com.miui.system or com.android.phone) can cause the phone to function unstable.

3.Using Security for Deep Optimization

The MIUI Security app (or Global Firmware Security) contains hidden tools to manage background processes, which allows you not only to limit activity, but also completely freeze unnecessary programs.

Open the Security app, then go to Optimize → Battery → App selection. Here you will see three categories:

• 🔋 No restrictions – applications work in the background without restrictions.
• ⏳ Restricted – background activity is suspended after 30 minutes.
• ❄️ Deep sleep is a complete blockage of background processes (similar to Deep Optimization from the previous section).

For maximum battery savings, move all unnecessary apps to the Deep Sleep category. Please note that some programs (such as Mi Fit or Xiaomi Cloud) can automatically return to the No Limits category after an update. Check the settings once every 1-2 weeks.

Open "Security" → "Optimization" |Select "Battery" → "Apps selection" |Transfer unnecessary programs to "Deep Sleep" |Check settings after MIUI-->

There's also a useful Background Clearing feature in this section that allows you to manually close all background processes with one tap, but note that after cleaning, some applications can run longer when they open the next time they don't cach their data.

4. ADB-commands to completely block background processes

If standard methods don’t work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a tool for debugging Android devices, which is suitable for advanced users and allows you to completely ban background activity even for system applications.

First, turn on Developer Mode and USB Debugging:

1. Go to Settings → About phone and 7 times click on the MIUI version.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Activate Debugging via USB and confirm the resolution.

Now connect your phone to your computer and execute the following commands in the terminal (or Command Prompt):

adb shell


pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics # Disables Xiaomi Analytics




cmd appops set com.facebook.katana RUN_IN_BACKGROUND ignore # Blocks Facebook background work




cmd appops set com.whatsapp RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND ignore # Limits WhatsApp

To return the standard settings, replace ignore with allow or perform:

cmd appops reset com.facebook.katana

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause system failures. Before executing commands, back up your data through Settings. → System system → Backup.

5. Third-party applications for background processes management

If you don't have the built-in MIUI tools, you can use third-party utilities, which offer more flexible customization and automation.

One of the best solutions is Greenify, which requires root rights to work properly, and allows you to freeze applications in the background without removing them.

1. Start Greenify and grant access rights.
2. Select apps for hibernation (e.g. Facebook, Instagram).
3. Activate the option of automatic hibernation.

For rootless devices, Brevent or Island (using Work Profile) can be used, and these applications create a sandbox where you can put unnecessary programs into them, completely isolating them from the system, and the downside is that notifications from frozen applications will not come.

Another option is MacroDroid, which allows you to create automatic rules, like:

• 📵 Close TikTok 5 minutes after folding.

⚠️ Note: Some antiviruses (such as Avast or Kaspersky) may conflict with third-party optimizers. Check compatibility in reviews on Google Play before installing.

Standard settings MIUI|Annex “Security"|ADB-team|Third-party utilities (Greenify, Brevent)|Not limiting.-->

6 Hidden MIUI settings via engineering menu

MIUI has hidden parameters that are not displayed in the standard interface, and can be accessed through an engineering menu or special codes.

Open the phone application and enter the combination:

##4636##

You'll be taken to the Testing menu. Go to Battery Statistics and find a list of the apps that consume the most charge. Click on any of them and you'll see additional options, including:

• 🔄 Force Stop – Forced Stop (temporarily).
• ⚡ Disable background activity – disabling background activity (analogue of standard settings, but with extended parameters).
• 📊 Battery Optimization – Manual Optimization for a Specific Application.

Another useful code is ##284##, which opens a background testing menu where you can see which apps are currently active and how much RAM they are consuming, and you can force unnecessary services to close down.

⚠️ Warning: Changes to the engineering menu can cause the phone to run in an unstable way. Do not edit settings that you do not know what they are intended for, such as disabling the mediaserver process will disrupt media playback.

7. Radical methods: disabling Google and MIUI services

If you are willing to sacrifice some functions for the sake of maximum autonomy, you can take radical measures - to disable system services that consume resources in the background.

The most “glutty” components in MIUI:

• 📡 com.miui.analytics – Analytics collection (can be turned off without consequences).
• 📊 com.xiaomi.mipicks – content recommendations (advertising module).
• 🔄 com.google.android.gms – Google services (not recommended to be disabled, but you can limit the number of services you use).
• 📱 com.miui.systemAdSolution – a system of displaying advertising in the MIUI.

To disable these services:

1. Use the ADB (as in Section 4) or App Inspector app to search for packages.
2. Follow the command: pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics.
3. Reboot the phone.

The effects of this are noticeable immediately: the battery lasts 15-20% longer, and the phone warms less.

• ❌ Some Mi Account features will stop working (e.g. cloud backup).
• ❌ Weather or news widgets on the home screen may disappear.
• ❌ Some Google Play apps will give you bugs when you update.

Disabling com.google.android.gms will cause all Google services, including the Play Market, to be disabled.

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Radical methods are only suitable for power users. If you are not sure about your actions, use standard MIUI settings or third-party utilities without root rights.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)