How to completely disable applications in the background on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8: a detailed guide

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 is a popular smartphone with great value for money, but many users are faced with the problem of fast battery discharge and braking. One of the main reasons for this is the operation of applications in the background. Even when you are not actively using the program, it can continue to consume CPU resources, RAM and Internet traffic.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable background applications on the Redmi Note. 8 — standardized MIUI Advanced methods with the use of ADB. You will learn how to limit auto-start, suspend unnecessary services and even completely "freeze" applications without root rights. MIUI 12/13/14, as the interface and location of options may differ depending on the firmware version.

Why are background apps draining the Redmi Note 8 battery?

Background processes are an essential part of any operating system, but on Android (especially in the MIUI shell), they often get out of hand. Here are the main reasons why even sleeper apps continue to consume power:

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization: many programs (social networks, instant messengers, email clients) constantly check for new data.
• 📡 Background data transfer: Some applications (such as Google Play Services or Mi Cloud) communicate with servers without you knowing.
• 🔋 Notifications and push messages: For instant notification delivery, applications maintain a permanent connection to servers.
• 🤖 Google and Xiaomi services: System processes like com.google.android.gms or com.xiaomi.xmsf are often impossible to completely disable.

According to tests, background apps can consume up to 30-40% of their battery power per day if not set up correctly, such as Facebook in the background spends up to 15% of its charge in 8 hours, and Instagram about 10%, without the user even knowing that these programs are active.

⚠️ Warning: Completely disabling all background processes may lead to incorrect operation of some functions - for example, notifications from messengers will stop coming or the weather on the home screen will not update.

Method 1: Limit Autostart through MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to disable the auto-run of unnecessary applications. This will not remove programs, but will prevent them from running themselves after rebooting or when you are not using them. MIUI 12, 13 and 14:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select AutoRun.
4. In the list, mark the applications that you want to disable from auto-run (for example, games, rarely used programs).
5. Click Turn off at the bottom of the screen.

This method does not block background activity completely, but significantly reduces unnecessary processes, for example, after disabling auto-run for TikTok or AliExpress, they will not start when you turn on your phone or connect to Wi-Fi.

⚠️ Warning: Do not disable auto-start for system applications like Settings, Phone, or Messages. This can cause your smartphone to run unstable.

Check the list of installed applications|Remember what programs are needed for notifications|Make a backup copy of important data|Reboot your phone after the changes-->

Method 2: Forced stopping of applications manually

If you need to release RAM or stop a program that hangs in the background, you can do it manually, and this method is temporary - after a restart or the next run, the application will reappear in the background processes.

How to forcefully stop the application:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want from the list (like YouTube or Chrome).
3. Press Forced Stop (button at the bottom of the screen).
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.

This method is useful if:

• 🐢 The application severely brakes the system (for example, PUBG Mobile after the game remains in the background and eats the battery).
• 🔄 The program is updated in the background without your knowledge (for example, Google Play Store).
• 📱 You want to temporarily free up RAM before running a heavy app.

However, this method has disadvantages:

• ❌ After a stop, some features may not work (for example, notifications from the service will not arrive). VK).
• ❌ The app will start again as soon as you open it or the phone restarts.
• ❌ Some systems cannot be stopped manually.

💡

If after a forced stop, the application appears again in the background, check its settings: it may have the option “Autostart when connecting to Wi-Fi” or “Background Synchronization”.

Method 3: Use the Battery and Performance function in MIUI

MIUI has a built-in power optimization tool called the Battery and Performance section, and you can set the limits for individual applications to reduce their power consumption.

How to set up:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance.
2. Select Applications Selection (or Application Battery Management in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Click on the application you want to set the restrictions for.
4. Select one of the modes: No restrictions - the application works in the background without restrictions (not recommended for most programs); Limit background activity - the application will not update in the background, but notifications will come; Strict restrictions - the application will not work in the background at all (notifications may not come).

For maximum battery savings, we recommend setting strict limits for:

• 🎮 Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact)
• 🛒 Shopping Apps (Wildberries, Ozon)
• 📺 Video services (TikTok, Likee)

For instant messengers (Telegram, Viber) it is better to choose to limit background activity so that notifications come, but without unnecessary battery consumption.

Method 4: Disabling background processes via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a debugging tool that allows you to deeply customize the system, which requires connecting the phone to a computer, but provides more features than regular MIUI settings.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📥 Installed drivers ADB Fastboot (you can download it as part of Google’s Platform Tools).
• 🔧 Included Debugging by USB phone-on.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Redmi Note 8: Go to Settings → About Phone. Press 7 times on MIUI until the message "You're a developer" appears.

Settings → Additional → For Developers

USB debugging

File Transfer (MTP)

cmd

adb devices

If the device appears in the list, you can continue.

Facebook

adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.app RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny

Replace com.facebook.app with the batch name of the desired application (you can find out through the App Inspector or the APKMirror website).

List of useful ADB-commands for background process management:

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB Don't turn off system applications like com.android.systemui or com.miui.home, which will cause errors in the interface.

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ADB allows you to disable background activity even for applications that do not allow it to do so through standard MIUI settings. However, after updating the firmware, some restrictions may be reset.

Method 5: Using third-party applications to manage background processes

If you don't like standard MIUI tools, you can use third-party tools that offer more flexible customization and automation, but require special permissions.

Top.-3 applications for background process management:

• 🛡️ Greenify freezes applications when they're not in use. It works without root, but with a ADB It gives you more power. You can download it on Google Play or on the Internet. XDA Developers.
• ⚡ Battery Guru monitors battery consumption and offers to disable the most "voracious" processes.
• 🔧 Servicely: allows you to disable system services that cannot be stopped by standard means. ADB.

How to set up Greenify (as in Redmi Note 8):

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Run it and give access to special features (Settings → Special features → Greenify).
3. Add apps to the list for “hybernation” (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, AliExpress).
4. Enable the option of automatic hibernation.
5. (Optional) Connect via ADB and execute a command from the instructions in the application to unlock advanced features.

The benefits of Greenify:

• ✅ It does not require root rights (enough). ADB).
• ✅ Works in the background and automatically “freezes” the application.
• ✅ Supports MIUI 12/13/14.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Some apps (such as Mi Push Service) can’t be stopped without rooting.
• ❌ After updating MIUI You may need to re-configure.

💡

If apps still wake up in the background after installing Greenify, check to see if you’ve added them to the exception list in the MIUI battery settings.

What do you do when nothing works?

If all of these methods have failed, and the background applications are still draining the battery, more radical solutions may be considered: they require more time and sometimes technical skills, but they give guaranteed results.

1.Reset to factory settings

Sometimes the problem is the accumulated system errors, and the reset will bring the phone back to its "clean" state, but it will delete all the data.

1. Create a backup of important files (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Reset all settings and confirm the action.

Installation of custom firmware

Stock MIUI is known for its aggressive background management, and alternative firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience gives more control over the system, but requires unlocking the bootloader and can be unwarranted.

3. Disable Xiaomi system applications

Many pre-installed programs (Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Video) run in the background and consume resources. ADB:

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


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




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

4.Use of the Xposed Framework (power users only)

Modules like Amplify or Servicely for Xposed allow you to block background services at the system level, but installing Xposed requires an unlocked bootloader and can lead to unstable phone operation.

⚠️ Note: Radical methods like custom firmware or Xposed may disrupt some features (e.g. Google Pay will stop working on uncertified firmware) and it will void the warranty if it is still valid.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling background apps on Redmi Note 8