How to check which apps are working on Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Have you noticed that your Xiaomi is slowing down or running out faster? One of the reasons is the background apps that continue to consume resources even when you're not using them. There are several ways in MIUI to see the full list of active processes, but not all of them are obvious to the average user.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven methods to test working applications on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, from standard tools to hidden shell features, how to distinguish between really needed system processes and unnecessary software that can be shut down or disabled, and how to detect applications that masquerade as system and secretly consume battery power.

1. Standard Task Manager in MIUI

The easiest way is to use the built-in Task Manager, which is available on all versions of MIUI from 12 to 14.

• 📱 Click on the recent apps button (square in the bottom navigation bar)
• 🔍 Scroll up to the end of the open source list.
• 📊 At the bottom of the screen will appear a panel with information about CPU load and use of RAM
• 🚫 The Clean Everything button will close all user applications (but not system processes!)

Note that this menu only shows programs that you have manually run, and that back-end services (like Google Play Services or Mi Cloud) are not visible here, and that you need a different method.

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If the recent apps button doesn’t respond, try swiping your finger up from the bottom of the screen and holding it for 1 second is an alternative way to call the menu.

In MIUI 14, the manager interface has changed: with prolonged clicking on the application icon, a context menu with options for Secure, Split screen and Application Information appears, the last point leads to the program settings, where you can see its permissions and resource consumption.

2. Section "Battery and performance" - hidden processes

To view all active processes, including system processes, go to:

Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Use

Here's a complete list of applications that are using up a charge, even those that are running in the background without you knowing. Click on any of them to see:

• 📉 Timetable of battery consumption by hour
• 🔄 Number of automatic launches
• 📡 Use of mobile data and Wi-Fi
• 🛑 Restrict background activity button (not available for all applications)

Pay special attention to programs marked "Works in the background" or "High consumption", often messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram), social networks (Facebook, TikTok) or games with constant synchronization.

⚠️ Note: Do not turn off background activity for system applications called com.android... or com.miui... This can cause disruptions. MIUI, For example, notifications will stop coming or the weather will update on the home screen.

3. Secret menu "Processes" in the developer settings

For advanced users, there's a hidden tool called the developer mode process menu to activate it:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click 7 times in a row on the MIUI version
3. Return to the main settings menu – a new section for developers will appear

Now open up:

Settings → For developers → Processes

Here you will see all the running processes, including:

In this menu, you can manually stop any process, but be careful: shutting down system services can cause your phone to restart. For security, use the Stop All Cache Only button.

4.Using ADB for in-depth analysis

If you want to get a complete list of all running processes (including hidden ones), you can use the ADB tool (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to the computer, but will give the most detailed information.

Instructions:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and execute the command:

adb shell ps -A | findstr -v "defunct"

This command will list all active processes with:

• 🆔 PID (processor)
• 📁 USER (under which user is it launched)
• 💻 CPU and MEM (resource consumption)
• 📝 NAME (name)

To close a particular process, use:

adb shell kill [PID]

⚠️ Attention: Killing trials through ADB Do not close processes called surfaceflinger, zygote or system_server — These are critical components of Android.

5. Third-party monitoring utilities

If standard MIUI tools don’t suit you, you can install specialized apps from Google Play.

• 🔍 CPU Monitor – shows the processor boot in real time, indicating the culprits
• 📊 Simple System Monitor – a widget for the notification panel with data about CPU, RAM nets
• 🛡️ Greenify – suspends background processes to save battery (requires root for full functionality)
• 🔧 DevCheck – detailed information about all hardware and software components

When choosing a utility, pay attention to:

• 🔒 Russian language (not all programs support localization)
• 📥 Application size (some monitors consume a lot of resources)
• 💰 Presence of paid functions (in free versions functionality is often reduced)

Xiaomi’s MIUI 13/14 is particularly useful because it can display processes hidden by standard shell tools, such as the Mi Push Service, which is responsible for notifications but often works too aggressively.

6 How to distinguish normal processes from viruses

Sometimes malware is disguised as system applications, and here are some signs that should alert you:

• 🤖 Unknown process names such as com.android.update or system.xhelper
• 📈 High consumption CPU (>30%) on a simple phone
• 🔄 Continuous mobile traffic activity (even when Wi-Fi is on)
• 📱 Appearance of unfamiliar icons in the notification panel

To check for suspicious process:

1. Copy its name (e.g. com.qualcomm.qti)
2. Search Google for what process [name] is on Xiaomi
3. Check out VirusTotal (download) APK-Application file, if available)

Typical "legitimate" MIUI processes, which are often mistaken for viruses:

⚠️ Note: If you find a high-consumption com.android.vending process, it’s not a virus, it’s Google Play Market. It can’t be removed, but you can limit background activity in your Google account settings.

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MIUI system processes are usually called "com.miui" or "com.xiaomi." All other processes with unusual names are worth checking for authenticity.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi processes