Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are known for their versatility, but users sometimes experience rapid battery drain or system slowdown. A common cause is applications running in the background — they consume CPU resources, RAM and battery power even when you are not using them. In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to check the background processes on devices with the MIUI shell (including the latest versions 14 and 15), and learn how to manage them to optimize performance.
It’s important to understand that not all background apps are harmful — some of them (such as messengers or system services) are really necessary for the phone to work properly. However, many programs abuse background activity, especially if they were installed from unverified sources, we will show how to distinguish necessary processes from unnecessary ones, and we will also give recommendations for setting up auto-start and limiting activity.
The instructions in the article are relevant for all modern models: from the budget Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5 to the flagships Xiaomi 14 Ultra and MIX Fold 3. Particular attention will be paid to the differences in the interface for different versions of MIUI and the nuances of working with HyperOS - a new operating system that Xiaomi began to implement in 2026.
1. Method through "Security settings"
The most reliable and versatile method of checking background applications is to use a built-in security menu, which works on all versions of MIUI, including older versions (e.g. MIUI 12) and newer ones (HyperOS).
Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen) and go to the Apps section. Then select Application Management → Auto Run. Here you will see the full list of programs that are eligible to run in the background. Applications with active autorun will be marked with a green switch.
Open "Settings" → "Applications" |Select "Application Management" |Go to "Autostart" |Disable unnecessary applications-->
Note the column "Last Auto Run" -- it shows when the program last activated itself. If you see applications here that haven't been used for a week (like games or rarely used utilities), feel free to turn them off autorun. This won't delete the program, but it will prevent hidden activity.
⚠️ Warning: Do not disable auto-run for system applications called com.android. or com.miui. at the beginning (e.g. com.miui.securitycenter.
2. Use of Task Manager (quick view)
If you want to see quickly which apps are active right now, use the built-in Task Manager, which only shows the processes that are currently working, but doesn't give you information about auto-runs.
Click on the recent apps button (square or swipe up late on new models). At the bottom of the screen, a panel with active processes will appear. Scroll to the left until the end, there will be a Close All button or an X icon. Click on it, and the system will show a list of all background applications indicating memory consumption.
- 📱 For MIUI 14+: The schedule of use is also displayed. CPU and batteries in the last 6 hours.
- ⚡ For HyperOS: In the dispatcher appeared tab "Energy consumption", where you can see the most voracious programs.
- 🔍 Hidden Processes: To see system applications, tap three dots in the upper right corner and select "Show system applications".
On models with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and later (for example, Xiaomi 13T Pro), the task manager shows advanced statistics on CPU cores - this helps to identify applications that overload productive cores and reduce battery life.
Viewing through "Battery and Performance"
The battery consumption menu is another reliable source of background activity information, and you can see here not only the list of apps, but also how much they spent on charge even when you weren't using them.
Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption. The system will show a charge graph and a list of programs sorted by consumption level. Click on any application to see detailed statistics, including Background consumption and Activity Time in the background.
| Type of activity | What does it mean? | Normal value. |
|---|---|---|
| Background consumption | Energy spent when an application is not opened | Less than 5% of total expenditure |
| Time in the background | Period of activity of the process without user interaction | Up to 30 minutes a day |
| Auto-start | Number of self-launches without your participation | 1-2 times a day |
| Awakenings | How many times did the app wake up the processor from sleep mode? | Less than 10 times a night. |
If you see an app that is abnormally high (e.g., 20% background consumption or 2 hours of exposure in the background), this is a reason to check it out, and this is often the case with aggressive advertising or trackers (e.g., some Chinese games or stores).
Once a week |Only when the phone is slowing |Never checked |After every new app installation-->
4. Hidden system processes (for experienced users)
Some applications masquerade as system services or use obfuscated packet names (e.g. com.duapps.ad for ad modules) to identify them, you need developer rights and special utilities.
First, activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI Version. Then go back to the main settings menu, open Additional → For Developers and turn on the USB Debugging option. Now connect the phone to your computer and use the command:
adb shell dumpsys activity processesThis command will display a complete list of all active processes with their PID and packet name. Pay attention to processes with FOREGROUND-SERVICE or BACKGROUND status, which run in the background. You can use utilities like App Inspector (available on Google Play) to analyze them, which shows the dependency tree of applications.
⚠️ Note: Disconnecting system processes through ADB For example, killing the com.miui.home process will remove the launcher, and disabling com.android.phone will deprive you of mobile communication.
How do you detect a malicious process?
Applications for monitoring background activity
If standard means MIUI You don't have enough, you can use third-party tools, and they offer advanced analytics, including network activity monitoring and suspicious activity notifications.-3 tested applications:
- 🛡️ Greenify – allows you to “freeze” applications, preventing their background activity without completely removing.
- 📊 AccuBattery — shows detailed battery consumption statistics broken down by process.
- 🔍 Servicely is an advanced service and process management tool that requires root rights to be fully functional.
When using Greenify, look for Aggressive Doze mode, which forces the phone to go to deep sleep when the screen is off, which saves a lot of charge. However, on some models (such as the POCO F5), this mode can conflict with the Always-on Display function.
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Before installing third-party monitoring utilities, check their reputation on 4PDA or XDA-Developers forums. Some “optimizers” become a source of background activity themselves!
6. Optimizing background processes to save battery
Just looking at the list of background apps is not enough — you need to configure them correctly. Here are a set of measures that will help to extend the battery life:
- Turn off auto-run for all applications except instant messengers and system services. This can be done in Settings → Applications → Auto-run.
- Limit background activity in Settings → Battery → Battery Optimize. Select Strict Optimization mode for unnecessary programs.
- Set up the Adaptive Battery (available in MIUI 13+) feature to analyze your habits and automatically limit background activity of rarely used apps.
- Turn on "Energy Saving Mode" manually or set automatic on at a charge level of 15-20%.
A new feature, Smart Optimization, is introduced on HyperOS devices, which determines the optimal settings for each application, but our test showed that in manual mode, you can achieve even more savings: on the Xiaomi 14 Pro, Internet time increased from 8 to 11 hours after turning off auto-start for 15 applications.
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Regular background checks (every 1-2 weeks) allow you to increase the battery life by 15-30% without loss of functionality.
7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
Many users make the same mistakes when working with background apps, which leads to the opposite effect - the phone starts to brake even more.
- 🚫 Closing all applications manually. MIUI optimized for cache work – forced closure of programs forces the system to spend resources on their re-run.
- 🔄 Frequently clearing RAM, it's a myth that "liberation" RAM Instead, empty memory makes the processor more likely to turn to the slow drive.
- ⚡ Disabling all background processes: Some system services (e.g. Google Play Services) are critical to stable operation.
- 🔧 The use of boosters and optimizers, most of which are themselves the source of background activity and display false warnings.
If your phone is getting worse after optimizing the background, try to return the settings to factory settings. Go to Settings → System → Settings → Reset the application settings. This won’t delete your data, but will return all permissions and autoruns to default.