Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones consume a significant amount of data even in the background, which can come as a surprise when using limit plans. Users often face a situation where gigabytes bought from the operator run out faster than half a month has passed. Understanding which applications and system processes are eating up your mobile Internet is the first step to effective budget management.
Android, with its MIUI or HyperOS shell, has a powerful network monitoring toolkit that is often hidden from the eyes of the average user in the depths of the menu. Traffic control allows you not only to see general statistics, but also to severely restrict access to the network for specific programs, preventing them from working in the background. This is especially true for devices with small memory, where background processes can be aggressive.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can get data consumption information, from standard system tools to hidden engineering menus. You will learn how to set limits so that your phone turns off the Internet when it reaches a threshold, and how to identify hidden processes that steal traffic. Accurately resetting statistics on the first day of the month is the only way to get reliable data on the flow, because the system meter works in a cyclical manner.
Standard monitoring through system settings
The easiest and most affordable way to check how many megabytes or gigabytes have been consumed is in the basic settings of the smartphone. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic of the work remains the same for all models, whether it is a budget Redmi Note or flagship Xiaomi 14.
The path is usually as follows: you go to Settings, then select Connect and Sharing (or just go to Settings «SIM-Maps and mobile networks. This shows the current status of the connection and, more importantly, the amount of data transferred. By clicking on the corresponding line, you will be taken to the detailed menu of statistics.
In this section, the system shows the separation of traffic into mobile Internet and Wi-Fi, which allows you to understand where the main consumption is, and if you notice abnormally high consumption over Wi-Fi, it is possible that some application is actively downloading updates or making backups to the cloud without using the Wi-Fi network.
It is important to note that the standard meter is not always synchronized with the real balance of the carrier, and the difference can be anywhere from 5 to 10 percent due to the rounding and logging of packets on the provider side, so you should rely on averages rather than absolute numbers.
⚠️ Note: The statistics in the phone settings are only reset manually or when you reinstall the system. If you did not reset the meter at the beginning of the billing period, the numbers will show the expense for the entire time the device has been running since the last reset.
To get a picture that's relevant, you need to reset the statistics regularly, and you can do this by finding the appropriate button in the data menu, and without this procedure, analyzing current expenditure is almost meaningless, because you'll see the amount you've accumulated over six months.
Using the Security App for detailed analysis
The MIUI shell preinstalled the system application Security, which combines the functions of antivirus, cleaner and, importantly for our theme, traffic manager. This tool provides more flexible settings than the standard Android menu, and allows you to manage access to the network at a deeper level.
To get to the right section, open the Security app and find the Traffic Consumption icon, and you'll see the full picture of network activity, and you'll see the current month's consumption chart broken down by day, which helps you identify days with abnormal activity.
A list of apps, sorted by traffic, will show the top Internet eaters, often social media, video services and cloud storage, and by clicking on a particular application, you can customize its rights in detail:
- 📱 Completely ban access to mobile internet.
- 📶 Allow access only through Wi-Fi.
- 🚫 Prohibit background network connection (saves charge and traffic).
- 🔄 Allow background connection (for messengers and mail).
Special attention should be paid to system services such as Google Play, GetApps (Xiaomi app store) and Mi Cloud. These services can automatically download app updates or sync high-resolution photos using the mobile network, unless restrictions are set.
☑️ Setting up traffic savings
The traffic control feature in the Security app allows you to set a tight limit. When you spend, for example, 90% of your package, the phone will send a notification. When you reach 100%, mobile Internet can be completely disabled before the start of the new period.
Setting limits and warnings
Manual tracking of numbers is a tedious task, so it makes sense to delegate this task to the smartphone itself. The traffic management menu (both in settings and in the Security app) has a limit setting feature. This is a critical setting for fixed-data tariff owners.
To activate the function, you need to click on the limit settings (usually the gear icon or the Settings item in the flow menu). Here you will be asked to select the reset period of the statistics. Most often it is the 1st day of each month, but for some operators the billing period can begin on another date, for example, the 20th.
Once you set the start date, enter your monthly traffic limit in megabytes or gigabytes. The system will start counting the flow from that figure. Next, you need to set the thresholds for notifications. It is recommended to set the first warning at 75-80% to have a time to react.
| Setup parameter | Recommended value | Operation of the system |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic limit | Your rate (eg 20 GB) | Total tracking |
| Warning | 80-90% of the limit | A pop-up notice |
| Exceeding the limit | 100% | Shutting down the mobile Internet |
| Period of discharge | 1st day (or fare date) | Automatic resetting of the counter |
It is worth noting that the automatic Internet shutdown function when the limit is exceeded does not work equally stable on all firmware versions, and on some global versions of MIUI, the phone can only persistently warn, but not block the connection, so as not to disrupt the work of critical services.
⚠️ Note: If you use two of these SIM-The system does not add traffic from different SIM cards into one common pool without third-party software.
You can also set up the status bar for the Internet speed map in this section, and although this doesn't affect the flow rate, it does help to visually monitor network activity, if the arrows flash when the screen is off, then some process is actively pumping data.
Analysis of hidden system processes and Google services
Users often wonder where traffic disappears if visually heavy apps are not running. The answer lies in the background. Android and Google services constantly exchange data with servers to synchronize contacts, mail, location and backups.
One of the most voracious services is often Google Play Services, which is responsible for maps, push notifications, and geolocation, and if you move around a city frequently, the service can consume a significant amount of data to update maps and determine coordinates.
Another hidden consumer is photo syncing. Apps like Google Photos or Mi Cloud can default to downloading photos and videos only over Wi-Fi, but sometimes crashes or the user accidentally allows the download over the mobile network. Check the sync settings in your Google account.
To identify these processes, go back to the traffic consumption list and scroll through it, and you may be interested in items with names like Google Play Services, Sync, Downloads, or the names of system applications you rarely use.
If you find an app that consumes a suspiciously large amount of data in the background, try limiting its background activity. You can do this from the Settings menu → Apps → All applications by selecting the right one and finding Activity Control or Battery.
Specifics of working with two SIM-cards
Most Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones support the two SIM-This creates additional complexity in monitoring, as traffic is consumed from the SIM card that is selected for data transfer by default, or distributed according to the application settings.
In the Data Use menu, you'll see the separation between SIM 1 and SIM 2. It's important to check the stats for both cards, even if you think the internet only works on one. Some apps may have their own settings allowing them to use any available network, ignoring the priority SIM card.
There's also the Internet Acceleration feature, which combines the channels of both SIM cards and Wi-Fi to increase speed. If this feature is enabled, traffic can be consumed from both cards at the same time, which quickly drains balances. You can find this setting in Settings → Additional settings → Internet speed.
- 🔍 Check which one. SIM-The card is set as the main for data transmission.
- 📉 Track the expense separately for each card in the Security app.
- 🚫 Turn off data transfer on the second SIM card if it is used only for calls.
It is recommended to completely disable data transfer on the second SIM card, if it is used only for incoming calls or SMS. This is guaranteed to protect you from accidental expense if the main SIM card does not have enough signal and the phone switches to a backup.
Hidden commands and engineering menu for advanced
For users who don't have the standard methods, there are deeper diagnostic methods, and typing special codes into the ringer allows you to get into the engineering menu, which displays the technical statistics of the connection.
A useful code to check the information about SIM-Map and network ##4636##. From the menu that opens, select Phone Information, and you can see detailed packet data, although it's more technical.
##4636##This menu also allows you to temporarily switch the type of network (for example, make the phone only work in 3G or 4G), which can be useful for testing traffic flow in different coverage modes.
Another method is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) over a computer, and by connecting your phone to your PC, you can get a very detailed report of network activity by the adb shell dumpsys netstats command, which requires drivers and minimal command line knowledge, but provides the most accurate and detailed data that can not be hidden or forged.
⚠️ Note: Entering codes into the engineering menu and changing network settings can cause the phone to run unstable. Do not change values that are not sure, especially the parameters of the preferred network type.
Remember that for the average user of the functionality of the application, Security is more than enough. Engineering methods should be used only in case of suspected viral activity or serious malfunctions in the smartphone modem.