Daily traffic limit on Xiaomi: how to set up and not be left without the Internet

Have you ever experienced a situation where mobile internet suddenly runs out by the middle of the month? Or have you noticed that at night, your smartphone eats up gigabytes of traffic on the background update of apps? On Xiaomi smartphones, this problem is solved by a built-in daily traffic limit feature, a little-known but extremely useful tool in MIUI. Unlike the monthly restrictions that carriers offer, here you control consumption every day, preventing unexpected write-offs.

In this article, we will discuss not only the standard way of setting up through the Settings menu. → SIM-Maps and mobile networks, but also alternative methods for older versions MIUI (We'll also skirt the common bugs that might make the limit fail, like, did you know that the feature automatically resets when you reboot your device? Or that some apps (like the Google Play Store) ignore the restrictions? We tested all the nuances on the models of Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13T — You'll be surprised by the results.

Why Standard Traffic Savings Don’t Work

Many users are trying to save money on mobile internet by:

• 📵 Background data shutdowns – but this blocks notifications in messengers and emails.
• 🔄 Manual switching to Wi-Fi – uncomfortable if you move frequently between networks.
• 📊 Traffic monitoring applications (like My Data Manager) – they only show statistics, but do not limit consumption.

All of these methods have critical flaws, such as the background data blackout causes WhatsApp to stop syncing messages and Gmail to stop downloading new emails, while monitor apps often miscalculate because of the way Android handles cache, and the built-in daily traffic limit in MIUI is free of these problems: it operates at the system level, blocking the Internet completely when you exceed a threshold, but does not interfere with critical services (calls, SMS).

Another important point: mobile operators often offer “unlimited” Internet, but after exhausting the high-speed package, the speed drops to 64-128 Kbps. This makes it impossible to watch videos or download files, but background applications continue to “eat” traffic! The daily limit on Xiaomi solves this problem – it completely disables data transfer, saving even those megabytes that go to the “Slow-Internet”.

Where to set the daily limit in MIUI 14 (and newer)

In the latest versions of the firmware (MIUI 14 and HyperOS), the path to the feature has changed, and it used to be hidden in the data transfer sub-menu, and now it's taken to the first level.

1. Open the settings (cog icon on the desktop).
2. Go to section. SIM-maps and mobile networks.
3. Choose yours. SIM-card (if there are several).
4. Slip on the Daily Traffic Limit (in some localities it may be called the “Day Data Limit”).

If this item is not available, your version of MIUI is outdated (see next section) or the operator has blocked the function (relevant for some virtual operators like Tele2 or Yota), and check if the item is hidden behind the additional menu: sometimes you need to expand it by clicking on three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.

Important: on some models (e.g. POCO F5), the feature is called the Background Traffic Limit, but it works differently - it limits only background data, not the entire Internet. If you need a complete shutdown when you exceed the limit, look for the Daily Traffic Limit.

Step-by-step setting the limit on MIUI 12–13 (old version)

On MIUI 12 and MIUI 13, the path to function is different, and the interface is less intuitive.

1. Go to Settings → SIM-cards and mobile networks.
2. Choose yours. SIM-map.
3. You can use data transfer (or mobile traffic).
4. Leak down to the Traffic Warning block and turn on the switch.
5. Below will appear the field Daily limit - set the desired value (from 10 MB to 10 GB).

There is a bug on older versions: if you set a limit of, say, 1 GB and then change it to 500 MB, the meter will not reset and will continue counting down from the previous value. To avoid this, after changing the limit, restart your phone or manually reset traffic statistics (Reset button in the same menu).

Top.-5 Apps that ignore traffic limits (and how to stop them)

Even after setting the daily limit, some system and third-party apps continue to eat the Internet, and the main culprits are:

• 📦 Google Play Store - updates apps in the background, even if you turn off auto-update.Solution: in the Play Store settings, disable App Auto-Update and Media Auto-Download.
• 🎵 Mi Music - downloads album covers and caches music. Solution: in the app settings, turn off Cover Download and Caching Music.
• 🌍 Google Chrome - preloads pages to speed up surfing Solution: in your browser settings, disable Traffic Savings (a paradox, but it sometimes increases consumption!).
• 📱 MIUI Cleaner - sends data about "garbage" to Xiaomi servers.Solution: disable Autoclean in the app settings.
• 🔄 Synchronization Xiaomi Cloud - uploads backups of photos and notes. Solution: in Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud Disable Auto Sync.

Critical information: Mi Video (default player) can consume up to 300MB per day even if you don't use it. This is due to background downloads of previews for recommendations. To disable: go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Video → Rights → Mobile data and deny Internet access.

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If you use navigators often (Yandex.Maps, Google Maps), add them to the daily limit exceptions. To do this, in the limit settings menu, find the "Exceptions" item and select the desired applications.

What to do if the daily limit does not work: 7 ways to fix

Sometimes users find that the limit either fails to work when it is exceeded or is reset arbitrarily. Here are the proven solutions:

1. Check the time on your phone. If it is knocked down (for example, due to manual change), the traffic counter will not reset at 00:00. Enable automatic synchronization in Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Update your firmware. MIUI 12.5 and below had traffic-related bugs. Check the Settings → About Phone → System Update.
3. Reset your network settings. Go to Settings. → SIM-map → Reset network settings. This will remove stored Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, but correct the counter errors.
4. Turn it off. VPN. Some of them VPN-services (e.g. Turbo) VPN) Bypass system traffic restrictions. Try to disable VPN And check the limit.
5. Check application rights. If you manually deny MIUI access to mobile data (via Settings → Applications → Rights), the meter will stop working.
6. Delete the cache of telephony services. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Phone services → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
7. Change network mode. If you only have 4G enabled, try switching to Auto (sometimes the limit doesn't work in fixed modes).

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If none of these methods worked, try setting a limit through the engineering menu, dial ##4636## in the phone app, go to Phone Information and find Set a Data Limit.

Special case: if you use two SIM-If you're going to switch between cards, you can reset the limit. SIM-map for data transfer to Settings → SIM-map → Mobile data and don’t change it.

Alternative ways to limit traffic without a daily limit

If your MIUI version does not support the daily limit (e.g., on Redmi 9A with MIUI 11), use these methods:

• 📊 Manual control via "Data Transfer". → SIM-map → Data transfers can be set a monthly limit and broken down into days manually (e.g. 30GB per month). = 1 GB per day. Minus: you have to monitor your consumption yourself.
• 🛡️ Applications like NetGuard (from F-Droid) allow you to block the Internet for individual applications on a schedule, for example, you can prevent Facebook from using mobile data from 23:00 to 7:00.
• ⏱️ Automation with MacroDroid. Create a rule: If time is = 23:59, turn off the mobile data. And in the morning, turn it back on.
• 📱 Flight mode according to schedule. → Battery and productivity → Flight schedule can be set to automatically shut down the network at night.

Warning: Firewall applications (like NetGuard) require constant use in the background, which increases battery consumption by 5-10%. If you are critical to autonomy, you should use built-in MIUI.

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HyperOS models like Xiaomi 14 have a feature called "Intelligent Traffic Limit," which analyzes your habits and automatically adjusts your daily limit. → SIM-map → Intellectual regime.

How to Check Which Apps Are Consuming Traffic at Night

If you suspect that traffic is “leaking” outside of working hours, use the built-in MIUI monitoring:

1. Open the Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
2. Choose yours. SIM-Map and tap on Traffic Use.
3. In the top menu, select the period per day.
4. Scroll down to the list of apps and sort by consumption (click on three dots → Sort by traffic).

Note apps labeled Background Traffic — they consume data even when you’re not using it. For example, Mi Fit (for smartwatches) can send activity data every 15 minutes, and Xiaomi Community can upload new topics on the forum.

⚠️ Note: If you see a com.android.phone or Telephony Provider app with a lot of traffic (over 100MB/day) on your consumption list, this may indicate a virus or a failure in the communication module.

For more detailed analysis, use the Traffic Monitor app (available on Google Play) that shows real-time traffic consumption and can send notifications when you exceed a predetermined threshold, for example, you can set up an alert if an app is using more than 50MB per hour.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the daily traffic limit on Xiaomi