Modern smartphones Xiaomi have powerful hardware, but even flagship models can start to work slower over time. Often the cause of this problem is not the obsolescence of components, but an excessive number of apps running in hidden mode. Users often notice that the battery drains faster than usual and the device heats up without any visible load. The culprits of this behavior are often the ones that consume processor and RAM resources. background processes, which consume CPU and RAM resources.
The operating system installed on brand devices has its own application management features. Unlike “pure” MIUI, installed on brand devices, has its own application management features. Unlike "pure" Android, there are additional energy saving mechanisms that can either help or hinder the normal operation of the software. To take control of the situation into your own hands, you need to understand which services are currently running and learn how to manage them competently. This will not only speed up the interface, but also significantly extend the battery life of your gadget.
In this guide, we will examine in detail all the available methods for monitoring system activity. You will learn how to activate hidden menus, how to distinguish system services from malware, and what actions should absolutely not be taken without in-depth knowledge. The information will be useful to both owners of budget series models Redmiand users of premium lines Xiaomi.
Activation of developer mode for advanced monitoring
The standard settings menu MIUI hides detailed information about running services from the average user. To access the full list of active tasks, you need to unlock a special section intended for debugging and testing. This step is the first and mandatory for anyone who wants to conduct a deep diagnosis of their device.
The activation process is quite simple, but requires care when entering data. You need to go to section Settings, then select item About phone. Here, find the line MIUI version and quickly click on it 7-10 times in a row. As soon as the pop-up notification “You have become a developer” appears on the screen, you can proceed to the next step.
After successful activation in the main settings menu, usually at the very bottom of the list or in the section Additional settings, a new item For developerswill appear. It is within this section that professional-level tools are concentrated, allowing you to see the real picture of the system load. Without enabling this option, many important metrics will remain unavailable to you.
⚠️ Attention: Be extremely careful when changing settings inside the “For Developers” section. Inaccurate editing of animation parameters or process limits can lead to unstable operation of the interface or freezing of the system.
If the “For Developers” item disappears after a reboot, simply repeat the procedure of clicking on the build number - the setting is saved until you yourself disable the switch at the top of the menu.
Viewing running services through the developer menu
After you have access to the advanced settings, you have the opportunity to see everything that is happening “under the hood” of your smartphone. There is a special section in the developer menu called Running services (or Running Services in the English version of the firmware). This tool shows a list of all active applications and system processes in real time.
This displays not just the name of the app, but also the amount of RAM it occupies. You will be able to see how many megabytes each individual process is consuming. This is critical information for identifying resource hogs. It often turns out that a simple background or news application consumes more memory than a heavy game.
The interface of this section is intuitive: processes are sorted by the amount of memory they occupy or the time they are active. By clicking on a specific item, you can see more detailed information, including service uptime. If an application has been running for several days, although you have not used it, this is an obvious candidate for a forced stop.
- 📱 RAM: Shows the current amount of RAM occupied by the process.
- ⏱️ Working time: Indicator of how long the service has been active since the last time it was started.
- 🛑 Stop button: Allows you to forcefully shut down the selected application.
- ⚙️ Details: Go to full information about the package and its settings.
Use this data for analysis. If you see a process with a name that is unfamiliar to you, and it is consuming a significant percentage of memory, it is worth checking its origin. However, do not rush to delete everything - some services are necessary for the correct operation of the communication system or synchronization of accounts.
Using the engineering menu for deep diagnostics
For more advanced users who want to access technical information bypassing the standard settings, there is an engineering menu Xiaomi. This is a hidden section intended for testing hardware and software components at the factory, but is also available to ordinary smartphone owners. You can enter it through a special code combination.
To get to this menu, open the “Phone” application (dialer) and dial the combination ##6484##. Immediately after entering the last star, the interface CIT (Customer Integration Test) will open. There are a variety of tests presented here, from checking the screen and speakers to diagnosing sensors and cameras.
Although direct process control is limited, this section allows you to identify hardware problems that could simulate a system freeze. For example, if the sensor is overwhelmed with errors, the system can create a lot of background input processing, which slows down the phone. Checking the status of components will help you understand whether the problem is software or hardware.
##4636##Another useful combination is ##4636##. It opens the testing menu, where in the section Use (Usage statistics) you can see the detailed history of application launches. This displays when and how often a particular app was launched, even if it is not currently active. This is a great way to find software that is secretly activated in the background.
⚠️ Attention: The engineering menu interface may differ on different versions MIUI and models of smartphones. Some items may be inactive or missing depending on the regional firmware.
What to do if the code does not work?
If entering the code does not open the menu, your firmware version may be blocking this access. In this case, try installing the Activity Launcher application from Google Play, which allows you to open hidden system activities without codes.
Battery usage analysis as an indicator of background activity
One of the most reliable indirect methods for identifying hidden processes is battery consumption statistics. Any processor activity, even in the background, requires energy. Therefore, the battery statistics section in the settings Xiaomi actually duplicates the list of active processes, but linked to energy consumption.
Go to Settings → Battery and click on the menu icon or statistics button. Here you will see a list of applications sorted by consumption percentage. If you see a app that you haven't used all day, but it's at the top of the list, it means it has active background activity.
System MIUI Also divides consumption into “Active use” and “Background work”. By clicking on a specific application, you can see this detail. A high percentage of background work in instant messengers is the norm, but for a calculator or gallery this is an alarming signal indicating an error in the code or malicious behavior.
| Application type | Normal background consumption | Sign of a problem | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Messengers | High (push notifications) | None | Do not limit |
| Games | Low / None | High idle | Clear cache / Delete |
| Social networks | Medium (loading tape) | Very high | Limit background |
| System services | Stable low | Sharp jumps | Rebooting the device |
Use this data to fine-tune restrictions. In the same battery menu, you can configure the behavior of the application in the background: “No restrictions”, “Smart restrictions” or “Hard restrictions”. For problematic apps, choose the last option to completely block their activity without your knowledge.
Battery statistics is the most visual way to find “parasitic” processes that are not visible in the regular list of running applications, but actually drain the battery.
Setting up autostart and background activity restrictions
After identifying unnecessary processes, you need to configure the system so that they do not start automatically. B MIUI the special “Autorun” tool is responsible for this. It allows you to control which applications are allowed to start immediately after turning on the phone or after closing it.
Find the application Security (green icon with a lightning bolt), which is preinstalled on all smartphones Xiaomi. Inside, select section Permissions → Autorun. Here is a complete list of apps. It is recommended to disable autorun for everything that is not critical (messengers, alarm clock, antivirus).
In addition, it is worth setting up background activity restrictions for each application individually. Go to Settings → Applications → Application settings. Select the desired app, find the item Battery saving and set the value No restrictions only for those services from which you should receive notifications instantly. For the rest, it is better to choose Background limit activity.
- 🚀 Quick start: Disable autorun for heavy games and stores.
- 🔋 Savings: Set a hard limit for rarely used utilities.
- 🔔 Notifications: Leave full rights only for instant messengers and mail.
- 🛡️ Protection: Do not disable system security components.
Such fine-tuning allows you to find a balance between performance and functionality. You won't lose important notifications, but you will save the processor from having to constantly maintain dozens of unnecessary services. This is especially true for models with a small amount of RAM.
⚠️ Attention: The interface of the "Security" application and the names of menu items may change with updates. MIUI. If you do not find the described path, use the search in the settings by entering the request “Autorun”.
☑️ Autorun optimization
Forced stop and clear memory
Sometimes the software limitation does not work and the process continues to hang in memory, consuming resources. In such cases, manual intervention is required through the app management menu. This method allows you to completely “kill” the process and clear the RAM occupied by it.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the problematic app in the list. In the menu that opens, you will see a button Stop (or Force Stop). Clicking on it will immediately terminate all processes associated with this application. There is also a button available here Clear, which deletes the cache and data.
It is important to understand the difference between clearing the cache and resetting the data. Clearing the cache is safe and only deletes temporary files, speeding up the application. Resetting the data will return the app to its “as after installation” state, deleting all your logins, settings and progress. Use a reset only in extreme cases when the application does not work correctly.
You can use the built-in accelerator to quickly clear RAM. Open the multitasking menu (swipe up and hold or the menu button) and tap the broom icon. This will terminate background processes of applications that are not pinned in memory. However, remember that the system Android itself strives to fill free memory for performance, so you should not fanatically clear it every 5 minutes.
Why do applications start again?
Many modern applications have self-revival mechanisms or are linked to each other (for example, Google services). To prevent it from starting again, be sure to disable autorun and set a limit on background activity.
Frequently asked questions about process management on Xiaomi
Is it safe to end system processes in the developer menu?
No, it can be dangerous. Terminating system processes such as Android System, MIUI Home or Google Play services may result in the phone rebooting, loss of (Internet) or incorrect operation of the touch screen. Stop only those processes whose names match the third-party applications you have installed.
Why does the phone start working slower after clearing the memory?
This is normal behavior of the operating system Android. When you forcefully clear all memory, the system has to reload the necessary components and applications from the drive, which requires more processor resources than working with data already loaded into RAM. Clear the memory only if there are clear signs of a lack of resources.
How to find out which process is heating up the phone too much?
Heating is usually associated with high processor load. Go to Settings → Battery and see which application has consumed the most energy in the last hour. You can also use third-party utilities like CPU Throttling Test or built-in monitoring tools in developer mode, if they are available in your firmware version.
Is it possible to completely disable background processes for all applications immediately?
In the developer menu there is an option “Keep active”, which kills the process immediately after you leave the application. However, enabling this function for constant use is not recommended, as this will lead to constant interface reboots, loss of notifications and rapid battery drain due to constant restart of services.
What to do if the “com.android.systemui” process consumes a lot of memory?
SystemUI is responsible for displaying the interface, status bar and navigation. High consumption may indicate a glitch in the theme or widgets. Try changing the theme to the standard one, removing recently installed widgets or launchers. As a last resort, resetting the interface settings through the app menu will help.