When you pick up a Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO smartphone, unlock it, and find that missed messages from messengers or emails only appeared at that moment, many users are familiar with this classic symptom of aggressive optimization of the MIUI system or the new HyperOS. The operating system, in an effort to save battery power, forcibly “sleeps” background processes, blocking the network activity of applications when the screen is turned off.
To make matters worse, Android’s standard settings work in conjunction with the manufacturer’s custom add-ons, creating a dual filter for incoming data. Often users think their phone is broken or their app is bugging, even though it’s about the logic of how energy is saved. Understanding how the system manages background tasks is the first step to solving it.
In this article, we will discuss the non-obvious settings, hidden menus, and specific actions that will bring instant notification delivery back.You don’t need to be a programmer to fix this, but you will need to be careful when switching toggles in the system menu.
The mechanism of background processes in MIUI and HyperOS
The problem lies in how the shell handles sleeper apps. Unlike pure Android, where Google Play Services often takes on the role of a push notification intermediary, in the Xiaomi ecosystem, every application must have an active permission to work in the background. If this permission is not available, the system freezes the process immediately after you turn off the window or the screen goes out.
Autorun is a special feature, and many users mistakenly believe that this feature is only for the app to open itself when the phone is turned on. In fact, in the context of MIUI, autorun permission gives the application the privilege of periodically waking up the processor to check for new mail or messages, even if the screen is locked.
- 🔋 Aggressive energy saving turns off Wi-Fi or mobile Internet for background tasks, considering them an extra load.
- 🧠 System artificial intelligence analyzes usage frequency and may mistakenly classify an important messenger as rarely used.
- 🔒 Adblocker and built-in protection often block communication channels, considering them suspicious activity.
⚠️ Note: After a major firmware update (e.g., switching from a MIUI 14 on HyperOS) all power saving settings can reset to factory, which will return the problem even on previously configured devices.
Basic setting of permissions for applications
The first thing you need to do to fix the problem is manually specify which apps are the priority, not in the general settings of the phone, but in the individual menu of each service that is important to you, whether it is Telegram, WhatsApp or a banking application.
Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the messenger you want and click on it. Here you are interested in Saving Charge (or “Battery”). The default is “Recommended Charge Savings”; that is the enemy. You need to change this option to No Limits.
Then go to Autostart and activate the switch. Without this step, the system will block the process from restarting after it has been forced to stop. It is also worth checking the Permissions → Other permissions section, where you need to allow display over other windows and work in the background.
☑️ Checklist of application settings
After making the changes, the system may issue a warning that this may increase battery consumption. Ignore it, as it is critical for messengers. Background activity will now be allowed at the system level, and messages will start to arrive instantly.
Configure the lock screen and notification format
Often, the notification comes (there is a vibration, there is a sound), but nothing is displayed on the locked screen. This is a separate privacy and display setting. If you have to hide the content, you will only see the name of the application, not the text of the message.
To set up, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification format on the lock screen. Here you can choose whether to show text or hide it. Make sure that for important applications, the option to show notifications is enabled.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Notification style | Android | Standard view compatible with all applications |
| Lock screen | Show everything | The text of the message is visible without unlocking |
| The sound of the notification | Included | Audio signal when a message arrives |
| Light indicator | Included | LED flashing (if any) |
Also, check the Always On Display settings (if your Xiaomi supports this feature). From the Settings menu → Always on screen and lock, make sure to check the “Show items on lock screen” box, which will allow you to see the icons of new messages without touching the screen.
Why are the settings getting lost?
The role of advanced notification settings
In modern versions of the shell, there is a powerful menu that allows you to fine-tune the behavior of each type of content. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Advanced Settings. Here you can control how notifications from different categories of applications behave.
Note the Status Bar section. Make sure icons are displayed. If there is an icon but no pop-up, check the settings of a particular application in the same menu. Sometimes Important Notifications may be disabled for certain categories, such as for advertising mailings, but the system may mistakenly list important alerts there.
- 📢 Pop-up notifications: must be active if you want to see a message over other windows.
- 🔊 Sound and vibration: Check if the No Sound profile is worth the app.
- 📉 Indicator: Make sure that the LED display is not turned off globally.
Pay special attention to the category “Other notifications.” In Android 11 and later, and in HyperOS, it is possible to hide silent notifications. If the messenger is running in this mode, it may not wake the screen. Switch important chats to Urgent or High Priority mode.
⚠️ Warning: Do not turn on the "Do Not Disturb" mode» (DND) It's a nightly schedule, if you're waiting for important calls or messages, and in this mode, notifications can come to the notification center, but they can't wake the screen or make sounds.
Problems with the network and sleep mode Wi-Fi
If notifications don’t come when the phone is lying down with the screen off, there’s a high chance of a problem with the Wi-Fi module. In an attempt to save power, the smartphone can break the connection to the router after a certain downtime.
To fix this, go to Settings → Wi-Fi → (Your network or Wi-Fi Assist menu). Find Wi-Fi Sleep Mode (or “Stop Wi-Fi while you sleep”). Set Never. This will make the communication module work constantly, even if the screen goes out.
It's also worth checking the mobile network settings. In some regions, operators use specific settings. APN, Try resetting your mobile network settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Access points (APN) → Drop it.
💡
If you use a third-party launcher or themes, try to disable them while you're diagnosing them. Often custom shells mishandle system notification overlays.
Specifics of Google Push and Services
On global firmware versions, Google Play services are responsible for delivering notifications; if they don't work properly, no notifications will come in any app; check if Google Play services are updated in the Play Market store.
Sometimes cleaning the cache of services helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Google Play Services. Click Clear → Clear All Data. Don’t worry, it won’t delete your accounts or photos, but it will reset your sync settings, which often solves the problem of hung notifications.
For users of Chinese firmware (CN) versions, where there are no Google services, the situation is different: notifications depend on Xiaomi push services or the built-in mechanisms of the applications themselves (like in WeChat), in which case you need to keep the applications running in memory (fix them in the multitasking menu).
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The stability of Google Play services is the foundation for notifications in 90% of cases on global versions of MIUI.
Additional methods and resetting settings
If none of this worked, there may have been a software conflict in the system, and try resetting the network, which will bring back to the factory settings of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile Internet, but will not affect personal files.
Path to reset: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth. Once rebooted, the phone will re-register on the network and the channels for push notifications will be reopened.
In extreme cases, if the problem is only seen in one application, try to remove it and reinstall it. When you first install it, the system will ask for all the necessary permissions again, and often this shakes up the settings, returning them to the correct state.
- 🔄 Rebooting your phone once a week helps clear RAM from hanging processes.
- 📲 Updating all apps via Play Market or GetApps eliminates compatibility bugs.
- 🛡️ Virus Checking with Integrated Security Scanner Will Eliminate Malware Blocking the Network.