Why Xiaomi is shutting down its apps and how to stop it

Introduction: Aggressive MIUI optimization

If your Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco smartphone is constantly shutting down apps in the background, you’re not alone. This problem is familiar to millions of users of MIUI-based devices, where aggressive battery and memory optimization often interferes with the normal operation of instant messengers, music players and even system services. Unlike “pure” Android, Xiaomi’s firmware actively interferes with the work of applications, suspending them to save charge.

The reason for this behavior lies in the MIUI architecture: the default system restricts background activity to extend battery life. However, for many users, this turns into a headache — for example, when Telegram stops receiving notifications or Google Maps “falls asleep” during navigation. In this article, we will analyze all possible reasons and give specific instructions for setting up, which work on models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

It’s important to understand that the problem isn’t always about the firmware curve, and that often comes from incorrect user settings, conflicting apps, or even hardware constraints (such as a lack of RAM on budget models), and we analyzed user reports from the 4PDA, Mi Community, and Xiaomi support forums to gather relevant solutions.

The main reasons for closing applications Xiaomi

MIUI uses several mechanisms that can lead to the forced closure of applications, including:

• 🔋 Optimizing the battery: MIUI Default limits background activity to save charge, especially after updates.
• 🗑️ Memory Cleanup: Cleanup function RAM In the notification curtain kills all background processes.
• 🚫 Auto-Run Lock: Applications without auto-Run rights can’t work in the background.
• 📱 Lack of RAM: On devices with 3-4 GB of memory, the system is forced to close applications to free up resources.
• 🔄 Updates MIUI: After major updates (for example, transition to the MIUI 14) optimization settings are reset.
• 🛠️ Conflicting Services: Antiviruses, cache cleaners, or “accelerators” can interfere with the operation of applications.

On models with Snapdragon 4xx/6xx processors (e.g. Redmi 9A, Poco M3), the problem is more common due to limited resources and more aggressive MIUI optimization. At the same time, flagships on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (e.g., Xiaomi 13 Pro) are less likely to face forced closure, but they are not immune to failures after updates.

To determine the exact cause, check:

1. Does the problem appear after closing all applications through the “Clear” button in the multitasking menu?
2. Is it only for certain applications (such as instant messengers) or for everyone?
3. Is it due to low battery life (less than 15%)?

How to Turn Off Battery Optimization for Individual Applications

The most effective way to prevent shutdown is to exclude the application from battery optimization. Here is a step-by-step guide for MIUI 12-14:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the desired application (for example, WhatsApp or Yandex.Navigator).
3. Go to the Battery Consumption section.
4. Select No Limits (or No Limits in Older Versions).
5. Save the changes and restart the device.

For Android 12+ (MIUI 13/14), the path may be slightly different.

Settings → Battery and Performance → Application Selection → [Select App] → Battery Consumption → Without Limits

Important: After changing your settings, check the app for 10-15 minutes. If the problem persists, move to the next section.

Open the application settings |Select "Battery consumption" |Set "No restrictions" |Reboot phone |Check the application-->

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 9T s MIUI 12.5) After resetting, the battery optimization returns to default values. The solution is to repeat the setting or disable the automatic optimization via Settings. → Battery → Settings → Optimizing the battery.

Set up autostart and background activity

Even if you have disabled battery optimization, the application may be closed due to the Autostart lock. In MIUI, this function works separately from battery consumption and often causes notification problems.

To allow auto-start:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select AutoRun.
3. Find the desired application in the list and turn on the switch.
4. Some applications (e.g. Viber) also require you to allow Background activity in their individual settings.

On MIUI 14, the path to auto-launch changed:

Settings → Applications → Permissions → Autorun

If the app is not on the auto-start list, try:

• 🔄 Reinstall the application.
• 📥 Clear cache and data through Settings → Annexes → [Annex] → Warehouse.
• 🔧 Enable Developer Mode and disable Background Process Limitation (see next section).

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If notifications still don’t come after you set up autorun, check if MIUI Optimization, a system application that can only be disabled via ADB, blocks them.

Advanced solution: Disabling restrictions through ADB

If standard settings don’t help, you can deeply disable optimization via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method requires a PC connection and works on all versions of MIUI, but can reduce battery life.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone).
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB Tools, and execute the commands:

adb shell


pm grant [package annexes] android.permission.REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS




cmd appops set [packet applications] RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND allow

To find [app package], use the command:

adb shell pm list packages | grep -i "appendix name"

Example for Telegram:

adb shell pm grant org.telegram.messenger android.permission.REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS

⚠️ Attention: Disabling optimization through ADB This method can lead to increased battery consumption (up to 10-15% in 8 hours of standby mode.

RAM Cleanup and Accelerators: Why They Are Harmful

Many users are used to manually clearing memory through a button in the notification curtain or using applications like Clean Master, but this often exacerbates the problem of closing applications.

• 🧹 MIUI aggressively kills processes during cleaning RAM, including system services.
• 🔄 Android controls memory itself – forced cleaning knocks down algorithms.
• ⚡ "Accelerators are in conflict with built-in optimization MIUI, languishing.

Instead of hand cleaning:

1. Turn off the Clean in the Curtain button: drag the notification bar down, click on three points → Settings of the notification panel → turn off Memory Cleanup.
2. Remove all cleaners and boosters – they don’t increase performance on modern smartphones.
3. If the phone is really slowing down, check the processor’s load through Settings → About Phone → System Status.

On models with 6GB of RAM and higher (like the Poco X5 Pro), manual memory cleaning is almost useless - Android manages resources efficiently itself.

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Cleaning up RAM in MIUI does not speed up the phone, but rather forces the system to reload frequently used applications, which wastes more battery and resources.

Hardware restrictions: when the fault of the "iron"

On Xiaomi’s budget models (e.g. Redmi A1, Poco C40), the problem of closing applications may be due to a lack of RAM. If the device has only 2-3 GB of RAM, the system is forced to aggressively control processes.

How to determine the fault of the "iron":

• 📊 Open the Settings. → The phone. → Status of the system → Memory and see how much free RAM remains in normal use.
• 🔍 If it is less than 200-300 MB free, the system will close applications.
• 🎮 The problem is made worse when you run games or heavy apps (such as Genshin Impact or Lightroom).

Solutions for weak devices:

1. Close unused apps manually through the multitasking menu.
2. Turn off animations in the developer settings (Windows animation scale → No animations).
3. Use the “light” versions of apps (e.g. Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite).
4. Increase the size of the paging file (requires root rights or custom recap).

On models with 4 GB of RAM (for example, Redmi Note 11), the problem is less common, but can occur when you run 10+ apps or video background recording (for example, in YouTube + navigator).

Frequent questions and answers