How to see Internet traffic on the phone Xiaomi Poco X3: all ways with explanations

Why it is important to track traffic to Poco X3 and what does this statistic tell you?

Xiaomi Poco X3 (and its modifications Poco X3 NFC/Pro) is one of the most popular gadgets with a shell MIUI, which is known for its flexible management of network settings. However, even experienced users often overlook that the traffic consumption on Android devices can differ significantly from the operator’s data, this is due to background activity of applications, accounting errors in firmware or even viruses masquerading as system processes.

Controlling Internet traffic on Poco X3 not only avoids unexpected charges for over-the-limiting, but also detects “gluttonous” applications. For example, MIUI 12.5+ has a bug that can count some messengers (like Telegram) as “system traffic” and not show up in standard statistics. Without manual verification, you risk missing this point.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can use it, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party apps, and we’ll also explore some of the things that the manufacturer doesn’t advertise, like why data in your phone settings and your personal account can diverge by 10 to 30 percent.

Method 1: Standard MIUI statistics in settings

The most obvious method is to use a built-in MIUI traffic counter, which works on all Poco X3 firmware versions (including MIUI 12/13/14), but has limitations, which we will discuss below.

To open up the statistics:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks.
2. Choose an active one SIM-card (if two of them).
3. Slip on the item Use of mobile traffic.
4. Here you will see the flow chart for the current month, as well as a list of applications with an indication of the amount of data.

Important nuances of this method:

• 📅 The reset of the meter occurs automatically on the first day of each month, and if your tariff starts on a different date (for example, the 15th), the data will be inaccurate.
• 🔄 Background traffic from some system processes (e.g. com.android.phone) may not be counted or duplicated.
• 📡 Wi-Fi and mobile traffic are shown separately. To view the Wi-Fi consumption, go to Settings → Wi-Fi → Current network → Use of data.

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 12.5 and later, there is a bug that causes Viber and WhatsApp app traffic to show up in statistics with a delay of up to 24 hours. If you need relevant data, use method 3 or 4.

Method 2: Hidden Menu of Engineering Settings (#4636##)

Few people know, but the Xiaomi Poco X3 has a hidden menu for advanced users, where you can see detailed traffic statistics across all interfaces (2G/3G/4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), a method suitable for diagnosing connection problems or checking whether the phone is leaking data in the background.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select Usage Statistics.
3. Here you'll see four tabs: Total traffic is total all-time spending. Mobile traffic is broken down by SIM-Wi-Fi is data on each network. Background traffic is activity of system processes.

The advantage of this method is real time (data is updated every 5 seconds) and the ability to see traffic that does not fall into the standard MIUI statistics.

• 📶 System updates (even if they are downloaded in the background).
• 🔗 VPN-Traffic (if you are using Cloudflare) WARP analogue).
• 🤖 Botnet activity (if the phone is infected with a virus, this will be visible by the unusually high background consumption).

⚠️ Note: Do not change other settings in the engineering menu if you do not understand their purpose! For example, the Battery information item may reset the battery data, which will lead to incorrect operation of the Adaptive Charging function.

Method 3: Third-Party Applications for Traffic Monitoring

If you don't like the built-in MIUI tools, you can install specialized applications that not only show real-time traffic, but also allow you to:

• 📊 Set limits on individual apps (e.g. limit TikTok to 500MB per day).
• 🔔 Receive notifications when exceeding a given threshold.
• 🌍 Track traffic by geolocation (useful for roaming).

Top.-3 Proven applications for Xiaomi Poco X3:

1. GlassWire shows traffic in the form of a graph, broken down by application and time. ✅ Pros: intuitive interface, work without root. ❌ Cons: in the free version, the history is stored only for 7 days.
2. My Data Manager – allows you to set strict limits and track traffic in roaming. ✅ Pros: supports dual-SIM, there is a widget on the main screen. ❌ Cons: Advertising in the free version.

NetGuard

• ✅ Pros: No advertising, open source.
• ❌ Cons: Requires manual adjustment of rules.

To avoid conflicts with MIUI Optimized (power saving feature in Xiaomi firmware), after installing the application:

Add to autorun exceptions | Turn off battery optimization for the application |Enable background activity in MIUI |Reboot phone after installation-->

Important: Some applications (such as NetGuard) may conflict with VPN-If Warp stopped working after installation+ or ProtonVPN, check the settings for Special Access in the Settings section → Annexes → Permits.

Method 4: Checking traffic through the operator’s personal account

If you want data on the tariff (rather than the actual cost of the phone), the most reliable way is to look into your mobile operator's personal account.

• 📱 You use an eSIM or a virtual carrier (like Tinkoff Mobile).
• 🔄 You have activated options like “Unlimited messengers” (traffic on them may not be taken into account in the statistics of the phone).
• 🌐 You often switch between 4G and 5G (Some tariffs consider this traffic differently).

Instructions for popular operators:

The main disadvantage of this method is the delay in updating data. For example, if you downloaded a large file 5 minutes ago, this will affect your personal account only a few hours later, and operators often round up traffic in a large direction (for example, 1.2 GB can be displayed as 1.5 GB).

💡

If the data in your account and on your phone are very different (more than 30%), check the settings. APN. Incorrect settings can lead to double counting of traffic. → SIM-map → Access point (APN).

Method 5: ADB-Teams for Advanced Users

If you’re ready to dive into the technical details, you can get traffic data directly from Android using ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

• 🔍 Diagnostics of hidden traffic consumption (for example, if the phone eats gigabytes at night).
• 📉 Collection of statistics for a long period (for example, 6 months).
• 🛠️ Work checks VPN proxy.

Instructions:

1. Install. ADB-computer-assist.
2. Turn on USB Debugging on Poco X3: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (tap 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging on USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute in the command line: adb shell cat /proc/net/xt_qtaguid/stats This command will display a list of all applications indicating the sent and received bytes.
4. To reset the counter, use: adb shell echo 0 > /proc/net/xt_qtaguid/ctrl

Example of command output (simplified):

rmt0    1000    0    1024    1536    0    0    0    0    0    "com.android.chrome"




rmt0    1001    0    5120    3072    0    0    0    0    0    "com.whatsapp"

Where:

• rmt0 is the mobile interface (mobile network).
• 1000, 1001 - Application UIDs.
• 1024/5120 – bytes obtained.
• 1536/3072 - Bytes sent.

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB Incorrect commands (e.g. adb shell rm) -rf /) This can cause a complete reset of the phone. Always check the syntax before performing.

Why are the data on the phone and the operator do not match?

The difference between Poco X3 statistics and operator data is one of the most common reasons for support disputes.

1. Operators usually round megabytes to the nearest integer (for example, 1.2 MB will become 2 MB).
2. Some processes (e.g., com.google.android.gms) may consume traffic but not show up in standard MIUI statistics. This is especially true if you have an Adaptive Battery Mode disabled.
3. VPN and proxy if you use Cloudflare WARP, Psiphon or corporate VPN, Traffic can be counted twice: first at the phone level, then at the level. VPN-server.
4. MIUI 12.0.3-12.0.8 had a bug that didn’t account for YouTube traffic in the background (for example, when playing music with the screen off) in the statistics. If you have this version, update the firmware.

To minimize the discrepancies:

• 🔄 Reset the meter on the phone and in the operator’s personal account on the same day (for example, on the 1st day).
• 📵 Turn off mobile data when connecting to Wi-Fi (in settings) SIM-The card is an option to Autoconnect to the mobile network - it must be turned off).
• 🛡️ Use monitor apps (like GlassWire) for cross-checking.

💡

If the difference between the phone and the operator exceeds 30%, this is an occasion to check the phone for viruses or reset the network settings (Settings). → SIM-map → Resetting mobile network settings).

FAQ: Frequent questions about traffic on Xiaomi Poco X3