How to watch traffic on Xiaomi phone: detailed instructions with pictures

Have you noticed that mobile internet on Xiaomi is running out too fast even though you barely used your phone? Or want to know which app is secretly spending your traffic in the background? In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to check your internet consumption on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones — from standard MIUI tools to hidden features and third-party apps.

Whether you’re using MIUI 12, MIUI 14 or the new HyperOS, the instructions are for all versions, and we’ll show you how to split mobile traffic and Wi-Fi statistics, set up limit warnings, and even find out how much Internet each app eats individually, and if you’re often faced with unexpected gigabyte exhaustion, this article will help you find and eliminate traffic thieves.

1. Standard method: Traffic usage menu in MIUI

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI statistics, which show traffic consumption for the current month, breaks down data by application, and even allows you to set limits.

1. Open the settings (cog icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the Connections and Sharing section (on some firmwares – the Network and the Internet).
3. Select Traffic Use (or Mobile Traffic).
4. Click on Mobile Data for details on SIM-map.

On this menu you will see:

• 📊 Schedule of expenditure for the current period (by default - from the 1st day of the month).
• 📱 List of applications sorted by the amount of traffic consumed.
• ⚠️ Warnings when approaching the limit (manually configured).
• 🔄 Reset button statistics (useful if you reset the counter from the operator).

An important nuance: by default, MIUI shows traffic only for mobile data. To see Wi-Fi consumption, switch the tab at the top of the screen. You can also turn on the option to Show traffic in the status bar, then the current flow will be displayed in the top notification bar.

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If you have a two-sim Xiaomi, traffic statistics will be shown separately for each of the two-sim Xiaomis. SIM-Switch between them using the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

2. How to view traffic on a particular application

It's often the case that one or two apps eat up the lion's share of the Internet, mientras others almost do not waste data.

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Traffic Use.
2. Tapping any app on the list (like YouTube or TikTok).
3. You will see detailed statistics: 📶 Mobile traffic (dividing by foreground/background). 📶 Wi-Fi traffic (if the appropriate switch is switched on). ⏱️ Activity time (how many minutes the app was in touch).

Pay special attention to the column Background traffic is the data that the app consumes when you are not using it. For example, Facebook or VKontakte can update the news feed in the background, eating up to 500 MB per month.

Limit background activity in the application settings|Disable Auto-Update Content|Prohibit synchronization in roaming|Use the "traffic saving mode" in MIUI-->

On models with MIUI 14+, the “Intelligent Traffic Control” feature has appeared – it automatically blocks the background activity of applications when you are connected to mobile data. It is activated in the same menu “Use of Traffic → Settings” (the gear icon in the upper right corner).

3. Resetting traffic statistics: when and how to do it

By default, MIUI resets the traffic counter on the 1st of each month. But what if your data plan is updated, for example, on the 15th? Or you just replenished your account and want to start counting again?

For manual resetting of statistics:

1. Open the Settings. → Using traffic.
2. Slip on three points in the upper right corner (or the gear icon).
3. Select Reset Statistics.
4. Confirm the action.

Once a month|Every time you add a deposit|I never drop it.|Only when the internet ends.-->

Important: Resetting your phone doesn't affect your mobile phone's meter, it's just zeroing out the local data on your device, so if you want to synchronize the reset date with the tariff, set a reminder on your calendar, or use applications like My Data Manager (which we'll discuss below).

⚠️ Note: If you are using itSIM Xiaomi 13/14, Traffic statistics can be reset separately for physical and virtual SIM-Check both counters!

4. Viewing traffic through USSD-operator

Sometimes the data in the phone doesn't match the information from the operator, and this can be because:

• 🔄 Failures in work MIUI (especially after updates).
• 📡 Loss of data packets in case of a bad signal (phone counts sent packets, operator counts delivered packets).
• 🕒 Delays in updating statistics for the operator (up to 24 hours).

To find out the exact traffic consumption according to the operator, send USSD-team:

Once you send a command, you will receive an SMS with exact internet usage (sometimes broken down by day). Compare this data with what your Xiaomi shows. If the difference is greater than 10-15%, it is worth checking your APN settings or contacting the operator support.

5. Third-party applications for traffic monitoring

Built-in MIUI tools are not always convenient: they do not show real-time traffic, they do not know how to make forecasts and sometimes reset data after a system update.

• 📊 My Data Manager (Google Play) – shows the flow rate by hours, days and weeks, can block background traffic.
• 🛡️ GlassWire – visualizes traffic in the form of a graph, reveals suspicious activity.
• 🔍 Datally (from Google) – simple interface, the ability to set daily limits.
• 📈 Network Monitor Mini – displays traffic speed directly in the notification panel.

Examples of My Data Manager:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. When you first start, allow access to VPN settings (needed for traffic monitoring).
3. Please indicate the date of the beginning of the reporting period (which coincides with your tariff).
4. Enable notifications of exceeding the limit.

The advantage of third-party apps is that they work independently of MIUI and continue to count traffic even after the phone’s settings are reset, a disadvantage: some features (such as blocking background traffic) require root rights.

⚠️ Note: When using traffic monitor applications (especially with VPN-the system may increase the battery consumption by 5-10%. Turn them off when you don’t need detailed statistics.

6. Hidden MIUI features to save traffic

Few people know, but MIUI has hidden settings that help reduce Internet consumption without compromising convenience.

• 🔄 Background data limitation: Path: Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Select the application] → Mobile data → Background data. Turn off this option for social media, instant messengers and other voracious apps.
• 📴 Traffic Saving Mode: Path: Settings → Battery and productivity → Traffic saving mode. MIUI Automatically restricts background activity and compresses data.
• 🌐 Chrome data compression: Open Google Chrome, tip three points → Settings → Save traffic. Turn on the option, it'll cut the cost of the 30-50% web-browsing.

The POCO F5 and Redmi Note 12 models with MIUI 14 have a Smart Network Choice feature (Settings → Mobile Network → Smart Network Selection) that automatically switches between 4G and 5G depending on load, saving up to 20% of traffic.

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Even if you don’t restrict traffic, check the list of apps regularly in Traffic Usage. Many programs (like Avast or CCleaner) update in the background, eating up to 300MB per month.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Xiaomi users sometimes experience incorrect traffic display, and here are the typical situations and ways to fix them:

If after all the manipulations, the traffic is still considered incorrect, try:

1. Update MIUI to the latest version.
2. Reset network settings (Settings → Connections → Network reset).
3. Clear the Settings app cache (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Settings → Clear the cache).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions