Background apps on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are one of the main reasons for fast battery drain and interface slowdowns. Many users mistakenly believe that swiping an application in the multitasking menu is enough to completely close it. In fact, MIUI keeps most processes in the background to speed up re-start, which leads to increased power consumption.
In this article, we will discuss 5 Proven ways to really remove apps from the background – from standard tools MIUI You will learn which methods are safe for the system and which can lead to unpredictable notification and synchronization behavior (for example, in messengers or email clients). MIUI 12/13/14 and smartphones with a HyperOS shell.
Why Standard Application Closing Doesn't Work
When you swipe an app up from the recent task menu, MIUI actually swipes it back into the background, and it stores the process in memory so that it doesn't waste time rebooting the next time it starts, even for resource-intensive apps like Instagram, TikTok, or games.
The main reasons why background processes continue to work are:
- 🔋 Optimizing the battery: MIUI aggressively closes only those applications that are not in use for more than 12 hours (default setting).
- 🔔 Notifications: Messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and email clients remain active for instant messages.
- 📱 Autoboot: Some apps (such as Facebook or AliExpress) automatically start when you turn on your smartphone.
- 🔄 Synchronization: Google Drive, Mi Cloud are constantly sharing data in the background.
To check which apps are using resources, go to Settings → Battery → Battery Use. This shows the percentage of charge each app is using, including the background processes. If you see YouTube or Chrome using power even though you have closed them, they are still running in hidden mode.
⚠️ Warning: Completely disabling background processes for system applications (e.g. com.miui.home or com.android.phone) can lead to shell crash or loss of mobile connectivity!
Method 1: Manually Closing through the Multitasking Menu
The most obvious, but least effective, method, however, helps temporarily relieve RAM if the smartphone starts to slow down.
Instructions:
- Click on the “Recent Apps” button (square or swipe up late on Xiaomi without physical buttons).
- Find the application you want to close.
- Swipe it up (on MIUI 14) or click on the cross (on older versions).
- To close all applications, click on the cart icon (or “Clean All”).
This method does not guarantee complete closure – many applications (especially system ones) will automatically restart after a few minutes, but it is useful if you need to quickly free up memory before running a resource-intensive game or program.
Method 2: Disabling Auto-Run Applications
One of the most effective ways to prevent apps from running in the background is to stop them from running, which not only reduces battery consumption, but also speeds up the smartphone.
How to turn off autostart:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Select the app you want (like Facebook or AliExpress).
- Click on Auto Start and deactivate the switch.
- For mass shutdown, use Settings → Battery → Battery Management → Application selection (not available on all models).
Once you turn off auto-start, the app won't start on its own when you turn on your smartphone or connect to the Internet.
- 📱 Messengers (WhatsApp, Viber) will stop showing notifications about new messages until you manually open them.
- 🔄 Sync apps (like Google Photos) won’t download files in the background.
- 🎵 Music services (Spotify, Yandex Music) will not be able to play tracks when the screen is blocked.
Check the list of applications for system services
Save important data (for example, chats in messengers)
Make sure notifications are manually disabled for unnecessary apps
Reboot your smartphone after a mass shutdown-->
⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro) after disabling autorun for Google Play Services, push notifications may stop working and can only be restored by resetting the app settings.
Method 3: Limit background activity through battery settings
MIUI offers a built-in tool to limit background activity, Battery Management, where you can manually configure which applications are allowed to run in the background and which are not.
Step-by-step:
- Open the settings → Battery → Battery management.
- Select App Select Mode (or Battery Optimization on HyperOS).
- Click on the application for which you want to limit the background work.
- Select the option “Limit background activity” or “No restrictions” → “Limited”.
Let’s see what the main regimes mean:
| Regime. | Description | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| No restrictions. | The application can work in the background without restrictions, receive notifications and synchronize data. | Messengers, email clients, navigators. |
| Limited. | Background activity is kept to a minimum. The app won't update data until you open it. | Social media, games, rarely used utilities. |
| Strictly limited. | The app can't work in the background at all. There may be notification issues. | Advertising applications, unnecessary services. |
On HyperOS (newer models like Xiaomi 14 or Redmi K70), this section may be called Battery and Performance. The algorithm remains the same, but the interface has changed a little.
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If after limiting background activity, notifications from the banking application have stopped coming, add it to the list "Without restrictions" and restart the smartphone.
Method 4: Use of the "Distractless" (DND) mode
MIUI's Do Not Disturb not only disables notifications, but also suspends background activity for most applications, a temporary solution that is useful at night or when you need to save charge.
How to activate:
- Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Do not disturb.
- Turn on the "Enable Now" switch or set a schedule (for example, from 23:00 to 7:00).
- In the Rules section, select "Stop background processes."
- Add exceptions for important applications (calls, alarm clocks).
In this mode:
- ⏸️ Data synchronization for most applications is suspended.
- 📵 Background updates are disabled (for example, downloading new episodes to YouTube).
- 🔋 Battery consumption is reduced by 15-30% (based on tests on the Redmi Note 12 Pro)+).
⚠️ Attention: In mode DND Geolocation services (e.g. Google Maps or Yandex.Navigator) may not work in the background. If you use navigation while traveling, add the application to the exceptions.
Method 5: Advanced Methods for Power Users (ADB and Greenify)
If standard methods don’t work, you can use advanced tools that give you more control over the background processes, which require technical knowledge and can lead to unstable smartphone performance.
Method 1: Disconnection through ADB
With the help of ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands, you can completely block background activity for specific applications, which works even for system processes that cannot be disabled through the interface.
Instructions:
- Enable USB debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional settings → For developers → Debugging over USB.
- Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell cmd appops set <package> RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny For example, for Facebook: adb shell cmd appops set com.facebook.katana RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND deny
- Reset the device.
Method 2: Greenify Appendix
Greenify is a utility for freezing background processes, and it doesn't remove applications, it puts them into sleep mode until you manually open them.
How to use:
- Install Greenify from Google Play (root rights required for full functionality).
- Give the application special access rights in the battery settings.
- Add unnecessary apps to the list and activate "Hibernation".
What happens if you turn off background processes for system applications?
How to Check if Applications Are Actually Closed
To make sure background processes are no longer active, use built-in MIUI tools or third-party utilities.
Method 1: Through Task Manager
Some models (POCO F4, Xiaomi 12T) have a hidden task manager:
- Hold the “Recent Apps” button (square) for 2-3 seconds.
- In the menu that appears, select Task Manager.
- Check the list of active processes. Closed applications should not be displayed here.
Method 2: Through the Developer Settings
Activate Developer Mode (as described above) and go to Settings → Additional Settings → Developer → Processes. This displays all active processes, including hidden system processes.
Method 3: Third-party utilities
Applications like CPU Monitor or Battery Guru show detailed statistics on the CPU and battery usage of each application, and if a program is still consuming resources after closing, it keeps running in the background.
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Even after the complete closure, some system applications (e.g. com.miui.home or com.android.phone) will be activated periodically.This is normal MIUI behavior, and it is not recommended to turn them off.