How to completely disable background apps on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Background apps on Xiaomi smartphones are one of the main reasons for fast battery drain and system slowdown. Even when you’re not actively using the program, it can continue to consume resources: update data, send notifications or sync with servers, especially on the budget models of Redmi and POCO, where limited hardware capacity is quickly clogged with unnecessary processes.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable background applications, from standard MIUI settings to hidden features for power users. You’ll learn how to prevent programs from auto-starting, limiting their activity in the background, and even completely “freeze” unnecessary services. It’s important to understand that some system applications (such as com.miui.analytics) can’t be turned off without consequences – we’ll explain in detail which processes can be blocked safely and which are better left behind.

The instructions are valid for all modern versions of MIUI 12/13/14 and Xiaomi models (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13 and others).If your phone runs on pure Android (for example, Xiaomi 12T for the global market), some methods may differ - we will point out these nuances separately.

Why the Background Apps Are Harming Your Xiaomi

At first glance, it may seem that background processes are a normal part of a smartphone’s work, but in practice they lead to a number of problems:

• 🔋 Accelerated battery discharge: According to lab XDA Developers, up to 30% of the charge can go to the background activity of applications, especially “voracious” messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and social networks (TikTok, Instagram).
• 🐢 Slowing down: Each background application takes up a portion of RAM when it's not enough, MIUI begins to forcibly close active programs, which leads to hanging.
• 📡 Increased traffic: Many applications (such as Google Play Services or Mi Cloud) constantly exchange data with servers, consuming your mobile Internet.
• 🔒 Security risks: Some background processes (especially from lesser-known developers) may collect data about your activity without knowing it.

Interestingly, Xiaomi added a feature called “Deep Optimization” to MIUI 14 that was supposed to automatically manage background processes, but in practice it works inefficiently – many users note that the problem has only worsened since the update, due to the fact that Xiaomi is actively integrating its services (such as Mi Browser or Mi Video), which are privileged by default and do not fall under standard restrictions.

Method 1: Disabling Auto-Run Applications

The easiest and safest way to do this is to prevent apps from running automatically when you turn on your phone or connect to the Internet, which won't delete the program, but will significantly reduce its activity in the background.

Instructions for MIUI 12/13/14:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select AutoRun.
3. In the list, mark the apps you want to limit (e.g. Facebook, AliExpress, games).
4. Click Turn off at the bottom of the screen.

Note: some system applications (e.g. com.android.phone or com.miui.home) do not have the ability to disable autoruns – this is due to their critical importance to the operation of MIUI. It is also worth considering that after disabling autoruns, messengers (Viber, WhatsApp) may stop showing notifications about new messages until you manually open them.

Make a backup copy of important data

Check the list of applications for critical services

Turn off auto-run for games and social media in the first place

Reboot your phone after the changes-->

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO (for example, POCO F4) The "Out-Start" option may not be on the menu, in which case use an alternative path: Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management → Choice of applications → Set up a “limited” regime for unnecessary programs".

Method 2: Limit background activity through battery settings

MIUI offers a built-in tool to control background processes through the battery partition, where you can not only turn off autostart, but also completely block the activity of the application in the background.

Step-by-step:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management.
2. Select Application Selection (on some firmware, this item may be called Battery Optimization).
3. Tapping on the desired application (for example, TikTok or Google Chrome).
4. In the menu that opens, select Restricted (this will completely block background activity) or Intelligent (allows work only when connected to Wi-Fi).

Important: After restrictions are applied, some features may not work properly. For example, Google Fit will stop tracking steps in the background, and Spotify will not be able to cache music for offline listening. If you need these features, choose Intelligent Mode instead of a complete restriction.

💡

To quickly find voracious apps, open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Use. This shows the programs that consume the most energy in the background.

Method 3: Use of the "Distractless" (DND) mode

Not only does MIUI’s Do Not Disturb block notifications, it can also limit the background activity of applications, a technique that is especially useful if you want to temporarily calm your phone, such as at night or while you’re working.

How to turn on:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Do not disturb.
2. Activate the switch to turn on automatically.
3. Set up a schedule (for example, 23:00 to 7:00) or select Manual Mode.
4. In the Rules section, select Limit background processes.
5. Add only critically important applications (calls, alarm clocks) to the exceptions.

Background-limited DND reduces battery consumption by 15-20% per night compared to standard sleep, as demonstrated by tests conducted on the Xiaomi 12 Pro and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ with MIUI 13.0.15 firmware.

Restriction: In DND mode, some system functions (such as syncing Mi Cloud or weather updates) will be suspended. If you need up-to-date data in the morning, turn off mode 10-15 minutes before waking up.

Method 4: Deep Optimization through ADB (for Power Users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use the ADB tool to force background processes to shut down, which requires connecting the phone to a computer and basic command line knowledge, but gives you maximum control over the system.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times).
2. Activate Debugging by USB in the Developer Menu.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and install it. ADB-Drivers (you can download from the official Google website).
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

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


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.ab




adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.katana RUN_IN_BACKGROUND ignore

The first command turns off Xiaomi’s analytics system service, the second one disables advertising modules, and the third one bans background activity for Facebook.

• 📱 Instagram: com.instagram.android
• 💬 WhatsApp: com.whatsapp (Stop carefully – notifications will stop coming)
• 🎵 Spotify: com.spotify.music
• 🛒 AliExpress: com.alibaba.intl.android.apps.poseidon

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB Never disable system packages called com.android. or com.qualcomm. — these are critical Android components that will not boot without the device. Before experimenting, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Method 5: “Freeze” applications with third-party utilities

If you need to completely block unnecessary applications without removing them, you can use specialized programs that allow you to freeze processes so that they do not start even after you reboot your phone.

Top.-3 utility for Xiaomi:

Example of working with Greenify:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Provide access to special features (Settings → Special features → Greenify).
3. Add apps to the hibernation list (e.g. TikTok, Mi Browser).
4. Activate the option Aggressive leisure to automatically disable processes.

Greenify’s advantage over standard MIUI features a smart hibernation that doesn’t interfere with instant messaging notifications, such as WhatsApp showing new messages but not updating its online status or uploading media in the background.

💡

Greenify or Brevent side utilities give more control over background processes than standard MIUI settings, but require more time to set up.

What to do if after disabling background applications, the phone began to work worse

In some cases, aggressively shutting down background processes can backfire: the phone starts to slow down, notifications stop coming, and the battery runs out even faster, because MIUI tries to compensate for the lockdown by constantly restarting system services.

Here's what we can do:

• 🔄 Return the standard settings: Cancel all changes in Battery Management and check if things have improved.
• 📱 Update the firmware: In some versions MIUI 13 (e.g. 13.0.12) was an error that caused the restriction of background processes to result in increased battery consumption. → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔧 Reset Settings: If the problem persists, reset settings via Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Resetting settings (app data not affected).
• 🛠️ Check for viruses: Some malware masquerades as system processes (e.g. com.android.system) and can cause crashes.Scan your phone using Malwarebytes or Dr.Web Light.

If none of the methods worked, the problem may be hardware (e.g., a worn-out battery or overheating of the processor), in which case we recommend contacting the Xiaomi service center for diagnosis.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling background apps