Background applications on Xiaomi: which can be turned off without risk to the system

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, POCO and Mi line) are known for their performance, but over time even they begin to “slow down” due to the abundance of background processes. Many users wonder: what applications can be safely turned off to save battery power and free up RAM without disrupting the stability of the system?

In this article, we will discuss which system and third-party services can be deactivated without consequences, and which are strictly not recommended to touch, and learn how to properly disable background processes on different versions of MIUI (12 to 14) and what to do if problems arise after a shutdown, especially focusing on hidden services of Google and Xiaomi, which often go unnoticed but consume resources.

Why background apps are eating up smartphone resources

Background processes are programs that continue to work even after their interface is closed, and they perform tasks ranging from synchronizing data to tracking location, and Xiaomi has a lot of them because of:

• 🔄 Sync with Mi Account (cloud backups, contacts, notes).
• 📍 Geolocation services (weather, maps, advertising systems).
• 📱 Pre-installed applications (Mi Browser, Mi Video, GetApps, etc.).
• 🤖 Google Services (unless disabled in settings).

According to tests, on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with MIUI 14, background processes can consume up to 15-20% of battery power per day, even if the phone is not actively used, while some applications (such as Mi Security or Google Play Services) cannot be completely killed by standard means – they are restarted by the system.

What background applications can be turned off without risk

Not all background processes are equally useful. Below is a list of apps that can be safely disabled or restricted on most Xiaomi devices:

You can also turn off background activity for most social networks (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) if you do not use their push notifications.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate app (such as Facebook).
3. Press Battery → Background Activity and select Limit.

💡

If after disabling background activity, the application stopped updating notifications, check the autorun settings in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun.

What System Processes Cannot Be Touched

Some background services are critical to the stable operation of MIUI, and their disabling may result in:

• 🔴 Loss of mobile network (if you disable com.android.phone).
• 🔴 Time synchronization errors (if you stop com.android.server.telecom).
• 🔴 Problems with TouchID/FaceID (If you deactivate com.xiaomi.biometric).
• 🔴 Failing notifications (if you stop com.android.systemui).

⚠️ Warning: If you see processes in Task Manager called android., media. or xiaomi.*, don’t manually disable them. These services manage basic system functions, and forced shutdowns can cause cyclical reboots or data loss.

It is especially dangerous to turn off:

• 🛡️ com.miui.securitycenter – Security Center MIUI (Responsible for Permits and Antivirus).
• 📶 com.android.providers.telephony - management SIM-maps and mobile Internet.
• 🔄 com.xiaomi.finddevice – Device search service (if you turn off, you can’t find your phone if you lose it).

How to turn off background processes on different versions of MIUI

The way you manage background applications varies depending on the firmware version, and the instructions for MIUI 12, 13 and 14 are as follows:

MIUI 12 and 13

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management

2. Select Application Selection and set Restricted mode for unnecessary programs.

3. To completely disable background activity, go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Select the application] → Battery → Background activity → Limit.

MIUI 14

In the latest version, the interface has changed:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Autorun.

2. disable auto-start for unnecessary applications.

3. To limit the background, open Settings → Battery → Battery Mode and select Energy Saving for individual applications.

Make a backup copy of important data|Check the list of critical system processes|Turn off sync for unnecessary accounts|Reboot your phone after the changes-->

Google and Xiaomi’s Hidden Services That Eat Battery

Even if you disable all visible applications, some hidden services continue to work. They can be detected through Settings → Apps → Show all applications (three dots at the top) → Show system.

The most “glutty” hidden processes:

• 🔍 Google Play Services is responsible for notifications, geolocation and sync. It is not recommended to turn off, but you can limit background activity.
• 📡 MiuiDaemon – Update Service MIUI. You can turn it off if you do not want to receive notifications about new firmware versions.
• 📊 AnalyticsCore — Collecting usage statistics. Safely shuts down without consequences.
• 🎯 XiaomiAdService is an advertising service responsible for displaying banners in system applications.

To disable these services:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots at the top and select Show System.
3. Find the process you want (such as AnalyticsCore) and click Stop (or Disable if available).

⚠️ Note: Some hidden services (e.g., com.xiaomi.mipicks) may automatically turn on after a reboot. To avoid this, use apps like Greenify or Brevent (root rights required).

What to do if there are problems after disconnection

If after deactivation of background processes, the phone began to overheat, discharge faster or issue errors, follow the following steps:

1. Check the error log: go to Settings → About Phone → Error log (or use the Logcat app for advanced users).
2. Reset your default settings: If the problem is serious, reset your application settings to Settings → System → Resetting → Reset all settings (the data will not be deleted).
3. Update your firmware: sometimes background process bugs are fixed in new versions of MIUI. Check for updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update.

If the problem is not resolved, try turning back the last services disabled one at a time to identify the culprit, for example, if notifications stopped working after com.xiaomi.mipicks turned off, then this process is associated with system alerts.

💡

Before you massively shut down background processes, always check their purpose online or through apps like App Inspector. Some services may have non-obvious features (e.g., for example, for the purpose of the process, com.xiaomi.mi_connect_service Responsible for connecting to Xiaomi smart devices).

Additional ways to optimize the work of Xiaomi

Turning off background processes isn't the only way to improve performance, but here are some other effective methods:

• ⚡ Activate the performance mode: in Settings → Battery → Battery mode select Performance (increases CPU clock speed).
• 🧹 Clean the cache regularly: use the built-in Cleanup utility (Security) → Cleaner) or applications such as CCleaner.
• 🔄 Turn off automatic synchronization: go to Settings → Accounts. → Synchronize and deactivate unnecessary options.
• 📵 Limit background data transfer: in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Transfer of data → Background transmission disable it for individual applications.

For advanced users, there's another way to turn off animations, which makes the interface work faster.

1. Activate Developer Mode (click 7 times on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Set the scale of the animation window, the scale of the animation transition and the duration of the animator on the off..

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling background apps