How to Make Apps Work in the Background on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide

Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often face an annoying problem: music in the player goes silent, file download is interrupted, and the navigator stops plotting the route once the screen goes out. This is not a device bug, but an aggressive MIUI or HyperOS energy saving policy that by default “kills” background processes to save charge. To make the application work in the background, the user needs to manually change the settings for each important program.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions that will allow your messengers, navigators and activity trackers to function smoothly. We will touch on the settings of autostart, battery management and system constraints. Understanding these mechanisms is necessary for anyone who wants to fully realize the potential of their gadget without constant interruptions.

Why MIUI blocks background processes

MIUI and HyperOS are notorious for their extremely tight memory management. Unlike pure Android, where the system decides when to turn it down, there's a preventative mechanism in place that forces services that are not in the user's active window to stop, and the background is the main enemy of autonomy, so only system processes are allowed by default.

Especially often the problem concerns applications not obtained from the official GetApps store or Google Play. Third-party APK installation packages may not receive the necessary permissions automatically, the system considers them potentially dangerous or unoptimized, so restricts their access to CPU and network resources immediately after the screen is turned off.

⚠️ Attention: Some system optimization utilities may reset settings after the device restarts. If the problem comes back after the phone is turned on, check the settings again.

And then there's the concept of "sleep mode" for long-unused programs, so if you rarely open a particular application, the system can label it as unimportant and prevent it from doing any activity in the background, whether it's pre-installed software or the games or tools you download.

Setup of Auto-Run Applications

The first and most important step is auto-start permission, which means that without it, the app won't be able to start its services on its own after the phone is restarted or forced to stop by the system, and this setting is in a separate system menu hidden from the eyes of the average user in the standard settings list.

To access the menu, you need to go to Settings, then select the App item and find the AutoRun option. In the list that opens, you will see all the programs installed. Those with the switch off are not allowed to start with the system. Find the application you need (for example, a navigator or messenger) and activate the slider.

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If you can’t find the autorun menu through the settings, use the search by settings by entering the word “Start” in the search bar at the top of the screen.

The system may issue a warning that autostart permission may affect battery life. This is a standard notice, you should ignore it if you care about the functionality of the program. Confirm the action by pressing OK. Now the service will try to start immediately after the screen is turned on.

• 🚀 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Auto-start.
• 🔍 Find the desired application in the list (for example, Telegram or Yandex.Navigator).
• ✅ Activate the switch opposite the program name.
• 📱 Confirm the action in the pop-up window if it appears.

Battery management and no restrictions

Even with auto-start enabled, the system can limit energy consumption to the background process. To fix this, you need to change the energy saving strategy for a particular application. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications and select the desired program from the list.

Inside the app menu, find the Battery Saving (or "Battery") option. The default option is often "Save Charge" or "Background Limitation." You need to select the No Limits option, which gives the app full permission to use the CPU and network resources at any time, regardless of the screen condition.

Once the setting is changed, the system can display another warning: Press OK or Accept. Android will no longer attempt to "sleep" the process of this application, which is critical for physical activity trackers, smartwatches and sleep monitoring apps.

Fixing the application in memory (Clocks)

There's another layer of protection that works at the memory level, which is what's called a lock, or locking in a list of recent applications, which prevents the system from clearing the memory that the application is occupied with, even when resources are scarce.

Open the application you are running, then go to the recent task menu (swipe bottom up and finger hold, or menu button) find the card of the application you want and click on it with your finger held, or find the lock icon in the corner of the card (depending on the MIUI version), and a lock icon will appear, indicating that the application is closed.

It's worth noting that the number of lock applications is best kept at a minimum, and if you attach too many programs, it can lead to general system instability or slowdown of the interface. 2-3 most important services.

• 🔒 Open the menu of running applications.
• 👆 Press and hold the app card or press the lock.
• ✅ Make sure that the closed lock symbol appears.
• ⚠️ Don't fix it anymore. 3-4 applications.

Additional permissions and handling of notifications

Sometimes the problem isn't the battery, but the lack of permission to display over other windows or access data in the background. On the menu of a particular application (in the Permissions section), check for the presence of the Display on top of other applications. This permission is necessary for pop-up call windows, alarms and widgets.

It is also important to check the notification settings. MIUI has a separate (switch) to show notifications on the lock screen. If it is turned off, the application may work, but you will not see its activity. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management and make sure that all types of alerts are enabled for the desired program.

⚠️ Note: Display on top of other applications resolution can be used by malware. Only enable it for trusted programs from trusted sources.

Some specific tasks, such as recording calls or automating, may require access to phone and contacts. Without these basic permissions, the background service simply won't be able to perform its function and will be stopped by the security system.

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The comprehensive approach (autostart + battery + lock) gives a 100% guarantee of the application in the background on Xiaomi devices.

Specificity of work for different types of programs

Different categories of applications require a personalized approach, for example, for navigators, it is critical to allow the use of the "Always" geolocation, not only "When in use." Without this, the map will cease to update when the phone goes out.

For smartwatches and fitness bracelets (Mi Band, Amazfit), it's not just the lack of battery limitations that matters, but also the constant operation of Bluetooth in the background. If the system kills the synchronization process, you lose your pulse or step data, and in such cases, it often helps to turn on the developer mode and turn off Bluetooth optimization.

Streaming services and music players often suffer from the system’s perception of them as “heavy” processes, and a combination of all the techniques that help: autostart, no battery limitations, and memory locking helps, and it’s worth checking whether the app itself has a Traffic Saving mode that can block tracks from preloading.

• 🎵 Players: Require stable network access and storage.
• 🗺 Navigators: Require constant access to the GPS ("Always").
• ⌚ Trackers: require Bluetooth and synchronization.
• 💬 Messengers: Require Auto-Run Rights for Instant Messages.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)