Traffic Control on Xiaomi MIUI 12: where to watch and how to set up

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where mobile Internet ends faster than expected, and there is an urgent need to check the current consumption. In the shell of MIUI 12, the data monitoring system has undergone significant changes compared to its predecessors, moving to new menu sections and getting an updated visual style. Understanding how this mechanism works allows not only to avoid unnecessary communication costs, but also to identify applications that consume resources in the background.

The Android system on which the firmware is based provides powerful tools for detailing statistics, but finding them the first time is difficult because of the deep nesting of settings. The user is not only able to see the total number of gigabytes, but also the ability to see the hourly activity of each software installed. This is especially true for those who use data plans with a limited data package or are in roaming, where the price of each megabyte is high.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the ways to track traffic, from standard system utilities to hidden features available through an engineering menu or ADB. You’ll learn to set tight limits, customize notifications, and block network access for specific applications so that your smartphone works exactly the way you want it to work, rather than the way optimization algorithms intended.

The main way through system settings

The easiest and most affordable way to find out how much traffic has been consumed is in the standard operating system settings menu, and to do this, the user needs to open the Settings app and select a section, which is usually called the Settings app «SIM-Maps and mobile networks, or simply Mobile Network, and that's where the key connectivity management parameters are concentrated.

After you go to the specified section, the screen will display the current status of the connection, including the signal level and network type (4G/LTE/5G). However, we are not interested in this, but the statistics, which are often hidden under the additional menu or displayed as a graph. In MIUI 12, the interface may differ slightly depending on the regional version of the firmware (Global, China, EEA), but the logic remains the same.

At the top of the screen, you often see the total amount of data you've sent for the current period, and if you click on that number or on "Data Use," you'll be taken to a detailed report, and here the system shows you a breakdown by period: today, yesterday, the current month, and it's important to note that the meter can be reset automatically at a certain date, which can also be changed manually.

⚠️ Note: The system traffic counter may differ slightly from your carrier’s data due to the rounding and logging features of packets on the gateway side.

To accurately synchronize with your operator's tariff period, it is recommended to manually set the date of the reset of the statistics. This is done in the same menu where you view the flow. Find the item "Date of reset of statistics" and select the number when you start a new billing cycle. This will allow you to always see the current balance for the current period without having to keep your own records.

💡

Set the date of resetting statistics on the day of the beginning of your tariff period, so that you can always see the current traffic balance without manually recalculating.

Use of the Application Security

In the Xiaomi ecosystem, the central element of resource management is the pre-installed Security app, which combines the functions of an antivirus, a memory cleaner and, importantly for our theme, a traffic counter, a tool that is often ignored by users, although it provides more flexible settings than the standard Android menu.

To access the statistics, run the Security app and find the Traffic usage icon, and here's a more graphic consumption chart, and you'll see not only the total volume, but also a list of apps sorted by gluttony, which allows you to instantly identify the program that is stealthily eating away at your Internet packet.

One of the key features of this section is the ability to control access for each application separately. You can prevent certain software from using mobile data, leaving access only through Wi-Fi. This is especially useful for navigators, streaming services or games that can be updated in the background without your knowledge.

• 📊 Detailed statistics for each application with a division into Wi-Fi and mobile network.
• 🔒 The ability to block Internet access for selected programs in one click.
• 📅 Set up an individual traffic limit with automatic Internet shutdown.
• 📉 Day and hour consumption charts for peak load analysis.

Inside the Security app, Cards is also available, and by adding a traffic widget to your desktop, you can control the situation without going deep into the menu, and the widget shows the remaining amount of data in real time, which is extremely convenient for operational monitoring.

Setting limits and notifications

To avoid the unpleasant surprises of charging money for overpacking, MIUI 12 offers a flexible limit setting mechanism, which is not just passive surveillance, but an active tool to protect your budget.

The first step is to activate the restriction function. Click on Traffic Limit or Limit settings. Here you will need to specify the total amount of packet your carrier provides per month. Once you enter this number, the system will automatically calculate the daily rate of consumption.

You should set up thresholds for notifications, and you should set two alert levels, one, for example, 80% of the total, just informs you that traffic is coming to an end, and the second level, 95-100%, can initiate an automatic shutdown of mobile data.

It's important to understand the difference between a warning and a lockdown. A warning is just a pop-up window that you can close and continue to use the Internet. Blocking will complete the connection until you manually allow further use. For family fares or children's phones, locking is critical.

Analysis of consumption by application

In-depth analysis of where your traffic is going, you can optimize your smartphone. In MIUI 12, the list of applications using the network is sorted by default from more to less, which helps to immediately identify “troublemakers”.

It often turns out that the lion's share of traffic is consumed not by browsers or messengers, but by social networks with autoplay video or cloud storage that syncs a photo gallery. When you click on a particular application in the list, you will see the detail: how much data went through Wi-Fi and how much went through the mobile network.

Some applications have a "Limit Background Activity" feature, which means that the program will only be able to update content when you keep it open on the screen, and in the background, it will be closed to the network, which significantly saves battery power and traffic.

⚠️ Note: Disabling background activity for messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) can lead to delays in receiving messages until the application is opened.

Special attention should be paid to system services and updates. Sometimes Google Play or Mi Cloud services can start large-scale synchronization or downloading updates over the mobile network, unless the appropriate restrictions are set, check the settings for auto-update applications in the Play Market store and make sure that the check box is “Only through Wi-Fi”.

Hidden functions and engineering menu

For advanced users who lack standardized reports, there are deeper levels of diagnostics, and in MIUI, some of them can be accessed through an engineering menu, although the functionality there is mainly about the radio module and signal quality, rather than detailed statistics of bytes.

However, there is a command that allows you to see more technical information about connections, and by entering the code ##4636## in the phonebook, you will be taken to the testing menu. The Statistics section may contain data about the package, but the interface there is often raw or empty on new versions of Android.

A more effective method for experts is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), by connecting a smartphone to a computer, you can download the detailed logs of network activity. The adb shell dumpsys netstats team will give an array of data on traffic consumption by each UID (application ID) with an accuracy of byte.

adb shell dumpsys netstats | grep"uid=10XXX"

Such methods are justified in cases where it is necessary to prove to the operator overspending or to detect viral activity that standard monitoring tools do not see.

💡

Standard MIUI 12 tools are sufficient for 99% of users, deep diagnostics through ADB are only needed to detect complex network anomalies.

Problems with displaying statistics and their solution

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the counter in the phone shows zero or is not updated in real time, this can be caused by a Network Monitor system process error or a conflict of third-party applications controlling the network (VPN, firewalls).

The first step in solving the problem is to clear the cache of the Security app and the system Settings app. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find what you want, select Memory and click Clear Cache. Don't worry, it won't delete your personal data or limit settings.

If the problem persists, check to see if the browser or YouTube app itself is running traffic saving mode. These programs have their own internal counters that may not sync with the system. Also make sure the smartphone has the correct time and date, as time desynchronization confuses the calculation of periods.

In rare cases, network resets help, which will return APN and mobile data settings to factory values. Reset path: Settings → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. After that, you will need to re-enter passwords from Wi-Fi networks.