How to Make an App Work in the Background on Xiaomi: A Complete 2026 Guide

Global smartphone makers are struggling for energy efficiency, but sometimes this struggle turns into a headache for users. MIUI Not hearsay know how suddenly stop coming notifications from Telegram, music in Spotify when you lock the screen or loses contact with the fitness tracker. It’s all about aggressive optimization of background processes, which by default limits the operation of applications for the sake of saving battery power.

The problem is compounded by the fact that MIUI It hides key settings behind multiple menu layers, and after system updates, they can migrate or disappear. MIUI 14/15 And we tried to get any application to run in the background without restarting all the time. 12 Xiaomi 14 Ultra, so the instructions are guaranteed to work today.

Not to confuse background work with autostart when you turn on your phone, there are different mechanisms: the first is responsible for completing tasks when the application is folded, and the second is responsible for automatically starting after you restart the device. In this article, we will focus on the background, but we will also touch on the adjacent settings on which stability depends.

Why Xiaomi is blocking the background of applications?

The reason lies in architecture. MIUI, It's designed to be a system that's designed to be maximizing battery life:

• 🔋 Adaptive battery – analyzes user habits and limits background processes for rarely used applications.
• ⚡ Deep Optimization – Forced to “freeze” applications through 3–5 minutes after the curtailment (actively on budget models) Redmi/Poco).
• 🛡️ Privacy Protection – blocks access to geolocation, microphone and other sensors in the background (on by default for new applications).
• 📵 Mobile Traffic Restriction – Interrupts Background Synchronization if Data Savings are enabled.

In practice, this means that even popular messengers like WhatsApp or Viber can lose connection to the server 10-15 minutes after leaving the background, and health monitoring applications (such as Google Fit or Mi Fitness) stop recording steps if the screen is locked for more than 5 minutes.

It is interesting that on the flagship models (Xiaomi). 13T Pro, Mix Fold 3) some of the restrictions are relaxed, but even there they are present. MIUI Lite (e.g. Redmi) A2) background work is generally disabled for all applications except system.

⚠️ Warning: After resetting to factory, all permissions for background work are reset. When you transfer data via Mi Mover or Google Backup, the battery optimization settings are not saved - they will have to be reconfigured.

Method 1: Disabling adaptive battery optimization

This is a basic setup that is worth checking first, and it is responsible for automatically limiting background processes based on usage analysis.

Instructions for MIUI 14/15:

1. Open the Settings. → Battery.
2. Put it on the badge. ⚙️ (gear) in the upper right corner.
3. Choose Battery Optimization (on some firmware – Smart Optimization).
4. In the list of applications, find the desired one and select Without restrictions.

If your app isn't on the list, it's not optimized yet, so you can force it to add it.

1. In the same menu, Battery Optimization tap on three points (⋮) → Add annexes.
2. Select the necessary applications and confirm the choice.

Is Battery Savings mode off in the notification curtain?

Is "Flight Mode" on in the settings? SIM-map

Is background traffic allowed for the application (see Method 3)

Is the clock on the phone synchronized (wrong time knocks down background tasks)-->

On devices with MIUI 12 and older path may differ: Settings → Battery and productivity → Battery management → Selection of applications. If you have an old firmware version, update it through Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system.

⚠️ Caution: Disabling optimization for all applications in a row will lead to an increase in battery consumption by 15-20.

Method 2: Allowing Auto Start and Background Activity

Even if you have disabled battery optimization, the app may not be able to automatically start after the phone has restarted or to perform background activity (such as data synchronization).

How to turn on:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (e.g. Telegram or Yandex Go).
3. Slip on the Permits. → Autostart and switch on the switch.
4. Go back and select Background Activity (or Additional) → Background work on some firmware).
5. Activate the option to Allow background activity.

Nana MIUI 15 for Xiaomi 14 and the newer way is a little different:

Settings → Applications → Permissions → Autostart (tab)


Settings → Applications → [Select App] → Battery → Background Activity

After activating these options, the application will be able to:

• 📱 Start automatically after restarting the phone.
• 🔄 Synchronize data in the background (e.g., email or cloud services).
• 🔔 Get push notifications even when the screen is locked.

Telegram

WhatsApp

Spotify/Yandex Music

Google Fit/Mi Fitness

Other-->

If you turn on these options, the app still doesn't work in the background, check if it's added to the blacklist for energy saving.

1. Open Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization
2. Scroll down the list and click the Applications in the blacklist.
3. Make sure your app isn't there. If you have one, remove it from the list.

Method 3: Setup background data traffic

Many users forget that MIUI The default limits background traffic for mobile data and Wi-Fi, meaning the app won’t be able to sync or update content if the screen is off.

How to allow background traffic:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Data Use.
2. Select the Use of Data by Applications.
3. Find the right application in the list and tap on it.
4. Turn on switches: Background data (for mobile Internet), Wi-Fi background data (if connected to the network).

For applications that actively use geolocation (for example, Yandex.Maps or Uber), you also need to:

1. Go to Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → Geolocation.
2. Select the application and set the permission Always (not only during use!).

💡

If after turning on background traffic, the application still does not sync, try temporarily disabling. VPN Some services (e.g. banking applications) block background activity when active VPN.

On two-device devices. SIM-cards (Dual) SIM) Background traffic can only work through the main traffic SIM. To change priority:

1. Open the Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
2. Select the mobile internet settings.
3. Set Priority. SIM for data on the one used for background synchronization.

Method 4: Using "No Limits" in Battery Settings

If previous methods have not worked, it is time to use the "No Limits" mode, which completely disables all optimizations for the selected application, but can significantly increase battery consumption.

How to turn on:

1. Go to Settings. → Battery.
2. Tap on. ⚙️ (gear) → Optimizing the battery.
3. Find the app in the list and select No Limits.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

For other applications (social networks, games, utilities), it is better to use Intelligent Optimization - this is enough for stable operation without unnecessary battery consumption.

Method 5: Fixing the application in multitasking (for MIUI 14/15)

If the application is constantly "flying" out of memory, it can be fixed in the multitasking panel, which will prevent the system from automatically cleaning the RAM.

How to record:

1. Open the application that you want to leave in the background.
2. Turn it down (home button or gesture).
3. Open the multitasking panel (swipe up with a delay).
4. Find the app card and make a long tap on it.
5. In the menu that appears, select Secure (pin icon) 📌).

After fixing:

• 🔒 The application will not be closed when cleaning the RAM (even if you click "Close all").
• 🔄 It will continue to work in the background until you manually unlock it.
• ⚠️ Fixed apps take up RAM all the time, which can slow down the phone with a large number of pins".

Limitations of the method:

• 📵 Does not work for system applications (such as Settings or Phone).
• 🔄 After restarting the phone, the fixation is reset.
• 🚫 On some firmware (e.g, MIUI 12.5 for Redmi 9) this function is not.

💡

Fixing in multitasking is a temporary solution. For constant background work, be sure to combine this method with battery settings (Methods 1-4).

Additional methods for experienced users

If standard settings don’t work, you can use hidden features or third-party tools, which require caution and are only suitable for advanced users.

1. Teams ADB limit-free

Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) You can manually disable optimization for a particular application:

1. Install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Turn on the debugging. USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap → Developer mode → Debugging by USB).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command:

adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.example.app

Replace com.example.app with a real application package (e.g. org.telegram.messenger for Telegram).

2 Automation via Tasker or MacroDroid

Applications like Tasker or MacroDroid can mimic user activity so that the system doesn't shut down background processes. MacroDroid macro example:

• 📱 Trigger: "Application is running" (select the desired one).
• ⚙️ Action: Send a Notice (Text: "Keep alive").
• 🔄 Restriction: Repeat every 10 minutes.

This will cause the system to consider the application “active” even if it is folded.

3. Firmware with optimisation disabled

Forums XDA Developers have modified firmware MIUI with the background optimization disabled (for example, MIUI EU Their installation requires unlocking the bootloader and may deprive the warranty.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Or custom firmware can lead to data loss, blocking of Mi Account or disruption of services (for example, Google Pay will stop working on uncertified firmware). → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after all the settings, some applications can be unstable, so let's look at the typical scenarios and how to fix them.

If the problem persists, try:

1. Clear the app cache (Settings → Apps → [Application] → Clear the cache).
2. Remove and reinstall the application (sometimes the settings are confused after updates).
3. Check if the notifications are blocked by an antivirus (e.g. Avast or 360 Security).

On devices with MIUI 15 and HyperOS (new firmware for Xiaomi 14) are some of the problems that are solved automatically thanks to an improved memory management algorithm.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions