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

Why background apps are eating up your Xiaomi resources and how to fix it

Have you noticed that Xiaomi’s battery runs out too quickly even when you’re not using your phone? or does your smartphone start to “slow down” after a few hours of operation? 90% of the time, the backend apps — programs that keep running after closing, consuming CPU, RAM and Internet traffic — are to blame.

Smartphone makers, including Xiaomi, often set up MIUIs to keep apps active in the background, for instant notifications, data synchronization, and smart functions. But in practice, most users don’t need Facebook, TikTok, or games to run constantly when they’re folded. Disabling background activity can extend battery life by 20-40% and speed up performance by 15-30% — especially on the budget Redmi and POCO models with 4-6 GB of RAM.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to turn off background processes, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users, and learn which apps can be safely put to sleep and which ones are best left active so you don’t lose important notifications.

Method 1: Limit background activity through battery settings

The easiest and safest method is to use built-in MIUI optimization tools. It is suitable for all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models based on MIUI 12-14 (including HyperOS).

How it works: The system automatically limits application activity when the screen is off, so you can manually blacklist programs or select savings mode.

1. Open the Settings. → Battery.
2. Tapping on Battery Optimization (or Battery Mode in newer versions)
3. Select Application Selection (or Application Settings).
4. In the list, find the application you want to limit (for example, Instagram or VKontakte).
5. Slip on it and choose to limit background activity or sleep.

For maximum effect, activate the super-saving mode:

• 🔋 Settings → Battery → Battery mode → Super-economical (limits background activity for all applications except system applications).
• ⚡ Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → Enable optimization (automatically manages background processes).

Availability of important notifications (messengers, mail)

Data synchronization (cloud services, fitness trackers)

Auto-update apps (Google Play, Mi App Store)

Background music (Spotify, Yandex Music)-->

⚠️ Note: Do not limit background activity for Google Play Services, Mi Cloud and Phone.This can cause notifications to crash, sync contacts and calls.

Method 2: Manual disabling auto-start applications

Many programs run automatically when you turn on your phone or connect to the Internet — even if you haven't opened them — for social media, games, and some system services, and you can turn off autoplay through hidden MIUI settings.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on three dots in the upper right corner and select AutoRun.
3. In the list, mark the applications that are allowed to run automatically (the rest will be blocked).
4. To completely disable all ticks, except system services (Settings, Phone, Messages).

What this method does:

• 📱 Accelerate phone start-up (fewer processes load when turned on).
• 🔄 Preventing the spontaneous opening of applications (e.g. AliExpress or Wildberries after connecting to Wi-Fi).
• 🛡️ Protection from “awakening” of advertising SDK (For example, in games or Chinese applications).

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If the autorun list doesn’t have the right app, check its settings separately: Settings → Apps → [Title] → Autorun.

Method 3: Using a "Distractless" (DND) mode

Not only does MIUI's Do Not Disturb turn off notifications, it can also pause application background activity, which is useful for the night or when you need to save charge.

How to set up:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Do not disturb.
2. Activate the switch Enable.
3. Slip on the Schedule and set the time for automatic switching on (for example, from 23:00 to 7:00).
4. In the Rules section, select Apps and add programs that should be limited.
5. Enable the option to limit background activity (available in MIUI 13+).

Advantages of the method:

• 🌙 Automatic shutdown of background processes on schedule.
• 📵 Block notifications from unwanted apps (such as games or news services).
• 🔋 Additional battery savings due to suspension of synchronization.

Every night | Only in meetings |Rare |Never-->

⚠️ Attention: In mode DND Some apps (like Google Fit or Mi Band) may not be able to record steps or sleep. If you care about activity statistics, add them to the exceptions.

Method 4: Deep Optimization through Developer Settings

For experienced users who are ready to sacrifice some convenience for maximum performance, the method with the inclusion of the developer mode and manual setting of background processes is suitable.

Step 1: Activate the Developer Mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version (you will be notified “You became a developer”).

Step 2: Limit the background processes:

1. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
2. Find the item Limiting background processes.
3. Choose No Background Processes or Maximum 2 Processes (depending on the model).

Step 3 (optional): Turn off animation and speed up the work:

• 🎯 In the For Developers section, find the Window Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale and Animator Duration.
• 🔧 Set the value of animation disabled for all three points.

To return to standard settings, go back to For Developers and reset Background Process Limitation to Standard Limit.

Method 5: Forced Applications to Stop via ADB (for Advanced)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a low-level system management tool that will completely “sleep” even system applications that can’t be disabled through the interface.

Important: This method requires a connection to a computer and can cause the phone to function unstable if used improperly.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Enable USB debugging on your phone (Settings → Developers → USB debugging).
3. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux).
4. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices should appear the name of your device.
5. To stop the app, use: adb shell am force-stop com.package.name (replace com.package.name with a real package, for example com.facebook.katana for Facebook).
6. To disable autostart: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.package.name

Popular shutdown packages:

• 📱 com.miui.analytics – Xiaomi statistics collection (you can disable it).
• 🎮 com.xiaomi.gamecenter.sdk.service – gaming services (if you are not playing).
• 📰 com.miui.news - News Feed MIUI.
• 🛒 com.xiaomi.shop – Mi Store (if you don’t use it).

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Use ADB only if you are confident in your actions. Wrong commands can cause system failure or data loss. Before experimenting, back up through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

What applications can not be turned off in the background

Not all software is safe to put to sleep. Some system services and instant messengers are critical to the stable operation of the phone. Here is a list of applications that are not recommended to limit:

If you are not sure whether to restrict a particular application, check its behavior:

1. Open Settings → Battery → Battery Use.
2. See how much energy it consumes in the background.
3. If the consumption is more than 5-10%, it can be optimized.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you turn off background processes, users often encounter unexpected problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

• ❌ Missing notifications from messengers Reason: Autostart or background activity is disabled for WhatsApp/Telegram. Solution: Allow auto-run and background activity for messengers manually.
• ❌ Geolocation does not work in navigators Reason: Google Maps or Yandex Maps suspended in the background.Solution: Add the navigator to battery saving exceptions.
• ❌ Music stops when screen locks Reason: Background activity is limited for Spotify or Yandex Music Solution: In battery settings, select No Limits mode for music application.
• ❌ Phone slows down Reason: Too aggressive settings to limit processes in developer mode Solution: Background Limitation Background Processes Back to Standard Constraint.

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If after optimization the phone began to behave unstable (spontaneous reboots, application errors), reset settings through Settings → Additional → Restore and Reset → Reset. Data will not be deleted, but all restrictions will be reset to factory.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions