Users of modern smartphones often face a paradoxical situation: the system seeks to save battery power by aggressively unloading background processes, while the owner of the device needs the messenger or activity tracker to work continuously. Standard energy-saving mechanisms built into manufacturers' shells can “kill” processes immediately after the window is minimized. This leads to the loss of important notifications or stopping data recording.
The solution to this problem lies in properly setting the permissions and power management of specific apps. In this article we will look at how to force set the application to autostart on various versions of the operating system and in popular proprietary interfaces. You will learn which system services are responsible for this process and how to bypass restrictions without obtaining root access.
Principles of background processes in Android
Starting with version Android 8.0 Oreo, the policy for managing background services has become much stricter. The system limits the ability of applications to run randomly in the background to prevent battery drain and RAM overload. Now background process must be explicitly allowed by the user or the system for stable operation.
Various manufacturers add their own shells on top of pure Android, such as MIUI, One UI or EMUI. These add-ons often have their own task managers that are even more aggressive than Google's standard restrictions. That is why the autorun settings on Xiaomi will be radically different from the settings on a “pure” Pixel or Samsung.
⚠️ Attention: Forced autorun of a large number of apps at the same time can lead to rapid battery drain and a decrease in the overall performance of the device. Add to exceptions only those applications that are critical to your work.
Understanding the architecture background services will help you prioritize correctly. The system gives priority to those applications that have an active notification in the status bar or are running in Do Not Disturb mode with special rights.
Use the "Do not optimize" mode only for instant messengers, navigators and health trackers. It is better to leave social networks and games under the control of the energy saving system.
Setting up autorun on pure Android and Pixel
In the stock version of the operating system from Google, there is no single “Allow autorun” button for all apps at once. Here an individual approach is applied to each installed package. You need to go to the settings section dedicated to power management of a specific software.
Go to the menu Settings → Applications → All applications. Select the desired app from the list. Next, find the item that may be called Battery or Battery consumption. In this subsection you will be offered several operating modes.
Select the option Do not limit (or “No restrictions”). This action tells the system that this application has high priority and its processes should not be terminated even if there is insufficient RAM or power saving mode is enabled.
- 🔋 Optimized — standard mode, the system can limit background activity to save battery.
- 🚫 Limited —application cannot work in the background, notifications may arrive with a delay.
- ✅ Do not limit — full access to resources, autostart is allowed in any conditions.
After changing the mode, it is recommended to reboot the device for the new rules to take effect. On some models Google Pixel it is also worth checking the “Adaptive Battery” settings in the general power menu and excluding the desired application from the list of optimized ones.
Specific settings on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO (MIUI/HyperOS)
Shells from the company Xiaomi are notorious for their aggressive memory management. Even if you have granted all permissions, the system may terminate the process after a few minutes of inactivity. There is a separate system tool called “Autorun”.
To access these settings, open the application Security, which is pre-installed on all brand devices. In the lower menu or in the list of tools, find the icon Autorun. You will see a list of all installed apps with switches opposite each name.
Activate the toggle switch opposite the desired application. This will allow it to start immediately after turning on the phone. However, this step is often not enough. It is also necessary to prevent the system from “killing” an application in the background through the battery settings.
Settings → Applications → All applications → [Select application] → Battery → No restrictionsThe combination of these two actions - enabling autorun in the security menu and removing battery restrictions - guarantees stable operation of instant messengers and service apps utilities In new versions HyperOS the logic remains the same, although the interface may have changed slightly.
☑️ Setting up Xiaomi
Managing autorun on Samsung (One UI)
In smartphones Samsung with a shell One UI the control mechanism for background processes is implemented through the “Autorun applications” function. It allows the system to independently decide which apps can be launched at startup, based on the frequency of their use.
To manually add an application to this list, follow the path Settings → Device maintenance → Battery → Restrictions in the background. Here you will see a section Applications with autorun. By default, the system can keep this list empty or fill it with rarely used apps.
Click on the plus sign or the add button and select the necessary services from the list. Also in this menu there is an item “Applications in deep sleep mode”. Make sure that apps that are important to you are NOT in this list, otherwise they will not be able to work in the background in any way.
| Operating mode | Description of behavior | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Full access background and network | High consumption |
| Optimized | Limitation of background activity | Medium consumption |
| Deep sleep | Full blocking in the background | Minimum consumption |
| Sleep list | Limitation when idle | Low consumption |
For critical notifications, for example, from corporate mail or security alarms, always select the “Unlimited” status. This will eliminate any delays in data delivery.
⚠️ Attention: The “Device Maintenance” menu interface may differ depending on the One UI version and regional firmware. If you do not find the specified path, use the search for settings by entering the request “Autostart”.
Settings for Huawei and Honor (EMUI/MagicOS)
Brand devices Huawei and Honor use their own control system power consumption, which is called “Launch applications”. Unlike other manufacturers, here the settings are grouped in one convenient menu with three switches for each application.
Go to Settings → Battery → Launch applications. Turn off automatic control at the top of the screen to unlock manual settings for each list. Now you will see three checkboxes next to each application: Autostart, Indirect launch and Work in background.
For full functionality, you must activate all three items. “Autostart” allows startup when the phone is turned on. "Indirect launch" allows the application to be launched by other related services. “Working in the background” prevents the system from terminating the process.
What is indirect launch?
Indirect launch allows application A to launch application B. For example, when you receive a link in the messenger, the browser may automatically open. Without this permission, some action chains may not work.
After setup, do not forget to pin the application in RAM. Open the menu of running tasks (swipe up from bottom and hold or the square button), find the desired window and pull it down or click on the lock. This will add it to the memory manager whitelist.
Using ADB for advanced configuration
For advanced users who are not satisfied with the standard menus, there is a debugging tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge). With it, you can force change the power status for any package, even if the manufacturer's interface hides this option.
You will need a computer with ADB drivers installed and USB debugging enabled on your smartphone. Connect the device with a cable and enter the command in the terminal. This will allow you to set the mode to "NONE", which corresponds to the absence of restrictions.
adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.package.nameReplace com.package.name with the real identifier of your application. You can find it out through various package inspectors or in the Play Market store in the address bar of your browser. This method works on most devices, including those where the settings are hidden deep in the system.
- 🛠️ USB Debugging Must be enabled in the "For Developers" menu.
- 💻 Command Line Must be run as administrator.
- 📱 Package ID must be entered without errors or spaces.
Using the command line gives maximum control, but requires caution. An error in the package name can lead to the fact that the command simply does not work, without harming the system, but without solving the problem.
The ADB method is a universal solution for cases when the smartphone manufacturer has hidden the autorun settings in the graphical interface.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Even After proper configuration, users may experience that applications are still unloaded. Often the reason lies in third-party memory cleaners or antivirus apps that have their own block lists and ignore system settings.
Check whether you have installed applications like Clean Master or similar ones that have permission to control other apps. Add the necessary services to exceptions (white list) within these utilities. It's also worth checking the Digital Wellbeing settings, where usage time limits may be set.
⚠️ Attention: If the application stops working after updating the operating system, check the access rights again. Major Android updates often reset permissions for autorun and background work to factory values.
In some cases, clearing the cache of the settings service itself or forcing the system process “Battery” to stop and then restarting helps. However, this is a temporary measure, and it is best to look for the cause in conflicting software.
Why does the application unload immediately after turning on the screen?
Most likely, the aggressive power saving mode is triggered when the phone is actively used. The system considers that the resources are needed by the current process on the screen and kills background tasks. Check the “Memory optimization” or “RAM expansion” settings.
Does autostart affect the speed at which the phone turns on?
Yes, a large number of applications in autostart can increase the system boot time by 5-15 seconds. The processor and disk will be busy initializing services. Add only really necessary software to autorun.
Is it possible to set up autorun for games?
Technically it is possible, but it is pointless. Games should not be running in the background as they consume a lot of resources. Android systems specifically block the background activity of heavy games to save battery.
Are autorun settings reset when you reboot?
No, if you saved the settings correctly in the system menu or via ADB. However, if you use third-party launchers or tweakers without root access, their settings may be reset after turning off the power completely.
How to find out which application is interfering with others?
Use built-in battery monitoring. Go to Settings → Battery → Charge consumption. If an application consumes an abnormally large amount of energy in the background, it may conflict with system memory management processes.