How to Stop YouTube on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Service Management

Users of Xiaomi and Redmi devices often face the intrusive behavior of the popular video service, which continues to work in the background or broadcast content even when the screen is turned off.This leads to rapid battery drain and unwanted consumption of Internet traffic. The question of how to effectively stop YouTube on Xiaomi becomes especially relevant for owners of smartphones with a shell of MIUI and HyperOS, as well as for those who use Android TVs from this manufacturer.

There are several levels of this, from simply closing an application to deep system locking. Forced shutdowns may be required if the service is stuck, consumes too much resources, or if you want to limit access to content for children. Depending on your ultimate goal of saving battery, removing ads, or simply turning off videos, the methods will vary.

In this guide, we will cover all available ways to manage the application, we will touch on standard Android tools, specific features of the Xiaomi system and third-party solutions, you will learn not only to urgently complete processes, but also to set up automatic rules that will prevent unwanted service activity in the future.

Forced stop of the application through system settings

The most reliable and regular way to completely stop any application on a Xiaomi device is to use the system menu of application management. This method is guaranteed to stop all background processes associated with YouTube, and clears the RAM occupied by the service. To perform this operation, you need to go to the Settings section of your smartphone or tablet.

In the menu that opens, look for the App item (sometimes called All Apps). In the installed program list, look for YouTube. By clicking on the app icon, you will be taken to the control menu, where the first item is usually the Stop button. The system will warn you that the application may not work properly until the next launch, but for purposes of a full stop, this is exactly what you need.

⚠️ Warning: After a forced stop, YouTube widgets on the desktop may stop displaying current recommendations until the next manual launch of the app.

If you're using a Xiaomi Mi Box or Android TV Smart TV, the process is different. You need to press the select button on the remote (usually the central OK button) for a few seconds until the control menu appears. Choose Close the app or go to the TV settings, find the list of apps and stop there. This is especially useful if the TV interface has started to slow down due to a heavy video player.

Background reproduction and data limitation management

Often, by "stop YouTube," users mean wanting to stop video playback when the smartphone screen is turned off. Google blocks this feature for free YouTube accs by default, but Xiaomi devices have additional control tools. You can limit background activity so that the app doesn't use the network and the processor in hidden mode.

To do this, go to Settings → Applications → YouTube → Battery (or Energy Consumption). There are three modes available. Select the option to limit background activity or No restrictions (if you need to make it work), but to stop, choose Background activity is limited. In the newer versions of MIUI and HyperOS, the “Activity Control” function is also available, which automatically “freezes” the application after it is closed.

• 📱 Power Saving Mode: Global battery saving powering on the system automatically limits YouTube background processes by stopping video buffering.
• 🌐 Traffic Limit: In the mobile network settings, you can prevent the application from accessing the Internet in the background, which will actually stop playback without closing the application itself.
• 🔋 Automation: Use Xiaomi’s built-in scripts to automatically close resource-intensive apps when you lock your screen.

Also worth paying attention to the AutoRun feature. If it is enabled for YouTube, the app can activate itself after a system update or reboot. Turn off the autorupter slider in the Xiaomi security menu to be sure that YouTube will not launch without your knowledge.

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Use the Advanced Settings function → Battery → Background Activity Limitation to force all applications except select ones to fall asleep.

Blocking Ads and Trackers via Private DNS

One of the main reasons users want to stop YouTube’s standard behavior is the abundance of ads that interrupt viewing, and while it is difficult to completely stop displaying ads inside the official app without modifications, you can block the servers responsible for advertising tracks using the DNS settings at the Xiaomi system level.

This method does not require third-party applications to be installed and works at the network connection level. You need to go to Settings → Connection and Sharing (or Additional Settings) → Private DNS. Select the DNS Provider Host Name mode and enter the blocker address, for example, dns.adguard.com. Once you save the device, Xiaomi will start filtering advertising traffic.