Multitasking on Xiaomi: How to enable, configure and speed up switching between apps

Modern Xiaomi smartphones on the basis MIUI They offer powerful tools to work with multiple tasks at once, but not all users know how to reach this potential. Multitasking on the brand’s devices works differently than on naked Android: There are hidden settings, control gestures and even optimization modes that can both speed up switching between applications and vice versa – limit background activity to save battery life.

In this article, we’ll explore more than just basic ways to enable multitasking (which even experienced Redmi owners or even experienced Redmi owners often miss). POCO), But also advanced tricks, from customizing gestures to forcing background processes to be activated for critical applications, and we'll focus on the challenges that users face after updates. MIUI 14/15, When the system begins to aggressively "kill" background tasks to save energy.

If your smartphone suddenly becomes slower to switch between instant messengers, music services or games, it is likely not the brakes of the iron that are to blame, but the wrong multitasking settings.

What is multitasking on Xiaomi and why it doesn’t work like other Android devices?

Multitasking in MIUI — This is not just a switch between open applications, but a whole range of mechanisms that include:

• 📱 Live background processes – applications that continue to work after being folded (for example, playing music in Spotify or downloading files to Telegram).
• ⚡ Quick Switch – Return speed to the folded application without restarting.
• 🔄 Memory optimization – algorithms MIUI, which close “unnecessary” tasks to save RAM and battery.
• 👆 Control gestures – ways to call the menu of recent apps (swipe up, button, etc.).

The main difference from standard Android is that Xiaomi aggressively manages the background processes, and even if you fold an app, the system can shut it down in 5-10 minutes if it considers it “uncritical,” which is done to save charge, but often interferes with users, such as YouTube Music stops playing in the background, and WhatsApp does not update messages without an open window.

Another feature is different multitasking modes depending on the model:

• 📱 Flagships (Xiaomi) 13/14, Mix Fold - Supported by 20+ background processes.
• 📱 Mid-size segment (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5) — limited to 12-15 processes.
• 📱 Budget models (Redmi) A2, POCO C55) — They can only remember 5-8 tasks.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI Global (especially for the European market) multitasking is often more limited than on Chinese firmware versions.

Basic ways to enable multitasking: menus of recent apps

The most obvious way to manage tasks is to use the menu of recent apps, but even here, there are nuances that many people don't know about.

How to open the menu of recent applications:

• 👆 On most models, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and delay 0.5 seconds.
• 🔘 On hardware button devices (e.g., Redmi) 9A) — press the button ☐ (square).
• ⚙️ On Xiaomi Pad or tablets, swipe from the bottom up from both sides at the same time.

Additional features are available in the menu of recent apps:

• 🔒 Task Attachment – Click on the app icon and select “Attach.” The application won’t close even when you clear the memory.
• 📋 Split screen – Hold the app icon and drag it to the top of the screen (not working on all models).
• ℹ️ Process information – tap on the icon to see how much memory and battery the task consumes.

How to Configure the Display of Recent Applications:

1. Go to Settings. → Home screen.
2. Select Recent Apps.
3. Activate the option to Show system processes (hidden in some versions) MIUI).
4. Set up the limit number of tasks (usually 5 to 20).

Hidden Multitasking Settings: Optimizing Background Processes

If your apps are constantly closing in the background, the problem lies in hidden optimization settings. Xiaomi by default limits background activity to save battery, but this can be changed.

How to turn off aggressive optimization:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Telegram or VK).
3. Slip on Battery Limits.
4. Select No Limits (or High Priority in New Versions) MIUI).

For global optimisation disabling (not recommended for weak devices):

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 times tap on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the option to Limit background processes and select No Limits.
4. Turn off optimization. MIUI (It may be called an adaptive battery).

On devices with MIUI 14+ The path to optimization has changed: now you need to go to Settings → Battery → Battery mode → Select “Performance” instead of “Balanced".

Gestures for Accelerated Multitasking: Swipes, Double Touches, and Secret Combinations

Xiaomi offers a few hidden gestures that speed up the switching between tasks by 2-3 times, and most users are unaware of their existence.

List of useful gestures:

• ↔️ Quick switching between the last two apps, swipe right on the bottom panel (where the navigation bar is located) only works when full-screen gestures are enabled.
• ⬆️⬇️ Instant return to the previous application – double swipe up and down (configured in Settings) → Additionally. → Gestures).
• 👆👆 Split screen – Hold the app icon in the recent task menu and drag it up or left/right (depending on the model).
• 🔄 Closing all background tasks – swipe down the menu of recent apps (some models need to hold the cross).

To activate these gestures:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen display.
2. Select Full Screen gestures (if not already activated).
3. Slip on the Additional Gesture Settings.
4. Turn on the Quick Switch and Double Touch options to wake up.

On the Xiaomi Pad 6 and other tablets, additional gestures are available:

• 🖥️ Floating window – Hold the app icon and drag it to the center of the screen.
• 📱💻 Two windows mode – swipe from the right edge of the screen with the app icon clamped.

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If the gestures don’t work, check if they conflict with the settings of the third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher or Apex).

Problems with multitasking on MIUI: Why apps are closed and how to fix it

One of the most common complaints of Xiaomi users is that apps are spontaneously closed in the background, and this is due to three main reasons:

1. Aggressive battery optimization – the system kills background processes to save charge.
2. Lack of RAM on budget models (Redmi) A2, POCO C50) RAM is only 2-3 GB, which is not enough to hold 10+ task.
3. Firmware errors - after updates MIUI Sometimes multitasking settings are reset.

How to diagnose the problem:

Radical solutions:

• 🔧 Resetting battery settings - in Settings → Battery → ⋮ → Reset.
• 📱 Cleaning the system cache - in Settings → Memory. → Clean up.
• 🔄 Retracement to the previous version MIUI — If the problem occurs after the update.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Xiaomi) 12T, Redmi K50) If battery optimization is disabled, it can increase charge consumption by 15-20%. If autonomy is critical, use selective disabling of restrictions only for key applications.

Multitasking on Xiaomi with root rights: advanced tweaks for enthusiasts

If standard settings don't work, and you're willing to take drastic measures, you can use root access to deep optimize multitasking, and this is only for power users!

What can be done with root:

• 🔧 Change the limits of background processes – file editing /system/build.prop (parameter ro.sys.fw.bg_apps_limit).
• ⚡ Shut down. MIUI Optimizations – via Magisk module or adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.powerkeeper.
• 📊 Set process priorities with applications like Kernel Adiutor or FrancoKernel.
• 🔄 Block the closure of specific applications – via am set-inactive or App Ops.

Step-by-step instructions to disable optimization MIUI through ADB:

adb shell


su




pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.powerkeeper




pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.securitycenter




pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.analytic

After these commands are executed:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 📱 Check what's in the Settings → Battery has disappeared optimization options.
• ⚠️ Note that this can lead to increased battery consumption and overheating during heavy use.

Comparison of multitasking on different versions MIUI: 12 to 15

Task management algorithms vary greatly depending on the firmware version, and here are the key changes to consider:

Nana MIUI 14+ We've got Smart Multitasking, which analyzes your habits and automatically reserves resources for frequently used applications:

1. Go to Settings → Special features → Smart features.
2. Enable Smart Multitasking.
3. Add priority applications (up to 5 pieces) to the list.

Important: On Xiaomi with HyperOS (new interface-based) MIUI 15) The path to multitasking has changed. They're now in Settings. → System system → Advanced settings → Multitasking.

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Nana MIUI 14 and later, it's better not to turn off optimization completely, but to use High Priority for individual applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about multitasking on Xiaomi