How to completely disable the background mode of applications on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Background application processes on Xiaomi smartphones are one of the most controversial features of MIUI. On the one hand, they provide instant notifications and quick start of programs, on the other hand, uncontrolled activity in the background can reduce battery life by 20-30% and slow down the performance of the device, especially on low-cost models of Redmi and POCO with limited resources.

In this article, you will find not only standard methods for disabling background processes through settings, but also hidden MIUI features that are not mentioned in the official documentation. We will learn how to limit the activity of individual applications, completely block background work for all programs, and also consider alternative solutions for advanced users. It is important to understand that some system applications (for example, com.miui.securitycenter) can not be turned off without consequences, this will also be discussed.

Why the background processes eat up the battery power on Xiaomi

MIUI aggressively caches applications in memory even when you're not using them, part of an optimization called Memory Extension that should speed up multitasking, but in practice, many programs continue to:

• 🔄 Update data in the background (social networks, messengers, email clients)
• 📡 Maintain a permanent network connection (advertising) SDK, analytics)
• 🔋 Use it. GPS and other sensors for tracking location
• 📱 Wake the processor to perform delayed tasks (Wake Locks)

According to XDA Developers, Facebook’s application can consume up to 15 percent of its battery power per hour in the background, and TikTok can consume up to 22 percent when it’s using push notifications, while MIUI does not show full statistics of its energy consumption for system processes by default, making it difficult to diagnose.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling background processes for system applications (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home) may result in mobile communication loss or a broken launcher.Always check the packet name before restrictions.

Method 1: Standard Limitation through Battery Settings

The safest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools to manage background activity, which is suitable for most users and does not require superuser rights:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance
2. Select Battery Consumption Management (in some versions Battery Consumption)
3. Press the badge. ⋮ (three dots) in the upper right corner and select Background activity
4. In the list of applications, select those for which you want to limit background work.
5. Set the switch to Limit or Prohibit (depending on the MIUI version)

This method works for most third-party applications, but has limitations:

• ❌ Does not completely disable background activity for system applications
• ❌ Some programs (such as Google Play Services) ignore these settings.
• ❌ After updating MIUI settings can be reset

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Make a backup copy of important data

Close all applications before setting up

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

Method 2: Deep Limitation through "Special Permissions"

For more control, use the Special Permissions menu, which is hidden in newer versions of MIUI 14+.

• 🔄 Auto-run applications when turning on the phone
• 📡 Background use of mobile data
• 🔋 The device is awakened from sleep (Wake Locks)

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management
2. Press on. ⋮ → Special permits → Auto-start
3. Turn off autoplay for unnecessary apps (especially ignore Mi Video, Mi Browser, Cleaner)
4. Go back and select Background Data Use.
5. Limit mobile traffic in the background for all apps except instant messengers

For maximum effect, also disable:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → [Select App] → Battery → Background Activity → Limit

⚠️ Warning: Disabling Autoplay for Google Play Services may disrupt Google Pay, Gmail, and other services. If you notice notification issues, return settings back.

Method 3: Using ADB to completely disable background processes

For advanced users who are ready to work with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), it is possible to completely block background activity at the system level.

• 🖥️ Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB
• 🔌 Included debugging by USB phone-on
• 📱 Unlocked bootloader (for some commands)

The main commands for limitation:

adb shell cmd appops set <package_name> RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny


adb shell cmd appops set <package_name> RUN_IN_BACKGROUND deny




adb shell dumpsys deviceidle force-idle

Examples for popular applications:

Once you have the commands, restart the device. To return the standard settings, replace deny with allow in commands.

Method 4: Disconnect through the developer settings

The Developer Menu contains hidden options that allow you to more flexibly manage background processes, to activate it:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click 7 times in a row on the MIUI version
3. Enter a pattern lock or password if required
4. Return to the main settings menu – a new item for developers will appear

Next, perform the following actions:

• 🔧 Disable Background Process Limitation (Do not limit parameter)
• 🔋 Set the Background process in standby mode at No Limits (for testing)
• 📱 Turn on Do Not Save Actions – this will cause the system to kill all processes when the screen is locked.

The most effective settings for saving battery:

Settings → For Developers →


Limitation of background processes: Maximum 2 of the process




- Window animation: Disable (0x)




- Transition animation: Disable (0x)




- Do not save actions: Enable

⚠️ Warning: The option to not save will cause all applications to close when they leave, which will radically increase battery life (up to a few minutes). +40%, but will make multitasking impossible.

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If after changes in the developer settings, the phone began to slow down, return the Background Process Limitation parameter to the Standard Limit state and restart the device.

Method 5: Use of third-party utilities (without root)

If standard methods do not help, you can use specialized applications.

To configure Greenify without root rights:

1. Install the application and provide all the permissions requested
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb -d shell pm grant com.oasisfeng.greenify android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
3. In Greenify settings, activate the option Work without root
4. Add apps to the hibernation list (it is recommended to start with social media and games)

Battery Guru is useful for visualizing problem processes.

• 📊 Top.-5 consumption-appendices CPU background
• 🔋 Chart of battery discharge with reference to specific processes
• 📵 The frequency of the device (Wake Locks)

What to do if background processes return after a reboot

Many Xiaomi users are faced with the fact that after a reboot, all the limitations of background processes are reset, this is due to the work of the system service com.miui.powerkeeper, which restores the default settings.

• 🔄 Use Automation (MacroDroid app) to automatically apply restrictions after download
• 📱 Turn off battery optimization for applications that manage background processes (Greenify, Battery Guru)
• 🔧 Manually remove unnecessary apps from autoload via Settings → Annexes → Application management → Auto-start

For MacroDroid, create the following macro:

1. Trigger: Completion of system boot
2. Action: Execute the ADB command (indicate commands from Method 3)
3. Restriction: Only when connected to charging (optional)

An alternative method is to disable system optimization via ADB:

adb shell settings put global hidden_api_policy 1


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

⚠️ Warning: Disabling com.miui.powerkeeper may lead to increased battery consumption on some devices.This service is also responsible for optimizing performance in games.

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The most stable result is given by a combination of methods: standard settings MIUI + ADB-team + Greenify. This approach reduces background activity on the 70-80% functionally.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning off background processes on Xiaomi