How to Close Open Apps on Xiaomi TV: All Methods

Xiaomi TVs on Android TV or proprietary MIUI TV are often faced with the problem of “hang” applications. Unlike smartphones, where swipe up is enough, on TV set-top boxes and smart TVs, the process of closing background programs is nuanced. Mistakes can lead to a slowdown due to overloaded RAM or even spontaneous reboots of the device.

In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to close applications on Xiaomi Mi TV 4/5 Pro, Redmi Smart TV X, Mi TV Q1/Q2 and Mi Box S/4K. We will pay special attention to the differences between PatchWall firmware versions (for India) and global builds. You will also learn which applications can not be closed forcibly so as not to disrupt the system.

Why apps don’t close in the standard way

On Xiaomi smartphones, a multitasking menu is used to close applications (button «□» It's not available on TVs for three reasons:

• 🎮 No touch screen: the interface is optimized for the remote control, where gestures are not implemented.
• 🖥️ Android's Limitations TV: Google has removed multitasking from the TV-OS version to simplify navigation.
• 🔄 Background optimization MIUI TV: The system manages the memory itself, but sometimes forgets to close heavy apps (for example, Netflix or YouTube).

Moreover, Xiaomi TVs run a Low Memory Killer (LMK) mechanism that should in theory automatically free up memory, but in practice it often works with a delay, especially if the application uses WebView (as in Disney+ or bank clients), as a result, users face lags when switching channels or launching new programs.

Method 1: Closing through the Recent Apps menu (for MIUI TV)

This method works on MIUI TVs (such as Mi TV 5 Pro or Redmi Smart TV X55) and retains a simplified analogue of multitasking:

1. Press the Home button on the remote to open the main screen.
2. Scroll down to the “Recent Apps” section (or Recent Apps in English).
3. Select the unnecessary application using the buttons ↑/↓ on the remote.
4. Press and hold the button. OK (or Select) 2-3 seconds until the cross appears ✕.
5. Confirm the closure by selecting Close.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g. PatchWall 3.0 for the Indian market) may not have a "Recent" section.

Method 2: Forced Stopping through Settings

If the app is frozen and does not respond to remote commands, it can be stopped through system settings. This method is universal for all Xiaomi models, including the Mi Box:

1. Open the Settings (button with a gear on the remote).
2. Go to the Appendix section → Application management.
3. In the list, find the app you want (such as Prime Video or Kodi).
4. Select the option “Force Stop”.
5. Confirm the action by pressing OK.

🔹 Important: Some system applications (e.g. com.miui.tvlauncher or com.google.android.tvlauncher) cannot be stopped, the button will be inactive.

Method 3: Use ADB-Teams (for experienced users)

If standard methods don’t work (for example, the Twitch app continues to work in the background), you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires a PC and enabled USB debugging on the TV.

📌 Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your TV: go to Settings → About TV and click on “Build Number” 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect the TV to the PC via USB-cable (for Mi Box, use the Micro-USB port).
4. Open the command line on the PC and type:

adb devices

(The device should appear in the list)

adb shell am force-stop com.package.name

(Replace com.package.name with an app identifier, such as com.netflix.ninja for Netflix).

💡 How to find out the name of the package?

• 🔍 Use the adb shell pm list packages command to output all installed applications.
• 📱 On your smartphone, install App Inspector (available on Google Play) and scan QR-TV-screen.

Method 4: Reboot the TV (extreme case)

If the app is completely frozen (for example, Disney+ shows a black screen) and other methods do not work, then only a reboot remains.

• 🔄 Soft reboot: Press the Power button on the remote for 5 seconds → select "Reset».
• ⚡ Hard reset: turn off power from the socket for 30 seconds (not recommended for the Mi Box due to the risk of file system damage).
• 🔌 Through Settings: Settings → The device → Reboot.

⚠️ Attention: Frequent hard resets (fork pulling) can damage the eMMC drive on budget models (Redmi Smart). TV A Series. Use this method no more than 1 time per month.

💡

If the TV doesn’t respond to the remote, try connecting the keyboard via Bluetooth and using the Ctrl+Alt+Del combination (on some firmware it works as a reboot).

Method 5: Automatic Memory Cleanup (MIUI TV setup)

MIUI TV 3.0 and later has a hidden automatic RAM cleaning feature to activate it:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Special Opportunities.
2. Find the option “Memory Optimization” (or Memory Optimization).
3. Turn on the switch and set a threshold (70 percent is recommended).
4. Save the settings and restart the TV.

After that, the system will automatically close the background applications when there is less than 30% of free memory left, a feature especially useful for models with 2 GB of RAM (Redmi Smart TV X43), where every megabyte counts.

💡

Automatic memory optimization can conflict with applications that use Background Services (such as Spotify or VLC), in which case add them to the exceptions in the optimization settings.

What to do if the applications open themselves

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where closed applications (for example, YouTube Kids or Mi Home) run independently.

🔧 Additional tip: If the problem persists, reset your TV settings to factory settings (Settings) → The device → Reset the data. Pre-write down the list of installed applications, after the reset, they will have to be reinstalled.

FAQ: Frequent questions about closing apps on Xiaomi TV