Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face an annoying problem: messages in VKontakte come with a delay or do not appear at all until the moment the application is opened. This is not a bug of the Android operating system, but a feature of aggressive energy optimization in the shell of MIUI and HyperOS. The system by default considers rarely used programs “parasites” and forcibly stops their processes to save battery power.
As a result, you can only learn about an important message a few hours after it is sent: Background social media activity is blocked at the core level of the system, making standard notification settings inside the VK app itself useless.
In this article, we will discuss all the technical details of push notifications on devices from the Chinese manufacturer. You will learn how to set up AutoRun correctly, where to look for hidden power saving switches and why resetting network settings sometimes helps better than reinstalling the application. Follow the instructions carefully, as the menu layout may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI.
Aggressive energy saving and background activity
The main culprit behind the lack of messages is the built-in power saving mechanism. Unlike pure Android, Xiaomi’s shell does not trust apps to manage their resources on their own. If VK no exceptions are given, the process of obtaining data is interrupted.
To allow the application to run in the background, you need to change your energy saving strategy. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance (or simply Battery). Find the installed VK app on the list. Here you need to select the option No restrictions. This action will remove the lock from the background processes.
⚠️ Warning: Setting “No Limits” mode may result in a slight increase in battery consumption, as the application will constantly maintain a connection to the server.
Once this setting is changed, the system will no longer force the VK Client process to be terminated, but this step alone is often not enough, as MIUI has another layer of protection: auto-run control.
Set up auto-run and application permissions
The second critical parameter is AutoRun, which means that without it, the app won't be able to start its service process after restarting the phone or cleaning the RAM, and you can find this switch in two ways: through the security menu or through the application settings.
The most reliable way to search is by settings. Type the word "autostart" in the search bar and go to the corresponding menu. In the list that opens, search VKontakte and make sure that the slider is activated (blue or green). If the switch is turned off, the system will not let the application start on its own.
Next, check for extended permissions. Press the app icon on your desktop and select About (or go to Settings → Apps → All Apps). Find Other permissions. Here, make sure the following actions are allowed:
- 🔔 Displaying on top of other applications
- 📂 Access to storage (to download media)
- 📶 Background network use
- 📍 Location (if important for geolocation)
Lack of any of these permissions can cause push services to malfunction, especially when the display point is on top of other windows, as it allows the pop-up window to appear on the locked screen.
☑️ Checklist of basic settings
System settings of Android notifications
Even if all Xiaomi permissions are given, the notifications themselves can be disabled at the Android operating system level. Often after an app update or firmware, the settings are reset to default, blocking audio and pop-up signals.
Return to the About app menu → Notifications. Make sure the Show Notifications master switch is active. Below you'll see a list of categories: "Personal Messages," "News," "Calls." Go through each of them and check that status is enabled.
Note the Importance (or “Notification Style”) setting for personal messages, High or Urgent, which ensures that the message will appear even in Do Not Disturb mode (if permitted in exceptions) and will make a sound.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|
| Sound. | Included | Audit alert of the event |
| Vibration. | On. | Tactile notification |
| A pop-up window | Permitted. | The appearance of a banner on the screen |
| Icon on the desktop | Digital-badge | Red circle with number |
Also check if Do Not Disturb mode is enabled (a crescent icon in the curtain) In this mode, all notifications except selected contacts can be blocked. Add VK to the exceptions if you plan to use this mode constantly.
What are notification channels?
Problems with Internet connection and DNS
Sometimes the problem isn't with the phone settings, but with the network connection, so if you're using mobile internet, the carrier can block ports or use strict NAT settings that prevent you from constantly connecting to Google and VK servers.
Try switching the network type. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Network type and choose forcibly 4G (LTE) or 5G, Sometimes automatic mode. 3G/4G works unstablely, constantly reconnecting and breaking the push connection.
Another effective solution is to change DNS-Providers often use slow or filtering devices. DNS, This can result in the loss of data packets for background services.
- 🌐 Go to Settings. → Connection and sharing → Private DNS
- 🔢 Select "Host Name of the Provider" DNS"
- 📝 Enter the address: dns.google or 1.1.1.1
- 💾 Save the settings and restart the smartphone
⚠️ Attention: When using private DNS Some local services or parental control apps may stop working correctly. If problems arise, return the setting to "Auto".
It's also worth checking if Traffic Saving mode is enabled, which can prohibit background data transfers for all applications except those you're using right now.
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Helpful tip: If you are often in bad reception areas, turn on the “Always Keep Mobile Network Active” option in the developer settings (requires developer mode to be enabled) to prevent you from switching to 2G/3G during downtime.
Application version conflicts and cache
Accumulated cache and errors in the application database are common causes of failures. Over time, temporary storage files can become corrupted, which will lead to the fact that the VK client will no longer correctly process incoming commands from the server.
First, try clearing the cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → VKontakte → Storage. Press Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear Everything, or you'll have to re-enter your username and password.
If cleaning the cache didn't help, it might be that the app is incorrectly installed. The official Google Play client may perform worse than the Google Play Protect version or alternative stores. However, the most radical and often the most effective method is a complete reinstallation.
Remove the app, restart the phone, and download the latest version. When you first start up, MIUI will ask for permissions again - make sure you give all the necessary accesses at once without missing steps.
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Completely reinstalling the application with data precleaning is the most reliable way to resolve software conflicts if simple settings don’t help.
Specifics of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and HyperOS
In recent Xiaomi firmware, memory algorithms have become even more aggressive, with the addition of Extension Memory, which uses a portion of internal storage as RAM, which can slow down background processes.
Try disabling the memory extension if your phone has enough physical RAM (6GB or more) and newer versions also include Game Acceleration or Game Turbo, which can block notifications while playing, but sometimes works incorrectly in normal mode.
Check Security settings (green app with shield). Inside, there's a Permissions section → Autostart and Permissions → Background connections. Make sure VK has ticks everywhere. In HyperOS, the menu could have been renamed Memory Optimization.
Remember that third-party cleaners and antiviruses installed on the site may conflict with Xiaomi’s system settings. If you have Clean Master, Du Battery Saver or similar ones, remove them. They often kill social media processes as malicious activity.