Xiaomi’s “Do Not Store Activities”: Hidden Settings That Affect Smartphone Performance

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often encounter the cryptic “Do Not Store Activities” option in their developer settings, a feature that is hidden from the eyes of the average user, but activating it can dramatically change the behavior of the system, from speeding up to sudden drop-outs of applications. What is behind this parameter and why does it raise so many questions?

In fact, the "activities" in Android are separate screen windows or application states. When you switch between programs, the system stores their current state in RAM so that you don't have to download everything from scratch when you return. The "Do Not Store Activities" option forcibly destroys these states immediately after the application is folded. On the one hand, this frees RAM, on the other, it can disrupt the logic of many programs.

Let’s understand who and why this setting is needed, how it affects autonomy and performance, as well as what pitfalls its activation harbors.

What are “activities” in Android and why you should store them

The term “activities” in the context of Android denotes the basic building blocks of the user interface. Each app window — whether it’s an Instagram homepage, a Telegram chat, or a game in PUBG Mobile — consists of one or more activities. When you fold an app, the system defaults to its current state in RAM so that when you reopen it, you can return to where you left off.

For example, if you read an article in your browser and then switched to a messenger, the page will not reload when you return to the browser, but will open from the same place. This is possible because Android stores browser activity in RAM. However, this approach has the opposite side: over time, RAM becomes clogged with background processes, which can lead to a slowdown of the smartphone.

This is where the "Do Not Store Activities" option comes into play, and when it's activated, the system instantly destroys all the curled up activities, freeing up memory.

• 🔄 When you return to the application, it will be restarted from scratch (as in the first run).
• ⏳ Some programs (such as music players) will stop playing in the background.
• 📱 Multitasking will become less convenient – you will have to wait for downloads more often.

It's essentially a feature that sacrifices convenience for performance, and it can be useful on low-volume, low-volume devices. RAM (Like Redmi. 9A or POCO C31), But on flagships like Xiaomi 13 Ultra, activating it will often do more harm than good.

Where is the option and how to turn it on

By default, "Do Not Store Activities" is hidden in the developer's options, which are hidden from ordinary users.

1. Open the “Settings” of the smartphone.
2. Go to the “About Phone” section.
3. Find the line "Version" MIUI» And then you tap it 7 times in a row, and then you'll see a notification saying, "You've become a developer!»
4. Return to the main menu “Settings” – there will be a new item “Developer options”.

Now you can start looking for the right option:

• 🔍 In the “For Developers” menu, find the “Apps” section (Apps).
• 📱 Scroll down to “Don’t keep activities).
• ⚙️ Switch the slider to the "On" position (it will turn blue).

On some MIUI firmware (especially older versions), this item may be located elsewhere, such as under Memory Management or Performance. If you can't find an option, search by settings (the magnifier icon in the upper right corner).

Important: once the function is activated, the changes will take effect instantly — no reboot is required. To cancel the action, just reset the slider to the "Off" position.

Check free RAM (in Settings → Memory)

Backup of important data (in case of failure)

Close all background applications (double pressing the Home button)

Prepare to reboot frequently used programs-->

Pros and cons of disabling activity storage

Like any system setting, Do Not Store Activities has its advantages and disadvantages, and let's break them down in detail in a table:

This option is especially critical for messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber), which can:

• 📵 Stop showing notifications of new messages.
• 🔄 Require re-authorization at each opening.
• 🎵 Stop playing voice messages in the background.

Critical: on devices with MIUI 12.5 and later, the option may conflict with built-in memory optimization, which will lead to even more battery consumption. So check the firmware version in Settings → About Phone before activating.

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If your smartphone gets worse after you turn on “Do Not Store Activities,” try turning it off and instead limit the background activity of individual apps under “Settings → Apps → Permissions → Auto Run.”

On which devices Xiaomi feature is really useful

Despite the potential risks, Do Not Store Activities can be useful in several scenarios:

1. Smartphones with 2-3 GB of RAM: On budget models like the Redmi 8A, POCO C3 or Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, RAM is catastrophically lacking. Activating the option will help avoid constant hanging up when the system begins to “kill” the background processes itself, but does it chaoticly.
2. Devices with highly fragmented memory: If your smartphone hasn’t been reset to factory settings for a long time and is clogged with garbage, releasing RAM can temporarily improve performance.
3. Application testing: Developers sometimes need to test how their programs behave when they start cold (start from scratch), an option that mimics this behavior.
4. Extreme energy saving: If the battery is draining too quickly and other methods are not helping, you can try this option – but only as a temporary solution.

On flagship models (Xiaomi 12T Pro, Redmi K60 Ultra, POCO F5 Pro) it is pointless and often harmful to enable this feature, they have enough RAM (8-12 GB) to cope with multitasking without such radical measures.

Exception: If you notice that even on a powerful device, applications spontaneously close, it may be the fault of aggressive MIUI optimization. In this case, it is better to disable MIUI Optimization in the battery settings, rather than activate Do not store activities.

What to do if after activation the smartphone began to work worse

If you have enabled Do Not Store Activities but have encountered hangings, crashes or strange app behavior, here is an algorithm for getting everything back to normal:

1. Turn off the option: Return to Settings → For Developers and deactivate the slider. Sometimes the changes don't apply immediately - wait 1-2 minutes or restart the device.
2. Clear the system applications cache: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, find MIUI System Interface and Launcher (shell), then click Clear Cache.
3. Reset your battery optimization settings: In Settings → Battery & Performance → Battery Optimization, select Reset. This will return the standard power consumption settings.
4. Check for conflicting applications: Some programs (such as memory cleaners or antiviruses) may exacerbate the problem.

If problems persist, the option may conflict with the other developer settings, in which case it makes sense to reset all developer settings to factory:

Settings → For developers → (three dots in the upper right corner) → Reset settings

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (Especially custom) the option "Do not store activities" may not work correctly, causing endless reboots of applications or even system crashes. If after activation the smartphone began spontaneously restart, immediately disable the function and perform a reset to factory settings.

Alternative ways to optimize memory on Xiaomi

If the goal is to free up RAM and speed up your smartphone, Do Not Store Activities is not the only, or always the best, option.

• 🧹 Manual background cleaning: Double-clicking the Home button (or swiping up late) opens a list of recent apps. Swipe up can close unnecessary programs without activating radical settings.
• ⚡ Autostart Optimization: In “Settings” → Annexes → Application management → Autorun: Turn off autoboot for underutilized programs. This will reduce the number of background processes.
• 🔋 Performance mode: C “Settings” → Battery and Performance" select "High Performance" mode (on some models it is called "Game Mode»).
• 📉 Restriction of background activity: C "Settings" → Battery and productivity → Battery Optimization: Select “Limit Background Activity” for Individual Applications.

For advanced users, there is another way – changing the parameter. ro.config.low_ram through ADB. This causes the system to assume that the device has little memory and optimize processes accordingly. However, this method requires an unlocked bootloader and can lead to unstable operation.

⚠️ Note: If you decide to use ADB For optimization, be careful with the wm size command or changing parameters LMK (Low Memory Killer: Incorrect values can cause cyclical reboots or data loss.

Myths and misconceptions about “Do not store activities”

There are a lot of myths around this option. Let's take a look at the most common ones.

• 🚀 «It will speed up any smartphone. — Not true. On devices with 6+ GB of RAM effect will be minimal, and inconveniences – mass.
• 🔋 «This will save you a lot of battery life. — Partly true, but the savings rarely exceed 5-10%, but you will have to charge more often because of the reboot of applications.
• 🛡️ «It will improve privacy" — Not exactly. "" The option doesn't clear the cache or the data of the applications, but only removes them from memory.
• 📱 «It's safe for all devices. — Dangerous. On some firmware (especially custom ones), it can cause the system to crash.

Another common misconception is that Do Not Store Activities completely clears RAM, which actually just forcibly shuts down folded applications, but the Android system and background services still occupy RAM.

Some users also believe that this option helps to keep games lag, and in practice, the opposite is true: games will take longer to load on return, and progress can be reset. For gamers, it is much more useful to activate Game Mode in Settings → Special Features.

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The “Do Not Store Activities” option is not a magic wand for speeding up a smartphone, but a tool for specific tasks, and in 90% of cases, standard optimization through battery and auto-start settings is enough.

FAQ: Frequent questions about “Do Not Store Activities”