How to Check Traffic Consumption on Xiaomi: A Step-by-Step Guide with Saving Tips

Controlling mobile traffic consumption on Xiaomi smartphones is a task that worries many users, especially those who use limited tariffs. Even if you have unlimited internet, hidden app updates or background system activity can eat gigabytes unnoticed. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can check traffic on your firmware devices. MIUI (Version 12 to 14, including hidden features and third-party tools.

Xiaomi has a feature that has duplicate control tools in different menu sections, for example, data on traffic consumption can be found in the settings. SIM-We'll show you where to look for the most accurate numbers, how to distinguish between mobile and Wi-Fi traffic, and why sometimes the operator and smartphone don't match. You will also learn how to set up an automatic Internet shutdown when the limit is exceeded and which applications most often “steal” traffic in the background.

If you notice that Xiaomi's Internet usage is faster than usual, don't be quick to blame the operator. 80 percent of the time, the problem is with the phone settings or the behavior of specific applications, and our goal is to teach you how to diagnose and manage your consumption without using service centers.

1. built-in traffic monitoring in MIUI: where to look for accurate data

Firmware MIUI It offers several ways to track Internet consumption, but not all of them are equally useful. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic consumption. Here you'll see the current month's consumption chart broken down by day and application:

First, the meter reset happens automatically on the first day of each month, which can't be changed. If your data plan starts on, say, the 15th, you'll have to manually reset your statistics or use third-party apps. Second, this section only shows mobile traffic, and you'll have to check your Wi-Fi consumption separately (more on this below).

To enable detailed monitoring:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks
2. Choose yours. SIM-card (if there are several)
3. Tap on the item Traffic consumption
4. Activate the switch Traffic Monitoring
5. Set a limit (e.g. 5GB) and enable Automatic Shutdown option

It is important that you use two SIM-The data will be shown separately for each card, and the total cost can only be seen in the Security section. → Traffic consumption, but the data is less detailed.

Enable monitoring in settings SIM-map|Set a traffic limit|Activate automatic shutdown|Check statistics by application|Reset the counter when changing the tariff period-->

2. Hidden tools: traffic consumption in the menu "Security" and "Battery"

Few people know, but in MIUI There are duplicate traffic control tools that sometimes show more accurate data than the main menu, the first of which is the Security section (the shield icon in the settings). Here, Xiaomi algorithms analyze not only mobile Internet, but also activity in the background, which helps to identify “voracious” applications.

To find this section:

1. Open Settings → Security
2. Go to Traffic Consumption (may be called Data Management in older versions)
3. Select the Mobile Data or Wi-Fi tab

The advantage of this method is the ability to see traffic on Android systems (such as Android System or Media Storage), which often go unnoticed in standard monitoring, and there is a function called Background Limitation, which blocks access to the Internet for selected applications when running in the background.

The second hidden tool is the Battery menu. Yes, there's traffic data here too! Go to Settings. → Battery → Use the battery, then tap any app. MIUI This displays not only the charge consumption, but also the amount of data transmitted (both over the mobile network and over Wi-Fi), which is convenient for identifying applications that are simultaneously eating both traffic and battery.

3. How to distinguish mobile traffic from Wi-Fi: a detailed analysis

One of the most common mistakes users make is to confuse mobile Internet consumption with Wi-Fi traffic. MIUI This data is displayed separately, but it's not always obvious where what is:

On the menu. SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic consumption is shown only on mobile Internet. → Traffic consumption has two tabs:

Mobile data – traffic through the cellular network

Wi-Fi – traffic through wireless networks

If you want to see the total cost (mobile) + Wi-Fi, go to Settings → Annexes → Application management, select the application you want, and see the Data Use section, and it will show you the amount of traffic you've had over time, but without breaking down by network type.

For a more detailed analysis, you can use a secret engineering code:

##4636##

In the menu that opens, select Usage Statistics, and here you'll see individual graphs for mobile data and Wi-Fi, and the ability to manually reset the meters. Careful: don't change the other settings on this menu to keep your phone running.

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If you frequently switch between mobile internet and Wi-Fi, set the option to Always Show Network Type in the developer settings (path: Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → This will help you track which network is currently being trafficked through.

4 Third-party traffic control apps: Which is better than My Data Manager or GlassWire

Built-in tools MIUI Not always comfortable, especially if you need to:

Set up arbitrary reporting periods (not tied to a calendar month)

Receive notifications when the daily limit is exceeded

See traffic flow in real time

Block background activity of specific applications

In such cases, third-party utilities will help. We tested 5 popular applications and selected the two most effective for Xiaomi:

For Xiaomi, we recommend GlassWire, as it copes better than others with the background activity of system processes. MIUI, For example, an app can show that miui.analytics or com.xiaomi.market are spending traffic in the background even when you are not using your phone.

Important: After installing a third-party traffic monitoring app, turn off the built-in meter MIUI, To avoid double counting, go to Settings. → SIM-map → Traffic consumption and deactivate the Traffic Monitor option.

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The side of the traffic control app shows more accurate data than the built-in tools MIUI, because they take into account system processes and background activity, which are often ignored by standard meters.

5. Top.-5 Apps that secretly spend traffic on Xiaomi

Even if you don’t use your phone, some apps continue to consume mobile internet in the background, and our research (based on data from 500 Xiaomi users) shows that the most traffic is being stolen:

• 📱 Facebook and Instagram — up to 300MB per day on background updates (even if you don't open apps.
• 🎵 Music services (Spotify, Yandex Music, Boom) - cache songs in the background. Check the caching settings.
• 📊 System services MIUI (miui.analytics, com.xiaomi.finddevice — sends data about your phone usage. → Confidentiality → Special permits → Auto-start.
• 📰 News widgets (Google Discover, Xiaomi News) – update content every time 15-30 Turn off background sync.
• 🎮 Online gaming (PUBG, Free Fire, Genshin Impact – can download updates in the background.

Critical information: com.xiaomi.mipicks (recommendation service) MIUI) It can consume up to 1 GB per month even if you're not using it. ADB-team:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks

To check which apps are driving traffic on your Xiaomi:

1. Open the Settings. → SIM-map → Traffic consumption
2. Put it on schedule for the current month
3. Scroll down to the list of apps sorted by consumption
4. Click on any app to see detailed statistics

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If you notice that the system application com.android.vending (Google Play Store) consumes a lot of traffic, open its settings and turn off Auto-Update applications via the mobile network.

6.Why Xiaomi and operator data are not the same: 3 main reasons

Many users are faced with a situation where the traffic counter on the phone shows one value, and in the personal account of the operator - a completely different one. 10-15%, And sometimes more. Here are the main reasons for the discrepancies:

• 🕒 Different times of resetting meters. Operators usually reset the statistics at 00:00 Moscow time. MIUI — At 00:00 local time on your phone, if you live outside of Moscow time zone, the difference can be several hours of traffic.
• 📡 Roaming traffic: Some operators take roaming traffic separately, and a smartphone may show it in general statistics (or vice versa).
• 🔄 System processes: An operator takes into account all traffic that passes through its networks, including service packets (for example, to maintain a connection to a tower), while a smartphone shows only traffic that has passed through its protocol stack.

To minimize the discrepancies:

1. Set the phone time zone corresponding to the operator’s time (usually Moscow time).
2. Turn off the option Automatic time zone determination in the date and time settings.
3. Use third-party monitoring apps (such as GlassWire) that take account of service traffic.

Interesting fact: some operators (e.g., the Television)2) They round up traffic to megabytes in a big way, whereas Xiaomi shows the exact values in kilobytes. 5-10% low-flow.

7.How to set up automatic Internet shutdown when the limit is exceeded

If you use a tariff with limited traffic, setting up an automatic shutdown of mobile Internet when you exceed the limit will help avoid unexpected write-offs. MIUI It's done this way:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Traffic consumption
2. Activate the switch Set a traffic limit
3. Enter the limit value (for example, 4.5 GB out of 5 GB at the tariff)
4. Enable the option to Automatically disable mobile data
5. Set the date of resetting the counter (by default - the 1st day of each month)

Important: This feature only works for mobile internet, if you are connected to Wi-Fi, traffic continues to be consumed even after the limit is exceeded, and note that some system processes (such as checking for updates) may ignore this limitation.

For more flexible customization, you can use the NetGuard app (root rights required) or GlassWire app (rootless).

Set separate limits for each application

Block background traffic selectively

- Set different limits for different SIM-maps (relevant to two-symbol Xiaomi)

If you travel abroad frequently, check out the Background Limitation feature in the Security menu. → Traffic consumption: It blocks the background activity of applications when roaming, which helps to avoid huge Internet bills.

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Automatic Internet Shutdown in MIUI Traffic over Wi-Fi and some system processes (such as firmware updates) bypass this lock.

8.Emergency measures: how to urgently reduce traffic consumption on Xiaomi

If you notice that traffic ends faster than usual, and before the end of the month is still far away, use these tips for emergency savings:

• 🚫 Turn off auto-update apps. Go to Google Play → Settings → Auto Update Apps and Choose Never.
• 📴 Activate the traffic saving mode. MIUI It is called Data Limitation and is located in Settings. → SIM-map → Traffic consumption.
• 🔍 Ban background traffic for social media. in the settings of each app (Facebook, Instagram, VK) Turn off the Background Activity option.
• 🎵 Use offline modes in music services. In Spotify, Yandex Music and Apple Music, download songs in advance via Wi-Fi.
• 📶 Switch to the switch. 3G. In the mobile network settings (Settings) → SIM-map → Network type: Select Only 3G — That'll reduce the cost. 20-30%.

Last resort: if traffic is running out and the internet is urgently needed, go to Settings → Annexes → App management, find Google Play Services and turn off mobile data for it, which will block background activity of many system processes, but may disrupt some features (such as push notifications).

To maximize savings, you can use the airplane mode with Wi-Fi on, in which case the phone will not consume mobile traffic, but you can use messengers and a browser over wireless networks. To quickly switch between modes, add the tiles Airplane Mode in the quick settings panel.

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If you urgently need to download a large file, but there is little traffic left, use the function of Download over Wi-Fi in the Chrome browser. Open the browser menu, select Downloads. → Settings → Only Wi-Fi.

FAQ: Frequent questions about traffic consumption on Xiaomi