Modern smartphones with database Android are capable of performing dozens of tasks simultaneously, but the operating system does not always correctly distribute resources between them. Users often encounter a situation where important instant messengers stop sending notifications, and the navigator is minimized in the background, interrupting the route. This is due to the aggressive energy saving policies built into the firmware of most manufacturers.
Properly setting priorities allows the system to understand which processes are critical for you and which can wait. In this article, we'll look at legal and safe ways to control application behavior, from standard Do Not Disturb settings to advanced methods via your computer. You will learn how to make Android keep the necessary apps in memory and not “kill” their background services.
There are several priority levels that can be set manually. Some methods are available directly in the smartphone menu, others require connection to a PC. It is important to understand the difference between the priority of notifications and the priority of the process itself in RAM, since these are different optimization mechanisms.
Managing notifications through the Do Not Disturb mode
The easiest and most accessible way to highlight important applications is to use the built-in mode Do not disturb (Do Not Disturb). This mechanism allows you to create a “white list” of apps, notifications from which will go through even when the smartphone is completely silent. First, you need to activate the mode itself in the notification shade or through the sound settings.
Go to the section Settings → Sound and vibration → Do not disturb. Here you will find the option “Allowed notifications” or “Priority applications”. By clicking on this item, the system will offer to select specific apps from the installed list. You can mark instant messengers, work email clients, or health monitoring applications.
After selecting applications, change the notification behavior settings for them. Make sure that "All" or "Priority Only" is selected, depending on the version Android. This ensures that even if the phone is locked or turned face down, the signal for a new message will not be lost.
- 🔔 Select critical messengers to skip the sound signal.
- 📵 Set up repeat calls so that important calls come twice in a row.
- ⏰ Set a schedule for the mode to turn on automatically at night.
This method only affects the audio and visual notification of the user, but does not guarantee that the application will not be unloaded from RAM by the system. This is a solution to the problem with missed calls, and not with background work.
Setting up work in the background and the battery
A deeper level of control concerns the operation of processes directly. Smartphone manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, Samsung or Huaweioften implement their own skins with strict restrictions on background activity. In order for the application to work stably, it must be excluded from the list of optimized ones.
Go to the menu Settings → Applications and find the desired app. Inside the Battery or Energy Saving section, you'll see several limit options. You need to select the mode "No restrictions", “Do not restrict” or “Allow background activity”. The name of the item may differ depending on the device model.
It is also worth checking the autorun settings. In some firmware there is a separate “Autorun” section, where only system utilities are checked. Find your application and allow it to start with the system. This is especially true for activity trackers and smartwatches.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling battery optimization for a large number of applications can lead to a noticeable decrease in the battery life of your smartphone.
In addition to the battery settings, check the “RAM” section in the application properties. If there is a “Pin to memory” or “Lock” switch, activate it. This action fixes the application in the list of recent tasks and prevents the system from unloading it when clearing the memory.
☑️ Checking battery settings
Using the developer to fix processes
For advanced users for whom the standard settings are not enough, there is a menu for developers. This hidden section provides access to system parameters that affect behavior operating system. To get there, you need to quickly click on the build number seven times in the “About phone” section.
In the developers menu, find the “Background process limit” item. By default there is a standard limit. You can change it to "No restrictions", but this will affect all applications at once, which is not always effective. A more accurate method is to use the "Running Services" function to monitor the current state.
There is a command through ADB that allows you to set the priority of a specific process, but it requires superuser rights or specific permissions. For the average user, it is better to focus on disabling the Adaptive Battery feature, which learns from your habits and may mistakenly limit rarely used but important apps.
| Settings option | Where to find | Recommended value | Impact on the system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery optimization | Application settings | Unlimited | High (background work) |
| Autostart | Task Manager | Enabled | Medium (start when turned on) |
| Adaptive battery | Battery settings | Disabled (for important) | Medium (training AI) |
| Background process | For developers | Standard limit | Low (general load) |
Be careful when changing settings in the developer menu. Incorrect configuration of memory limits can lead to unstable operation of the interface and frequent reboots of the launcher.
Advanced setup via ADB and computer
If the graphical interface does not give the desired result, you can use the tool Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method allows you to send commands directly to the system, bypassing the limitations of the manufacturer's interface. To do this, you will need a computer with drivers and utility installed adb.
Connect your smartphone to the PC via USB and activate USB debugging in the developers menu. Open a command prompt on your computer. To view the current status of battery optimization for a specific package, use the command:
adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.example.appHere com.example.app you need to replace it with the real name of your application package. Adding a plus sign in front of a package name excludes it from Doze mode when the screen is off. This is one of the most effective ways to ensure push notifications are delivered.
How to find the application package name?
The package name is usually not the same as the application name. You can find it through applications like App Inspector or by entering the command adb shell pm list packages | grep name. For example, for Telegram this is com.telegram.messenger.
You can also use the command to set the priority of the process, although modern versions Android may ignore direct requests to change the nice level without root access. However, exclusion from the optimization list via ADB works reliably on most devices, including Pixel i Samsung Galaxy.
⚠️ Attention: The command line interface is case and space sensitive. An error in spelling the package name will result in the command not working or being applied to another object.
Specifics of shells from different manufacturers
Each manufacturer of Android smartphones makes its own changes to memory management. What works on “pure” Androidmay not be available or be called differently in custom firmware. Understanding these differences is critical for proper setup.
Device owners Xiaomi (MIUI/HyperOS) should pay attention to the Security application. There is a section “Battery” and “Autostart”. Often the settings in the system menu are not applied until you allow background work through this utility. It is also recommended to pin the application to the multitasking menu by pulling the card down.
On smartphones Samsung (One UI) there is an “App Sleep” and “Deep Sleep” function. If a app is on these lists, it will never run in the background. Check the section Settings → Device maintenance → Battery → Background restrictions and remove important applications from sleep lists.
- 📱 Xiaomi: Use the built-in Security application to configure.
- 🛡️ Samsung: Check the “Sleep” and “Deep Sleep” lists in settings batteries.
- 🚀 Huawei/Honor: Disable the Launch Control feature for manual control.
Users OnePlus and Oppo are faced with an aggressive feature that freezes background applications. In the battery settings, find the “Allow background work” switch and make sure that it is active for the target software.
If you change your phone and transfer data, the power saving settings are often reset. Check application priorities again after migrating to a new device.
Typical errors and problems during setup
Even after following all the instructions, users may experience that applications still crash. A common mistake is to use third-party memory cleaners and antivirus apps. These apps see a process running in the background as a threat or garbage and forcefully terminate it, ignoring your system settings.
Another problem is the outdated version of the application itself. Developers may not optimize the code for new versions Android, which leads to incorrect behavior in the background. Always update the software to the latest version through the official store Google Play.
Sometimes a complete reset of the application settings helps. Go to the app properties, select “Memory” and click “Clear cache” and “Reset”. This will remove temporary files that could cause a conflict when trying to start the service in the background.
⚠️ Attention: Do not install several applications to speed up your phone at the same time. They will conflict with each other, trying to complete the processes that the competitor is running, which will lead to battery drain and slowdowns.
If all else fails, check if the Data Saver mode is enabled in the network settings. This mode prevents applications from using the Internet in the background, which appears as a termination of the app.
Third-party accelerators and memory cleaners are often the main reason for the unstable operation of important applications, since they forcefully terminate background processes.
Does setting priority affect the speed of the smartphone?
Yes, if you install Unlimited mode for dozens of applications, they will begin to consume more CPU and RAM resources in the background. This can lead to rapid battery drain and a slight decrease in overall system performance if there is not enough free memory.
Why are settings reset after a reboot?
On some firmware (especially Chinese versions without Google services), the system automatically resets autorun rights after a reboot for security purposes. You will need to re-enable autorun or use more robust fixing methods via ADB.
Is it possible to set priority for games?
For games, priority is usually set automatically when launched in full screen mode. However, in game modes (Game Turbo, Game Launcher), you can manually add a game to the priority list so that the system does not interrupt the game with incoming calls or notifications.
Are root access needed to change the priority?
In most cases, no. Standard Android settings and the developer menu are sufficient for 95% of tasks. root access is required only to deeply modify the system files of the task scheduler, which is not recommended for ordinary users due to the risk of loss of warranty.
How to check if an application is running in the background?
Go to Settings → For developers → Running services. It displays a list of active processes and the amount of RAM they occupy. If your application is in the list, it means that it is successfully running in the background.