How to remove the application lock on Xiaomi Redmi

Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often face a situation where installed programs stop working in the background or do not start at all. This is not a failure, but the result of aggressive optimization of the MIUI system, which seeks to maintain battery power by forcibly closing active processes. The user sees a notification that the application is blocked or limited, which prevents receiving notifications in messengers or tracking geolocation.

Not everyone can understand the complicated security menus, because the energy saving settings are scattered across different sections. In this article, we will look at all the ways of blocking, from simple menu switches to advanced methods through the engineering menu, you will learn how to configure the software so that the system does not interfere with their functioning without your will.

There are several levels of limitations, from the banal lock screen to system bans on installation from unknown sources. Android in the shell of HyperOS or MIUI has a multi-layered protection, which sometimes needs to be bypassed for the proper operation of specific software. Let's look at the basic methods of solving the problem.

Diagnostics of the causes of blocking

Before you take any drastic measures, you need to understand what exactly is interfering with the program, most often the culprit is the built-in antivirus or battery optimization module, the system scans the running processes, and if the application consumes a lot of resources or runs in the background for too long, it freezes it.

The blocking may also be caused by parental controls settings or restrictions on children if the device has previously been used by family members with such profiles, in some cases the user accidentally activates "Sleep Mode" or "Unlimited Internet", which have their own traffic priorities.

• 🔍 Check notifications: often the system writes right in the curtain that the application is suspended.
• 🔋 Go to the battery statistics: if the application is listed in the list “Completed”, then it killed the optimization.
• 🔒 Note the lock icon: it may indicate locking through third-party launchers or security profiles.

It's important to distinguish between a software lock and a hardware lock and a network lock, and if an application doesn't open only when you're using the mobile Internet, it's possible that the carrier is blocking some traffic, and that's where the phone's settings won't help, but 90 percent of the time, the problem is that it's the logic of MIUI.

Set up auto-start and work in the background

The most effective way to remove the lock is to manually allow the application to run in the background. By default, Xiaomi prohibits autorun for all programs except system ones to save resources. You need to find the desired program in the list and activate the corresponding switches.

To do this, go to Settings, then select the App and find Auto Run. This shows a list of all the programs installed. Find the application you need and put the switch into active position. This is the first step to undoing the restrictions.

Next, you need to configure a specific application individually. Press the program icon on your desktop or go through Settings → Applications → All applications. Choose the right software and click on Battery (or Energy Saving). Set a value Without limits. This is a critical parameter that prevents the system from "sleeping" the process.

⚠️ Warning: Setting “No Limits” mode can lead to increased battery consumption if the application is actively using GPS background-wise.

Also worth checking permissions. In the same app settings menu, find the Permissions section. Make sure the program is allowed to display over other windows and start when the system starts. Without these rights, many utilities will be locked immediately after the screen is turned off.

Using Developer Mode to Remove Restrictions

To get a deeper setup, you can use the hidden developer menu, which allows you to control the behavior of the system at a lower level, to activate this mode, you need to quickly click 7 times on the build number in the About Phone section, and after you see the "You became a developer" sign, a new item will appear in the settings menu.

In the Developer Menu, we're interested in the background process section, and look for the background process limit option and make sure that the value is "Standard Limit" or "No Limits." If there's a hard limit (e.g., "No More than 1 Process"), then all the extra applications will be forced to close.

Another useful option for advanced users is to disable MIUI optimization, which is at the bottom of the developer menu, and you may need to press the switch several times to see it, and disabling this feature makes Android behavior more standard, removing aggressive application closure algorithms.

Disabling the ad blocker and traffic filter

The MIUI shell has a powerful security tool that includes an ad blocker that sometimes works too aggressively and blocks not only banners but also functional elements of apps, which is often the case with news aggregators or gaming launchers.

To check this, open the Security app (green zipper icon) scroll down to the Ad Block section. Here you can see the statistics of blocked items. If you notice that the desired application has been blocked, add it to the exceptions or completely disable the function for verification.

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Periodically clean the cache of the application "Security", as the accumulated data can cause errors in the operation of filters and false blocking of legitimate software.

It’s also worth checking your DNS settings. If you have a private DNS (like AdGuard), it can block the connection for certain applications. Go to Settings → Connection & Sharing → Private DNS and try temporarily disabling it or switching it to Auto mode.

In some cases, it helps to clean up the data of the service Google Play Protect, which can mark applications downloaded from an off-site store as malicious and block their launch. Go to the settings of the Google Play Store app, select Storage and click Clear Data.

Removal of Parental Control Restrictions

If a child's profile is activated or Family Link is installed on a device, blocking apps is a regular feature, which can only be removed by knowing the password from the parent's account or having access to the control device, and attempts to circumvent this by software methods on modern versions of Android are almost impossible without resetting.

Check if Do Not Distract or Focus is enabled, and these features can hide app icons or block them from running at certain times of the day, and you can see what time limits are set for specific programs.

• 👨‍👩‍👧 Check your Google account: Make sure you’re not logged into a profile marked as a child’s account.
• ⏰ Check the schedule: it may be worth a timer "Sleep Time" blocking all applications.
• 🔐 Password reset: If you forget the pin code from parental control, you will have to reset your phone settings.

⚠️ Warning: Full Hard Reset will remove all data from your phone, including photos and contacts. Use this method only if other methods have not helped and you have backed up.

To remove restrictions through Family Link, you need to open the application on the parent's phone, select the child's device and in the "App Restrictions" section, unblock or increase the time limit. You can not change these settings locally on the child's phone without an administrator password.

Specific locks in games and Game Turbo

The Game Turbo mode is designed to improve performance, but often blocks pop-up notifications, calls, and even second account activity in the background so you don't interrupt gameplay. If you don't have a discord or navigator while you're playing, the problem is here.

Log in to the Security app and find Game Turbo. Click on the settings icon (cogs). Here you can configure the behavior of the system during the game. Disable notification blocking or add the desired applications to the exception list so that they work on top of the game.

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Game Turbo can completely block access to the network for background applications, considering them distracting factors, so setting this mode is critical for gamers.

And there's also a feature called "Apps on behalf," which can intercept the microphone or keyboard, which looks like a block on standard input, and if you're faced with a keyboard not popping up in the game, check these settings.

For some heavy games, the system can automatically turn on power saving mode, reducing the CPU frequency. Make sure that the battery settings for gaming applications select Performance mode, not "Saving energy." This will remove software "brakes" and frame constraints.

Frequent Questions and Answers (FAQ)