How to watch the activity of applications Xiaomi: all ways

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are powered by MIUI, a proprietary shell that offers advanced tools to monitor applications. But many users don’t know where to look for data on software activity: which ones consume battery in the background, which have access to geolocation or microphone, and which have never been used. This article will help you understand everything from standard settings to hidden functions and third-party utilities.

We will look not only at basic methods (for example, through Settings → Applications), but also at little-known tricks: how to turn on the activity log in MIUI 14/15, how to use Google Play Services to track background processes, and even how to analyze data through ADB for advanced users.

1. Standard MIUI tools: Section "Applications"

The easiest way to check activity is through the built-in app management menu, which is available on all Xiaomi devices, regardless of model (whether it is Redmi Note 12 or Xiaomi 13 Ultra).

• 📊 Use time – how many hours you spent in each application per day/week.
• 🔋 Battery consumption – the percentage of charge that each application eats (including background activity).
• 📡 Data traffic – how much mobile internet or Wi-Fi a program consumes.
• 🛡️ Permissions – what smartphone features the app uses (camera, microphone, contacts, etc.).

To open this section:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application from the list (or use the search).
3. Scroll down to the Battery Use, Mobile Data and Permissions blocks.

Note Background Activity – if it’s enabled, the app can consume resources even when you’re not using it. For example, Facebook or TikTok often stay active in the background, reducing battery life.

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MIUI 14+ has introduced Battery Optimization in Settings → Battery, which automatically limits the background activity of rarely used applications.

2. activity log in MIUI: hidden function

Few people know, but MIUI has a hidden application activity log that records all the actions of programs: startups, camera use, access to geolocation and even sending SMS. This feature is called Security Log and is disabled by default.

To activate it:

1. Open the Settings. → Memory. → Cog badge (⚙️) → Journal of Security.
2. Turn on the log switch.
3. Go back and select the Application Log.

Here you can see the chronology of the last 7 days.

• 🔍 What apps have scanned your location (even if you haven’t used it).
• 📸 What programs have taken photos or videos without your knowledge.
• 📞 What apps were called or sent SMS (Useful for detecting fraudulent services).

⚠️ Note: Activity log can slow down a smartphone if it has many apps installed, we recommend turning it on only if you suspect malicious activity, and after checking, turn it off.

3. Monitoring through Google Play Services

If you use Google services, you can use Google Play Services’ built-in feature to track activity, which works independently of MIUI and shows data even for system applications.

How to access:

1. Open Settings → Google → Manage your Google account.
2. Go to the Security tab.
3. Find the section Your data in applications and services → Data access management.
4. Select Applications with access to the account.

Here's the display:

• 🔗 Apps that have access to your Google account (for example, to sync contacts).
• 🕒 The last time each application is active.
• 📱 Devices from which access was made.

This method is useful if you suspect that an app is stealing your data or using an account without your knowledge, for example, if an unknown app with access to Gmail or Google Drive appears on the list, this is a reason to delete it.

4. Third-party utilities: Top 3 apps for analysis

If you don't have enough built-in MIUI tools, you can install specialized tools that offer advanced statistics, convenient graphics, and even automatic optimization.

⚠️ Note: Apps like Greenify or NetGuard may conflict with MIUI, For example, aggressive restriction of background processes can lead to:

• 📵 Missed notifications (for example, from messengers).
• 🔄 Spontaneous reboot of applications.
• 🚫 Blocking system services (e.g. Mi Cloud or Google Play).

Before installing such utilities, back up important data or check their operation on a secondary device.

5. Advanced method: analysis through ADB

For advanced users who want to get the most detailed information, the method using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is suitable, which allows you to unload activity logs directly from the device and analyze them on a PC.

What you can learn through ADB:

• 📅 Complete history of application launches and closures.
• 🔌 Detailed battery consumption by process (including system).
• 📡 Network activity logs (which applications send data and where).

Instructions for beginners:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap to unlock Developer Mode, then Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell dumpsys batterystats --charged This will reset battery statistics (needed for accurate monitoring).
4. After a few hours of use, perform: adb shell dumpsys batterystats > battery_log.txt Logs will be saved to the file battery_log.txt.

To analyze network activity, use the command:

adb shell netstats detail

It will show which applications transmitted data and to what extent.

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ADB allows you to see the activity of even those applications that are hidden from the user in standard settings (for example, MIUI system services or preinstalled utilities).

6. How to recognize suspicious activity

Not all apps running in the background are malicious - some are simply optimized for convenience (like WhatsApp keeps the connection for quick notifications).

• 🔋 Unexplained battery consumption (e.g., an app eats up 30% of your charge even though you haven’t used it).
• 📡 Suspicious traffic (the program transmits gigabytes of data in the background).
• 📍 Permanent access to geolocation (even when the application is closed).
• 🔄 Spontaneous updates (the app is updated without your knowledge).

What to do if you find such an application:

1. Revoke all unnecessary permissions in Settings → Apps → [Application Name] → Permissions.
2. Limit background activity (Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization).
3. Check the reviews on Google Play – if other users have similar issues, uninstall the program.
4. Scan your smartphone with an antivirus (such as Malwarebytes or Dr.Web).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi system applications (e.g. com.miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.midrop) may seem suspicious, but they are needed to work. MIUI. You can only remove them if you are sure of the consequences (for example, you are ready for malfunctions in the smartphone).

Open the "Applications" section in the settings|Check your battery consumption for the last 7 days|Disable background activity for unnecessary programs|Remove applications with suspicious permissions|Scan your smartphone for viruses-->

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When monitoring app activity, users often make mistakes that lead to incorrect conclusions or even a smartphone breakage.

• 🔨 Delete system applications without backup, such as deleting com.android.phone will result in network loss.
• 🔋 Disabling battery optimization for all applications in a row – this will reduce battery life.
• 🛡️ Ignoring security updates in newer versions MIUI Often close vulnerabilities that use malware.
• 📱 Using memory cleaners (such as Clean Master) they often delete the cache of the desired applications, which leads to slowing down the applications.

How to avoid problems:

• 📝 Keep a list of deleted or modified apps so you can roll back.
• 🔄 Check for changes after optimization: if messengers stopped sending notifications, return their permissions.
• 🔍 Use official sources to download apps (Google Play or Mi App Store only).

If after your actions, the smartphone began to overheat, reboot itself or discharge quickly, try:

1. Reset the settings to factory (Settings → About phone → Reset settings).
2. Update MIUI to the latest version.
3. Contact the Xiaomi service center (if the problem is hardware).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions