The situation when the once-quick Xiaomi begins to hang is familiar to many owners. Sudden delays when opening applications, jerks in the interface and a long screen response can turn using a smartphone into a test. Most often, the reason is not a hardware breakdown, but a software accumulation of “garbage” or incorrect settings of the MIUI system or the new HyperOS.
Before you take a device to a service center or think about buying a new model, it is worth conducting a deep diagnostic. Optimizing the software part in 90% of cases returns to its former smoothness.
In this article, we will look at proven methods to help eliminate lags, and we will touch on both standard settings that are available to each user and hidden features that few people know about. Removing system updates or resetting to factory settings are extreme measures that should be resorted to only after checking all other items.
Analysis of memory and storage capacity
The first thing to look at when Xiaomi's phone is slowing down is the space in the internal storage, and the Android system is designed to work properly, and it needs a lot of space to do it. 10-15% The speed of writing and reading data drops critically.
The operating system uses free space to create temporary files and caching data from frequently used applications. If the disk is full, the processor has to spend more time finding free cells to write, which causes those very friezes and delays when switching between tasks.
It is recommended to check the storage section regularly. Go to Settings → Memory and assess the situation. If the scale is filled with red, you need to immediately clear space. Delete unnecessary videos, heavy files from the download folder and duplicate photos.
Social media cache is a big concern, and apps like Telegram and WhatsApp can take up tens of gigabytes to save all the media they’ve viewed, and cleaning up the cache through the app’s settings often frees up 5 to 20GB of space, making it easier to run the system instantly.
Optimization of RAM (RAM)
Lack of RAM is the second most common reason why Xiaomi is lagging: When all RAM slots are filled with running applications, the system begins to actively use swap files on the internal drive, which is much slower, as a result, the interface begins to twitch, and the background applications are constantly rebooted.
Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells have built-in memory management mechanisms, but they sometimes need to be activated manually. Virtual RAM expansion can help if you have little RAM (4 or 6 GB) However, if you have a fast drive, this method is really effective.
To enable the feature, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Expand Memory. Select the amount of virtual memory you add and restart the device. It is also useful to set the autostart of applications: leave in autoboot only what you really need in the background (messengers, mail).
☑️ Optimizing memory
There is also a hidden setting to limit background activity, and the developer menu includes the “Limit of Background Processes” option, which can significantly unload the system on older models, although this will require more frequent reboots of heavy applications when returning to them.
Setup of animations and system interface
The visual smoothness of the interface is often perceived by the user as the overall performance of the smartphone. Heavy animations of transitions, blurs and parallax effects put a strain on the GPU. If your Xiaomi has started to lag, simplifying graphics is one of the most effective ways to speed up response.
In the Developer menu (how to turn it on, see below), find the Drawing section, where you have three key options: Windows animation, transition animation, and animation duration, set to 1x by default. Change them to 0.5x or completely disable (0x).
⚠️ Attention: Complete shutdown of animations (0x) It can make the interface twitchy and less visually pleasing. The optimal balance between speed and aesthetics is value. 0.5x.
It's also worth checking out the design theme. Third-party themes with live wallpaper, complex desktop clock widgets and dynamic icons consume resources all the time. If the phone is slow, go back to the standard theme or choose static wallpaper without complex effects.
How to turn on the developer menu?
Another important aspect is the refresh rate of the screen. If your device supports 90 Hz or 120 Hz, but it's in Auto mode, the system can lower the hertz to save energy, which creates the illusion of lag. Set a fixed maximum frequency in the screen settings.
Managing Auto Updates and Background Services
System services and applications are often updated in the background, consuming traffic and CPU resources. The MIUI shell has an msa service (MIUI System Ads) that is responsible for advertising in system applications. It not only annoys, but also strains the system, causing periodic hang-ups.
Disabling advertising services is a must-do step to improve performance. Go to Settings → Passwords and Security → Access to personal data. Find the msa list and turn off the switchboard. You will need to wait 10 seconds and confirm the action. It is also recommended to disable Getting Recommendations in the security settings and Cleaner.
Automatic app updates in Google Play and GetApps also need to be switched to Wi-Fi Only mode or turned off completely if you want to control the process.Background downloading of large game updates can put any, even a powerful smartphone, down.
| Service/Process | Impact on the system | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| msa | High (advertising, data collection) | Disable data access |
| Analytics | Medium (telemetry) | Disable in the privacy settings |
| Google Play Services | Variable (synchronization) | Clear cache, check for updates |
| GetApps | Medium (auto-updates) | Turn off auto-update |
Don’t forget to check which apps have permission to work in the background. In the Security menu → Permissions → Autostart, leave only the necessary messengers on. The rest of the apps don’t make sense to work constantly unless you get real-time notifications from them.
Resetting network settings and reconnecting modules
Sometimes the lags are not related to the processor, but to problems with the network module. If the smartphone is constantly searching for the network, switching between 4G/5G and Wi-Fi, or if the Bluetooth connection is unstable, this can cause system delays.
First of all, try resetting your network settings. This won't delete your personal files, but will return your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile settings to factory values. → Connection and sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth.
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If your phone is warming and laying at the same time, try to turn on Flight mode for 5-10 minutes, which will let the radios cool down and reset the network processes that are suspended.
It's also worth checking if Wi-Fi Assistant is enabled, which automatically switches to mobile internet when the signal is weak. Constant reconnection can create a load. Turn it off in Wi-Fi settings if you're in an unstable coverage area.
Using Developer Mode for Advanced Users
The developer menu hides tools that can dramatically change the behavior of the system, and in addition to the animations mentioned earlier, there are settings for the graphics accelerator and background processes, but you need to use them with caution.
One of the useful functions is “acceleration”. GPU». In older versions of Android, this has helped in gaming, but in modern versions. MIUI This option is often turned on by default or, conversely, can cause artifacts. Try experimenting with the item "Disable overlay" HW» (Disable HW overlays. Enabling this option makes you use GPU for all screen compositions, which on some models removes micro-freeze interface.
⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the For Developers section can lead to unstable system operation or increased battery consumption.
Another important parameter is the "Background Process Limit." If you have a very old phone, limiting the number of background processes to 2-3 pieces can free up enough RAM for the current application to run smoothly, but be prepared that the music can turn off and the navigator can reset the route when you fold.
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The main secret to speeding up the old Xiaomi is a combination of cleaning up memory, turning off animations and banning background activity of heavy apps.
Radical measures: Resetting and reflashing
If none of the software methods worked, and Xiaomi keeps laying even after cleaning, there's a complete reset option left: Formatting deletes all the data and returns the phone to the "out of the box" state, which eliminates the software conflicts that have accumulated over the years of use.
Before the procedure, make sure to back up. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset → Erase all data. The process will take time, the phone will be overloaded several times. Once turned on, the system will be clean, without unnecessary software and cache.
In the extreme case, even if the reset did not help, it may be a problem in the degradation of the drive (eMMC or UFS memory has a limited overwriting resource) or require a flashing through a computer with full partition formatting.