Search and Manage Background Apps on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide

Xiaomi Android smartphones are known for their versatility, but behind this power is often a problem: dozens of apps continue to run in the background, consuming precious battery power and system resources. Even after closing, many programs remain active — update data, send notifications or synchronize with servers. If your Redmi, POCO or Mi began to discharge faster, bask for no reason or slow down, these “invisible” processes are often the culprit.

In this article, we will look at how to find all applications running in the background on Xiaomi, including hidden system services. You will learn not only standard methods through settings, but also advanced tools like ADB or third-party utilities. Particular attention will be paid to the unique features of the MIUI shell that allow you to point control background activity without root rights. Prepare – after reading, you will be able to manually optimize your smartphone better than the cleaners from Google Play.

Why apps work in the background and how it is dangerous

Background activity isn't always evil: Messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram), email clients or fitness trackers have to work in the background to deliver notifications on time, the problem begins when this privilege is abused:

📱 Social networks (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram) – constantly update the feed, even if you have not opened the application for a long time.
🎮 Games - some (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact Launch Background Processes to 'Accelerate' Next Opening.
🔄 Synchronizers (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) – can download files in the background, consuming traffic and battery.
🛠️ System services MIUI — e.g. com.miui.analytics (statistics collection) or com.xiaomi.mipicks (advertising recommendations).

Consequences of such activity:

⚡ Accelerated battery discharge – up to 30% of the charge can go to background tasks.
🐢 System slowdown – especially noticeable on budget models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3).
🌡️ Overheating – a constant load on the processor increases the temperature of the body.
📶 Increased traffic – some apps are “merged” to 1-2 GB per month for background synchronization.

⚠️ Caution: Disabling critical system services (e.g. com.android.phone or com.google.android.gms) may cause your phone to fail.Always check the name of the process before stopping.

📊 How often do you check background processes on your Xiaomi?

Once a week.

Only when the phone is slowing down.

Never checked.

Using automatic cleaning.

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings (without root)

The safest method is to use built-in MIUI tools, which allow you to see most background processes and limit their activity.

Steps to verify:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show all processes.
The Working tab will show all active applications, including system ones.
For more information, click on the name of the application → Battery Use or Mobile Data.

To limit background activity:

In the same application management menu, select the desired one.
Go to Permissions → Autostart and turn off the slider.
In the Battery → Background activity section, select Limit.

Disable auto-start for unnecessary applications |

Limit background activity in battery settings|

Check the section "Working processes" every 2-3 days |

Use energy saving mode for aggressive optimization-->

For Xiaomi models on Android 12+ (e.g. Xiaomi 12, POCO F4), the path is slightly different:

Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management → Application Choice

⚠️ Note: Some applications (such as Mi Fit or Google Play Services) may stop working properly after the background activity is restricted.

Method 2: Developer Options (Developer Mode)

Hidden settings for developers give you extended control over processes, so you can activate them.

Go to Settings. → The phone.
7 times tap on the item version of MIUI (the notification will appear "You became a developer").
Return to the main settings – a new section for developers will appear.

Now you can:

🔍 View the full list of working processes in For Developers → Processes (even hidden system services).
⚡ Limit background processes through Developers → Process Limit (select "Maximum 2 Processes in the Background").
🛠️ Disable animations to speed up work: The scale of window/transition animation = 0.5x.

Especially useful is the option Do Not Save Actions (in the Applications section), when activated, the system will aggressively close background tasks after leaving them, and minus: some applications (for example, music players) will stop working in the background.

What to do if there is no “Developers” item?

If after 7 taps according to MIUI, the section does not appear, try: 1. Reboot the phone. 2. Check if the section is hidden in the search for settings (enter "developer"). 3. Some firmware (for example, global for Redmi Note 10) may require additional confirmation in Settings → Additional → For developers.

Method 3: ADB-Teams for Advanced Users

If standard methods are not enough, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to manage system processes through a computer, which does not require root rights, but requires caution.

Steps for connection:

Download ADB Tools and unpack it into a folder on your PC.
Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → For developers.
Connect the phone to the PC and type in the command line:

adb devices

(A device with a serial number must appear).

Useful commands for background analysis:

Team team.	Description
adb shell dumpsys activity processes	Shows all active processes with priorities
adb shell ps -A \| grep -i "app_name"	Filters processes by application name
adb shell am force-stop com.package.name	Forcedly stops the app (replace com.package.name with a real package)
adb shell dumpsys battery	Detailed statistics of battery consumption by process

Example: To stop Facebook’s background activity, search for its package (com.facebook.katana) and do:

adb shell am force-stop com.facebook.katana


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.facebook.katana

The second command completely disables the application until manual activation.

⚠️ Note: pm disable-user and pm hide commands can make an application invisible on the menu. To return it, use pm enable. Don't disable system packages prefixed com.android. or com.miui. - this can lead to the collapse of the system.

💡

Before working with ADB, back up your data via Settings → System → Backup. In case of an error, you can restore the phone to working condition.

Method 4: Third-party monitoring applications

If you don't want to go through settings or commands, you can use specialized utilities that visualize background activity and offer tools to control it.

Top.-3 apps:

📊 Greenify – “sedates” unnecessary applications without root rights (works through the Internet) ADB or Xposed. MIUI 12/13/14.
🔍 Servicely – allows you to disable specific services within applications (for example, only background synchronization of Google Play Services).
📉 AccuBattery – shows which processes drain the battery the most, broken down by time and percentage.

Example of working with Greenify:

Install the app from Google Play.
Launch and provide access to special features (Settings → Special features → Greenify).
Add apps to the list of “sedation” (e.g. Facebook, AliExpress).
Activate the option of aggressive sedation for maximum effect.

Servicely will require root or ADB. Once configured, it allows you to:

Turn off background sync for individual accounts (for example, Twitter only, but not Gmail).
Block the screen awakening with certain applications.
Restrict the work of services on a schedule (for example, only at night).

⚠️ Note: Applications such as Clean Master or DU Speed Booster often promises to be “optimized” but consumes resources and displays false warnings.

Method 5: Analyze system logs (for power users)

If you're willing to go deeper, the log files will show all the activities, including the hidden ones.

Logcat Extreme (for reading logs without a PC)
Or ADB for uploading logs to a computer.

Log unloading command:

adb logcat -d > miui_logs.txt

Open the resulting file in the text editor and look for lines with:

am_create_activity — launch.
WakeLock is a sleep blocker of a device (a frequent culprit of discharge).
AlarmManager – scheduled tasks (e.g. automatic weather updates).

Example of analysis:

Let’s say you saw a lot of records of the type:

05-20 14:30:45.123 1234 5678 I ActivityManager: Start proc com.facebook.orca for service com.facebook.orca/.messaging.MessagingService

This means that Facebook Messenger is constantly running a messaging service, solution: turn off background activity for that app or use the web version of the messenger.

💡

System logs are the most accurate way to find voracious processes, but they take time to analyze. Start with keyword filtering (WakeLock, Alarm, Sync).

What to do with MIUI system processes

Many background tasks are triggered by the MIUI shell itself, some of which can be safely disabled, others are critical to the phone.

List of system processes that can be limited (with caution):

Title of the process	Description	Risk of shutdown
com.miui.analytics	Collecting usage analytics	Low (Error Report may stop working)
com.xiaomi.mipicks	Advertising recommendations in MIUI	Low (banners in the settings will disappear)
com.miui.hybrid	Hybrid services (e.g. floating windows)	Medium (some MIUI chips may stop working)
com.android.browser	Standard MIUI browser	Low (if you use Chrome or another browser)

How to turn it off:

Through ADB (as in Method 3):

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics

Or through the App Inspector app (allows you to disable components without ADB).

Processes that cannot be touched:

com.android.phone – phone calls.
com.android.systemui is the system interface.
com.google.android.gms – Google services (responsible for Play Market, notifications, etc.).
com.miui.home – launcher (desktop).

FAQ: Frequent questions about background processes on Xiaomi

Can all the background processes be completely turned off?

Android and MIUI require a minimum set of services to work (e.g., call processing or SMS), and the best option is to disable only unnecessary user applications and non-critical system services.

Why do some apps stop sending notifications after the background activity is limited?

Many messengers and social networks use background processes to check new messages. If you have restricted their activity through Settings → Battery, notifications may be delayed or not at all. Solution: Add the app to Battery Optimization Exceptions. Enable AutoRun for this application. Use the web version of the service (such as Telegram Web) if the background work is critical.

How do I know which application is draining the battery?

The most reliable way is to go to Settings → Battery → Battery Use. Slip on the chart and select CPU Use. Scroll down to the list of applications sorted by consumption. Use AccuBattery or GSam Battery Monitor for a detailed analysis, which shows real-time consumption.

Is it safe to use apps to “accelerate” your phone?

Most cleaners (e.g. Clean Master, DU Speed Booster) are not only useless, they're harmful. They: They consume resources themselves, creating the illusion of "optimization." They can shut down critical processes, causing disruptions. Often display false warnings about "viruses" or "overheating." Except for Greenify and Servicely, which operate on a different principle (not "cleaning," but controlling background activity).

Why is there more background processes after the MIUI update?

Each major MIUI update (e.g. 12 to 13) adds new system services for: Improved Analytics (Usage Data Collection); New features (e.g. MIUI+ for PC communications); Advertising modules (even in global firmware); Solution: Check the process list after the update (Method 1 or 2). Disable new unnecessary services through ADB. If battery drain is critical, consider rolling back on the previous version of MIUI (but that's risky!).