How to Add an Application to the Exclusions on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to MIUI

Why applications need exceptions in MIUI and what it does

Xiaomi’s MIUI operating system is known for aggressive resource optimization, automatically shutting down background processes, limiting autoloads, and blocking notifications to save battery life. For most users, this is a plus, but some applications — messengers, health trackers, or work tools — require constant activity. Without adding to the exception lists, they can:

✔ Stop updating data in the background (for example, WhatsApp does not show new messages).

✔ Lose connection to servers (problems with Google Play Services or banking applications).

✔ Close spontaneously a few minutes after clotting.

In this article, we will discuss all the ways to add applications to exceptions on Xiaomi, including hidden settings MIUI 14/13/12. Instructions are relevant for models Redmi Note 12/11/10, POCO X5/F4, Xiaomi 13/12/11 and other devices based on Android 13/12/11.

Types of exceptions in MIUI: what and why to disable

MIUI has 4 key exception lists, each of which is responsible for different aspects of how applications work, and they are often confused, but their functions are different:

• 🔄 Autoboot – allows the app to start automatically when the phone is turned on or after restarting. Critical for Telegram, Viber and system services.
• 🔋 Battery optimization – disables energy saving restrictions; without this, Google Maps or Strava will “fall asleep” in the background in 5 minutes.
• 📱 Blocking in multitasking – prevents the application from being cleared from memory when you press the “Close All” button.
• 🔔 Notifications - allows you to show push notifications even when optimised.

For example, if you add WhatsApp to boot only, but do not turn off battery optimization, the messenger will start when you turn on the phone, but after 10 minutes in the background it will again close the system.

Method 1: Add to autoboot (auto-start permission)

Autoboot is the first step for any application that needs to run in the background, and without that permission, the system will block it from running after restarting or clearing the memory.

Instructions for MIUI 14/13/12:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Telegram).
3. Slip on the "Autostart" item (or "Automatic Start" in older versions).
4. Turn on the "Allow" switch.

On some models (POCO F3, Redmi Note 10 Pro) the path may be different:

Settings → Applications → Permissions → Autorun

Find the application in "Application Management"

Activate the Autostart switch

Restart the phone to check

Open the app and roll it up for 5 minutes

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⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 for Android 13 auto-run list may be hidden.If item is not in the menu, try an alternative path: Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management → Choice of applications → [attachment] → Auto-start.

Method 2: Disable battery optimization (without background restrictions)

Even with auto-run enabled, MIUI will shut apps in 5-15 minutes in the background, unless battery optimization is turned off, a most important item for instant messengers, navigators and fitness trackers.

How to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
2. Select "App Select" (or "Battery Optimization" in MIUI 12).
3. Find the desired application in the list and tap it.
4. Select the option "No restrictions" (or "No restrictions").

For Android 13 on Xiaomi 13/13 Pro, the path could be different:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → [Application] → Battery → Without Limitations

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If you don’t have the app on the list, try opening it first and giving all the permissions (geolocation, notifications, etc.) and then it will appear in the battery optimization menu.

Method 3: Prohibiting purification from multitasking (fixing in memory)

By default, MIUI clears all applications from memory when you click on the "Close All" button or when you don't have enough resources, and to avoid that, you need to lock the application into multitasking.

Instructions:

1. Open the app you want to log (like YouTube Music).
2. Turn it down, but don’t close it – leave it in multitasking.
3. Slip the app icon in the multitasking bar and select “Secure” (pin icon).

MIUI 14 for the POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12 Pro+ may require:

Settings → Special features → Fixing applications

Important: Fixed applications don't close even when you manually clear memory through the "Close All" button, which is the only way to guarantee that they're kept in the background.

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Multitasking is the most reliable way to prevent an application from closing, but use it only for critical programs (navigators, players), as this increases the load on RAM.

Method 4: Allow notifications (push messages without delay)

Even if the app is added to the startup and the battery optimization is disabled, MIUI can block push notifications, including Telegram, VK, Gmail and other services that depend on instant notifications.

How to set up:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
2. Find the desired application in the list and turn on the "Allow notifications" switch.
3. Tap the app and activate all notification categories (e.g., “Messages”, “Groups” for Telegram).
4. Enable the option of "Priority Notifications" (if any).

For MIUI 14 on Xiaomi 13 Ultra or POCO F5 Pro, an additional step may be required:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → [Application] → Notifications → Show notifications

⚠️ Note: Some apps (such as Facebook or Instagram) have separate notification settings within the app itself. Even if you have allowed them on the system, check the settings in the app itself: Profile → Settings → Notifications.

Additional settings for advanced users

If standard methods don’t help (e.g. Google Play Services still shuts down), try the hidden MIUI settings:

• 🛠 Developer Mode: Include it in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times. Then go to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers, disable "Background Process Limitation" and "Optimization" MIUI".
• 🔧 ADB-commands: to completely disable optimization, perform through ADB: adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.example.app (replace com.example.app with an app package, such as com.whatsapp).
• 📦 Resetting battery settings: If nothing works, reset optimization settings in Settings → Battery → ⋮ → Reset the settings.

For Android 13 models (Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 12 Pro+), you may need to turn off Adaptive Optimization in your battery settings, which automatically limits background processes based on your habits.

Frequent problems and solutions

Even after adding to the exception, some applications may not work properly.

If the problem persists, try:

1. Reinstall the app.
2. Clear the cache in Settings → Apps → [app] → Clear the cache.
3. Update MIUI to the latest version (in some firmware, optimization bugs have been fixed).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions