Why Xiaomi smartphone slows down in a year: real reasons and working solutions

You bought a new Xiaomi smartphone a year ago, and it flew like a rocket: apps opened instantly, games were at maximum settings, and multitasking worked without complaint. But now the device has become unbearably slow — hanging while scrolling tape, long loading photos, sudden reboots. Sounds familiar? This problem affects most owners of budget and mid-budget Xiaomi models (including Redmi Note, POCO and Mi line), and it is not only because of “planned obsolescence”.

In this article, we will discuss 7 key causes of brakes after 12-18 months of operation, from software “crutches” to hardware wear. You will receive specific instructions for diagnosing and fixing each problem, including hidden MIUI settings that the manufacturer does not advertise.

1.Curred memory: why 128GB is converted to 5GB of free

The main reason for the brakes is the lack of free space on the drive, and even if you don't download movies or install dozens of games, MIUI is actively consuming memory by:

• 📁 App cache (including Google Play Services and Mi Cloud background processes)
• 📸 Duplicate photos (automatic backups in the DCIM/.thumbnails)
• 🗑️ "Garbage files from updates (Download/rom can weigh up 2–3 GB)
• 🎮 Residual game data (e.g. Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) is left up to 500MB after deletion)

The critical threshold for Xiaomi is less than 10% of free space, and the system begins to aggressively compress the cache, which leads to constant hanging when switching between applications. For example, the Redmi Note 10 Pro with 128 GB of memory in practice has only ~100 GB available to the user. If you haven’t cleaned the device for six months, there may be only 3-5 GB of free space left, which is enough only for basic operations.

How to check? Go to Settings → Memory → Memory Analysis. If the System Data or Other section is occupied more than 15-20 GB, this is an alarm signal. Especially dangerous when the Android partition is bloated to 10+ GB: this means that system updates have not been cleaned for years.

⚠️ Note: Do not use "memory optimizers" from Google Play (such as Clean Master or CCleaner). MIUI, This causes the camera or sensors to malfunction. Instead, use the built-in security utility. → Cleanup.

2.Foundational processes: why Xiaomi is “strangling” the application

MIUI is known for its aggressive memory management policy, which in pursuit of battery saving, forces the system to close the background applications, but does so rigidly that users are faced with:

• 🔄 Reboot messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) when switching between them
• 🎵 Spotify or YouTube Music breaks down in 5-10 minutes
• 📍 Losses of geolocation in navigators (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps)

The problem is compounded by the fact that Xiaomi defaults to restricting background processes for all applications except system ones, for example, if you haven’t added Google Chrome to the Secure Apps list, tabs will reboot each time you return to the browser.

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management

Select the desired application (for example, Telegram)

Press the Battery. → No restrictions.

Enable Auto Start and Background Activity

Reboot your smartphone-->

This is especially noticeable on models with 4 GB of RAM (Redmi 9A, POCO M3), where the system simply does not have the resources to maintain multitasking. Even Xiaomi 11T with 8 GB of RAM can begin to “suppress” if 10+ applications with active synchronization (mail, social networks, fitness trackers) are running in the background.

3. MIUI Updates: Why New Versions Are Slowing Down Old Smartphones

Xiaomi regularly releases MIUI updates, but not all of them are optimized for older models, for example, switching from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14 to the Redmi Note 8 Pro (2019) can lead to:

• 🐢 Increase application launch time by 30-50%
• 🔋 Dramatic increase in battery consumption (up to 20% per hour in standby mode)
• 📱 Overheating of the processor for simple tasks (for example, scrolling Instagram)

The reason is new animations, background services and hardware requirements. For example, MIUI 14 uses Android 13, which requires more resources for resolution and security. As a result, the Snapdragon 660 (installed in the Redmi Note 7) simply can not cope with the load.

Solution: Reverse to the old version of MIUI (if possible) or disable automatic updates.

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Update MIUI
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Update Settings.
3. Turn off Automatic Booting via Wi-Fi and Update Notices

4. Battery wear: how the battery affects performance

After 300-500 charging cycles (approximately a year of active use), Xiaomi’s battery capacity drops by 20-30%, leading to two problems:

1. CPU throttling – the system artificially reduces performance to reduce power consumption.
2. Frequent microreboots – when the voltage drops below the critical level, the smartphone “hangs” for 1-2 seconds.

Check the status of the battery through the engineering menu:

1. Enter the phone code ##4636##
2. Select Battery Information
3. Check the parameter Wear level (if the value is >15%, it is time to change the battery)

For example, the Redmi Note 11 with a worn-out battery (capacity 3300 mAh instead of the original 5000 mAh) will brake even when you simply scrolle TikTok, because the power controller limits the processor frequency to 1.5 GHz instead of 2.05 GHz.

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If the smartphone suddenly turned off at 20-30% charge is a sure sign of battery wear. Do not wait for the device to stop turning on completely: replace the battery in the service center (cost for most models is 1500-3000 rubles).

5.Overheating: Why Xiaomi "suffocates" in the summer

Xiaomi is known for overheating problems due to:

• 🔥 Bad Thermopaste (especially in Redmi's budget models) 9/10)
• 📦 Closed housing without ventilation holes (unlike the ROG Phone or Black Shark)
• 🎮 Game mode that accelerates the processor without proper cooling

When the chip is above 70°C, thermal throttling is triggered, which is a forced performance decline. For example, POCO F3 with Snapdragon 870 can lose up to 40% of power in hot weather, making games like PUBG Mobile unplayable.

How to check the temperature? Install an AIDA64 or CPU Monitor app and look at the load charts. If the CPU temperature is above 65°C for simple tasks (like surfing in Chrome), this is cause for concern.

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The hottest models Xiaomi according to the tests of 2026: Redmi Note 12 Pro+ (up to 52 ° C in the idle), POCO X5 Pro (up to 48 ° C), Xiaomi 13 Lite (up to 45 ° C).

6.Viruses and Advertising Software: Hidden Threats in MIUI

Even if you haven’t installed suspicious apps, MIUI may contain:

• 🕵️ Built-in advertising in system applications (Mi Browser, Music, File Manager)
• 📦 Pre-installed "junk" services (Mi Credit, Mi Pay, GetApps)
• 🦠 Trojans in pirate firmware (if you have ever installed customized ones) ROM)

For example, the Redmi 9C with factory firmware for India can contain up to 15 pre-installed applications that cannot be removed by standard means. They work in the background, collect data and display ads, consuming up to 1 GB of RAM.

How do you clean up the system?

1. Install ADB on your PC and connect your smartphone in debugging mode (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click to turn on Developer Mode, then Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB).
2. Run the command to remove unnecessary packets: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.ab
3. For a full list of Xiaomi junk packages, use the XiaomiADBFastbootTools script.

⚠️ Warning: Removing system applications may cause malfunctions MIUI (For example, the disappearance of notification panels or camera errors. Before cleaning, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

7. Hardware wear: when it's time to carry in service

If all software methods have been tried, but Xiaomi is still slowing down, the problem may be the physical wear and tear of the components:

• 💾 Degraded flash memory (especially in models with eMMC 5.1 instead of the same memory) UFS 2.2)
• 🔌 Oxidized contacts on the motherboard (sign - random reboots)
• 📡 Damaged module. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth (This leads to a freeze when connecting to the network)

Diagnosing hardware problems on your own is difficult, but there are indirect signs:

• Smartphone hangs on the MI logo when turned on
• The camera does not focus or display artifacts in the photo

In such cases, only a diagnostic service center will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi brakes