How to Remove Traffic Savings on Xiaomi: All Ways to Get a MIUI 12-14

Save traffic on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature for those who are limited by a plan or are often roaming, but it can also be a source of annoyance when sites load slowly, video slows down, and applications refuse to update in the background. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to disable traffic restriction, from basic MIUI settings to hidden parameters that the manufacturer does not advertise.

Compounding the problem, Xiaomi has integrated data savings across multiple layers: system level (MIUI), individual applications, and even the Android kernel level. So simply turning off one switch in settings often doesn’t work. We tested all methods on current firmware versions (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14) and put together working solutions — including those not described in the official documentation.

It's important to understand that some of the restrictions may be imposed by your mobile operator (like the daily limit tariff), in which case you either have to change the tariff or use workarounds like a VPN, but in 90% of cases, the problem lies in the settings of the smartphone, and it can be solved in 5 minutes.

1. Basic traffic saving settings in MIUI

So to start with the obvious, the built-in MIUI tools, which the manufacturer has put in a few menu sections, so you'll have to check each one.

The first one is the global data saving switch, which is responsible for limiting background traffic for all applications, and to turn it off:

1. Open Settings → Connections and Sharing (or SIM cards and mobile networks in older versions).
2. Select Use of Data → Saving traffic.
3. Move the slider to the off position.

But that's often not enough, because MIUI saves customized savings settings for each application, so you can reset them.

• 📱 Return to Data Use and tap on any app from the list (e.g. YouTube or Telegram).
• 🔄 Make sure that the Save Traffic (or Limit Background Traffic) option is turned off.
• 🔍 Check the Background Data Use section – there may be a restriction here too.

Attention to details: In some firmware (especially for POCO and Redmi Note), the traffic saving option may be hidden under another name - Data Saver or Restrict Background Data. If you do not find a Russian counterpart, switch the interface language to English temporarily.

2. Hidden settings through the developer mode

If the basic methods don't work, you'll have to dig deeper, and there are hidden parameters in MIUI that don't show up in the standard menu, and then you can activate them.

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version until you become a developer!
3. Go back to the main settings menu and open a new section for developers.

Now find the following options and turn them off:

• 🛠️ Limit background processes → Select the Standard Limitation.
• 📶 Mobile data is always active → Turn on (this will prevent connection break when switching between Wi-Fi and the 4G).
• 🔄 Automatic data synchronization → Turn it on if it's been turned off.

Pay special attention to Background check, which, if activated, aggressively closes applications that consume traffic in the background. On Xiaomi 12T and Redmi K50, this option is turned on by default, which leads to push notification problems.

3. Wi-Fi problems: why traffic is limited even at unlimited rates

Many users are faced with a situation where traffic savings work even when connecting to Wi-Fi, and this happens for three reasons:

1. Restrictions on the part of the router (such as parental controls or QoS).
2. MIUI settings that equate Wi-Fi to mobile traffic.
3. DNS problems when the system mistakenly identifies the network as paid.

To fix the problem:

1. Open the Settings. → Wi-Fi.
2. Tap on the current network and select Change the network.
3. Make sure that Metered Access (or Metered Network) is disabled.
4. Scroll down and turn on Always Connect to this network.

If the problem persists, try changing it. DNS-server:

• 🌐 In the same Wi-Fi settings, select additionally → Settings IP → Static.
• 🔢 In the field DNS 1 Enter 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare).

💡

If some sites stopped opening after changing the DNS, return the settings to the default values and try another server (for example, 77.88.8.8 from Yandex).

Application-level restrictions: how to remove locks for individual programs

Even if global traffic savings are turned off, individual applications may remain blacklisted, including messaging apps (WhatsApp, Viber), streaming services (YouTube, Twitch), and cloud storage (Google Drive, Mi Cloud).

To check and remove restrictions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Telegram).
3. Open Data Use.
4. Make sure that:

• 📱 Mobile data - included.
• 🌐 Wi-Fi - on.
• 🔄 Background use of data - included.
• 🚫 Traffic savings - offline.

Some applications (such as Google Play Store) may require additional action:

1. Open Google Settings (the gear icon in your account profile).
2. Go to Google Account Management → Data and Personalization.
3. Find the synchronization settings and enable automatic synchronization.

5. Network reset: a last resort

If none of the previous methods worked, the network reset remains, which will delete all stored Wi-Fi networks, passwords and APN settings, but often helps with system failures.

• 📋 Take a picture or take a picture of the settings. APN (Path: Settings → SIM cards and mobile networks → Access points (APN)).
• 🔑 Make sure you remember passwords from Wi-Fi networks.

For discharge:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Network Reset (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Reconnect to Wi-Fi and mobile network.
• 📱 Manually set up APN, If the internet does not work automatically.
• 🔍 Check if traffic saving settings have returned to default values.

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Resetting network settings only removes the connection settings, but does not affect personal data (photos, messages, applications).

6.Alternative methods: ADB and third-party utilities

For advanced users who are not afraid of the command line, there is a way to disable traffic savings through ADB. This is true if the MIUI settings are blocked by the operator or corporate policy.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Initiated debugging mode USB phone-on.

After connecting the phone to the PC, perform at the terminal:

adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0


adb shell settings put global data_saver_enabled 0




adb shell settings put global restrict_background 0

These commands are off:

Warning: using ADB can disrupt the stability of the system if you enter incorrect commands. On Xiaomi 13 Pro models and later after applying these commands, you may need to restart in safe mode to reset the cache.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Many users make the same mistakes when trying to turn off traffic savings, and here are the most common ones:

⚠️ Note: If you use two of these SIM-maps, traffic saving settings can be different for each of them. SIM 1 and SIM 2 in the section SIM cards and mobile networks.

• 🔄 Do not restart the phone after changes - some settings apply only after the reboot.
• 📵 Ignore the operator’s restrictions – if you have a daily tariff (for example, Tele2’s “Unlimited on Yours”), no phone settings will help.
• 🔍 Do not check background processes – some applications (for example, Mi Video) can independently include savings for streaming.

Another common problem is the VPN conflict: If you're using 1.1.1.1, ProtonVPN, or the built-in Private DNS in MIUI, it can block some of the traffic, try temporarily disabling the VPN and check the Internet speed.

If after all the manipulations traffic is still limited, check:

• 📡 Availability of firmware updates (sometimes traffic saving bugs are fixed in patches).
• 🛠️ Work in Safe Mode (click the power button) → Safe Mode. If the problem has disappeared, one of the installed applications is to blame.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions