Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which run on the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS, are complex computing centers that constantly exchange data with servers. Often users are faced with a situation where the limit of mobile traffic ends faster than expected, or the battery is drained due to background activity, in such cases there is an urgent need to understand which program consumes the lion’s share of the network resource.
Android provides powerful built-in tools for monitoring connections, but they are often hidden in the depths of the menu or not obvious to the average user. Proper diagnosis allows you not only to save money on paying tariffs, but also to improve the overall performance of the device by disabling unnecessary background processes. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to monitor network activity.
Standard Traffic Monitoring Tools in MIUI
The fastest way to get a general picture of data consumption is to look at system statistics. In Xiaomi shells, this functionality is deeply integrated and available through a standard settings menu, and here you can see the total volume of packets transmitted and received over a selected period.
To access this information, you need to go to Settings, then select Connection and Sharing (or Wi-Fi and Internet in the new versions). Then click on Data Use. This is where the list of applications is sorted by the amount of traffic consumed.
The system allows you to flexibly adjust the display period, so you can choose the current month, the last month, or any date you want, and this is especially useful for analyzing long-term consumption trends. Note that data can be split into mobile networks and Wi-Fi, which helps you better identify the source of the load.
The top of the screen usually shows a graph that visualizes network activity over time. The sharp jumps in the graph often correspond to the moments of downloading updates or streaming videos. If you see an unexplained peak of activity at 3 a.m. when the phone was lying idle, this is a reason for a deeper study of a particular application.
💡
Use the reset function at the beginning of each billing period of your operator so that the data in the menu is always up-to-date and does not mix with the previous month.
Detailed analysis through the Security app
Xiaomi devices pre-installed the system application Security, which is often ignored by users, but contains some of the most powerful optimization tools, it allows you not only to look at statistics, but also instantly limit access to the network for specific programs.
Run the Security app and find the Data Use icon or Statistics. Unlike standard Android settings, it's a quick-to-control interface. You'll see two main sections: mobile data and Wi-Fi. Switching between them, you can see where the main consumption is.
You should pay special attention to background traffic. Many programs continue to download content even when you're not using them. In a security application, you can see the difference between active use and background activity. If the messenger consumes gigabytes in the background, this is a clear sign of failure or malfunction.
⚠️ Note: Do not disable network access for system components such as: MIUI Daemon, Google Play Services or System Framework, without emergency, may cause notifications, geolocation, and account sync to malfunction.
☑️ Checking the suspicious app
Using Developer Mode and Debugging
For advanced users who don't have enough standard statistics, there's a developer mode that allows you to see active network connections in real time, although it requires caution when using it, and it's a toolkit for those who want to know about every byte that a device transmits.
To activate this mode, you need to repeatedly click on the build number in the About Phone section. After the message "You became a developer", a new option will appear in the settings menu Additional or Advanced Settings.
Inside the developer menu, we're interested in the Strict Mode or the ability to view active processes. However, a more informative way is to use the command line via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) if the phone is connected to a PC, which gives access to logs of network activity.
adb shell dumpsys netstats | grep uidThis command will display a list of UIDs and their associated traffic, and by matching UIDs with installed applications through additional utilities or root-right file managers, you can identify hidden processes that are not displayed in the standard interface.
Why do you need an ADB for a regular user?
Third-party monitoring and network analyzers
If built-in tools are not enough, specialized applications from Google Play come to the rescue, providing detail that is not available by standard methods, showing not only the volume, but also the addresses of the servers to which the application is accessing.
One popular solution is NetGuard or GlassWire, which works like firewalls and traffic meters, and they build detailed graphs and can block Internet access for selected applications without having to obtain root rights (using local access). VPN-tunnel).
The advantage of third-party analyzers is the ability to see DNS-You can see that the flashlight app is sending data to an ad server in another country, and that's critical to digital hygiene and privacy.
- 📊 NetGuard: A completely free open source firewall that allows you to customize access rules for each program in detail.
- 🛡️ GlassWire: A beautiful visual interface with real-time notifications of new network activity.
- 🔍 My Data Manager: Specializes in family tracking and detailed breakdown by content type (video, audio, browser).
It is worth remembering that the installation of firewall applications using VPN-A traffic filtering protocol may slightly increase battery consumption, and some banking applications may react to the presence of such a virtual tunnel as a potential security threat.
Table: Comparison of traffic control methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right diagnostic method, we have prepared a comparative table of the main methods available on Xiaomi devices, each of which has its own advantages depending on the depth of the analysis required.
| Method | Difficulty | Details | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android settings | Low. | Basic (volume) | Absent. |
| Security Annex | Low. | Medium (Background/Activity) | Minimum |
| Third-party monitors | Medium | High (Addresses, ports) | Average. |
| ADB/Root Analysis | Tall. | Maximum (Packages) | Depends on the software. |
As you can see from the table, for most users, built-in MIUI tools are enough. However, if you suspect a virus or data leak, using third-party analyzers will be an indispensable step.
💡
Standard settings are enough for quick verification, but third-party traffic analyzers are needed to find hidden miners or spies.
Optimization and limitation of background activity
Once you've identified a voracious application, the question is, what do you do about it? Simple deletion isn't always possible, especially if it's a system service or a program you want, and in those cases, the restriction settings come to the rescue.
In the Data Use menu, you have the option to disable the background connection for each application, which means that the program will only work when you open it on the screen, and once you fold it, the Internet connection will be cut off.
MIUI also has a Traffic Saving feature, which, when activated, will block data transfers for all applications except those added to the exceptions, which is the ideal mode for traveling, when you need to save megabytes for the rest of the month.
⚠️ Note: Blocking background access for messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) will cause you to stop receiving messages instantly. Notifications will only come after opening the application.
Another effective method is to disable autoplay of videos on social networks and messengers, settings are located inside the applications themselves (for example, in Telegram in the Data and Memory section), which often reduces traffic consumption by 40-50%.