Modern smartphones in the Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO line, running MIUI or HyperOS shells, have a powerful resource management system that sometimes requires user intervention. Background applications can consume significant amounts of RAM, which leads to slowing down the interface, heating the case and fast battery discharge. Many users face a situation when the device starts to work slower after installing another popular messenger or social network.
The Android operating system that Xiaomi is built on is designed to keep frequently used programs running by default for a quick start. However, in the face of limited RAM resources, this can be counterproductive. Proper management of running processes allows you to extend battery life and free up the processing power of the processor for games or heavy tasks. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods of forced service stoppage.
There are several levels of control over working processes, from standard system tools to advanced settings for developers. On the shells of MIUI 13, 14 and HyperOS, memory cleaning algorithms have become more aggressive, but manual control is still a priority for demanding users. Understanding how exactly the task manager functions in your smartphone will help avoid typical errors, such as the accidental closure of system services.
Standard Closing Methods through the Recent Apps Menu
The most obvious and affordable way to manage running programs is to use a built-in task manager called by a swipe or button. Depending on the navigation style chosen (three buttons or gestures), access to this menu is different. When using three buttons, you need to press the central square key, and when controlling gestures, swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger in the center of the screen.
The window that opens shows the cards of all recently launched programs that continue to run in the background or are in a “freeze” state. To close a particular application, just swipe its card up or down (depending on the theme settings). If your goal is to completely clear RAM, click the “Clear” button (usually indicated by an X or X at the bottom of the screen).
It’s important to understand that standard cleaning doesn’t always mean a complete shutdown of all processes. Some system services and optimized applications can automatically restart immediately after cleaning.This behavior is embedded in the logic of Android for stability, but in some cases requires additional control through settings.
⚠️ Warning: Don't overuse the constant forced memory cleanup with the "Clean" button. Android is designed to make free memory a wasted memory. Frequent restarts of heavy applications can, on the contrary, increase battery consumption.
Using the “Security” application for deep cleaning
Xiaomi's firmware preinstalled the system application Security, which is the central node of the device's performance management, and it provides deeper access to process management than the standard menu of recent tasks. When you run this app, you'll see a large green indicator showing the current state of the system and the memory available.
Clicking on the Cleanup or Accelerate button starts the process of scanning the background tasks and cache. The algorithm identifies the processes that consume resources and suggests that they be completed. Unlike a simple swipe, this method attempts to forcefully stop services that can resist closure through the standard interface. Once you complete the procedure, you will see a report on how many megabytes have been released.
Inside the Security app, you can also find advanced functionality hidden in the Battery and Performance or Memory menu, where you can see detailed statistics on each process you run, and the Task Manager in this section lets you select and complete specific packets, which is especially useful for finding the culprits of lags.
- 📱 Launch the Security application from the Tools folder».
- 🚀 Click on the Acceleration button for automatic cleaning.
- 📊 Go to the Battery section to analyze resource consumption for specific applications.
Using built-in MIUI tools is preferable to installing third-party cleaners from the Play Market. Third-party programs often require unnecessary permissions and take up space in memory, working in the background and creating a paradoxical situation when the antibrake means itself calls them.
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For quick cleaning without opening applications, add the Memory Cleanup or Accelerate widget to your desktop, which will free up RAM in one touch.
Configure background activity restrictions in MIUI and HyperOS
Just shutting down an app once isn't enough if you want it to not run on its own in the future. Xiaomi shells have a powerful mechanism to control autorun and background activity. To set these settings, you need to go to Settings and find the App section, and then select All Apps.
From the installed program list, select the desired application (for example, a heavy game or a rarely used social network). Inside the application menu, find Activity Control or Auto Run. Here you can prevent the program from running with the system or running in the background. This is one of the most effective ways to save battery power.
☑️ Set activity restrictions
There are three main modes of activity control that the system offers:
- No restrictions: The application can work in the background always (useful for messengers, so that notifications do not disappear).
- Limited background: The system can limit background activity to save energy.
- Restricted: The app won’t work in the background and may not receive notifications until you open it.
For games and utilities that do not require constant notifications, it is recommended to choose the “Limited” mode, which ensures that after closing the window, the program will not hang in memory and consume CPU time.
⚠️ Note: When you set limited mode for instant messengers, you may stop receiving calls and messages until the app is opened.
Manage through the Developer Menu and Process Limits
For advanced users who want to have full control over how many apps can run at once, there is a hidden developer menu. To activate it, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI Version (or OS Version) seven times. Once the message “You’re a developer” appears, a new section will appear in the settings menu.
In the menu Advanced settings → For developers, you have to scroll down to the Applications section, and there's the Background Process Limit option, and by default, it's set to Standard Limit, but you can change it. You can severely limit the number of simultaneously running background applications, for example, to two or three.
| Limit option | Description of action | Recommendation for use |
|---|---|---|
| Standard limit | The system decides how many processes to keep. | Default mode, suitable for most |
| No background processes | When folding, the application immediately closes. | Only for maximum productivity. |
| No more than 1 process | There is only one last application left in the background. | For older devices with a small amount of RAM |
| No more than 2 processes | Limiting the background queue to two tasks | Balance between speed and multitasking |
Using tight limits can make the phone less comfortable, as when switching between applications, they will reboot, which takes time and consumes battery, this method should be used only on devices with a memory capacity of 2-3 GB or for specific tasks that require maximum resources.
How to turn off the developer menu?
Automating application closures with scripts
There is a powerful automation tool called Scripts (or Shortcuts in newer versions) in the MIUI shell that allows you to create your own algorithms for actions that are performed when certain conditions occur, and it's the perfect way to automatically close heavy applications when you don't need them, like at night or when your phone is connected to a charger.
To create such a scenario, open the Settings app, go to Additional (or Advanced Settings) and select Scenarios. Click on plus to add a new automatic start. As a trigger (conditions), you can select Start the application, Time or Charge. As an action, select Close the Applications and specify a list of programs.
For example, you can create a scenario where, “If it’s 23:00, shut down YouTube, Instagram, and games,” which frees up memory before bedtime and prevents background activity of entertainment content, and it’s also helpful to set up a scenario to close apps when you connect to a car Bluetooth headset to save navigation and music resources.
- 🤖 Open the Scenarios menu in the system settings.
- ➕ Create a new automatic start with the right condition.
- 📵 Select the “Close Applications” action and specify goals.
Automation is the most convenient way to keep RAM clean without constant manual intervention. A once-configured scenario will work for years, adapting the behavior of a smartphone to your rhythm of life, and this is especially true for users who install many applications and forget to close them.
⚠️ Warning: When creating scenarios, be careful with the launch conditions. Do not configure the closure of system processes or alarm applications, otherwise the phone may behave unpredictably.
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Automation through MIUI scripts allows you to close applications on a schedule or event, which is more effective than manual cleaning and saves user time.
Frequent questions and problems when closing programs
Despite the many tools available, users often wonder why some apps can’t be closed or reopened, due to the way Google and Android work, which protect important processes from being forced to shut down, and some developers use special mechanisms to return the application to memory.
Often users ask if it is safe to use third-party Task Killers, and the answer is clear: in modern versions of Android and MIUI, this does not make sense. The system itself effectively manages memory, and third-party aggressive cleaners can conflict with system processes, causing instability.
If the app is still hanging in the background after closing, check to see if it includes the "Save in Memory" option in the battery settings, and make sure the app doesn't have device administrator rights or special permissions to display over other windows, which is often used by virus software or aggressive advertising.