MIUI has a reputation for both killing background apps too aggressively (breaking notifications) and, paradoxically, letting specific bloatware run unrestricted, which causes the fast drain people report. The fix is targeted whitelisting, not disabling all optimization.
- 1Open Settings → Battery & performance → App battery saver, and check which apps are set to 'No restrictions', anything you don't recognize here should be moved to 'Restrict background activity'.
- 2Check Security app → Battery → App battery saver → look specifically for MIUI's own bundled apps (Mi Browser, GetApps, Mi Video) running unrestricted, these are common background drain sources on Redmi phones.
- 3Disable ad-serving system apps if present: Settings → Apps → Manage apps → search for 'GetApps' or check Security app → Settings → for an ads/recommendations toggle, older MIUI versions bundle ad services that drain battery in the background.
- 4Settings → Battery & performance → tap the gear icon → Battery usage details, sorted by drain, to find the actual top consumer rather than guessing.
- 5Turn off 'Adaptive brightness overshoot': set brightness manually for a day to see if Xiaomi's auto-brightness curve (often aggressive on AMOLED Redmi Note models) is the drain source.
- 6Check MIUI Optimization toggle: Settings → Apps → Manage apps → gear icon → App settings, leave this ON, disabling it (a common but outdated tip) actually increases battery use on modern MIUI/HyperOS.
- 7Run our Battery Health Calculator, budget Redmi batteries in particular show capacity loss earlier than flagship batteries under heavy fast-charging use.
Tip: If drain got worse right after a HyperOS update, that's a widely reported pattern, check Xiaomi's community forum for your exact model, a follow-up patch addressing it usually arrives within a few weeks.