The situation when messages in messengers or notifications from banking applications come to Xiaomi smartphone only after you open a specific software, is one of the most common complaints of users. This is not a software error or a defect of the device, but is a consequence of aggressive memory management policies embedded in the shells of MIUI and HyperOS. The operating system seeks to maximize battery life, forcibly “killing” processes that work in the background, unless they are included in special exception lists.
To the user, this looks like a communication failure: you can spend hours without receiving important messages, but once you unlock the screen and launch the application, you are bombarded with a flurry of dozens of missed events. Aggressive power saving blocks the network activity of applications, preventing them from maintaining a permanent connection to the server. As a result, push notifications cannot be delivered in real time and accumulate on the server, waiting for the client to activate.
To fix this problem, you need to make a comprehensive setup by changing the standard parameters of battery operation and resolutions for specific programs. Xiaomi smartphones require manual intervention in the settings of background activity, as pre-installed algorithms are often too strict. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the mechanisms that block notifications, and provide step-by-step instructions for turning them off.
⚠️ Warning: Changing energy saving settings for a large number of applications can lead to accelerated battery discharge, as the system will no longer limit their background activity.
MIUI Optimizer and Background Processes
The main reason for delaying notifications is the built-in optimizer that constantly monitors running processes. MIUI Optimizer analyzes the frequency of application use and, if the program does not show activity on the screen for a long time, the system forcibly terminates its process to free RAM, this is especially true for devices with a small amount of RAM, where the struggle for resources is constantly going on.
And then there's the application freeze mechanism in the system, and when you fold the messenger, it doesn't just go into the background, it stops completely after a certain period of time. Network sockets close, and the permanent connection to the Google FCM server or the application's own server breaks down. The background process ceases to exist, and the phone can't physically receive a new message signal until the next manual launch.
It’s important to understand the difference between standard Android and Xiaomi’s shell. In pure Android, memory management is more loyal, whereas the MIUI or HyperOS shell has its own, more rigid algorithms. That’s why Xiaomi notifications often come later than on other devices unless the right initial out-of-the-box setting is done.
⚠️ Warning: A complete battery optimisation shutdown may cause some system services to consume excess energy, which will affect the heating of the housing.
Customize “Battery and Performance” for Specific Applications
The first and most important step is to change the energy saving strategy for problematic applications. The system offers multiple work profiles, and by default, most programs have the "Energy Saving" mode, which causes notifications to be blocked, and you need to manually switch this setting to the mode without restrictions.
To perform the setup, go to Settings → Battery and Performance (or simply Battery). In the list that opens, look for the tab or the Apps button (sometimes you need to click on a gear or three dots in the corner). Find the desired application, such as Telegram or WhatsApp, and click on it. You will see the item "Energy Saving" or "Mode".
In the menu that opens, select the "No Limits" option, which tells the system not to apply any forced process-closing algorithms to the application, and allows full background activity, which guarantees timely data acquisition, and repeat this procedure for all instant messengers, email clients and important services.
☑️ Battery setup
It is worth noting that after updating the operating system, the settings can reset to factory values. Therefore, if the problem returned after the update, you need to check this parameter again. Unlimited mode is a key factor in the stable operation of push notifications on Xiaomi devices.
Managing Auto Start and Permits in Safety
The second critical element of Xiaomi’s ecosystem is the Security app, which controls auto-run programs. Even if you’ve allowed the app to run without battery restrictions, it may not start automatically after restarting the phone or clearing the memory if it doesn’t have Auto-Run rights.
Open the Security app (green shield icon). Find the Permissions section or go to AutoStart immediately. The list shows all installed programs. Find your messengers and activate the switch in front of them, which will allow the application to independently run the necessary services immediately after the device is turned on.
There is also a section called Permissions → Other Permits in the Security app, where it is important to check that applications have permissions to display over other windows and operate in the background. Without these system permissions, the application can be completely blocked by the security system, considered potentially dangerous or undesirable.
| Setup parameter | Location on the menu | Recommended value | Impact on notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saving energy | Settings → Battery | No restrictions. | High (main) |
| Auto-start | Safety → Auto-Run | Included. | High. |
| Background activity | Info about the application → Battery | Permitted. | Average. |
| Display over windows | Security → Permits | Permitted. | Low (for pop-ups) |
Why are the settings getting lost?
Fixing applications in RAM
Another effective method of preventing the process from killing is to fix the application in RAM, which tells the task manager that the application is a priority and cannot be terminated even if there are not enough RAM resources available.
Open the menu of running apps (swipe from the bottom up and hold, or menu button). Find the card of the desired application and click on it with your finger held, or pull the card down (depending on the version of MIUI). The lock icon will appear. When the lock is closed, the application is protected from forced termination through the Clear All button.
This method is especially useful for important work chats or smart home applications that need to respond instantly, but don’t attach too many programs, as this can lead to general system instability and slowdown of the interface.
⚠️ Note: Memory retention does not provide 100% guarantee if the system is critically under-resourced, but significantly prioritizes the process.
Problems with Google FCM and network settings
Sometimes the problem is not with the app itself, but with Google Play Services, which is responsible for delivering push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging), which is not working properly or has limited network access, notifications will not come to any application using the standard mechanism of push.
If the time on the device is even a few minutes down, the security certificates may stop working and the connection to Google servers will be broken. Set up automatic time synchronization over the network in the Settings menu → Additional → Date and time.
Also worth paying attention to the mode "Do not disturb" and Wi-Fi settings. In some cases, when switching from Wi-Fi to a mobile network, the connection can break for a few seconds, and if at this point the system decides to "sleep down", the notification will be lost.
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Try temporarily disabling Flight mode and turning it back on to reboot network modules and restore connection to Google servers.
Specificity of HyperOS and new algorithms
With the release of the new HyperOS shell, memory management algorithms have been rewritten. Owners of devices that have upgraded to a new version often face a return of notification delay problems, even if everything previously worked stable, the new system more aggressively caches data and more deeply freezes background processes for the sake of smooth animations.
HyperOS has changed the structure of the battery settings menu, so you can go deeper into the menu of a particular application, go to Settings → Apps → All applications, select the right one, go to Battery and make sure the Background Activity switch is active.
A critical factor in HyperOS is that the system can ignore the “No Limits” settings if the application has not been used visually for a long time, in which case only periodic launch of the application or use of widgets on the desktop that keep the process active helps.
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In HyperOS, energy saving settings have become a higher priority than in MIUI, requiring double checks: both in general battery settings and in an individual application profile.
Users of new devices are advised to conduct a complete revision of the settings for all communication applications immediately after buying or updating the firmware, ignoring this stage will lead to constant discomfort when using the smartphone.