Traffic Saving Mode on Xiaomi: How to Disable and Why It Needs

Xiaomi’s traffic saving mode is a useful feature for those who want to save megabytes of mobile Internet. But sometimes it works too aggressively: blocking background updates of applications, cutting down on download speeds or even interfering with normal messengers. If you notice that sites load slower than usual, and applications stopped updating automatically, this mode is most likely to blame.

In this article, we will discuss all the ways to disable traffic savings on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, including hidden settings and nuances for different versions of MIUI firmware. You will learn where to look for the right options, how to check whether the mode is really active, and what to do if standard methods do not work.

Important: some models may call it something else, like "Data Saving," "Traffic Limitation," or "Background Data Transfer," and we'll look at all the options so you can find the right switch.

What is Xiaomi’s Traffic Saving Mode and How It Works

Traffic Saving Mode (or Data Saver in international versions of MIUI) is a feature that limits mobile internet usage in the background, designed to prevent users with limited rates from wasting megabytes on unnecessary updates.

When the mode is active, Xiaomi’s system does the following:

• 📵 Blocks background synchronization for most applications (except messengers and system services).
• 🐢 Limits download speed in the browser and some applications.
• 🔄 Disables automatic update of applications via mobile network.
• 📊 Shows a high traffic consumption notice for individual programs.

In practice, this means that WhatsApp or Telegram can stop showing new messages without opening the app, and YouTube will load videos in lower quality, and in some cases, the mode even interferes with the Google Play Store, preventing you from downloading updates.

Fun fact: Xiaomi with MIUI 12 and newer firmware is more aggressive in its traffic saving mode than older versions, it can block even the apps you added in the exceptions, and it has to do with the power optimization that has been introduced in the newer versions of the shell.

How to check if your Xiaomi’s traffic saving mode is enabled

Before you turn off the function, make sure it's actually active. There are several ways to check this:

1. Look at the notification panel. If there's a two-arrow icon at the top of the screen with an exclamation point (🔄!) — switched-on.
2. Open the Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → If there's a traffic saving switch in the on position, it's working.
3. Check app behavior. If Instagram or Facebook doesn't update your feed without opening it, and Google Play doesn't download updates over the mobile Internet, that's a sure sign.

On some models (such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi Note 11), the icon in the notification panel may not be present even if the mode is on, in which case check the settings manually.

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If you're not sure if the mode is on, try uploading a video to YouTube via the mobile Internet. If it loads in low quality (360p or 480p) despite the app's settings, traffic savings are likely to be to blame.

The standard way to turn off traffic savings on Xiaomi

The easiest method is to use the standard settings menu, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with MIUI 10 firmware and later:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to section. SIM-maps and mobile networks (some models may be called Mobile Network or Data Transfer).
3. Choose yours. SIM-card (if there are several).
4. Find Traffic Saving (or Data Saver in global versions) and move the switch to the OFF position.
5. Confirm the action if a request appears.

On some devices (such as the POCO F3 or Redmi K40), the path may be slightly different:

Settings → Connections and Sharing → Mobile Network → Data Savings

Badge 🔄! disappeared from the notification panel

Apps have started to update in the background

YouTube is loading high quality videos

Google Play is downloading updates via mobile-->

If there are still internet problems after the feature is turned off, other settings may be to blame.For example, Xiaomi with MIUI 13 has a separate switch to limit background traffic, which is located in a different menu.

Alternative ways to disconnect (if the standard does not work)

Sometimes the traffic saving mode does not turn off through the basic settings, this can be due to firmware bugs or features of a particular model.

Method 1: Using the "Special Rights" menu

Some apps (like Google Play Store or WhatsApp) may have their own data saving settings to check:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Special Rights → Data Transfer.
2. Select the application you want to disable the restrictions for (e.g. Telegram).
3. Activate the switches Background data transfer and Unlimited access to data.

Method 2: Reset network settings

If the traffic saving mode is on but cannot be turned off, try resetting your network settings, which will delete all stored Wi-Fi networks and mobile Internet settings, but often helps to solve the problem:

Settings → About phone → Resetting → Resetting Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings

Method 3: Use of the Engineering Menu (for advanced users)

On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M3), the traffic saving mode is controlled through hidden settings.

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination ##4636##.
2. Go to the tab of usage statistics.
3. Check if there are any active restrictions on background traffic.

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other options in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose.

How to Turn Off Traffic Savings for Individual Applications

If you need to leave saving mode on, but allow full-fledged work for individual programs (for example, messengers or navigator), do the following:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Google Maps).
3. Go to the Data Transfer section.
4. Activate the switches: 🔄 Background data transmission 📶 Unlimited access to data 📱 Auto-start (if any)

On Xiaomi with MIUI 14, the path may be slightly different:

Settings → Applications → Permissions → Data Transfer → [Select App]

Note that even after these settings, some apps (like TikTok or Facebook) can continue to save traffic through their internal algorithms, in which case, check the data saving settings within the app itself.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after you turn off traffic saving mode, Xiaomi users sometimes face problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

Problem 1: The mode turns on itself after the restart

This is a well-known bug in some versions of MIUI.

• 🔧 Update the firmware to the latest version.
• 📱 Perform a reset of network settings (as described above).
• 🛠️ If the problem persists, try rolling back the firmware to an older version.

Problem 2: Some apps still save traffic

Some programs (like Facebook or Instagram) have their own data-saving mechanisms.

• 📱 Settings for saving traffic inside the application itself.
• 🔄 Permissions for background data transfer in settings MIUI.
• 📶 Settings SIM-cards from the operator (perhaps the restrictions are set at the tariff level).

Problem 3: Traffic saving icon stays in notification bar

This may be due to:

• 🔄 Cache systems. Try restarting your phone.
• 📱 Display errors. Pull the notification bar down and manually delete the notification.
• 🛠️ Firmware bug. MIUI or reset the settings.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Mi 11 Ultra or Redmi) K50) The traffic saving icon may be displayed incorrectly even after the function is disabled, but it does not affect the actual operation of the network, but can be misleading.

How to completely remove the function of traffic saving (root method)

If you're a confident user and you're willing to take a risk, you can completely uninstall the system app that saves traffic, which requires root rights and can cause your phone to run in an unstable way, and only use it if other methods have not worked.

Instructions:

1. Get root rights on your Xiaomi (for example, through Magisk).
2. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
3. Go to /system/priv-app/.
4. Find the DataSaver folder (or TrafficMonitor on some firmware).
5. Rename her in DataSaver_bak or remove.
6. Reboot the phone.

After that, the traffic saving feature will disappear from the settings and all restrictions will be removed.

• 🚨 This can disrupt other system functions.
• 🔧 Updates MIUI They can return deleted files.
• 📱 The phone guarantee will be lost.

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Use root methods only as a last resort, and in 90% of cases, the problem of saving traffic can be solved in standard ways.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions