Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners often face the challenge of controlling mobile traffic. In today’s world, unlimited rates can run out and home Wi-Fi isn’t always available on the road. MIUI shells and the new HyperOS provide powerful monitoring tools, but finding the right settings the first time is difficult because of the deep nested menu.
Understanding where Xiomi hides traffic statistics not only saves money, but also extends battery life. Applications that run in the background can steal gigabytes while the screen is off. In this article, we will detail the paths to system meters, learn to set tight limits and block network access for voracious programs.
We'll look at both standard methods through system settings and additional utilities from the manufacturer, how to set up notifications about the approach to the limit and what commands you might need for advanced users, and the information is relevant for current versions of firmware released in 2026-2026.
System Monitoring through Settings
The fastest way to know how many megabytes or gigabytes have been consumed in a given period is in the standard settings menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the Android version and regional firmware (Global, EEA, China), but the logic remains the same. You need to open the main menu and find the section responsible for connections.
Go to Settings. → SIM-And that's where the basic statistics are hidden, and note that if you have two SIM cards on your device, the statistics will be split for each. MIUI keeps records separately for mobile Internet and Wi-Fi, which allows you to analyze consumption in detail.
In the window that opens, you will see the data usage graph and the numerical values, you can see how much traffic was used in the current month, as well as statistics for previous periods, and it is important to accurately monitor the date of the reset of the statistics that coincides with the date of updating your tariff plan from the operator.
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Always set a date for resetting statistics a day later than your carrier’s charge is charged, which will give you time to react if the limit is exceeded.
Remember, you can manually reset the system meter at any time, and it's useful to do this at the beginning of each new billing period, so you don't get confused by the numbers. Just press the corresponding button in the statistics menu, and the countdown starts again.
Use of the Application Security
A unique feature of Xiaomi smartphones is the presence of a pre-installed system application Security (Security). This is not just an antivirus, but a full-fledged harvester for managing resources, where traffic control functions are implemented in more detail than in the standard Android menu.
Run the Security app and find the Traffic icon (usually a green or blue network icon) and here is a consolidated dashboard showing total flow, traffic (if the limit is set) and real-time connection speed, which is the most convenient way to quickly assess the situation.
- 📊 Detailed statistics: Allows you to see a list of all applications, sorted by the amount of data consumed.
- 🚀 Speed Limitation: A function that allows you to artificially lower the speed for specific programs.
- 🔒 Blocker: Ability to completely deny Internet access to selected applications.
This section also includes the Traffic Assistant feature, which allows you to set up automatic actions when certain thresholds are reached, for example, the system can automatically turn off mobile data when you run out of 90% of your packet.
Setting limits and notifications
To avoid the unpleasant surprises of writing off money for extra megabytes, you need to set your limits right, and in the HyperOS shell and newer versions of MIUI, it works quite flexibly, and you can set a hard limit, when you reach it, the Internet will simply shut down.
To set up, go to the traffic menu and click on the gear or Settings. Here you need to enter your tariff value, for example, 20 GB. It is also critical to specify the date of reset. If you specify the wrong date, the statistics will be incorrect, and the notifications will come too late or too early.
The system offers two types of restrictions: the first is a soft notification that just tells you that you have spent a certain percentage; the second is a hard limit that blocks data transmission; the recommended combination is an 80% notification and a 100% lockdown.
⚠️ Warning: When setting a hard limit, make sure you have access to Wi-Fi for emergency unlocking if the internet goes off at the wrong time.
Don't just rely on built-in meters. Operators can count traffic rounded upwards or take into account packet headers that the phone doesn't always display. Always leave a small buffer of 100-200 MB until the limit is exhausted.
Control of application background data
One of the main reasons for the fast traffic flow is background processes. Social networks, email clients and instant messengers can constantly update the feed or download media files, even when you are not using the phone. At Xiaomi, this can be controlled very thinly.
The traffic management menu (via the Security app) has a Traffic Restriction section, which shows a list of all installed programs, you can individually configure Wi-Fi and mobile network access for each application, which allows, for example, to prevent YouTube or TikTok from working over the mobile network, leaving access only via Wi-Fi.
Background is also available, and if you turn it off for an app, it can only go online when you open it on the screen, which is the perfect way to save traffic for heavy gaming or streaming services that you rarely use.
☑️ Optimization of background data
Pay attention to the system services of Google and Xiaomi. Google Play can download application updates in the background. It is recommended to configure auto-update applications only via Wi-Fi in the settings of the Play Market store itself, so as not to waste mobile traffic.
Comparison of traffic accounting methods
Users often get confused as to whether to look at the truth in the phone's statistics or in the operator's application, the difference being due to the technicalities of the data transfer, the phone counts the bytes that have passed through its network interface, and the operator counts the bytes that have reached its gateway.
Below is a table comparing the main control methods and their features in the Xiomi ecosystem.
| Method | precision | Data delay | Possibility of blocking |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI/HyperOS counter | High (locally) | Instantly. | There's (automatic) |
| Operator's application | Absolute (Billing) | 5-15 minutes | No (only purchase) |
| Third-party APKs | Medium | Instantly. | Depends on the rights. |
As you can see from the table, Xiaomi's built-in tools are the best tools for preventive control, they react instantly and can block the network before the operator has time to charge extra money. USSD-codes or applications of your operator.
Why can the data be different?
Resetting statistics and correcting errors
Sometimes users notice that the traffic counter is "lieting" or showing incorrect data, this can happen after a firmware update, reset settings or software failure, in which case it is recommended to reset the statistics manually.
To do this, look for Statistics and select Reset in the traffic menu. After that, re-enter the billing period start date. If the problem persists, try clearing the Security system app cache through the Settings menu → Apps → All Apps → Security → Memory → Clear.
In the rare cases where the meter sticks and is not updated in real time, a deeper diagnosis may be required, check if the traffic saving mode in the browser or specific applications is turned on, as they can intercept the data recording.
⚠️ Note: Do not use third-party applications for cleaning memory (Clean Master and analogues) with root rights, unless you are sure of their compatibility with the root. MIUI. They can damage system traffic records, which will cause the network to malfunction.
If after all the manipulations, the discrepancy between the phone counter and the operator’s data remains critical (more than 10-15%), it is recommended to contact the operator’s support service, perhaps there is an incorrect accounting on the network side or a service that you are not aware of is activated.
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The built-in MIUI and HyperOS tools provide the best balance between functionality and security, allowing you to flexibly manage application access without installing third-party software.