How to see what is spent on the Internet on the phone Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where mobile traffic ends much faster than planned, which can be due to background synchronization, updating heavy apps or hidden system processes. Understanding exactly where gigabytes go is the first step to optimizing costs and extending the battery life of the device.

MIUI and its modern version of HyperOS offer powerful built-in tools for monitoring network activity. You don’t need to install third-party programs, since the standard functionality allows you to see the data consumption of each application in detail.

In this article, we will explore all the available ways to analyze traffic, from basic settings to hidden engineering menus, and learn not only to track current consumption, but also to set strict limits, block network access for suspicious programs and prevent unexpected charges from the carrier.

Use of the Standard Security Application

The easiest and fastest way to know what your Internet is eating is to use the pre-installed system application Security, which is the central resource management node in Xiaomi’s shell, and it contains all the necessary statistics that are updated in real time, allowing you to instantly respond to anomalies.

To access the data, open the app and look for Traffic Statistics or Traffic Consumption. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic remains the same. Clicking on this item will show the current month's consumption chart and the list of applications sorted by the amount of data used.

In this section, you can look at the activity of each program in detail, and it shows how much traffic was spent over the mobile network and how much was spent over Wi-Fi. This is critical, as many users forget to switch to Wi-Fi in a public place, and the application starts downloading updates over LTE.

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If you see an app that you’re not using but it consumes a lot of traffic, immediately limit its background activity in battery settings or resolutions.

And if you look at the Settings button, or the gear in the corner of the statistics screen, you can set the date of the reset to match your carrier's tariff period, and you can see the actual picture for the current billing month, rather than the lifetime of the smartphone.

Detailed analysis through Android settings

If you don't have enough information in the Security app, you can turn to native Android settings. The path to these can be hidden deeper in the menu, but the data provided is often more accurate and detailed. This is especially useful if Xiaomi system meters show discrepancies with reality.

To get to this section, go to Settings → About Phone → All settings (or just Settings on some versions). Next, look for Data Use. This shows the total amount of bytes transmitted and received over the selected period.

• 📊 Global statistics: Shows total traffic since the last meter reset, allowing you to estimate the total load on the channel.
• 📱 Annex breakdown: Detailed list of all installed programs with background and active use data.
• ⚙️ Network Preferences: The ability to quickly switch network modes or manually reset statistics at any time.

It is important to understand the difference between background traffic and active use. Background traffic is consumed when you do not use the application directly: notifications come, news feed is updated or photos are synchronized.

At the bottom of the Android stats screen, there's often a "Use of Data in the Background" item. When you click on it, you'll see a list of apps that are most active when the phone's screen is off. This is a great way to identify "gluttonous" programs that need to be restricted.

Setting limits and warnings

Just watching the flow is not enough – you need to be able to manage it. Xiaomi allows you to set strict restrictions that will help avoid unpleasant surprises in the form of a locked number or additional paid options, this is especially true for subscription fees and fixed gigabytes.

In the Security app, go to traffic settings. Here you will find the Traffic Limit option, activate it and set the maximum amount of data that is available to you per month according to the tariff, the system will automatically monitor consumption and respond when you approach the established line.

There are two main types of restrictions that can be set:

• 🛑 Warning: When you reach a certain percentage (e.g. 80% or 90%) of the limit, the phone will give a notification, which is a signal that it is time to save or connect an additional package.
• 🚫 Internet shutdown: When the 100% limit is reached, the mobile Internet is completely shut down, SMS and Wi-Fi connections.

And you also have to pay attention to the "Limit Background Connection" setting, which is that if you activate this feature for specific applications, they won't be able to use the network when you're not using them, which is a radical but very effective way to save money.

Remember that to make limits work correctly, you need to reset the statistics periodically. Set the reset date by the number when your operator starts a new billing period. You can do this from the same traffic settings menu by selecting Statistical Period.

Hidden functions and engineering menu

For advanced users, the MIUI shell offers access to deeper levels of information through an engineering menu, and you can see the technical parameters of the connection, the signal level, and the detailed information about packet transmission that is not displayed in the normal interface.

To enter the engineering menu, open the Phone app and dial ##4636##. Once you enter the last digit, the hidden test menu will open.

In this section, you're interested in the Usage Statistics button, or similar, if available on your firmware version, and you'll see the byte statistics, which are often more accurate because they're read directly from the modem.

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The Engineering Menu is a powerful diagnostic tool, but don’t change your network settings (Radio Band) unless you understand their meanings so you don’t lose contact with the operator.

Using this data, you can identify situations where the phone is constantly trying to send data even when the signal is bad, which leads to rapid battery drain and traffic consumption. If you see an abnormally high number of packets sent when the screen is off, this is an excuse to check the phone for malware.

Background data management for applications

The most control over traffic flow is the customization of each application, so you can allow the program to run only over Wi-Fi or completely deny it access to the network, which is especially useful for games, video editors and rarely used utilities.

Go to Settings → Applications → All apps. Select the program you want from the list and go to Data Use (or Traffic Control) and you will see switches for mobile network and Wi-Fi.

By disabling the mobile network slider, you will prevent the application from working through SIM-It's still going to work, but only when connected to a Wi-Fi router, and it's the perfect setup for heavy-duty applications that don't require a constant online connection on the way.

Also, this menu often has the option of "Background work" or "Out-run", disabling these functions will prevent the application from running in the background, which will save not only traffic, but also battery power.

Analysis of Wi-Fi and mobile network traffic

Users often confuse mobile traffic and Wi-Fi data. It is important to clearly distinguish between these flows. Mobile Internet is usually limited and expensive, while home Wi-Fi is often unlimited. A mistake in settings can lead to the phone using expensive gigabytes of the operator instead of free Wi-Fi.

Xiaomi's Wi-Fi settings have a useful Wi-Fi Assistant feature that automatically switches your phone to mobile internet if the Wi-Fi signal becomes too weak and unstable. While convenient for continuity, it can stealthily "eat" your data packet.

⚠️ Warning: Automatic switching to mobile data when Wi-Fi is weak can be dangerous for low-limit tariffs. → Wi-Fi Assistant settings if you are in a poor coverage area LTE.

To analyze Wi-Fi traffic, use the same path through the Security app, but switch the tab to the router icon. Here you will see which apps are pumping the most through the home network. This is useful for identifying devices or programs that are slowing your network, such as torrent clients or cloud storage that sync video archives.

If you use Access Point mode (distributing internet from phone to laptop), be sure to set a limit for that mode separately. Otherwise, updating Windows on a connected laptop can drain your balance in minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)