How to see traffic consumption on Xiaomi phone: a step-by-step guide

Controlling mobile internet consumption is a key challenge for Xiaomi smartphone owners, especially for users with limited tariffs, where every megabyte counts. Unlike iPhones or pure Android devices, MIUI shell phones offer multiple ways to monitor traffic, from standard tools to hidden engineering menu features.

Many users do not even know that their Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 It keeps detailed statistics not only on mobile data, but also on the traffic consumption of individual applications in the background, and yet it is background processes that often cause unexpected limits to be exceeded. In this article, we will analyze all available methods of checking traffic – from basic to advanced, including analysis by hours, days and even by SIM-maps in two-symbol models.

If you notice that the Internet is running out too fast, don't be quick to blame the operator. In 80% of cases, the problem lies in the settings of the smartphone itself. For example, automatic updates of applications over the mobile network or uncontrolled synchronization of cloud services can eat up several gigabytes a month.

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1. Standard method: traffic statistics in MIUI settings

The easiest way to check internet usage is to use the built-in MIUI datasheet, which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models regardless of the firmware version (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14), the main advantage of which is that you do not need to install third-party applications.

To open the statistics section:

1. Go to Settings (the gear icon on the desktop).
2. Select Connection and Sharing (older versions of SIM cards and mobile networks).
3. Tap on Data Use (or Data Traffic in some localities).

Here you will see a graph of mobile traffic consumption for the current period (usually reset on the 1st of each month), at the top of the screen, the total amount of data consumed, and below, the distribution by application, and Traffic Limitation, which allows you to set a limit and automatically turn off mobile Internet when it is exceeded, is especially useful.

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If the graph shows suspiciously high consumption at night, check the settings Auto Update in Settings → About the phone. Often the system downloads updates in the background without notifying the user.

Note the Mobile Roaming Data section, where you can see how much traffic was spent abroad, which is relevant for travelers, as roaming rates are usually many times more expensive than home ones. If you do not plan to use the Internet for roaming, you should turn off this option immediately to avoid unexpected charges.

2.Browse app traffic: Who is eating your internet?

One of the most useful tools in MIUI is to detail the traffic flow of individual programs, which allows you to identify “gluttonous” applications that consume data in the background, for example, social networks like TikTok or Instagram can spend up to 500 MB per day just on autoplay videos.

To see statistics on applications:

1. Open Settings → Connections and Sharing → Data Use.
2. Scroll down to the Utilization of Traffic by Apps block.
3. Slip through any app to see detailed statistics (background/foreground) and set individual limits for it.

Particularly careful should be taken to the following categories of applications:

• 📱 Social media (Facebook, VK, Telegram – often update content in the background.
• 🎵 Music services (Spotify, Yandex Music) – cache tracks through a mobile network.
• 🎮 Games (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact – Updates without warning.
• 🌩️ Weather widgets – update data each time 15-30 minute.

If you find an application that consumes too much data, you can:

1. Limit its background activity in settings (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Auto Run).
2. To prohibit the use of mobile Internet for it (Settings → Connections → Data Use → [Application] → Mobile Data).
3. Set the limit directly in traffic statistics (button Limit background data).

3. Hidden tools: engineering menu and USSD-code

For advanced users who want the most accurate information, Xiaomi has hidden ways to check traffic, one of which is an engineering menu that contains low-level statistics on all network interfaces, but you need to work with it carefully so as not to change critical settings.

To open the engineering menu:

1. Enter the combination in the Phone app: ##4636##.
2. Select Usage Statistics (or Usage Statistics in English).
3. Go to the Mobile Traffic tab.

Here you will see detailed information on:

• 📊 Total traffic flow since the last reset.
• 📡 Separation of incoming/outgoing traffic.
• 🔄 Statistics for each network interface (including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).

Another way to do this is to use USSD-For example, MTS has operator codes *100*1#, Beeline — *102#, MegaFon — *105*00#. These commands show the rest of the traffic on the fare right on the phone screen, and the main advantage is that the data is taken directly from the operator, so it's more accurate than the statistics on the phone.

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The engineering menu shows the actual traffic consumption at the modem level, while standard MIUI statistics may not take into account system processes and rounding errors.

4. Third-party applications for traffic monitoring

If the built-in tools MIUI You don't have enough, you can use third-party tools, and they offer advanced features like limit notifications, export statistics, and time-of-day expense analysis.-3 tested applications:

Before installing third-party applications, consider:

⚠️ Note: Some traffic monitoring tools require the right to VPN This can create security vulnerabilities if the app is from an unreliable developer.

If you choose an application that requests too many permissions (such as accessing SMS or contacts), this is a reason to be wary. To monitor traffic, you can only access Network Statistics and View over other windows (for widgets).

Check the rating (should be ≥4.2)

Check out the reviews (especially the negative ones)

Make sure the developer has a website/support

Don't give access SMS/contacting unnecessarily-->

5. Monitoring traffic in modem modem (USB/Wi-Fi router)

Many Xiaomi users use their smartphones as a hotspot to distribute the Internet to a laptop or tablet, in which case standard traffic statistics on a phone won’t show how much data was spent by the connected devices, but alternative methods will have to be used to control it.

Methods of checking the cost of distribution of the Internet:

1. Through Access Point Settings: Open Settings → Connections and sharing → Modem mode. Select Wi-Fi Access Point or USB-modem (depending on the type of connection). Some firmwares display data statistics here.
2. Using apps on your connected device: On a Windows laptop, open Settings → Network & Internet → Data Use. On a MacOS, use Activity Monitor.
3. Through router (if the phone is connected to Wi-Fi): Go to the router's web interface (usually at 192.168.1.1). DHCP Clients or Traffic Monitor.

If you use your phone as a modem, you should install specialized applications like NetGuard or TrafficMonitor, which can separate statistics by type of connection (mobile data, Wi-Fi, USB) and even show which devices are connected to your access point.

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To save traffic when you distribute the Internet, turn off automatic Windows updates on a connected laptop. To do this, go to Settings → Update and Security → Additional settings → Optimize delivery and disable downloading updates through pay-for-traffic connections.

6.Resetting statistics and setting up notifications

By default, MIUI traffic statistics are reset automatically on the first day of each month, but if your plan has a different billing period (for example, from the 15th), this can lead to inaccurate data, and fortunately, the date of reset can be changed manually.

To set up the reset of statistics:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Data Use.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. In the Reset section, set the desired date (for example, the 15th).
4. Activate the Excess Warning option and set a threshold (e.g., 90% of the limit).

It is also useful to set up traffic flow notifications:

• 🔔 Warning when reaching the limit: the phone will tell you when the flow rate is close to the set value.
• 📅 Weekly report: some firmware can send a summary of the weekly consumption.
• 🛑 Automatic shutdown: you can set up a complete disconnection of mobile Internet when you exceed the limit.

If you notice that the statistics are resetting on their own or show incorrect data, try the following:

⚠️ Attention: Sometimes a traffic statistics crash is due to errors in the service com.android.providers.telephony. To fix this, clear the cache of this application in Settings → Annexes → All applications → [Find by name] → Memory. → Clear the cache.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the right settings, Xiaomi users sometimes have traffic misrepresentations, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

If none of the methods helped solve the problem, try resetting the network settings:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Network Reset.
2. Select Reset Mobile Network Settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Once reset, all APN settings, access points and traffic statistics will be returned to factory values, which can help if the problem was caused by incorrect network settings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions