Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the installed program stops responding to commands or begins to consume an excessive amount of battery life. On the Redmi 9 model, running on the basis of the MIUI shell, the process of forced stop may differ from standard Android due to the deep customization of the system. Understanding how to correctly complete the process is necessary to restore the stability of the device without a full reboot.
There are several levels of intervention, from simple closure through the menu of running applications to deep reset through engineering settings. In this article, we will discuss each method in detail, paying special attention to the system nuances of HyperOS firmware and older versions of MIUI 11/12, which are relevant for this model.
Before we get to the radical measures, it’s worth noting that the Android operating system has built-in security mechanisms that can block some user actions.However, knowing the right paths in the settings menu can give you complete control over any software, whether it’s a heavy game or a Google Play system service.
The standard method of closing through the multitasking menu
The easiest and safest way to complete the program is to use the built-in Task Manager. On Redmi 9, the application management interface is called by swipeing from the bottom up with a finger delay or pressing a special navigation button, depending on the type of control you choose. In the list that opens, you will see cards of all active processes.
To close a particular application, just swipe the card up or sideways. If you want to clear all RAM, the multitasking screen usually has a button in the form of a cross or broomstick at the bottom of the screen, pressing this element forcibly completes all background processes, freeing up RAM for the current task.
However, it is worth understanding the difference between simply closing a card and completely stopping the service. Smashing the card often only removes the interface, but the background process can remain active for quick start. To close more deeply on some versions of MIUI, you need to hold your finger on the application card, after which a lock icon or menu with additional control options will appear.
The effectiveness of this method depends on the optimization of the application itself. Light utility is completely unloaded from memory, while heavy social networks or messengers can instantly resume work when a new notification is received.
Forced Stop through System Settings
When standard closing fails and the application continues to hang in the background, you need to use the Stop function in the system settings, which forcibly kills the process and clears temporary data in RAM, which often solves the problem of freezes.
To do this on Xiaomi Redmi 9, go to the phone's settings menu. Find the section responsible for managing installed software. The path may vary slightly depending on the shell version, but the logic remains the same for all Redmi devices.
☑️ Application stop algorithm
Once you enter the menu of a particular app, you will see a Stop (or Close) button, which will trigger a system warning that the app may not work properly after such an intervention, a standard Android warning that can be safely ignored if your goal is to reset the program.
⚠️ Warning: Forced shutdown of system applications such as Phone, Messages, or System UI», This feature can cause temporary interface instability or loss of communication. Use this feature with caution only for third-party software.
It’s important to note that once you manually stop, the app won’t start automatically until you open the shortcut yourself or the system requires it to run other services.This is a great way to freeze a voracious program that you rarely use but don’t want to delete.
Managing Auto Start and Background Activities
One of the main features of the MIUI shell is its aggressive power management and auto-start policy, which even if you stop the application, it can be restarted thanks to auto-run permissions, and controlling this setting is critical for Redmi 9 owners.
To set up, go to the Security app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones. In the menu, find the AutoStart item. Here is a list of all programs that are authorized to start with the operating system. Disabling the tumbler next to the application name will prevent it from running on its own.
Also, you should pay attention to the battery settings. In the "Energy Saving" menu, you can select the mode of operation for each application separately. The "No Limits" mode will allow the program to work in the background fully, while the "Energy Saving" mode will severely limit its background activity, effectively stopping the process when the screen is turned off.
- 🚀 Autostart – Allows the app to start when the phone is turned on.
- 🔋 Energy saving mode – determines how aggressive the system will “kill” the process in the background.
- 🔔 Notifications – often it is the receipt of a push notification that wakes up a stopped application.
Comprehensive shutdown of autoruns and limiting background activity is the most effective way to prevent a program from running again, especially in Chinese firmware versions, where many pre-installed services are eager for continuous updates.
Cleaning cache and data to reset state
Sometimes the application freezes not because of a process error, but because of accumulated debris or corrupted temporary files, in which case a simple stop will not help, you need to clean the data, which will return the program to the post-installation state.
When you are in the app information menu (the path described in the section above), look for the Memory or Storage button. Inside you will see two options: Clear Cache and Clear All (or Reset) Cache can be cleaned regularly, it is secure and will not delete your logins or saves.
The Clean Everything action is more radical, it removes databases, settings, and authorization tokens within the application, and after that cleaning, the program will require you to re-enter your account the next time you run it, and use this method if the application is not working properly even after you stop.
What is the difference between cache and data?
Regularly cleaning the cache of heavy applications such as browsers, Telegram or TikTok helps keep Redmi 9 running. The accumulation of gigabytes of temporary files can lead to the system being forced to stop processes due to a lack of free memory.
Use of Developer Mode and ADB
For advanced users who don't have the standard methods, there are more powerful tools. Developer mode in MIUI allows you to see running devices.