How to watch the Internet consumption on Xiaomi: full traffic control

A modern smartphone consumes huge amounts of data, and Xiaomi devices are no exception. Users often face a situation where mobile traffic ends faster than expected, or the battery is drained due to constant activity of network services. The MIUI operating system and the new HyperOS have powerful tools to monitor these processes, but it is not always obvious at first glance.

Understanding which apps or system processes are consuming traffic not only saves you money on tariffs, but also extends the battery life of your gadget. In this guide, we will take a look at all the ways to get statistics, from basic menus to advanced engineering codes, you will learn to identify hidden traffic eaters and adjust the restrictions for each application separately.

Controlling your network activity is the first step to optimizing your device, and we’ll look at not only the standard settings, but also the nuances that even experienced users often forget, which will help you take full control of the situation and avoid unpleasant surprises from the carrier.

Basic statistics in the annex Security

The main tool for managing resources in the MIUI shell is the System Security application, which is where all the basic data consumption statistics are collected, and to access it, you have to run the application and find the section responsible for network connections, usually called Traffic Statistics or just Traffic.

Once you enter this section, you'll see a monthly consumption chart, which shows the total amount of data that's been transmitted over mobile and Wi-Fi, and it's important to note that it allows you to manually reset the statistics, which is convenient to do on the day of the change of the tariff period, and it helps you keep the current figures in mind.

But the big picture doesn't tell you where the megabytes are going, and you have to click on the appropriate button or menu item, which is often hidden under the gear icon or arrow, and the list that opens shows apps sorted by traffic, often by social media, streaming services and browsers.

• 📊 Total consumption: shows the total amount of data for the selected period.
• 📱 By appendix: consumption detail for each installed program.
• 📅 Period: Opportunity to choose a day, week or month for analysis.
• 🔄 Reset: counter zero function to start new accounting cycle.

And you have to keep in mind that the data in this section can be updated with a slight delay. If you've just watched a high-resolution video, the numbers may not change instantly. This is normal behavior of the system, which is associated with data aggregation processes to save CPU resources.

So you can use sorting to get a deeper look at it, and by default, the list is based on declining consumption, but sometimes it's useful to look at applications that rarely use the network but are still active, and that helps to identify background processes that may not be needed right now.

Detailed analysis through Android settings

If the standard Xiaomi app seems to you not informative enough, you can always turn to the native settings of the Android operating system. The path to them may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same. You need to go to Settings, then select Connection and Sharing, or SIM-maps and mobile networks.

This is where Data Transfer or Data Use is located, and it's more rigorous and technical, and it shows raw data without visual embellishment, and it's where you can see how much traffic has been uploaded and downloaded by each application, which is critical for diagnosing leaks.

⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI The statistics in the Android system settings and the Security app may differ slightly, due to different kernel and user interface packet counting algorithms. Trust the data from the Security app, as it is better integrated with the system of restrictions.

The background section is worth paying attention to. In the native Android menu, you can see which apps are authorized to use the Internet when you are not using them. Often it is background synchronization of photos, email clients or instant messengers that create a significant load on the network.

To fine-tune it, you can click on a specific app in the list, and you'll open a card with detailed information where you can have switches to stop background activity or roaming data, and it's a powerful tool for lazy applications that are always hanging in your memory.

This section also provides an hourly consumption chart, which allows you to track what time of day the traffic spikes occurred, and if you see a spike at 3 a.m. when the phone was idle, it's a clear sign of an unoptimized app or system error.

Configure restrictions for individual applications

The most effective way to combat overspending is to restrict the rights of each application, which is very flexible in the HyperOS and MIUI shell, so you can only allow the application to run over Wi-Fi, completely deny access to the network, or limit background activity.

To start, go to traffic statistics and select the app you want, and you'll see a menu with a few key switches, the first of which is Mobile Data, and if you turn it off, the app will only be able to log on with Wi-Fi on, which is perfect for heavy gaming or video services that don't have to be online all the time.

The second important parameter is Background connections, which prevents the app from transmitting data when the screen is off or you are running another program, which saves battery power and traffic significantly, but can cause a delay in receiving notifications. Use this feature wisely for instant messengers.

• 🚫 Complete ban: the app has no access to the network anywhere.
• 📶 Wi-Fi only: mobile internet is closed for the application.
• 🔙 No background: work only in an active window.
• ✅ Full access: no restrictions applied.

Another feature worth mentioning is Traffic Saving, which is in the general settings of the section, and when activated, the system forcibly restricts background activity for all applications except those added to the exceptions, which is an “emergency mode” that should be turned on when there are a couple of days left before the end of the month and gigabytes are running out.

💡

Add important messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) to the traffic saving mode exception list, otherwise you may miss urgent messages while the phone screen is off.

Remember that some system applications, such as Mi Cloud or Google Photos, may try to sync large amounts of data. For them, it is better to manually set the limit “Only through Wi-Fi” so that random uploading of photos on a trip does not drain your balance.

Hidden counters and engineering menus

For advanced users who don't have enough standard statistics, there's access to deeper levels of information. Xiaomi phones have a hidden engineering menu called through a special code that lets you see the technical details of the connection and reset the counters at the lowest level.

To get there, open the Phone app and enter the code ##4636##. From the menu that opens, select Usage statistics, which displays how often and for how long apps have used the network, although megabyte detail may be less clear than in the standard interface.

However, a more useful way to reset the “stuck” meters is to clean the data of the system application Traffic Statistics. If you see that the numbers do not converge or the schedule is not updated, you can try to reset the settings of this component. To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications, search the Traffic Statistics (or Traffic Monitor) list and click “Clear”.

Use of the ADB-Android Debug Bridge is even more powerful, and by connecting your phone to your computer, you can download the full log of your network usage in text format. The adb shell dumpsys netstats team gives you a detailed report of all network interfaces and applications with byte accuracy.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when resetting system applications. While it is safe for your personal files, it may result in resetting the restrictions you previously set for individual programs.

Problems with the system services of Google and Mi

Often, the main users of traffic are not your installed games, but system services. On Xiaomi devices, these are usually Google Play services, Mi Cloud services, and the system updater. They can quietly download application updates or backups in the background.

Google Play has its own auto-update settings. Go to the app store, click on your profile avatar and select Settings → Settings → App Auto-Update. Select “Only via Wi-Fi” option, which will prevent the phone from deciding to upgrade to a heavy game while you’re on mobile.

As for Mi Cloud, it likes to sync gallery and voice recorder. If you have a lot of photos and videos, traffic can fly away very quickly. Check the sync settings in the Settings menu → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. Make sure that the gallery sync is only allowed over Wi-Fi.

It's also worth checking the settings of the GetApps store itself (Mi Store) - it also has an app auto-update feature: Turn it off or limit Wi-Fi to avoid double-burdening the network when both stores are trying to update the same app at the same time.

Real-time consumption analysis

For those who want to see the Internet consumption directly on the screen in real time, there are additional methods. The standard MIUI shell allows you to display the traffic widget on the lock screen or into the notification curtain. This is convenient for visual control: if you see that the download speed is high and you do not download anything, then something is going wrong.

To enable speed display, go to the Security app, click on the settings gear and find Network Speed Display. Activate it. Now the status bar (top of the screen) will show the current rate of incoming and outgoing data stream in kilobytes or megabytes per second.

This feature helps you identify the problem instantly, like when you close your browser, but the speed hasn't dropped to zero, and it's a signal that something is still pumping data, and when you go into the statistics, you'll see which app is currently active, because it's going to be at the top of the list.

• 👁️ Visualization: Instant understanding of channel load.
• ⚡ Reaction: the ability to quickly close the “gluttonous” application.
• 📉 Background control: Checking if the application is actually closed.

There are third-party apps from Google Play that provide a more beautiful and detailed widget, like My Data Manager or Data Usage, that can build more complex graphs and predict the end date of traffic based on your usage history.

💡

Turning on the network speed widget is the easiest way to visually control your smartphone’s “appetites” in real time without having to constantly open the settings menu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)