How to enable VC pop-up notifications on Xiaomi: 7 proven ways

VKontakte pop-up notifications on Xiaomi smartphones often become a headache for users: they disappear for no reason, then come with a delay, then they do not show at all on the lock screen. The problem lies not in the messenger itself, but in the features of the MIUI shell, which aggressively optimizes the background work of applications. In this article, we will analyze all possible reasons - from basic VK settings to hidden Xiaomi parameters, which the manufacturer does not advertise.

It's important to understand that MIUI 14 and later automatically restricts application activity if you don't use it very often, and that VKontakte is considered a "power-intensive" service and blocks push notifications to save battery life, and we'll show you how to get around these limitations on Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 13 and other devices, including budget series with 4/64 GB of memory.

If you've tried to turn on notifications through VC settings, but nothing has changed, don't rush to reinstall the application. 90% of the time, the problem is solved by adjusting autostart resolution, battery optimization, and MIUI access rights. Let's start with the simplest and move on to advanced methods.

1. Check the basic settings of VK notifications

Before digging into Xiaomi’s system settings, make sure notifications are turned on directly in the VK app itself. Often users turn them off accidentally or reset settings after updating the messenger.

Open the VKontakte app and follow the following steps:

• 📱 Go to the Profile section → Settings (cogs) → Notifications.
• 🔔 Turn on the "Show Notifications" slider (if it's gray, tap it on it).
• 💬 Make sure the options are active: 📬 "Messages” (pop-ups for new messages) 👥 "Mentions and answers" (reactions to your comments) 🎂 "Birthdays” (optional)
• 🔊 Check if the tick is opposite "Sound Only" - this turns off pop-up banners.

If it's all on, but the notifications still don't come, the problem is the MIUI settings. Let's move on to the next step.

2. Set up auto-start and background activity for VC

MIUI blocks notifications for applications that are not allowed to autorun, which is one of the key reasons why VK stops showing pop-ups.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find VKontakte in the list (use search if there are many applications).
3. Slip on Auto Start and turn on the slider.
4. Go back and select "Permissions" → Make sure it's on: 📱 "Display over other windows” (for pop-up notifications) 🔋 "Ignore battery optimization (critically important!)

After these manipulations, restart your smartphone. If notifications do not appear, check the permissions for MIUI Security (for more on this in the next section).

Auto-start enabled in settings MIUI|Allows "Show over other windows" to be active|Battery optimization disabled for VC|Appendix added to "Secure Applications"-->

3. Adding VKontakte to "Secure Applications"

The Protected Applications feature in MIUI prevents the system from shutting down services, and without it, VK can fall asleep 5-10 minutes after folding, stopping receiving push notifications.

To add VK to the protected list:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption Management.
2. Select "Secure Applications" (some firmwares call this "Applications Without Restrictions").
3. Slip on "Add applications" and mark Vkontakte.
4. Set the switch to Always (not Only when connected to Wi-Fi).

This is especially important for smartphone owners with 4GB of RAM or less, where MIUI aggressively cleans the background processes, and when added to secure apps, notifications will start to arrive even with prolonged downtime.

4. Disable battery optimization for VC manually

Even if you add VK to your secure apps, MIUI can continue to optimize it through an integrated power saving mechanism to completely disable the restrictions:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Optimization.
2. In the upper right corner, tap the three-point menu and select "All Apps."
3. Find VKontakte in the list and set the value for it "Without restrictions".
4. Save the changes and restart the device.

For POCO models (like the POCO X5 Pro), the path may be slightly different: Settings → Battery → Battery settings → Application Optimization → Turn off VC optimization.

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If you don't get notifications after that, check if you have Ultra-Economic mode in your battery settings, which blocks background activity of all applications except system ones.

5. Reset notification settings and VKontakte cache

Sometimes the cause of the problem is corrupted cache data or conflicting notification settings.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → VKontakte.
2. Select "Storage" and click "Clear Cache" (not data!).
3. Return to the main menu of the application and tap "Notifications".
4. Turn off all the switches, save the changes, then turn them back on.

If that doesn’t work, try removing app updates (if it’s preinstalled): Settings → Apps → VK → Three dots in the corner → Remove updates.

Then update the VK through Google Play.

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Cache reset does not delete your messages or account details, but may require re-entering your login/password in some cases.

6. Checking MIUI Security settings and permissions

The MIUI Security app can block notifications if VKontakte does not have all the necessary permissions.

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the "Autostart" or "Autostart Management" section.
3. Make sure that VKontakte is included: 🔄 "Auto-start" 📲 "Secondary launch” (for background synchronization) 🔗 "Association with other applications"

security

"Permissions"

"Notifications"

VC

Some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global) may have these settings hidden, so use the developer mode to force notifications to turn on (more on this in the next section).

7. Advanced methods: the developer mode and ADB-team

If the standard methods didn’t work, there are two radical methods: enabling debugging over USB and manually configuring through ADB. This is true for Xiaomi users with custom firmware or stripped down versions of MIUI (for example, for Europe).

First, turn on the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You are a developer!” appears.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Enable "Debugging by USB" and "Do not turn off the screen while charging" (optional).

Now connect the smartphone to the PC and perform ADB-command to force notifications:

adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.vkontakte.android

This command adds VKontakte to the whitelist of apps that MIUI won't optimize. Once executed, restart the device.

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If you don't have a PC for ADB, Use the Termux app from Google Play. Install it, type in the pkg install android-tools command, then run the same. ADB-team directly from the smartphone.

Comparison of VC Notification Recovery Methods on Xiaomi

Critically, if you use Xiaomi with China ROM, some menu items may be called differently or missing, in which case we recommend you install Global ROM or use Google Play Services for stable notifications.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

⚠️ Note: Do not disable the com.miui.securitycenter system application (MIUI Security through ADB This will result in a complete loss of notifications for all applications, including calls and SMS.

Many users make these mistakes when setting up notifications:

• 🚫 Deleting the Google Play Services cache will reset all push notifications, including VC.
• 🔕 Disabling "Background data" for VKontakte in traffic settings.
• 🔄 Using a “Battery Optimizer” from third-party developers (e.g. Greenify).
• 📵 Enabling Do Not Disturb mode without exceptions for VC.

If after all the manipulations, the notifications do not appear, check:

• 📶 Internet connection stability (push notifications require active connection).
• 🔄 Version of the VK app (update to the latest in Google Play).
• 📱 Root rights (they may conflict with work) MIUI Security).

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If the problem has occurred after the MIUI update, try rolling back on the previous firmware version or wait for a patch from Xiaomi (usually released within 1-2 weeks).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions