Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have impressive specs, but over time, even flagship models can start to work slower. The main reason for the performance decline is often overflow of RAM, which is responsible for storing temporary data of running applications and system processes. When the free space in the buffer runs out, the Android operating system with the shell MIUI or HyperOS begins to forcefully close background tasks, which causes visible delays to the user.
Understanding how resources work in mobile devices is key to a stable device, with many owners mistakenly relying on built-in accelerators that only have a short-term effect, and a comprehensive approach to achieving long-term results is needed, from analyzing resource-consuming applications to deeply tuning system parameters.
In this guide, we will discuss proven optimization methods that will help return your device to its previous speed. We will not use third-party garbage, but focus on standard tools and competent manual configuration, which is the safest approach to maintain warranty and stability of the system.
Analysis of resource consumption and diagnosis
Before you start taking action to clean up, you need to understand what is eating your resources. MIUI and HyperOS have a powerful stats tool built into it that users often ignore. Go to Settings → Memory (or Advanced Settings → Memory depending on the OS version) to see a detailed distribution diagram.
Here you'll see a list of applications sorted by the amount of RAM you're using. Often, it turns out that the main consumers are not games, but social networks and instant messengers that are constantly hanging in the background. Caching data in these applications speeds up their launch, but the cost is a lack of memory for other tasks.
Note the “Available” option – if it is less than 15-20% of the total, the system will work unstable1. In some cases, the problem is created by unoptimized applications that create “memory leaks” without freeing up resources after closing.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to remove system processes with unknown names through third-party task managers, which can result in a cyclical reboot or loss of important features like Bluetooth or calls.
Basic cleaning through the standard Security app
The easiest and safest way to free up space quickly is to use the pre-installed Security app. Despite the skepticism of some users, this tool is deeply integrated into the system and has rights that are not available to third-party counterparts from the Play Market.
A regular accelerator doesn't just shut down processes, it also analyzes their behavior, and if an application starts right after cleaning, the system can suggest limiting its background activity, which is more effective than permanent manual cleaning, because it prevents the buffer from overflowing again.
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Use the Acceleration widget on your desktop for quick access to cleaning RAM with one tap, without going into the settings menu.
It’s important to understand the difference between cleaning the cache and cleaning the RAM. Cache is stored on an internal drive and speeds up the loading of images in applications, while RAM is a temporary storage for active processes. RAM clears the applications out of memory, forcing them to boot again at the next start, which can even increase the power consumption of the processor in the short term.
Managing Autoboot and Background Processes
One of the main reasons for memory shortage is uncontrolled auto-run of applications, and in the Xiaomi ecosystem, a special system component is responsible for this. To access it, go to Settings → Applications → Auto-Run. Here you will see the full list of programs that start with the phone.
Turn off auto-start for all applications that you don't need notifications from every minute, such as marketplaces, banking apps or games don't have to start automatically, not only freeing up RAM, but also significantly extending battery life.
☑️ Auto-start setup
You can also check your background permits. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Application Activity Control. For each important application, you can choose a strategy: "No Limits" (for messengers to send messages) or "Limit Background Activity" (for games and utilities), and set these parameters correctly allows you to reserve up to 1-2 GB of RAM for actively used tasks.
Memory Extension: Virtual RAM Function
In modern Xiaomi models with the MIUI 13/14 shell and HyperOS, Memory Extension technology has appeared. It allows you to use part of the embedded storage (ROM) as additional RAM. Physically, this does not add RAM chips, but creates a paging file where the system dumps less active data.
You can activate this function from the Settings menu → Advanced Settings → Expanded Memory. You will be asked to select the amount of memory you add, usually from 2 to 7 GB depending on the model. Once turned on, the phone will require a restart.
| Parameter | Physical RAM | Virtual RAM (Extension) |
|---|---|---|
| Read/write speed | High (LPDDR5) | Medium (depending on UFS) |
| Impact on wear | Minimum | High (drive wear) |
| Efficiency | Maximum | Medium (for heavy games) |
| Recommendation | Always use. | Only when you're short. |
It's worth noting that this technology has its limitations: virtual memory is much slower than physical chips, so the performance gains in heavy gaming can be invisible, and in some cases, even micro-freezes, due to differences in data rates.
⚠️ Attention: Using the memory extension function increases the load on the built-in drive, which theoretically can reduce its life with very active multitasking.
Optimization for developers: hidden settings
For advanced users, there's a hidden menu section that allows you to fine-tune the behavior of the system. To activate it, you need to click on the build number several times in the About Phone section. Once you become a developer, a new Developer item will appear in the settings menu.
In this section, we are interested in the item "Limit of background processes": the default value is "Standard limit", but it can be changed. Setting a value "No more than 2 processes" or "No more than 4 processes" makes the system more aggressively unload old applications from memory, freeing up resources for the current task.
Should I include "Do not remain active"?
You can also find the option to disable animations here. While this doesn't directly free up memory bytes, it reduces the load on the GPU and visually makes the interface more responsive. Find the scales "Scale of window animation", "Scale of animation transition" and set the value 0.5x or Disabled.
Radical measures: discharge and clean installation
If the software methods do not give the desired result, and the phone continues to brake even after the restart, it is possible that the system has accumulated critical errors or fragmentation of files. In this case, the most effective solution is a complete reset to factory settings.
Reset removes all user data, cache, residues of deleted applications and erroneous configurations. Once back to factory, the phone will run as fast as it did on the first day after purchase.This often helps even on devices with a small amount of RAM (3-4 GB).
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Full reset is the only way to ensure that you remove system debris that has accumulated over the years of use and is not cleaned up by standard cleaning.
After reset, take your time to install all the applications at once. Set the minimum and watch the device work. Often, it turns out that one particular application causes the main load. Gradual installation will help identify the "culprit" of the brakes.
Prevention and operational rules
To keep the memory problem from returning, it's important to follow certain digital hygiene rules: Don't store thousands of unnecessary photos and screenshots in a gallery, transfer them to the cloud or to a computer. A full internal drive also negatively affects the speed of the entire system, including operations with RAM.
Regularly update apps via Google Play or GetApps. Developers are constantly optimizing code to fix memory leaks.Outdated versions of programs may not work properly on new versions of Android, consuming more resources than necessary.
Use lightweight versions of popular apps (Lite) if your smartphone is not a flagship. For example, Facebook Lite or Telegram X consume significantly less resources than their full counterparts, while retaining basic functionality.