Xiaomi Redmi 8 is slowing down: what to do to return the speed?

Why Redmi 8 is Slow and How to Fix It

Your Xiaomi Redmi 8 suddenly started to slow down, apps are opening late, and animations are twitching? This is a common problem for budget smartphones with a Snapdragon 439 and 2/3 GB of RAM, especially after 1-2 years of use, the reasons can lie in contaminated cache, outdated firmware or overloaded memory.

In this article, we'll look at 10 proven ways to speed up Redmi 8, from basic (clearing the background and turning off animations) to radical (resetting to factory settings or flashing). Importantly, some methods will take 10-15 minutes, others will require deep knowledge of the system. Let's start with the simplest.

If the phone doesn't just brake, it turns off on its own, overheats or doesn't respond to touch, it could be the hardware (battery, motherboard), and then you better go to the service center, but 80 percent of the time it's the software, and you can fix it yourself.

1. Cleaning of RAM and background

The most common reason for brakes is clogged RAM. On the Redmi 8 with 2 GB of RAM, even 5-6 background apps can cause lags. Here's how to free up resources:

• 🔄 Close all applications through the latest task menu (swipe up and hold).
• 🚫 Turn off auto-run of unnecessary programs: go to Settings → Annexes → Autorun and deactivate instant messengers, games, social networks.
• 📱 Use the Easy Environment mode (if available): Settings → Special facilities → Easy Wednesday MIUI.
• ⚡ Activate "Acceleration" in Settings → Battery and productivity → Performance mode.

If after cleaning, the memory clogs again in a few minutes, check which apps eat the most RAM.

1. Open Settings → About the phone → System Status → Memory.
2. See the list of “Use of RAM” and remove or limit the most voracious programs.

⚠️ Note: Do not close system processes like com.android.systemui or miui.home, which can cause the interface to crash.

Close all applications through the task menu | Disable autorun for 3-5 unnecessary programs |Reboot phone | Check the use of RAM in the settings-->

2.Storage optimization: garbage and cache removal

On the Redmi 8 with 32/64 GB of memory, even 5-10 GB of free space may not be enough for smooth operation. The system uses some of the memory under the application cache and virtual memory (swap). If free less than 15% of the total, brakes are inevitable.

How to clean the vault:

• 🧹 Remove the app cache: Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache (or for individual programs: Settings) → Annexes → [name] → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary files through the built-in “Cleaner”: Security → Cleaner → Deep cleaning.
• 📁 Move the files to SD-map (if any): photos, videos, music.
• 🔍 Find and remove duplicates with apps like Files by Google or CCleaner.

Pay special attention to the folders:

/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/ – cache of games and applications


/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/.thumbnails - miniatures




/storage/emulated/0/Download – downloads from the browser

⚠️ Note: Do not manually delete files in folders /system or /data Without root rights, it can break the system.

Once a week | Once a month | Only when the phone starts to brake | Never cleaned-->

3. Update firmware and fix MIUI errors

An outdated version of MIUI may contain bugs that make Redmi 8 slow down. For example, MIUI 11-12 versions had memory management issues on budget devices. Upgrading to the latest stable firmware often solves the problem.

How to update Redmi 8:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click "Check Updates." If a new version is available, download and install.
3. If the update is not available, check the firmware region: your phone may be on Global, and the update is only available for China or EEA.

If automatic updates do not help, you can install the firmware manually:

• 🌍 Download the latest stable version MIUI Redmi 8 (codenamed olive) from Xiaomi's official website.
• 📁 Place the.zip file in the folder /downloaded_rom phone-on.
• 🔄 Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Three points. → Select a firmware file.

⚠️ Note: Do not install beta versions MIUI on your everyday phone – they may contain critical bugs that aggravate the brakes.

4. Disable animations and visual effects

MIUI is known for its beautiful animations, but on the weak Redmi 8, they only slow down.Switching off transitions and effects can speed up the interface by 15-20%.

How to turn off animations:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the items: Scale of window animation → No animation Scale of transition animation → No animation Duration of animation → Off.

You can also turn off unnecessary visual effects:

• 🎨 Make Wallpaper Simple: Use Static Pictures Instead of Live Wallpaper.
• 🌓 Turn off the dark theme if it works with lags: Settings → Display. → Dark subject matter.
• 🔄 Install a standard launcher: Some custom launchers (like Nova Launcher) can brake on weak hardware.

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If after disabling animations, the interface began to look “sharp”, try setting the value of 0.5x instead of completely disabling – this will smooth the transitions, but will not load the processor so much.

5. Reset to factory settings (hard reset)

If previous methods didn't work and the phone is slowing down, a complete reset could be a solution, and it deletes all data, including apps, photos and settings, so back up first.

How to reset Redmi 8:

1. Save important data to your computer or to the cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Drive).
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.
4. After the reset, the phone will reboot and prompt you to set it up as new.

If the phone does not respond to touch or is stuck on the logo, the reset can be done through the recovery mode:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Keep Power + Volume up until the Mi Recovery logo appears.
3. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (control – volume buttons, confirmation – power button).
4. After reset, select Reboot → Reboot to System.

⚠️ Note: On Redmi 8 with unlocked bootloader, a reset may result in the device being locked (requires re-unlocking via Mi Unlock Tool).

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Factory reset is the most radical but also the most effective way to bring the Redmi 8 back to its original state, and 90% of the time it solves brake problems if they are caused by software failures rather than hardware.

6.Verification for viruses and malware

Malware can covertly load the processor, causing brakes, especially at risk for users installing applications from unofficial sources (APK-file).

How to check Redmi 8 for viruses

• 🛡️ Built-in scanner: Security → Scanning.
• 🔍 Third-party antiviruses: Malwarebytes, Bitdefender or Kaspersky Mobile (installed from Google Play).
• 📊 Activity check: Open Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery usage and see which apps consume a lot of power in the background.

Signs of infection with the virus:

• 📈 Unexplained traffic growth (check in Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic).
• 🔋 Quick battery discharge even in standby mode.
• 📱 Appearance of unknown apps in the menu.
• 💰 Debiting money from the account (if paid subscriptions are connected).

If the antivirus has found the threats but cannot remove them:

1. Go to Settings → Applications.
2. Find the suspicious app and click Remove (if the button is inactive, first disable the Device Administrator in the security settings).
3. If removal is not possible, reset to factory settings.

7. Battery and thermal optimization

Overheating or a worn-out battery can cause trottling (a forced decrease in processor performance). On the Redmi 8, this manifests as a sharp slowdown when heated or when the battery charge is below 15%.

How to check the status of the battery:

• 🔋 Install the AccuBattery app and see the battery wear (if more than 50% - it's time to change the battery).
• 🌡️ Check the temperature of the processor through AIDA64 or CPU Monitor. Normal: 30-45°C in plain, up to 60.°C under load. If higher, there's a cooling problem.

How to reduce heat and extend the life of the battery:

• ☀️ Avoid direct sunlight and don’t leave your phone in your car in the summer.
• 🔌 Do not play games while charging – this is the maximum loading of the battery.
• 🔄 Turn off fast charging if the phone is too warm: Settings → Battery and productivity → Fast charging.
• 📵 Use the aircraft mode in places with a bad signal (constant search for the network drains the battery).

⚠️ Note: If the phone turns off at 30-40% charge or discharges in an hour, the battery needs to be replaced. On the Redmi 8, you can change it yourself (the cost of a new battery: 800-1500) ₽).

8 Radical methods: flashing and replacement of iron

If none of the methods worked, and Redmi 8 is still slowing down, the problem may be:

• 🛠️ Outdated firmware with bugs (for example, MIUI 10–11 on Redmi 8 known for lags).
• 🔧 Worn-out internal memory (flash drive degrades over time).
• 🔋 Faulty battery causing voltage drawdown.
• 🖥️ Problems with the motherboard (for example, the dump of memory chips).

Flashing to custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) can return performance, but requires:

1. Unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock).
2. Installations of custom recavery (TWRP).
3. Experience with ADB and Fastboot.

If you're not ready to experiment, go to the service center. Average cost of Redmi 8 diagnostics:

⚠️ Note: Redmi 8 with older firmware MIUI 12.5 can trigger a bug with a "perpetual bootloop" (cyclic reboot) after resetting. To avoid this, turn off encryption in Settings before resetting. → Additionally. → Encryption and accounts.

FAQ: Frequent questions about brakes on Redmi 8