Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 have powerful hardware stuffing, but over time, even they can face slowing down the interface. One of the main reasons for the performance decline is the excessive amount of background processes that continue to consume resources even after you have folded the program. MIUI, Android-based memory management aggressively, but sometimes the user needs to intervene manually to achieve maximum efficiency.
Accumulation of services running in the background leads not only to lags, but also to accelerated battery discharge. Many users do not suspect that "heavy" applications continue to track geolocation or update content while the screen is turned off. In this article, we will discuss in detail the proven methods that allow you to fully control the activity of applications on your device.
To start with, it’s important to understand that shutting down all processes at once can be counterproductive, as the system will start reopening them the next time it starts, but selectively stopping resource-intensive programs is a necessary step to optimize the Redmi Note 9.
Use of the built-in menu "Battery and performance"
The easiest and safest way to close your background apps is to use the standard MIUI shell toolkit. Every Xiaomi smartphone has a Security app that provides access to power management. By clicking on the lightning icon in the center of the screen, you will trigger an automatic memory cleanup that will force you to stop inactive processes.
For a deeper analysis, you need to go to the Battery section via the main settings menu or the Security app. This shows detailed statistics of the energy consumption of each running process. If you see an application that consumes a lot of energy in the background, but you didn't use it, this is the first candidate for forced stop. Click on the program name to see the details.
In the window that opens, you will find a Stop button that will force the selected service to shut down, which will temporarily free up RAM and stop the network activity of the program until the next user launches it, and regularly checking this section helps to identify “voracious” applications that you may not have known about.
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The use of the regular menu "Battery" is the safest method, since it does not violate the system stability and does not require the rights of the superuser.
Forced Stop through Application Settings
If standard memory cleaning doesn't work, you can use a more radical method, which is forced to stop through the application management menu, which allows you to completely "kill" the process even if the system tries to restart it. To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications and find the desired object in the list.
Inside the application card, usually at the bottom of the screen or under a three-dot menu, there's a Stop button, and when you click on it, the system will give a warning that the application may not be working correctly, which is a normal system reaction, because we forcefully interrupt it, and confirm the action to completely unload the program from RAM.
It's important to understand the difference between folding and stopping. When you fold an application, it stays in RAM for quick start-up. Forced stopping completely clears its data from memory, resetting the state before it starts, and this is useful for getting stuck programs or services that don't work properly in the background.
What happens to the data after the shutdown?
⚠️ Note: Do not stop system processes whose names include "System", "Google Services" or"MIUI". Forced shutdown of system services may lead to unstable interface operation or loss of communication.
Set up background activity restrictions
Instead of permanently shutting down applications manually, the Redmi Note 9 can set up automatic back-end limits to allow the system to decide when to “sleep” the program to keep the battery power, a feature that is particularly useful for rarely used applications that don’t require instant notifications.
To activate this, open the battery settings, select a specific application, and find Autostart or Background Activity. There are three main modes available: No Limits, Battery Saving, and Hard Limits. The Battery Saving Mode Select will allow the application to run in the background, but will limit its network activity when the screen is off.
Hard Constraint Mode is essentially like a permanent forced shutdown, and it won’t be able to run in the background, receive updates, or send notifications until you open it, and it’s ideal for games and multimedia applications that don’t have to hang in your memory all the time.
- 🔋 "No Limits" mode is suitable for messengers so as not to lose messages.
- 🐌 Battery Savings is ideal for news feeds and social networks.
- 🚫"Tough Limits on Games and Heavy Editors.
Managing program boot-up
One of the reasons for the background is the auto-start mechanism, and many apps prescribe themselves to boot to run with your smartphone on, even if you don't use it every day, and MIUI has a tool to control this setting that's in the Security app.
Go to the Applications → Autorun section, and you'll see a list of all the programs that have permission to run themselves when you start, and by default, many of them are active, and your job is to analyze the list and leave only the ones you really need right after you turn on your phone, like an antivirus or an alarm clock.
Turning off auto-start for unnecessary services significantly speeds up the loading of the Android operating system and reduces the number of processes that start in the background. It doesn't remove the application, it just prevents it from starting spontaneously. You can still start it manually at any time.
☑️ Auto-start check
It’s worth noting that some apps can autorun again after they’ve been updated, so it’s a good idea to check this list periodically, especially after installing major system updates or popular social media. Autorun control is the foundation of your operating system’s cleanliness.
Comparison of methods of memory optimization
There are many ways to combat background processes, but not all of them are equally effective and safe for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9. Below is a table that will help you choose the best method depending on your specific situation and goals.
| Method | Efficiency | Impact on the battery | Risk to the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning through "Safety" | Low (temporary) | Minimum | Absent. |
| Forced stopping | Tall. | Average. | Low. |
| Limitation of background activity | Medium (constant) | High (savings) | Absent. |
| Shutting down autostart | High (at start) | Average. | Absent. |
As you can see from the table, a comprehensive approach is the best thing to do: a one-time memory cleanup is only short-term, while setting the constraints is constant, and combining these methods allows you to keep your smartphone in good shape without the need for third-party software.
Using third-party cleaners on MIUI is often pointless, as they duplicate system functions but consume resources themselves. Xiaomi’s built-in hardware is optimized for your device better than any universal apps from the Play Market.
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Don’t install third-party antiviruses and cliches on Xiaomi. They create their own background services that load the CPU more than the programs they supposedly clean.
Advanced settings for developers
For advanced users who want to gain full control of the system's behavior, there are Developer Settings. This hidden menu section allows you to manage the limits of background processes at the entire operating system level. To activate this partition, you need to quickly click seven times on the build number in the About Phone menu.
Once activated, a new option will appear in the settings menu, "Additional" or "Extended Settings", where you can select "Developers For" and find the application-related section and the background process limit option. The default is "Standard Limit", but you can change it to "No Background Processes" or limit the number of processes to a specific number.
Setting a hard limit, such as “No Background Processes,” will cause the system to kill any application as soon as you exit it, radically freeing up RAM, but it can cause it to reboot when it returns to the application (“blink”), which also consumes CPU resources.
⚠️ Attention: Changing the background limit of the developer settings can disrupt widgets, live wallpapers and widgets on the desktop. Use these settings with caution and only if you understand the consequences.