How to see how much Internet is spent on a Xiaomi phone: step-by-step instructions

Why it’s important to control your traffic on Xiaomi

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are all consuming mobile internet — even when you’re not using your phone. App background updates, account syncs, and advertising services can eat up gigabytes of traffic unnoticed, and if you have a limited rate, it leads to additional costs or a sharp drop in speed after the limit is exhausted.

In this article, you will learn how to look at detailed statistics of Internet consumption on any Xiaomi phone, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14. We will look at the built-in MIUI tools, hidden features and third-party applications that will help track traffic by day, apps and even by hour, and find out why carrier and phone data can differ by 10-30%.

Spoiler: If you've never reset your traffic meters in your settings, your statistics can show you total traffic over several years -- and that's OK. How to fix it -- read below.

Method 1: MIUI Standard Statistics (the simplest method)

MIUI firmware (even older versions) has a built-in traffic meter that shows mobile internet and Wi-Fi consumption separately, but has limitations: data is only reset manually, and some system processes may not be taken into account.

To open up the statistics:

1. Go to Settings → Connections and Sharing → Data Use.
2. Select the Mobile Data tab (for traffic) SIM-maps or Wi-Fi.
3. Scroll down to the chart - this shows the current period's expense.

By default, the reporting period starts from the last reset (or the date of installation of MIUI) to see the current monthly data:

Slap the icon. ⚙️ top-right

Select Data Reset (if you need to start counting again)

Set a limit on mobile data (optional, for notifications)

Enable the Reset option (recommended for monthly monitoring)-->

⚠️ Note: If you use two of these SIM-maps, each one's stats are displayed separately, switch between them via the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

Method 2: Detailing your applications (who is eating your traffic?)

Often, the main consumption of the Internet is 2-3 applications, and in MIUI you can see which programs consume the most data, which will help optimize traffic.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Data Management.
2. Select the Mobile Data tab.
3. Sort the list by descending (stamp by column Used).

The typical traffic eaters on Xiaomi:

• 📱 YouTube and TikTok – up to 1.5 GB/h when viewed in high quality.
• 🎮 Games (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile – up to 300 MB per session.
• 🔄 MIUI Optimization and Services & feedback – System processes that can spend up to 500MB/month on background analytics.
• ☁️ Cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) – synchronization of photos and files.

💡 Useful tip: If an app consumes too much traffic, limit its background activity. → Annexes → Select a program → Mobile data → Limit background traffic.

Once a week.

Only when gigabytes run out.

Never followed.

I use third-party apps.-->

Method 3: Hidden statistics in “Data Mode” (for advanced)

Few people know, but Xiaomi has a hidden menu with advanced traffic statistics that shows the flow not only of apps, but also of system processes that are not usually displayed in standard settings.

How to open it:

1. Enter the combination in the Phone app: ##4636##.
2. Select the item Usage Statistics.
3. Go to the Mobile Data tab.

Here you'll see:

• 📊 Total expenditure since the last reboot.
• 🔍 Details of UID (Application IDs, including hidden system services.
• ⏱️ Time of activity of each process.

⚠️ Attention: The data in this menu is reset when you restart your phone. To save statistics, take a screenshot or record the metrics before turning off your device.

Method 4: Traffic monitoring applications (more precisely than MIUI)

The built-in MIUI tools are not always accurate: they may not account for traffic from some system processes or be reset after updates.

• 📅 Flexible reporting periods (day, week, month, arbitrary range).
• 🔔 Notifications when the limit is exceeded.
• 📊 Export of data to Excel/CSV.
• 🌍 Dual-SIM support (separate statistics for each of the two) SIM-map).

Top.-3 apps:

💡 Tip: After installing the monitoring application, reset the counters MIUI, To avoid double counting, go to Settings. → Use of data → ⚙️ → Data resetting.

Method 5: Checking through USSD-operator

If you need data from a mobile operator (not a phone) USSD-It's relevant when:

• 🔄 You suspect that the phone is showing incorrect data.
• 📱 You have multiple devices with one SIM-map (tablet, modem).
• 💰 You need to check the remaining traffic on the tariff.

USSD-teams for popular operators:

⚠️ Note: Operator and phone data may vary by 10 to 30 percent:

• 📡 Phone does not account for traffic when roaming or switching between 4G/5G.
• ⏳ The operator may delay the update of statistics for 1-2 hours.
• 🔄 Some applications (e.g, VPN) Encrypt traffic and the phone can’t count it.

💡

For maximum accuracy, compare phone and operator data every 2-3 days. If the difference is greater than 30%, check the phone for viruses or background application activity.

Why does the phone show more traffic than the operator?

This is one of the most common problems, and let's look at the root causes and the ways to address them.

1. background activity of MIUI system applications

Processes like com.miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.midrop can consume traffic even when the phone is idle.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Data Management.
2. Slip on the three points in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
3. Pay attention to applications with a consumption of >50 MB.

2 Mistakes in the MIUI counter

Sometimes, after a firmware update, the counter resets or double counts.

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🗑️ Reset the statistics in Settings → Use of data → ⚙️ → Data resetting.
• 📱 Install a third-party monitoring application (see Method 4).

3. VPNs and proxy servers

If you use a VPN (like 1.1.1.1 or ProtonVPN), all traffic passes through an encrypted tunnel and the phone can't read it correctly.

• 🔍 Check the statistics directly in the app VPN.
• 📊 Turn it off. VPN 5-10 minutes and compare the data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the cost of Internet on Xiaomi