Setup guide

OEM Background
Guide

Some Android skins kill background apps aggressively. If Enhanced EQ keeps stopping on its own, it's almost always the OEM — not the app. Here's how to keep the audio service alive on every major brand.

Start here: ignore battery optimizations

In the app, tap the battery optimization prompt and allow Enhanced EQ to run unrestricted. On stock Android this is all you need. On Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and Asus, you'll also want to follow the extra steps for your brand below.

Minimize (home button)

Service keeps running

Notification stays visible, equalizer keeps processing audio, and you can return to the app anytime by tapping the notification.

Swipe away from recents

Service stops

This is intentional — treating it as "I'm done with this app." Open Enhanced EQ again to restart. If it stops when you didn't swipe, your OEM is killing it early.

Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO MIUI · HyperOS Most restrictive
  1. Open Settings › Apps › Manage apps › Enhanced EQ.
  2. Turn on Autostart.
  3. Open Battery saver → select No restrictions.
  4. Enable Display pop-up windows while running in background and Modify system settings.
  5. In Settings › Additional settings › Developer options, turn MIUI optimization off (this is the big one).
  6. Under Sound & vibration, disable Mi Sound Enhancer, Audio Tuner, and Dolby Atmos if present — they compete with Enhanced EQ for the audio session.
Samsung One UI Moderate
  1. Open Settings › Apps › Enhanced EQ › Battery.
  2. Set to Unrestricted.
  3. Go to Settings › Battery & device care › Battery › Background usage limits and remove Enhanced EQ from both Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps.
  4. Turn off Put unused apps to sleep.
  5. Under Sounds and vibration › Sound quality and effects, disable Dolby Atmos and UHQ upscaler for predictable results.
Huawei / Honor EMUI · HarmonyOS · MagicOS Restrictive
  1. Open Settings › Apps › Enhanced EQ › Battery.
  2. Turn on Manual management and enable Auto-launch, Secondary launch, and Run in background.
  3. Go to Settings › Battery › Launch and switch Enhanced EQ to Manage manually with all three toggles on.
  4. Disable Power-intensive prompt and Close apps after screen lock.
OnePlus OxygenOS · ColorOS Moderate
  1. Open Settings › Apps › App management › Enhanced EQ › Battery usage.
  2. Choose Don't optimize (or Unrestricted).
  3. Under Settings › Battery › More battery settings, turn off Optimize battery use for Enhanced EQ and enable Allow auto-launch.
  4. Disable Deep optimization if you're on OxygenOS 13+.
Oppo / Realme ColorOS · Realme UI Restrictive
  1. Open Settings › Battery › Battery usage › Enhanced EQ.
  2. Enable Allow background activity and Allow auto-launch.
  3. Long-press Enhanced EQ in Recent apps and tap the lock icon so it survives memory cleanup.
  4. Disable High background power consumption alerts under Battery › More settings.
Vivo / iQOO Funtouch OS · Origin OS Restrictive
  1. Open Settings › Battery › Background power consumption management.
  2. Find Enhanced EQ and enable Allow background high power consumption.
  3. Under Settings › More settings › Permission manager › Autostart, turn on Enhanced EQ.
  4. In Settings › Battery › Low power mode, make sure Enhanced EQ is not listed as restricted.
Asus ZenUI · ROG UI Lenient
  1. Open Mobile Manager › Auto-start manager and enable Enhanced EQ.
  2. Go to Settings › Apps › Enhanced EQ › Battery and set to Unrestricted.
  3. Disable PowerMaster optimizations for Enhanced EQ if you have it installed.
Pixel / Stock Android Android 12+ Just works
  1. Accept the in-app Ignore battery optimizations prompt the first time you open Enhanced EQ.
  2. That's it — stock Android respects the foreground service.

Troubleshooting

The equalizer stops working when I swipe the app away.
That's intentional. Swiping from Recents tells Android "I'm done with this app" and the foreground service shuts down cleanly. Use the Turn Off button in the notification if you want to stop processing without quitting, or just leave the app minimized with the home button.
The notification disappears after a few minutes.
Your OEM is killing the foreground service. Work through the steps for your brand above — in particular, enable Autostart / Auto-launch and set battery usage to Unrestricted. MIUI Optimization on Xiaomi is the single biggest culprit.
The app says "Device not supported" on my Xiaomi.
Enhanced EQ tries four different initialization strategies for the MIUI audio stack. If all four fail, disable MIUI optimization in Developer options, then tap Retry in the app. If that still fails, some MIUI builds need an ADB permission grant — the in-app help dialog walks you through it.
Spotify / YouTube Music works, but another app doesn't.
A handful of apps use private audio sessions and can't be processed system-wide. This is a platform limitation, not a bug. DRM-protected video, some VoIP calls (WhatsApp), and apps with their own hardware DSP are common examples.
Bluetooth headphones sound different from wired.
Many Bluetooth headphones apply their own EQ after Android's audio output. If you've enabled AutoEQ for a specific model, stick to that profile. For generic Bluetooth, try the Bluetooth preset which slightly compensates for codec loss.
I still need help.
Send a message to mabolocleichristian@gmail.com with your device model, Android version, and skin version (found in Settings › About phone). I reply to every email.
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