The MIUI 12 operating system, which is installed on Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, is famous for its aggressive memory optimization, but sometimes this leads to unpredictable behavior. Users often face a situation where the phone begins to warm or quickly discharge, even though the screen is turned off and the fault of hidden background processes.
Understanding exactly how the background shell activity from the Chinese manufacturer works is key to extending the device’s autonomy. Unlike pure Android, it has its own freeze mechanisms and limitations that aren’t always obvious to the wearer.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods for monitoring running services, you will learn how to distinguish system processes from user ones and learn how to safely stop unnecessary tasks without harming the stability of the smartphone.
Analysis via the “Recently Used” menu
The easiest and most accessible way to see what's running right now is the standard multitasking menu. On MIUI 12, it's called by swipeing from the bottom up with a delay or pressing the Menu button depending on the type of navigation you choose, and it displays frozen screenshots of apps that are formally considered active.
But it's worth noting that having an app card visually doesn't always mean it's consuming processor resources. It often keeps frequently used programs in the RAM cache to run them instantly, which is normal behavior for modern versions of Android and MIUI.
If you see an application that doesn't need to work, you can swipe it up, use the X button or the corresponding icon at the bottom of the screen to clean it up, but remember that permanently forcing all programs to stop can actually increase battery consumption, because the system has to reload them to memory.
For a deeper analysis, you can tap and hold your finger on the app card. In the context menu that opens, additional options are often available, such as fixing or locking. The attached applications will not be removed when you press the full memory clean button, which is useful for messengers, but dangerous for heavy software.
⚠️ Warning: Don't fanatically close all apps immediately after every use. MIUI 12 manages the allocation of resources effectively, and manual intervention often upsets this balance.
⚠️ Note: If an application appears in the list of those running immediately after closing, it is a sign of malfunction or malicious code requiring separate analysis.
Using the Developer Menu for Detailed Monitoring
To get real information about what processes are consuming resources at the moment, you need to consult the hidden developer menu, which provides access to process statistics and running services that are not visible in the normal interface.
To activate this mode, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. After you have become a developer, go back to the main settings menu and select “Additional”, then “Developers”.
Within this section, we are interested in Running Services, which shows a list of all active processes, indicating the amount of RAM they occupy, and is the most accurate tool for diagnosing the causes of lag or overheating.
You can see both user applications and Android system processes on the list, and clicking on a specific process can show you more detailed information, including uptime and resources used, and you can also see a forced stop button that is guaranteed to terminate the service you choose.
What to do if the developer menu is gone?
Managing Auto Start and Background Activity
One of the main reasons for the emergence of many background applications on Xiaomi is the auto-run mechanism, many programs prescribe themselves on the start list to always be ready to receive notifications, which critically affects autonomy.
To manage this, MIUI 12 has a separate Start menu, which can be found by searching in settings or by searching the Application path → Permissions → Auto Run. Here is a complete list of programs that start with the system.
It is recommended to leave autorun only for instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and important notifications. Social networks, games and stores can be safely turned off - they will start the moment you open their shortcut.
Also, it's worth checking the energy saving settings for each application. MIUI 12 has three modes: No Limits, Energy Saving, and Hard Saving. Selecting the Hard Saving mode effectively bans the application from any background activity.
☑️ Optimizing auto-start
Sorting of resource consumption processes
To understand which application is eating away battery power or slowing down a system, it's not enough to just see a list of processes. You need to analyze the statistics of their performance over a certain period.
Go to Settings → Battery and Performance (or simply “Battery”), and here you will see a discharge graph and a list of applications, sorted by energy consumption, that reveals “hidden eaters” that are working in the background unobtrusively.
If you see an application that hasn't been used for hours, but it's at the top of the consumption list, it's a very active background, it could be geolocation, data synchronization, or incorrect advertising.
By clicking on this app, you can limit its background activity or completely ban it from the background, and you can also use Battery and Performance, where you can set a Balance or Saving profile to globally limit background processes.
| Type of process | Impact on the battery | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Messengers | Average (notification required) | Leave it without limits |
| Social media | High (constant synchronization) | Limit the background |
| Navigation | Very high (GPS) | Close after use |
| Games | High (not needed in the background) | Full closure |
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Use Flight mode for 10-15 seconds if the phone suddenly starts to warm up, this will forcely break all network connections and often stops the hung background processes trying to send data.
Forced stopping and cleaning of memory
Sometimes, a standard shutdown through the multitasking menu is not enough, especially if the application is “hanging” or behaves incorrectly. In such cases, the Xiaomi MIUI 12 uses the forced stop method.
To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the problem program in the list and click on it. In the property menu that opens, select the Stop button (or Forced Stop button).
This operation completely completes all the processes associated with this application, including background services and widgets.
Importantly, for some system applications, the stop button may be inactive (gray). This is MIUI protection against accidental operating system disruption. Don't try to circumvent these limitations without understanding the consequences.
There is also a Memory Cleanup feature in the security menu, which, while less effective than manual stopping, helps to quickly free up RAM before launching a heavy game or resource-intensive application.
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Forced shutdown is a "heavy artillery" to deal with a specific problem application, but not a means to maintain the system on a daily basis.