How to save Internet traffic on Xiaomi phone: hidden settings MIUI and life hacks 2026

Mobile Internet on Xiaomi can leak out unnoticed: background updates, greedy apps, hidden synchronizations all eat up gigabytes of traffic, even when the phone is idle. MIUI There are dozens of hidden tools to control data consumption, which most users do not even know.

In this article — 15 Proven ways to reduce traffic on Xiaomi (including Redmi Note models) 12/13, POCO X5, Mi 11/12 and other MIUI 14/15). We will analyze not only the basic settings of background restriction, but also little-known chips like Data Saver for individual applications, blocking ads at the system level and even manual editing of the hosts file to save up to a few hours. 40% All methods are tested on current firmware and do not require root rights.

Important: some of the tips affect Xiaomi system services (such as Mi Cloud or GetApps), which may affect the operation of some features — but we will specify which ones so you can weigh the pros and cons. Let’s start with the simplest and move on to advanced techniques.

1. Include "traffic savings" in MIUI (covert)

V MIUI 14/15 There's a built-in Data Saver, which is analogous to pure Android data saving, but with advanced settings, which restricts background traffic to all applications except the ones you choose, and compresses data when you transmit:

• 📱 Through Settings: Go to Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Save traffic and switch on the switch, and you can also add applications to the whitelist (for example, messengers) for which the restrictions will not apply.
• 🔧 Through the notification bar: swipe down from the top edge of the screen, find the Data Savings icon (if not, click Edit and add it to the panel).

After activation of Data Saver, traffic consumption will decrease by 15-25% due to:

• 🚫 Blocking background activity of applications (except messengers and calls).
• 📉 Data compression when loading web pages (works through a proxy Xiaomi).
• ⏳ Postponed download media in instant messengers (photos and videos are loaded only when you open the chat).

⚠️ Note: Data Saver may not be available in some regions (e.g. Europe) due to local Xiaomi restrictions. If it is not available in the settings, move to the next section, where alternative methods are available.

2. Limit background traffic for specific applications

Even with Data Saver enabled, some apps continue to eat traffic in the background. MIUI You can set individual limits for each of them. Here's how to do it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want (like Facebook or TikTok).
3. Go to the Mobile Data section.
4. Activate the option to limit background data.

For maximum savings, also turn off:

• 🔄 Auto Update (in the app settings in Google Play).
• 📤 Autoload media (in the settings of messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram).
• 🌐 Preload content (on YouTube, Netflix and similar services).

Pay special attention to these “gluttonous” applications (according to the tests on the Redmi Note 12 Pro)+):

3.Block ads and trackers at the system level

Up to 30% of mobile traffic is used to download ads, analytical scripts and trackers. MIUI There are two ways to reduce this cost:

Method 1: Xiaomi’s built-in blocker (without root)

Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Threefold (⋮) → Special access → Traffic optimization. You can do it here:

• 🛡️ Enable background blocking for advertising SDK (For example, AdMob or Unity Ads).
• 📵 Disable the display of notifications from advertising services.

Method 2: Editing the hosts file (requires) ADB)

For advanced users, you can manually add ad domain blocking to the hosts file, which will reduce traffic by 10-40% (depending on the application used).

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).


2. Enter in the command line:




adb shell




su




mount -o rw,remount /system




echo "127.0.0.1 adservice.google.com" >> /system/etc/hosts




(Add other domains from the list below)




3. Save and restart the phone.

List of domains to block (add one at a time):

• 127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
• 127.0.0.1 adservice.google.com
• 127.0.0.1 events.reddit.com
• 127.0.0.1 graph.facebook.com

⚠️ Note: Incorrect editing of the hosts file can lead to problems with Internet access.Before changes, make a backup of the original file with the adb pull command /system/etc/hosts.

4. Optimize the Google Play and system updates

Google Play Store and MIUI Updater are two of the top traffic eaters that work invisibly. Here's how to pacify them:

For Google Play:

• 🛑 Turn off auto-update apps: Play Store → Profile → Settings → Network preferences → Auto-update of applications → Never.
• 📥 Disable downloading over the mobile network: in the same settings, select Only via Wi-Fi.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache: Settings → Annexes → Google Play Store → Warehouse → Clear the cache.

For MIUI Updater:

Xiaomi system updates can weigh 1-3 GB and download automatically.

1. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Threefold (⋮) → Settings.
2. Turn off Automatic Downloading over the mobile network.
3. Select Wi-Fi only to download updates.

If the update has already downloaded, but you do not want to install it (for example, due to bugs of the new version), delete the firmware file:

1. Open the Files Explorer.
2. Go to the Inner Memory → downloaded_rom.
3. Delete the file with the.zip extension.

💡

After the update MIUI traffic is consumed faster, check the settings Traffic Savings – sometimes they are reset to default values.

5.Use data compression via Google Chrome or Opera

Browsers can compress traffic by 30-60% through server optimization. Xiaomi has Mi Browser installed by default, but it does not support compression.

Google Chrome:

• 🌐 Turn on Light Mode: Open Chrome, press ⋮ → Settings → Light mode.
• 📊 This will reduce traffic consumption by 40-50% when browsing the web.

Opera (recommended for maximum savings):

• 🎯 Install Opera from Google Play.
• 🔧 Activate Turbo Mode in the browser settings.
• 📊 Save up to 60% of traffic (tested on Redmi Note 11).

Browser comparison by traffic consumption (loading the same page):

6. disable unnecessary Xiaomi system services

MIUI It contains dozens of background services that constantly exchange data with Xiaomi servers, some of which can be safely disabled:

• 📡 Mi Cloud: If you don’t use sync, turn it off in Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Mi Cloud.

Once these services are turned off, background traffic will decrease by 200-500 MB per month, but consider:

⚠️ Attention: Disconnection MSA It can cause ads to disappear in system applications (such as Mi Browser or Mi Video), but it can also disrupt some features, such as push notifications from Xiaomi.

💡

Disabling Xiaomi system services maximizes traffic savings, but can affect firmware stability, and it is recommended to only disable services that you do not use (for example, Mi Cloud, if you do not sync data).

7. Set limits for YouTube, Netflix and streaming services

High-resolution video is the main traffic eater. Optimize your streaming app settings:

YouTube:

• 🎥 Set a Quality Limit: Profile → Settings → Quality of reproduction over mobile network → 480p.
• 🔄 Turn off autoplay: Settings → Auto-reproduction → Shut down.

Netflix and other services:

• 📺 At Netflix: Profile → Application settings → Video quality → Low (saves up to 70% of traffic).
• 🎬 In Twitch: Settings → Quality. → Low (480p).

For additional savings, use the SnapTube app (downloads low-quality YouTube videos for offline viewing) or NewPipe (a lightweight YouTube client without ads).

8. Advanced methods: VPN compressed and firewall

If previous methods have not yielded enough savings, try:

VPN traffic-compressed:

• 🛡️ Install Opera. VPN 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) – they compress traffic by 10-20%.
• 📡 In Opera. VPN Enable the option to compress data.

Firewall to block background traffic:

Applications like NetGuard (without root) or AFWall+ (with root) allow you to fully control which programs have access to the Internet:

1. Install NetGuard from Google Play.
2. Open the app and turn off the internet for unnecessary services (like Facebook Services or Google Play Movies).
3. Activate the default lock for new applications.

⚠️ Note: Using a firewall without root rights can lead to frequent requests to unlock access).

FAQ: Frequent questions about saving traffic on Xiaomi