Differences between these Settings

[Android Central Question]

Hi guys. I'm having a really hard time differentiating these three settings from Mi phone:

Note: "icon" here referred to the settings entry icon at the upper right corner of certain apps

1. Lock Apps(@Security\Boost speed\"icon"),
2. App battery saver(@Security\Battery\"icon"),
3. Battery optimization(Settings\Privacy protection\Special permissions).

What are the differences between these 3 settings? Why would a phone have 3 settings with seemingly similar purpose? I believe there's a different job for each, but i don't know how they differ. A explaination/clarification would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central!

The Lock Apps option is a Xiaomi feature, and will prevent the firmware from closing a specific app in the background: https://www.techbone.net/xiaomi/user-manual/lock-background-apps. Xiaomi, like many Chinese manufacturers, is overly aggressive about killing apps in the background in a misguided attempt to save battery and "boost speed", but this usually ends up causing more problems than it solves -- see this: https://dontkillmyapp.com/

App Battery Saver is another Xiaomi feature, and will "intelligently" decide if an app should be restricted in the background: https://www.techbone.net/xiaomi/user-manual/app-battery-saver. How it decides this is basically voodoo, and again, usually causes more problems than it solves.

Battery Optimization is a native Android feature that primarily has to do with the Doze function: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/androids-battery-optimization-harm-good/

The reason why there are so many settings for this on your phone has to do with some manufacturers' obsession with battery life at the expense of system and app performance. Battery life is a major boasting point for marketing, so companies keep on finding ways to demonstrate that their devices have more battery saving features than others.

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