How to Keep KidMoat Running in the Background on Xiaomi?
Xiaomi's MIUI is one of the most aggressive app killers in Android — it ships with Autostart denied for new apps, closes background apps after minutes, and can cut mobile data every time the screen locks. Every one of those defaults stops KidMoat from protecting the device, and every one of them can be turned off.
Use the section for the child device's Android version (Settings → About phone). These steps also apply to Redmi and POCO phones, which run the same software.
All of these settings live on the child's Xiaomi — the phone with the KidMoat child app on it.
Android 13 (MIUI 14)
Step 1 — Battery mode Balanced, lock-screen actions to Never
Search battery in Settings and open Battery. Set Current mode to Balanced, then open Additional features and set Turn off mobile data when device is locked and Clear cache when device is locked both to Never.
Step 2 — Open KidMoat in Manage apps
Settings → Apps → Manage apps → KidMoat. The three rows you will need are Data usage, Other permissions and Notifications. While you are here, switch Pause app activity if unused off — left on, MIUI strips KidMoat's permissions after a spell of the child not opening it (which is normal — children don't open KidMoat).
Step 3 — Allow mobile data, Wi-Fi and background data
Open KidMoat's Data usage details and switch on all three: Mobile data, Wi-Fi and Background data.
Step 4 — Battery saver to No restrictions, notifications on
Back on App info: tap Battery saver and choose No restrictions. Then open Notifications and switch Show notifications on.
Step 5 — Unrestricted data
Search unrestricted data in Settings, open the list, and switch KidMoat on — this stops Data Saver from ever cutting its connection.
Step 6 — Know where Accessibility settings live
KidMoat's protection uses an accessibility service, and if it is ever switched off you will need this screen to restore it. The fastest route on MIUI is Settings search: type accessibility and open the Accessibility menu result. You do not need to change anything here today — just know the route.
Step 7 — Find KidMoat for the permission steps
The last two settings are buried, so use search again: Settings → Apps → Manage apps, search kidmoat, and open it.
Step 8 — Allow background windows (critical)
Open Other permissions and set Open new windows while running in the background to Always allow. (On some MIUI versions this permission is called Display pop-up windows while running in the background.) Without it, KidMoat's limit screens cannot appear over other apps — the single most common cause of "limits not working" on Xiaomi.
Step 9 — Allow Background autostart
Go to Settings → Apps → Permissions → Background autostart and switch KidMoat on. This is MIUI 14's second autostart gate — separate from the Autostart toggle — and both need to be open.
Android 12 (MIUI 13)
Step 1 — Open KidMoat in Manage apps
Go to Settings → Apps → Manage apps and tap KidMoat.
Step 2 — Turn on Autostart and notifications
On KidMoat's App info page, switch Autostart on — without it, MIUI will not let KidMoat come back after a reboot or a background clean-up. Then open Notifications and switch Show notifications on.
Step 3 — Allow data and set Battery saver to No restrictions
Still on App info: tap Restrict data usage and tick both WLAN and Mobile data, then OK. Then tap Battery saver and choose No restrictions.
Step 4 — Keep Ultra battery saver off
Go to Settings → Battery and make sure Ultra battery saver is off and the mode slider sits on Balanced. Ultra battery saver shuts down almost everything, KidMoat included.
Step 5 — Stop lock-screen data cuts and Sleep mode
MIUI can cut mobile data and clear memory whenever the screen locks. In Settings → Battery, tap the gear icon, then set both Turn off mobile data when device is locked and Clear cache when device is locked to Never. Under Scenarios, keep Sleep mode off — it closes background apps and disables data overnight, which is exactly when you want KidMoat watching.
Step 6 — Check Automated tasks
Settings → Battery → Automated tasks: make sure no rule turns on Airplane mode or battery saving on a schedule (a common preset switches on Airplane mode from midnight to 7:00).
Check it worked
The child's phone should show online in your parent dashboard and stay online overnight, with no gaps in reports over 48 hours.
MIUI updates can silently reset Autostart and battery restrictions. After any MIUI or HyperOS update on the child's phone, re-check the Autostart toggle and the Battery saver "No restrictions" setting — they are the two that revert most often.
Something still off? Start from the overview — How to keep KidMoat running in the background on Android.
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See how KidMoat works
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