What applications on Xiaomi should work in the background: optimization without loss

Background applications on Xiaomi smartphones are the most controversial topic among users. On the one hand, aggressive battery optimization in MIUI allows you to extend battery life, but on the other hand, often leads to missed notifications, incorrect messengers and system failures. In this article, we will discuss in detail which applications must work in the background, how to set them up correctly, and why some restrictions can harm even system processes.

Compounding the problem, Xiaomi regularly updates its power saving algorithms, and users are faced with a situation where push notifications stop coming after the MIUI update or data synchronization is turned off. We analyzed official recommendations, user reviews and technical nuances to compile an up-to-date list of applications that need to allow background activity to work properly.

Why Xiaomi is blocking the background of applications?

Aggressive battery optimization in MIUI is not just a whim of developers, but a forced measure.The fact that the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (and other chipsets used in Xiaomi smartphones) consumes a significant amount of energy in the background of applications. According to AnandTech tests, even a small background load can reduce battery life by 15-25%, so Xiaomi engineers have implemented a multi-level system for energy management:

• 🔋 Adaptive Battery Optimization – Analyzes user habits and limits background activity of rarely used applications.
• ⚡ Ultra-low mode – activates at a critical charge level (usually below 15%) and blocks almost all background processes.
• 🤖 Artificial intelligence MIUI — Try to predict which apps the user will need in the near future and keep them active.

But the algorithms are far from perfect. For example, if you rarely open WhatsApp, the system may find it "unnecessary" and block background work, which will stop you from receiving messages. The same goes for Google Play Services, where other apps may stop updating without the background activity of this component.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and later, the function "Intelligent resource allocation" (Settings) → Battery → Battery settings: If enabled, the system can automatically restrict even those applications that you have manually added to the exceptions.

Xiaomi system applications that cannot be limited

Some MIUI system processes must be in the background, otherwise the device will be unstable, and may be constrained by:

• 📵 Loss of mobile phone (missed calls, SMS).
• 🔄 Problems with time, date and geolocation synchronization.
• 🔌 Incorrect operation of wireless interfaces (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC).
• 🔄 Freeze and restart the system.

Here is a list of the system components that should never be limited:

To check if these processes are limited, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three Points (menu) → Special Access → Battery Optimization. In the list, find the packages listed and select “No Limits” for them.

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If you can’t find a system application in the list, try typing its package name in the Settings → Apps search box. This may require you to include “Show System Processes” in the menu (three dots in the upper right corner).

Messengers and social networks: which can be limited and which can not

The situation with messengers is ambiguous: on the one hand, they consume a lot of energy, constantly synchronizing messages, on the other hand, without background work, you risk missing an important notification. We tested popular applications on Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro + and Xiaomi 13 Ultra and found the following:

• 💬 WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber -- you can't limit it. These messengers use their own push notification protocols, which don't work without background activity.
• 📧 Gmail, Outlook -- you can limit it if you don't wait for urgent emails. These apps use Google Play Services for notifications, so even if you limit it, you'll get alerts (but with a delay of up to 15 minutes).
• 📱 Facebook, Instagram, TikTok -- you can easily limit their background activity, mostly through analytics and advertising, not notifications.
• 🎮 Discord, Slack, depending on the importance. If you use them for work, leave them free. If you only use them for communication, you can limit them to the limit.

WeChat stands out – if you’re actively using it, be sure to turn off battery optimization for this app. Unlike other messengers, WeChat not only stops showing notifications when restricted, but can also block an account due to “suspicious activity” (since the server does not receive confirmation of online status).

Navigation, maps and geolocation: what should work in the background

Navigation and geolocation applications are some of the most energy-hungry, but their backgrounds are often critical for safety and convenience.

• 🗺️ Google Maps, Yandex.Maps, 2GIS — If you're navigating in a car or on foot, these apps have to work in the background, otherwise they won't be able to track your location in real time and will be constantly rebooted.
• 🚗 Yandex.Navigator, Waze -- you have no options, without background activity, these apps are useless, and they not only show the route, but they also analyze traffic jams, cameras and other data in real time.
• 📍 Geolocation Services (e.g., Find a Device) – If you want your smartphone to be tracked in the event of a loss, don’t limit com.google.android.gms and com.miui.finddevice.

Fun fact: on devices with MIUI 14+, the "Economic Navigation Mode" feature (Settings → Battery → Battery Modes) has been introduced, which allows you to reduce the power consumption of Google Maps or Yandex.Navigator without completely turning off background activity. In this mode, maps are updated less often (every 3-5 seconds instead of real time), but the main functionality is maintained.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi as a registrar (e.g. with Dashcam), make sure that it has turned off battery optimization. Otherwise, the recording may be interrupted and important points (e.g., an accident) will remain undetected.

Disable battery optimization for cards|Insert “Economic navigation mode” in MIUI 14+|Add an app to auto-start exceptions|Checking for geolocation permits ("Always")|Disable background activity for unnecessary geo-services (e.g., ad trackers)-->

Fitness trackers, smart watches and health: what to leave in the background

If you use Xiaomi with a fitness bracelet (Mi Band) or a smartwatch (Xiaomi Watch), then you can not do without the background activity of some applications, otherwise the data on steps, pulse and sleep will not sync with the phone.

Key applications that should work in the background:

• 🏃 Mi Fitness/Zepp Life is the main sync app with Mi Band and Xiaomi Watch. without background activity, data will not be updated in real time.
• 🩺 Google Fit – If you use it to aggregate data from all devices, leave it free.
• 💤 Sleep as Android (or analogues) – sleep tracking requires constant access to microphone and sensors.

However, there are also applications that can be safely limited:

• 📊 Calorie counting apps (like MyFitnessPal) – they are synchronized manually.
• 🏋️ Training apps (such as Nike Training Club) – they don’t need constant background activity.

If you notice that after the MIUI update, the data with the Mi Band stopped syncing, check not only the battery optimization settings, but also the resolutions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Mi Fitness → Permissions.
2. Make sure it's on: 📱 Access to notifications (to display messages on the bracelet). 🔄 Auto-run (so that the application is not closed by the system). 📍 Geolocation (for accurate calculation of distance traveled).

Cloud Services and Synchronization: What Happens if You Limit Them?

Cloud services are a case where background activity is not always obvious, but the lack of it can lead to serious problems.

• ☁️ Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, Mi Cloud – if you limit their background work, files will not sync automatically. You risk losing data if you forget to download them manually.
• 📁 OneDrive, Dropbox – similar, but here’s the caveat: these apps can use Google Play Services for sync notifications, so even with a restriction, you’ll see alerts (but with a delay).
• 🔄 Contact and calendar sync – if you turn off background activity for com.google.android.syncadapters.contacts, your contacts may not be updated between devices.

The Mi Cloud (com.miui.cloudservice) is not only responsible for backups, but also for:

• Synchronization of notes (Mi Notes)
• Backup of SMS and call logs.
• Recovery of data when resetting settings.

If you restrict the Mi Cloud, you may lose access to old messages and notes when you reset your phone to factory settings, and on some models (Xiaomi 12T, Redmi K50) it causes the error “Can’t restore backup.”

Games and entertainment: can you limit it?

With games and entertainment apps, it's easier, and you can limit them 90 percent of the time.

• 🎮 Online games with a permanent session (e.g. Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars) – if you limit their background activity, you may be kicked out of the clan or reset progress in events.
• 🎧 Music services (Spotify, Yandex Music, YouTube Music) – if you listen to music in the background, these applications must remain active.
• 📺 Streaming services (Twitch, Trovo) – if you watch streams in the background (for example, while charging), the restriction will lead to a broadcast interruption.

All other games (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Mobile) can be limited without consequences. They do not use background processes for anything important (except, perhaps, downloading updates).

Interesting Life Hack: If you play Genshin Impact or other heavy games on Xiaomi, go to Settings → Battery → Battery Modes before you start and select Performance. This will turn off background optimization for all applications for 30 minutes, which will improve FPS and reduce lags. Just remember to return settings back!

How to properly set up background work on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Now that you know what apps should work in the background, let's figure out how to set it up correctly on Xiaomi. It's important to understand that just disabling battery optimization is not enough - you need to configure several settings.

Step 1: Disabling Battery Optimization

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Special Access".
3. Select "Battery Optimization".
4. In the top menu, select "All Apps".
5. Find the right application and select "No restrictions".

Step 2: Set up auto-start

Many applications (such as instant messengers) need to auto-run to work correctly:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (such as WhatsApp).
3. Click "Stop" and turn on this option.

Step 3: Background work permit (for MIUI 12+)

On new versions of MIUI, a separate setting for background activity appeared:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application and go to "Permissions".
3. Find the "Work in the background" item and turn it on.

Step 4: Disable Deep Optimization (for MIUI 13+)

In recent versions of MIUI, we've introduced a Deep Optimization feature that further restricts applications, to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Battery → Battery settings.
2. Turn off the "Deep Optimization" option.
3. It is also recommended to disable Intelligent Resource Allocation (if any) in your version.

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Even after all the settings, some apps (like Telegram) may not show notifications, in which case, check the notification settings in the app itself and the permissions in Settings → Notifications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about background work on Xiaomi