Where to look for background apps on Xiaomi: A complete guide to managing hidden processes

Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi and POCO lines, are known for their versatility, but users often face a problem: the device begins to “brake”, quickly discharge or overheat, the reason for this is background applications that continue to work even after closing, they consume CPU resources, RAM and battery power, sometimes unnoticed by the owner.

Unlike iOS, where background management is strictly regulated by the system, MIUI (the Xiaomi brand shell) provides more freedom - but also requires a conscious approach from the user. Where exactly are these applications hidden? How to find them if they are not displayed in the standard multitasking menu? And most importantly, how to safely disable unnecessary ones without disrupting the system? In this guide, we will examine all the ways, including hidden settings and tools for power users.

Why Background Apps Are a Problem for Xiaomi

Background processes on Xiaomi are divided into three categories:

• 🔄 System Services – Critical to Work MIUI (For example, com.miui.home or android.process.media.
• 📱 User applications – instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram), social networks (Facebook, TikTok), which update content in the background.
• 🦠 «Zombies – poorly optimized or malware that doesn’t close even after a forced shutdown.

The main signs that background apps are overloading your Xiaomi:

• 🔋 Battery burns 20 to 30% faster than normal (same use case).
• 🐢 Delays when opening applications or returning to the main screen.
• 🔥 Overheating of the body, especially in the processor area (top of the device).
• 📶 Unstable Internet (apps in the background “steal” traffic for updates).

⚠️ Note: Some applications (such as Mi Fit or Google Play Services) can automatically restart after a forced shutdown.

According to XDA Developers tests, Xiaomi devices with 4-6 GB of RAM in the background can run up to 40-60 processes at the same time, of which only 10-15 are really necessary for stable system operation.

Method 1: Standard menu "Recent Apps"

The most obvious, but not always effective, method is to see a list of recently used applications:

1. Press the square button on the navigation bar (or swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and hold your finger for 1 second).
2. A list of apps will open before you with the “Close All” button (usually at the bottom of the screen).

But there's a catch:

• ❌ This menu only shows the apps you have manually run. Automatically downloaded services (e.g. com.xiaomi.mipicks) are not visible here.
• ❌ After clicking “Close All,” many processes will restart in a few minutes (especially if they have autoboot rights).

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To close the app completely, swipe its card up or sideways (depending on the version of MIUI).Some apps (e.g. YouTube) can continue playing sound in the background - check the notification bar!

For a deeper cleanup, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launched. Here you will see a full list of active processes, including system processes. But beware: forcing some of them to stop can cause MIUI to fail.

Method 2: MIUI settings - Auto Start section

One of the most effective ways to control background applications is to turn them off, so that you can prevent programs from automatically turning on after you've restarted the device or on schedule, to find this section:

1. Open the Settings.
2. Go to the Apps → Application management.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select AutoRun.

You'll see a list of all the apps that are allowed to autorun.

• 🚫 Disable autoboot for unnecessary programs (such as games or rarely used instant messengers).
• ⚠️ Leave critical services enabled (e.g. Google Play Services or Mi Cloud).
• 🔄 Return the default settings if there are failures after the changes.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO F3) The AutoStart section can be hidden. To open it, first turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on Version). MIUI In the “About Phone” section, activate the option to Show all users’ processes.

Method 3: Using the built-in Security App

The Security app (shield icon) is a Swiss knife for Xiaomi optimization, which not only helps you find background processes, but also analyzes their impact on performance.

1. Open the Security app (if it isn’t on the home screen, search through search).
2. Go to Accelerate (or Optimize in New Versions)
3. Press Deep Clean – the system will scan all active processes.
4. Manually select the applications to close or click Clean.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔍 Shows hidden processes that are not visible in the standard multitasking menu.
• 📊 Sorts applications by resource consumption level (CPU, RAM, battery).
• 🛡️ Offers to optimize autoload and background activity.

Run a deep cleanup.|Check the section "Auto-Start»|Disable unnecessary notifications|Reset the device to apply changes-->

In newer versions of MIUI 14+, the “Accelerate” section may be called Battery and Performance, and there is also a feature called “Intelligent Optimization” that automatically closes unused processes, but sometimes works too aggressively (for example, kills the background Spotify while listening to music).

Method 4: ADB-Teams for experienced users

If standard methods don’t work, and the background continues to be “unkillable” processes, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting your smartphone to your computer and basic command line knowledge, but allows you to completely disable background activity for specific applications, even if MIUI does not allow it.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times Press → Return to Additional Settings → For Developers).
3. Connect the phone to your computer and enter in the terminal:

adb devices

(Your device should appear)

adb shell pm list packages

(List of all installed applications)

To prevent background activity for a particular package (such as Facebook), use:

adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.app OPS_RUN_IN_BACKGROUND ignore

List of useful ADB-background control:

• 📌 adb shell dumpsys meminfo - show the use of memory by all processes.
• 📌 adb shell am force-stop com.package.name – forcefully close the application.
• 📌 adb shell cmd appops reset – reset all restrictions (if something goes wrong).

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB It can cause data loss or system instability.Before experimenting, make a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Method 5: Third-Party Monitoring Applications

If the built-in MIUI tools seem inadequate, third-party tools can be used to provide more detailed information about background processes and allow you to flexibly manage their activity.

Example of working with Greenify:

1. Install the application and grant it Special Access (in Android settings).
2. Add apps to the hibernation list (e.g. Facebook, TikTok).
3. Activate Aggressive Doze (requires root rights or ADB-team).

The advantages of third-party utilities:

• 📊 More detailed statistics on each process (e.g. AccuBattery shows the exact operating time in the background).
• ⚡ The ability to create a whitelist for important applications (e.g. messengers).
• 🔧 Flexible settings for power users (e.g., turning off Google Play services on schedule).

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g., Servicely) require root rights to work properly, without which functionality will be limited, and be careful with programs that promise “magic optimization” – many of them become a source of background activity!

Method 6: Reset to factory settings (last resort)

If all of these methods didn't work, and the smartphone is still choking on the background, the last option is a complete reset, a radical solution, but it's guaranteed to remove all unnecessary services and return the device to its original performance.

How to do the reset correctly:

1. Back up your important data (Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose Delete all data and confirm the action.
4. After the reboot, set up the phone as new without restoring data from the backup (to avoid transferring "junk" processes).

What the dumping does:

• ✅ All user applications and their background services are removed.
• ✅ Resets autoload and notification settings.
• ✅ Clears cache and temporary files that could slow down the system.

Cons:

• ❌ You will need to reconfigure the device (accounts, passwords, settings).
• ❌ Some system updates may return after you connect to the Internet.

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Factory reset is a “nuclear bomb” for optimization. Use it only if other methods have failed, and be sure to back up important files in advance!

FAQ: Frequent questions about background apps on Xiaomi