How to Reduce Mobile Internet Consumption on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to 2026

Mobile Internet on Xiaomi smartphones can fly away at an alarming rate — especially if you’re using a MIUI-based device with its abundance of background processes and built-in services. Research shows that up to 40 percent of traffic on Android devices is consumed by apps in the background, with half of that going to system services that the user doesn’t even notice. In this article, we’ll look at 15 proven ways to reduce the consumption of mobile data on Redmi, POCO or Mi — from basic settings to hidden firmware features.

It’s not just the voracious messaging apps or social media that are the problem. Even standard Xiaomi apps like Mi Video, Mi Browser or Security are consuming traffic for updates, analytics and advertising. For example, msa.xiaomi.com (responsible for push notifications) can eat up to 50 to 100MB per month, and Mi Cloud syncs data even when you don’t ask for it. We’ll show you how to turn off unnecessary background processes, optimize applications and use built-in MIUI tools to control traffic – without rooting or complex manipulation.

It's important to understand that saving the Internet doesn't mean giving up functionality; setting the right settings will keep your smartphone usable while reducing your mobile traffic costs by 30 to 70 percent (depending on your model and your habits); starting with the best practices.

1.Restriction of background traffic in MIUI

The main snag of mobile internet is applications that run in the background, and MIUI has a built-in tool to control these processes, but it's hidden deep in the settings to find it:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Data Use.
2. Slip on three points in the top right corner and select Background Limitation.
3. Turn on the switch to limit background data.
4. Below you’ll see a list of apps – tick the ones you want to block background traffic for (e.g. Facebook, TikTok, Mi Browser).

This feature blocks Internet access for selected applications when they are folded, but there is a caveat: some system processes (such as Google Play Services or Mi Push) will still consume traffic, and to limit them, you will need to have a deeper setup.

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If notifications from messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) stop coming after the background limit, add them to the exceptions in the Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun section and enable autorun for these programs.

For maximum savings, we also recommend disabling auto-update apps via mobile network. You can do this in Google Play → Settings → Auto-update apps by selecting the option Only via Wi-Fi. This will save up to 200-500 MB per month if you have many programs installed.

2.Setting up "Data Saving Mode" in MIUI

MIUI 12/13/14 has a hidden feature called Save Data Mode, which reduces traffic consumption by compressing data and limiting background activity.

1. Open the Settings. → Connections and sharing → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
2. Choose yours. SIM-card (if there are several).
3. Slip on Data Saving Mode and turn on the switch.

The regime operates on two principles:

• 📉 Traffic compression: data is transmitted in a compressed form (similar to Google Datally technology), which reduces the cost by 10–30%.
• 🚫 Background Blocking: suspends sync and updates for most apps, except instant messengers and calls.

The downside of the mode is possible delays in downloading content (for example, photos on Instagram will be loaded longer).However, for basic use (calls, messengers, mail), it is ideal. If you need to temporarily turn off savings (for example, to watch videos), do it in the same menu.

3. Disable Xiaomi system services that consume traffic

Xiaomi is using cloud services for synchronization, analytics and advertising, many of which are default and eat up traffic without your knowledge, and here is a list of the most voracious system processes and how to turn them off:

The Mi Push Framework is responsible for notifications from system applications (for example, updates or promotions).If you do not use Xiaomi’s branded services, you can completely disable it:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → System → Mi Push Framework → Disable

Another hidden traffic eater is automatic themes and wallpaper loading. To turn it off, go to Settings → Wallpaper → Theme settings and deactivate Automatic Theme Update.

4. Optimization of the work of messengers and social networks

Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, or TikTok can consume up to 1-2 GB of traffic per month if not configured correctly.

📱 WhatsApp and Telegram

• 📎 Turn off autoload media: On WhatsApp: Settings → Warehouse and data → Autoboot media → Select Wi-Fi only for photos, videos and documents. Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Autoboot media → Turn off the download for the mobile network.
• 🔕 Limit background activity: In Android settings (Settings) → Annexes → [select the messenger] → Battery → Control Background Activity: Select Limit.

📸 Instagram and TikTok

• 🎥 Turn off autoplay video: On Instagram: Profile → Settings → Account. → Use of mobile data → Turn on Data Savings. TikTok: Profile → Settings → Data settings → Select Wi-Fi for autoplay.
• 🖼️ Reduce the quality of downloadable content: There is no direct customization on Instagram, but you can use Instagram Lite – it consumes 3-5 times less traffic.

For YouTube, we recommend always selecting the minimum play quality (144p or 240p) and turning off autoplay of the next video, saving up to 1GB per hour when viewing content.

Disable the autoloading of media in WhatsApp/Telegram|Limit background activity in Android settings|Enable data saving mode in Instagram|Use Instagram Lite instead of the main app|Disable Autoplay Videos in the TikTok/YouTube-->

5.Use of third-party applications to save traffic

If the built-in tools MIUI Not enough, you can install specialized utilities to control the Internet.-3 tested solutions:

1. Datally (from Google): 📊 Shows traffic consumption in real time. 🛡️ Blocks background activity of applications. 📶 It's built-in. VPN For data compression (saves up to 20–30%), download from Google Play (free of charge), then start the Data Savings feature and whitelist only critical apps (messengers, maps).
2. GlassWire: 📈 Visualizes the traffic consumption of applications in the form of graphs. 🚨 Alerts suspicious activity (for example, if the application suddenly starts consuming a lot of data).

NetGuard

• 🔒 Full control over access to the Internet applications.
• 📵 You can block traffic for individual applications on a schedule.

Now you can use the following tricks:

• 📡 Disable Automatic Network Search: In the Developer section, find Network Search and select Manual.This will prevent the constant scanning of available networks that consumes traffic.
• 🔄 Limit the background processes: B For developers → Process Limitation: Select Process Maximum 2.This will reduce background activity, but may cause some applications to reboot.
• 📶 Forced use 2G/3G: If you do not need high speed, in the settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Preferred network type select only 3G or 2G. This will reduce the cost of traffic to 40–60%, It will slow down the loading of content.

Another useful trick is to disconnect. IPv6. In some regions IPv6-The traffic is charged separately or less efficiently compressed to deactivate it:

→ SIM-maps and mobile networks → [your SIM] → Access Point (APN) → [select your APN] → APN- protocol → IPv4

7. Alternative methods: caching and offline modes

One of the most effective ways to save traffic is to download content in advance when you’re connected to Wi-Fi and use it later offline.

• 🎵 Music (Spotify, YouTube Music, Yandex Music): In the app settings, find the Offline Listening or Downloads section. Download playlists or albums via Wi-Fi and listen without an Internet connection.
• 🗺️ Maps (Google Maps, Yandex Maps, 2GIS): In Google Maps: Open the menu → Offline maps → Choose an area and download. in Yandex Maps: Profile → Offline maps → load the desired region.
• 📺 Video (YouTube, Netflix, Movie Search): You can download videos on YouTube Premium for offline viewing. Netflix: My profile → Application settings → Downloads. → Select quality (recommended Standard to save space).