Set up applications with the Xiaomi screen off

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter intrusive but useful for autonomy system MIUI or HyperOS. Aggressive battery optimization by default "sleeps" any processes as soon as the display goes out. This leads to the fact that messengers do not send notifications, the navigator stops plotting the route, and activity trackers lose data.

This behavior often annoys users who rely on the background software. However, the power saving in Xiaomi shells is set to maximize the life of the device without recharging. To make a particular application work fully even with a locked phone, you need to manually change several critical parameters.

This guide will help you adjust background activity, disable restrictions for specific programs and ensure the stable operation of important services. We will analyze the security settings, battery menus and special permissions that are hidden from the eyes of the average user.

The principles of background processes in MIUI and HyperOS

The MIUI shell is known for its strict control over running processes. Unlike pure Android, it uses an extra layer of control that forcibly completes tasks not marked as important. It analyzes resource consumption and, if the application is not active on the screen for more than a few minutes, it goes to sleep.

Background activity is limited not only to timers, but also to frequency checks. If you rarely open a certain program, the system will consider it a low priority. It's an effective mechanism for storing charge, but it is destructive to navigators, voice recorders or sleep tracking applications.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling all restrictions completely can lead to accelerated battery discharge.

Understanding how Xiaomi manages memory avoids an app crashing in the middle of a task, and seeks to free up RAM for heavily used interfaces by sacrificing background services.

Configure battery management for specific applications

The first and most important step is to change the power profile for the software you want, and the default is to save energy, which locks you when you turn off the screen, and you have to manually switch that setting.

To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Find the desired program (such as a navigator or messenger) in the list and click on Saving Charge. In the window that opens, select the No Limits option. This action removes the limits on background activity.

• 🔋 Open the settings of a specific application in the general list.
• ⚙️ Find the "Battery" or "Charge Savings" section".
• ✅ Set the switch to the "No Limits" position".
• 🔄 Restart the application to apply changes.

Once the profile is changed, the system will stop killing the process when the screen goes out, but this step alone may not be enough for some services that require a permanent connection to the server.

Activation of autostart and fixation in memory

Many users forget about AutoRun. If it is disabled, the app won't start on its own after the phone is restarted or forced to stop by the system, which is often the reason why trackers stop working after the night.

To enable this feature, open the Safety app (green zipper icon). In the menu, find the AutoStart item. In the list, find the desired application and activate the switch opposite it, which will give the program the right to start with the operating system.

It is also recommended to fix the application in RAM. Open the list of running applications (swipe from the bottom up and hold or menu button). Find the window of the desired program and pull it down until the lock icon appears. Now, when you clear the memory with the Crack button, this application will not close.

The combination of auto-start and memory fixing creates a solid foundation for stable operation, and the system will see that the user manually prioritized this software.

Use of "No Limits" in MIUI Optimization

Newer versions of Xiaomi’s shells have added additional battery protection layers that can ignore standard settings, including hidden menus and advanced optimizations available through developer menus or special codes.

Sometimes resetting MIUI Optimization optimization settings helps. To log into the developer menu, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7-10 times on the MIUI Version (or OS Version). Then, in the advanced settings, find the corresponding section.

There is also a command to force background activity to be turned on through ADB if standard methods don't work.This requires a computer connection, but gives you maximum control.

adb shell pm grant com.example.app android.permission.REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS

The use of the command line is relevant for advanced users, and in most cases, the standard interface settings described in the previous sections are sufficient.

Specificity of the work of navigators and trackers

Special attention is required for navigation applications such as Yandex.Navigator, Google Maps or 2GIS. They require not only the Internet, but also constant access to the GPS module. If the screen goes out and the GPS goes off, navigation will be lost.

In the settings of such applications, you must allow access to the geo-position in Always mode, not just "When in use"; this permission is in the access menu of a particular application, without this right, the navigator will be silent as soon as the phone is in your pocket.

• 📍 Allow access to the geo-location "Always".
• 🔒 Turn off traffic savings for the navigator.
• 📡 Make sure that accurate location search is enabled.
• 🚫 Do not use the "Flight" mode during navigation.

It's also worth checking whether Flight or power saving is enabled for the entire device, and some users accidentally activate global restrictions that override individual application settings.

⚠️ Attention: Continuing work GPS And the screen (if it doesn't go out) consumes a lot of charge. Make sure you have the ability to recharge the device on the way.

For running or cycling trackers, it is also important to turn off Smart Mode in the app itself, if any, as it may try to save resources by reducing the frequency of satellite surveys.

Table of comparison of energy saving regimes

To better understand which mode to choose for different tasks, check out the table below, which shows the impact of different settings on the performance of applications in the background.

And you can see from the table that, for messengers and navigators to work, you need a No Limits mode, and that's the only mode that guarantees no delays or forced stops.

Use Smart Mode only for rarely used applications that don’t require instant reactions, which will help maintain a balance between functionality and autonomy.

Addressing common problems and conflicts

Even after all the settings, there can be situations where the application still stops working, often caused by third-party memory cleaners or antiviruses installed on top of the system, which may have higher priorities than Xiaomi's system settings.

It’s also worth checking for updates to the application and system itself. Older versions of MIUI may have bugs that have been patched in security patches. If the problem persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling the application, setting up access rights immediately.

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If nothing works, try turning off adaptive brightness control. In some cases, the light sensor conflicts with the screen's sleep mode, prematurely blocking the processes.

Remember that some apps are poorly optimized to run in the background on Android, and in such cases, it is worth looking for alternative software with the best feedback about stability.

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Comprehensive setup (Battery + Auto Start + Fix) solves 95% of the problems with the background work of applications on Xiaomi.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)