How to limit traffic consumption on Xiaomi smartphones: from basic settings to hidden features MIUI

Xiaomi smartphones based on MIUI They are known for their voracious appetite for mobile traffic — background updates, automatic synchronization and ad modules can eat gigabytes unnoticed by the user (1-10 GB/month) or those who frequently roam, and in this article we will discuss all the available ways to limit traffic, from standard tools to the Internet. MIUI Up to hidden settings and third-party applications.

It's important to understand that limiting traffic doesn't mean shutting down the Internet completely; it's about controlled consumption, where you decide for yourself which apps can use mobile data and which ones can only use Wi-Fi. For example, messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) can work in the background through the mobile network, and heavy games (Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile) can download updates only over Wi-Fi. MIUI (including MIUI 14/15), and the universal methods that work on Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi flagships.

Warning: Some ways (such as turning off background activity) may affect notifications in messengers or widgets. We will mark such moments separately so that you can weigh the pros and cons of each method.

1. Built-in tools MIUI: Limitation of traffic at the system level

MIUI It offers some built-in features for traffic control, but they're hidden in the back of the settings, and let's start with the obvious: monitoring consumption and setting limits.

Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Data transmission. You'll see here:

• 📊 Consumption schedule – detailing traffic by day and application.
• ⚠️ Excess Warning – sets a threshold (e.g. 90% of the tariff) after which the notification will come.
• 🚫 Disconnection when exceeded – automatically blocks the mobile Internet if the limit is exhausted.

Please note that these settings are only applicable to mobile traffic. Use the Settings section to control Wi-Fi. → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Wi-Fi traffic: Here you can see which devices on your network consume the most data (useful if other gadgets are connected to your router).

💡

If you have a two-sim Xiaomi, the traffic limits are set separately for each. SIM-Switch between them at the top of the screen.

Important: MIUI 14+ The function "Traffic Saving Mode" (Settings) → Battery and productivity → Traffic Saving Mode, which automatically limits background activity and updates when connecting to a mobile network, can save up to 30% of traffic, but disables some notifications.

2. Traffic restriction for individual applications

Not all programs are equally useful, but many of them actively consume traffic in the background. For example, Facebook can update the feed every 15 minutes, and TikTok can download videos in advance. To avoid this, use individual settings for each application.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the appropriate app (e.g. YouTube).
3. Go to Data Transfer.
4. Activate the option to limit background data.
5. To completely block mobile traffic, disable Mobile Data (the application will only work on Wi-Fi).

List of the most voracious applications (according to Xiaomi data for 2026):

• 🎥 TikTok – up to 1.2 GB/h when watching video HD.
• 🎮 Call of Duty Mobile – up to 800 MB per session (updates) + play).
• 📺 YouTube — 300-700 MB/hour (depending on quality).
• 🗺️ Google Maps – up to 500MB/day when navigating with loaded maps.
• 📱 MIUI System – up to 200 MB/month (system updates and advertising modules).

Turn off autoplay video in Facebook/Instagram

Prohibit background loading in Netflix/YouTube

Limit weather updates/news in MIUI widget

Turn off Smart Download in Google Play

-->

For gaming applications (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile) is also recommended to disable the Update in the background in the settings of Google Play.This will prevent automatic download of patches on the mobile network.

Setting up traffic savings in Battery mode

Few people know, but in MIUI There's a hidden power-saving traffic feature that works even on older models (Redmi Note). 8 Pro, Mi 9T) and may reduce the data consumption of 20-40%.

Algorithm of action:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance.
2. Select Battery Mode (or Energy Saving on newer versions).
3. Activate Balanced or Economical Mode.
4. Scroll down and turn on the option to limit background traffic (in some firmware it is called Traffic Saving).

What is the difference between regimes:

• 🔋 Balanced – moderate restriction of background activity, notifications come with a delay 5-10 minute.
• 🛡️ Economical – a strict restriction: background data is blocked completely, notifications are updated only when you open the application.
• ⚡ Performance – Traffic savings disabled (by default).

Balanced|Economical|Productivity|I don't know/I don't set up-->

Note: In the mode of Economical may not work:

⚠️ Note: Push notifications in Telegram, Viber and other messengers will come with a delay of up to 30 minutes, and will stop updating the weather widgets, currency rates and news feeds.

4.Use of VPN traffic-compression

An unexpected but effective way — VPN-They're compressed services, and they're moving all the Internet traffic through their servers, optimizing images, videos and web pages. VPN or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare can reduce data consumption 15-25% quality-free.

How to set up:

1. Install 1.1.1.1: Faster & Safer Internet from Google Play.
2. Launch the app and turn on the Warp option+ (registration).
3. In the settings, activate Data Compression.

Advantages of the method:

• 🌍 Works for all applications, including games and streaming.
• 🔒 Additional encrypts traffic (useful in public Wi-Fi).
• 📉 The compression is especially noticeable on sites with a large number of images (social networks, news portals).

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Possible delays in online gaming (ping increases by more than one) 10-50 miss).
• 🚫 Some banking applications block access through VPN.

💡

VPN With traffic compression, the only way to reduce data consumption in games and streaming services (Netflix, Twitch), where built-in restrictions are used. MIUI not working.

5. Hidden settings MIUI: disabling auto-updates and diagnostics

Xiaomi is actively collecting diagnostic data and updating system components in the background, which can eat up to 500 MB per month, to turn off unnecessary processes:

1. Disabling Auto-Updates MIUI:

Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Dots (⋮) → Settings → Auto Update → Turn off

Blocking diagnostics and error reports:

Settings → Additional → Privacy → Sending error reports → Disable


Settings → Additional → Special features → Improvement of MIUI → Disable

3. Restriction of advertising modules (for Chinese firmware):

Settings → Memory → Cleaning → Three dots (⋮) → Special permissions → Personalized advertising → Disable

These actions do not affect the stability of work, but can:

• 🛑 Stop the background download of updates (savings) ~300MB/month).
• 📵 Disable telemetry collection (savings) ~100-200 MB/month).
• 🚫 Remove ads in system applications (e.g. Mi Video or Mi Music).

💡

If you want to manually check for new firmware after disabling auto updates, use the ##1234## combination in the dialer (works on most Xiaomi models).

6. Third-party applications for monitoring and blocking traffic

If the built-in tools MIUI Not enough, use specialized utilities. They offer flexible settings, including blocking traffic by time or day of the week.

Top.-3 apps:

To install NetGuard without root rights:

1. Download. APK from the official website (netguard.me).
2. Enable installation from unknown sources (Settings) → Annexes → Special access → Installation of unknown applications).
3. Launch NetGuard and provide access to the VPN (This is necessary to intercept traffic).
4. In the application settings, disable Local VPN-The system is not complete unless full control is required).

Attention:

⚠️ Note: Applications like NetGuard create local VPN-A tunnel that may conflict with others VPN-services (e.g. ProtonVPN or NordVPN) before using VPN.

7.Limit traffic via router (for Wi-Fi)

If the problem is not mobile, but home Wi-Fi, limit traffic to the router level.

Instructions for Xiaomi Mi Router:

1. Connect to the router via the browser (192.168.31.1).
2. Go to the Supplementary → Traffic control.
3. Select a device (Xiaomi smartphone) and set a limit (e.g. 10GB/day).
4. Activate the option to block after exceeding.

For other routers (TP-Link, ASUS):

• Search for QoS (Quality of Service) or Parental Control.
• Set priority for critical devices (like a laptop) and limit traffic to your smartphone.

Advantages of the method:

• 🏠 Control of traffic of all devices on the network (not only smartphones).
• ⏰ The ability to set a schedule (for example, limit the Internet at night).
• 📊 Detailed statistics for each gadget.

FAQ: Frequent questions about traffic restriction on Xiaomi