Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are famous for their optimization and long battery life. However, aggressive energy saving policies in the shells of MIUI and HyperOS often cause messengers to stop sending notifications, navigators to turn off when the screen is dead, and music players to go silent. The system forcibly “sleeps” processes that it considers inactive, which confuses many users who are accustomed to more open systems.
The problem is how the Android operating system, modified by Xiaomi engineers, manages CPU resources. To save battery power, background processes are limited or completely stopped. This is normal for games or heavy editors, but critical for working tools. To make your device work exactly the way you want it to work, you need to manually adjust the settings for each important application, since the standard out-of-the-box settings are often too rigid.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at all the available ways to resolve background activity, going from basic battery settings to hidden developer menus that allow you to completely disable the process killer, and understanding these mechanisms will help you avoid missed calls and navigation failures while you’re driving.
⚠️ Warning: Uncontrolled running of dozens of apps in the background can lead to a noticeable reduction in battery life of your smartphone.
Why Xiaomi is closing apps in the background
The main reason for the forced shutdown is the operation of MIUI Optimizer, which analyzes the behavior of running programs and, if an application is not used on the screen for a certain time, it is marked as “sleeping”, in which state the application cannot update data, send requests to the server or play media.
In addition, HyperOS and newer versions of MIUI have introduced an AI algorithm that learns from user habits, so if you rarely open a particular program after 20:00, the system can decide that you don't need its background activity at night, and limit its operation, which creates a situation where the user waits for notifications, but the phone is silent, considering the application to be inactive.
To make matters worse, the standard Android battery management settings on Xiaomi devices are often blocked by the manufacturer’s own add-ons. Even if you’ve given all the permissions on pure Android, the shell can override them to save energy. So it’s important to understand that the setup is not done in one place, but requires a comprehensive approach across multiple menus.
Basic settings through the Battery menu
The first and most obvious step is to change the energy saving strategy for a particular application: by default, the system sets the "No Limits" mode only for system services, and for third-party programs, chooses more rigid profiles, and you need to manually change this setting for each important application.
To do this, go to Settings, then select the App and go to All Apps. Find the program you want (like Telegram or WhatsApp) in the list. Inside the app menu, find the Battery (or Energy Saving) section. Here you will see three options from which you need to select No Limits.
This step tells the system that the application takes precedence over saving charge, but that action alone is often not enough, as there are additional layers of protection, such as autostart and memory retention, that ignoring these settings can nullify all previous efforts.
- 🔋 No restrictions: The application can use the battery in the background without restrictions (maximum performance).
- 📉 Energy savings: The system limits background activity when the screen is off.
- 🚫 Hard Limit: The application cannot run in the background at all (used for rarely used programs).
☑️ Setting up the battery for the application
Autostart management and memory retention
AutoRun is a key element of stable operation. If this feature is disabled, the application will not be able to start on its own after restarting the phone or after the system killed it to free up memory. On Xiaomi, autostart management is put into a separate system service.
To turn it on, open the Security app (green zipper icon) that is preinstalled on all of the brand's smartphones. From the menu, find the Permissions and select AutoRun. Find the right app in the list and activate the switch. This will allow the program to run with the system and stay in memory longer.
The second important step is to lock in RAM. Open the menu of running applications (swipe from the bottom up and hold or button menu). Find the window of the desired application, click on it and hold your finger until additional icons appear. Press the lock icon. Now, when you clear the memory with the cross button or swipe, this application will not be closed.
⚠️ Warning: Sticking too many applications in memory can lead to a lack of RAM, causing a general slowdown of the interface and lag when switching between tasks.
Set up notifications and extended permissions
Even with a permitted background start, notifications may not arrive if the rights to display them are limited. MIUI has a separate layer of notification control that works regardless of the battery settings. It often happens that the application works, but “silent”.
In the same app menu (in the Notifications section), make sure that the Show Notifications switch is activated. Also check if the Important Notifications restrictions are worth it. Some shell versions have a separate Ad Block switch that can also conflict with the background services.
Special attention should be paid to Advanced Permits. Go to Permissions → Other Permits. Here, it is critical for messengers and navigators to allow the Display option on top of other applications. Without this right, the navigator can curl up and stop accompanying the route voice, and the messenger will not be able to show the pop-up window of the incoming call.
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If notifications arrive with a delay, try to turn on the priority “High” in the app notification settings and allow the audible alert even in “Do Not Disturb” mode.
Special features and mode of the developer
For advanced users who don’t have the standard methods, there’s a deeper level of customization, with HyperOS and MIUI 14+ adding Extended Memory Cleanup, which can aggressively unload processes, and it’s also worth checking in the Settings menu → Advanced Settings → Expand Memory (if available) or in the battery settings.
Another powerful tool is the developer mode. To get there, you need to quickly click on the MIUI Version 7 times in the About Phone section. Then, in the Additional → For developers menu, find the "Do not turn off the screen" item when charging (for navigation) or limiting background processes. Make sure that the "No Limits" item is the "No Limits" value.
There is also a hidden setup via the engineering menu, but it requires caution: Entering the code ##6485## allows you to see battery statistics, but does not always give you access to control. Google Play Services resets are more effective if problems are related to push notifications from all apps at once.
| Parameter | Where to find out. | Recommended value | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-start | Security → Permits | On | Launch after restart |
| Battery mode | Info about the application → Battery | No restrictions. | Working in the background |
| Fixing | The menu of tasks running | Castle. | Closing protection |
| Over the windows. | Info about the application → Permissions | Permission. | Pop-ups |
Solving problems with specific applications
Different categories of applications require a personalized approach. Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber) are critical to stable Internet and the right to auto-start. If messages come only after opening the application, then network access is blocked in the background. Check whether Wi-Fi-only mode is enabled in the traffic saving settings.
For navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps, 2GIS), the problem is most often solved by resolving the screen when the screen is turned off. In some cases, it helps to turn on the “High Accuracy” option in geolocation settings, although this consumes more energy. Navigators are also sensitive to the energy saving mode of the phone itself - it is better to switch it to Performance mode before traveling.
Smartwatches and bracelets (Mi Band, Amazfit) require Mi Fitness or Zepp Life to work in the background to synchronize data and receive notifications on the wrist. If communication is lost, make sure the app is allowed access to Bluetooth and geolocation "Always", not just "When in use".
What do you do if nothing helps?
Features of work in HyperOS
With the release of the HyperOS shell, memory management algorithms have become even more complex, and a new mechanism called Advanced Memory has emerged that uses part of the storage as RAM, and while this helps keep more applications open, the speed of access to this type of memory is lower, which can cause background processes to slow down.
HyperOS has also changed the visualization of battery settings, so the "No Limits" item can now be called "No Limits" and hidden in the submenu, and the system can offer "Optimize" the application immediately after installation, and you can't agree to this if you need background work.
Importantly, newer versions of Xiaomi software introduce the “App Memory” feature, which allows you to save the state of the application even after it is closed, this does not replace the background mode, but speeds up the re-start. For constant background activity (music, trackers), old methods with autostart remain relevant.
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The comprehensive setup (Battery + Autostart + Fix) ensures that the application will work 99% of the time, even on newer versions of HyperOS.