The situation when Yandex Music suddenly goes silent as soon as you lock the smartphone screen or switch to another application is familiar to many Android users. This is not a bug of the service itself, but an aggressive energy-saving policy of the operating system, which seeks to extend the battery life of the device at any cost. Smartphone manufacturers often configure their shells so that the “sleep” mode kills any processes that are not critical to the system.
The solution to the problem lies in the proper setting of access rights and exceptions for a specific application. You will have to go to several different settings menus, since the path to the desired options may differ depending on the model of your gadget. Below we will analyze in detail all the mechanisms that can interrupt playback and explain how to disable them.
Why does the system consider the music player an unnecessary process? The fact is that when running in the background, the application consumes processor resources and keeps the network module active for loading tracks. For battery optimization algorithms, this looks like a waste of energy. To fix this, you need to manually tell the system that Yandex Music should work uninterruptedly, even if the screen is off.
Setting the energy saving mode
The first and most important step is to disable app restrictions in the battery management section. This is where the main “killer” of background processes is hidden. Depending on the version of Android and the manufacturer’s shell (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS), the names of the items may differ slightly, but the essence remains the same.
You need to find the section in the settings that is responsible for applications and select there Yandex Music. In the menu that opens, look for the item “Battery” or “Energy Consumption”. Here you will be offered several operating modes: “Limited”, “Optimized” or “No restrictions”. The default is usually “Optimized,” which causes the music to stop.
Select the option No restrictions or No restrictions. This action will let the system know that this application takes priority over saving battery. After this, the system will no longer forcefully terminate the player process when the screen is locked.
If you have a Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone, be sure to check the application settings "Security" -> Battery -> Applications, since the Android system settings there may be duplicated by the MIUI add-on.
⚠️ Attention: Setting the mode to "Unlimited" will cause the application to consume more power in the background. If you notice your battery draining quickly, check to see if you remembered to stop playback before going to bed.
It is worth noting that on some devices with very aggressive power saving (for example, older Huawei or Honor models), even this setting may not work 100% without additional steps, which we will discuss below. However, for most modern smartphones running pure Android or with Samsung shells, this step is decisive.
Fixing the application in memory
Another effective method is to fix the application in RAM. The operating system periodically clears RAM to free up resources for active tasks, and often background processes are "cleaned". Pinning an application prevents it from being unloaded from memory.
To do this, open the recent applications menu (square button or swipe up from bottom and hold). Find the card Yandex Music. Depending on the interface, you need to either click on the application icon above the card, or pull the card down, or click on the three dots in the corner. In the menu that appears, select the option Lock or the lock icon.
- 🔒 Pinning prevents the system from closing the application when clearing the memory with the "Close All" button.
- 🚀 Application loads faster when reopened, since it is not completely unloaded from RAM.
- 📱 On devices with a small amount of RAM (3-4 GB), this measure is critical for stability.
After completing this procedure, a lock symbol will appear next to the application icon in the list of recent tasks. This is a visual indicator that the process is protected from automatic termination by the cleaning system.
☑️ Checking background settings
Permissions for running in the background and autorun
In addition to battery settings, there are separate permissions that regulate the behavior of applications. In modern versions of Android (starting from 9 and higher), access to background activities is strictly regulated. If the application does not have permission to run in the background, it will physically not be able to continue streaming music.
Go to Settings → Applications → Yandex Music → Permissions. Make sure that all necessary permissions have been granted. Pay special attention to the item that may be called “Work in the background” or “Run in the background”. Also check that you have permission to access the storage if you are downloading tracks for offline listening.
A separate nuance concerns the "Autorun" function. On many Chinese smartphones (Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo), applications cannot start their services after rebooting the phone without explicit permission. Find the "Autoplay" section in the settings and make sure that the switch opposite Yandex Music is active.
| Resolution type | Where to find | Status | Influence on music |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working in the background | Application settings | Allowed | Critical |
| Autostart | Phone Manager / Security | Enabled | Needed after reboot |
| Notifications | Notification settings | Enabled | Needed for the player widget |
| Data in the background | Mobile networks / Wi-Fi | Allowed | Needed to download tracks |
Do not forget that the settings interface may change with firmware updates. If you don’t find an item, try using the settings search by entering the name of the application.
Features of working on different Android shells
Smartphone manufacturers create their own add-ons for Android that radically change the logic of resource management. What works on a “pure” Android Pixel may not be useful on MIUI or OneUI without additional steps.
On devices Samsung with the OneUI shell, you can often find the “Deep Sleep” function for applications that you rarely use. Check the list of such applications in the battery settings and remove from there Yandex Music, if she ended up there. Also in the "Optimization" section you can add the application to exceptions.
Users Xiaomi (MIUI/HyperOS) face the most aggressive policy. In addition to the standard settings, there is a hidden control mechanism. Go to the "Security" application (green icon with a lightning bolt), select "Battery" and make sure that there is no limit for the music service. Sometimes enabling the "Start at startup" option in the same security menu helps.
On smartphones Huawei and Honor (especially without Google services), the power management system is called "Phone Manager". In the "Launch applications" section, you need to uncheck the "Automatically manage" box for Yandex Music and manually enable all three items: "Autostart", "Indirect launch" and "Work in the background".
⚠️ Attention: The shell interfaces are updated regularly. If the described path does not match your screen, use a settings search or refer to the official documentation of the manufacturer of your model.
Understanding the specifics of your shell allows you to fine-tune the system without disabling global energy saving functions, which are useful for other apps.
Problems with mobile data and Wi-Fi
Sometimes the music stops not because the application is closed, but because the network connection is lost. Android has a Data Saver feature that can block data transfer for background applications to avoid wasting megabytes.
Check your mobile network settings. Go to Settings → Connections → Data usage → Saving traffic. If this feature is enabled, find it in the exceptions list Yandex Music and allow it to use data in the background. Without this permission, when the screen is off, the system can access the Internet for the player.
A similar situation can arise with Wi-Fi. In the advanced Wi-Fi settings there is an option "Suspend Wi-Fi in sleep mode." Set the value Never or make sure the application has priority. This is especially true if you listen to music at home via a wireless network.
Why does music only play when the screen is on?
This is a classic symptom of the traffic saving or aggressive energy saving function. When the screen goes dark, the system puts the network module into sleep mode for applications that are not included in the white list of exceptions.
It is also worth checking the settings of the Yandex Music application itself. Inside the player in the settings section there is an item “Stream quality” and “Traffic saving”. Make sure that modes that may conflict with system network restrictions are not enabled.
Resetting and reinstalling
If all of the above methods did not help, it is possible that cache errors have accumulated in the application or system. In this case, it is recommended to reset the application settings without deleting your account data.
Go to Settings → Applications → Yandex Music → Storage. Press the button Clear cache. Do not click "Clear data" if you do not want to re-enter your username and password, although this often helps reset buggy configurations. After clearing the cache, restart your smartphone.
As a last resort, delete the application and download it again from the official store Google Play or RuStore. During the first installation, the system will ask for all the necessary permissions - carefully issue them right away, without delaying it for later. A fresh installation often corrects problems that arose after a system update.
An integrated approach (battery adjustment + memory pinning + background data resolution) solves the problem in 99% of cases on any version of Android.
⚠️ Attention: Before completely reinstalling the application, make sure that you remember your Yandex account login information so as not to lose your playlists and subscription.
Regular updating of the application also plays a role. Developers are constantly optimizing the code for new versions of Android, correcting compatibility with new Google energy saving mechanisms.
Why does music turn off only on the mobile data, but works on Wi-Fi?
This is due to the mobile data saving settings. Android by default more strictly limits background app activity when using a SIM card to prevent unintentional data usage. Check the "Traffic saving" section in the network settings.
Does the Yandex Music widget affect work in the background?
Yes, having an active widget on the desktop can keep the application process in memory, preventing it from being closed by the system. This works as an additional anchor for the player.
Do you need to keep the screen on to download tracks?
No, if the permissions for running in the background and accessing the storage are configured correctly. The download can proceed when the screen is off, but make sure that the "Power Saver" mode is not turned on for the entire device.
What should you do if, after updating Android, the music stops playing again?
System updates often reset user permission settings. You need to re-check the "Battery" and "Autostart" items for the application, since the system may have returned them to the default values.