Controlling the consumption of Internet data is becoming a critical task for smartphone owners, especially when using tariffs with a limited package of gigabytes. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face a situation where the operator’s stated limit ends much earlier, raising questions about where exactly the megabytes go. MIUI system or its modern version HyperOS has powerful built-in monitoring tools, which, however, are not always obvious to the average user.
Unlike pure Android, the Chinese company’s shell provides advanced statistics that allow you to analyze the behavior of each installed application in detail, which allows you not only to see the total number, but also to understand which software is a “devourer” of traffic, whether it is background synchronization of photos, auto-update games or streaming video.
Note that the methods of counting data can vary depending on the firmware version and the region for which the device is released. Global versions of firmware often have a different interface from Chinese counterparts, but the logic of the system utilities remains similar. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods of control, from standard menus to hidden engineering settings that will help you keep the situation under control.
Basic verification through system settings
The easiest and most affordable way to get the primary flow information is to use the operating system’s regular settings menu, which does not require third-party software installation and provides a basic idea of which applications are most actively using the network. To access the data, you need to go to the Settings menu, then select the Connection and Sharing (or Mobile Network in older versions) and find the Data Transfer section.
Here you will see the total amount of traffic consumed for the current period, as well as a list of applications, sorted by the number of megabytes used. It is important to understand that a standard meter can be reset when you reboot a device or update the system if you do not set a specific reference date, so it is better to use specialized security tools built into the shell for accurate monitoring.
The interface may vary slightly across models, but key elements remain the same. You can switch between Mobile Data and Wi-Fi to see where your primary consumption is, and it often turns out that apps that you rarely use on the mobile network are actively pumping content in the background through Wi-Fi, but when you switch to 4G/5G, they continue to perform background activity.
If you notice an application that consumes anomalously much data, the system will suggest limiting its background activity, a useful feature for programs that do not need a permanent connection to the server, such as document editors or calculators. However, for messengers, this restriction can lead to delayed notifications, so you should use it with caution.
⚠️ Note: Resetting statistics in the standard settings menu does not turn off the Internet, but only clears the reference numbers. If you want to stop data transfer, you need to use a switch in the notification curtain or the Quick Settings menu.
Use of the Application Security
A deeper and more functional tool is the system application Security, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones, and this is where the smart traffic control features, which allow you to set tight limits and receive notifications when they approach, launch the application with a green shield and select Data Transfer or Traffic usage.
This section has a traffic limit setting feature that is critical to saving your budget: you can set a monthly limit in gigabytes and a billing reset date with your carrier, and then it will automatically track your billing and, if necessary, block Internet access when the limit is exhausted, which is more reliable than relying on SMS notifications from the operator, which often arrive late.
The app also allows you to set limits for each software, so you can prevent certain programs from accessing the mobile network, leaving them only access via Wi-Fi. This is especially true for heavy games, video editors or cloud storage, which do not require a constant online connection in the background.
☑️ Setting limits in security
One of the useful features is that you can look at detailed statistics by day, and it helps you to identify patterns, like you might notice that you're experiencing a spike in consumption on certain days of the week or at certain times of the day, and it helps you to identify the hidden processes that are eating away at your package.
Don't ignore the warning settings. The system can send push notifications when you're running out of 80 or 90 percent of your limit, which gives you time to either buy a package or temporarily limit your use of resource-intensive services. The flexibility of MIUI's settings allows you to tailor those settings to any plan.
Analysis of application background activity
One of the main reasons for this unexpected traffic is the background activity of applications, and many programs continue to download content, update news feeds, or sync data even when the smartphone screen is turned off, and to check which apps are most active in the background, you need to go to the data settings and select Data Use.
This shows the separation between "Background" and "Active Data." If you see an app you've barely used has consumed hundreds of megabytes in the background, it's a signal to action, and often these "offenders" are social networks, news aggregators and food delivery services.
- 📱 Social networks (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook) – often load video previews and pictures in the background to speed up the feed.
- ☁️ Cloud storage (Google Photos, Mi Cloud) – can try to upload large videos or photos over a mobile network, unless the Wi-Fi-only restriction is set up".
- 🎮 Gaming platforms (Google Play, Mi GetApps) – may have enabled auto-update app function, which is critical for traffic.
To combat this, every application has a Background switch in its settings, and if you turn it off, you'll stop the program from accessing the network when it's not running on the screen, which can cause notifications to only come when you open the application, but save a lot of traffic.
Setting up access restrictions and prohibitions
HyperOS and MIUI provide not only a monitoring but also a tight regulation of application access to the network, either through permissions management menus or directly in the data usage profile, so you can create a blacklist of programs that are completely banned from the Internet, or a whitelist for priority traffic.
To set the restrictions, go to Security → Data → Traffic Restriction. This is a list of all installed applications with two columns: a Wi-Fi icon and a mobile network icon (4G/5G). By clicking on these icons, you can change their status: green means permission, red means prohibition.
For example, you can leave mobile network access only for messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) and navigator (Yandex Maps, Google Maps), and all games and video services are allowed to work only through Wi-Fi. This ensures that even if you accidentally run a heavy application outside the home, it will not be able to connect to the network.
| Type of application | Recommended access (Mob. network) | Recommended access (Wi-Fi) | Reason for limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Messengers | Permitted. | Permitted. | It is necessary to receive instant messages |
| Navigators. | Permitted. | Permitted. | Required for route and traffic jams |
| Social media. | Limited. | Permitted. | High traffic consumption for media content |
| Games | Forbidden. | Permitted. | Updates and downloads can be extensive |
| Streaming video | Forbidden. | Permitted. | Critical traffic consumption (up to 3 GB/hour) |
Also worth paying attention to is the Traffic Saving Mode feature, which when activated, automatically compresses images in the browser and limits background synchronization, which can be useful in roaming or in very poor signaling, with every kilobyte counting.
⚠️ Note: Complete banning of network access for system applications (for example, “Google Play Services” or “System framework”) can lead to malfunctioning of the smartphone, failures in receiving notifications and errors in other programs.
Hidden functions and engineering menu
For advanced users who want to access more information, there are hidden menus and codes. Although standard settings cover 95% of needs, sometimes a radio-level diagnostic is required. One way is to use the ##4636## code that opens the test menu.
In the Data Use section (if available on your firmware version), you can see statistics that don’t always match the data in the settings, and it shows traffic that has passed directly through the network interface, which is useful for identifying discrepancies with the operator’s data.
Another layer of control is the access point settings, and if you're transferring the Internet from your phone to other devices, it's important to control that channel, and in the access point settings (Settings → Wi-Fi Access Point), you can set a specific traffic limit for the distribution, and when the connected devices run out of that limit, the distribution will automatically shut down.
Some users are using the ADB-commands to fine-tune network settings, but this requires a computer connection and some knowledge. For most cases, the functionality described above is enough. The main thing is to check the statistics regularly, especially in the first days after the tariff change or the operator.
Frequent problems and their solution
Despite the advanced functionality, users may encounter situations where statistics do not match reality or settings are not applied. A common problem is resetting the meters after a system update or reboot. To avoid this, always manually set the start date in the Security application according to the date of your tariff period.
Another common situation is phantom traffic consumption, where the phone shows usage even though you haven't used it. This is often related to the Wi-Fi Assist, which automatically switches the phone to mobile Internet if the Wi-Fi signal is weak, even if the connection is formally available.
You can turn this off in Wi-Fi settings: find Wi-Fi Assistant or Switch to mobile data and deactivate it. This will prevent unobtrusive switching to the mobile network in areas of unreliable Wi-Fi reception, which often happens in large apartments or offices.
If the statistics on the phone and the operator differ slightly (by 3-5%), this is normal. Operators often round up data or take into account service traffic, which the phone may not record in user statistics, but if the difference is 20-30% or more, it is worth conducting a detailed audit of the connected applications.