Pacer on Android must run in the background to track steps, but some systems limit this to save battery. To fix step counting issues, turn off battery optimization for Pacer, enable Auto Start on Xiaomi/Redmi phones, allow notifications, restart your phone if needed, and open Pacer daily. Also, ensure necessary permissions are granted and avoid task killers. Contact support if problems persist.
What’s going on?
On Android, Pacer needs to keep running in the background to continuously record your steps.
Some Android systems (and certain phone brands) aggressively save battery by stopping or limiting background apps. When this happens, Pacer can’t keep tracking and it may look like your steps aren’t increasing.
Follow the steps below to keep Pacer running reliably in the background.
Quick checklist (do these first)
- Turn off battery optimization for Pacer (set it to Unrestricted/Don’t optimize).
- Xiaomi / Redmi phones: in addition to battery optimization, enable Auto Start for Pacer.
- Allow notifications for Pacer (helps keep the foreground service alive).
- If Pacer is open but still not counting, restart your phone.
- Open Pacer at least once a day to refresh background services.
Menu names can vary by brand and Android version. The English names in parentheses are common labels you can search for.
1) Turn off battery optimization (all Android phones)
Goal: prevent the system from stopping Pacer in the background.
Method A (per-app battery setting):
- Settings → Apps (or App management) → Pacer → Battery
- Set battery usage to Unrestricted (or Allow background activity)
- If you see App battery saver/Battery Saver, choose No restrictions
Method B (battery optimization list):
- Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization (or More battery settings)
- Switch the view to All apps, find Pacer, set to Don’t optimize
Tip: If System Battery Saver is on, try turning it off temporarily and check step tracking again.
2) Xiaomi / Redmi (MIUI) extra steps
Besides turning off battery optimization, MIUI often requires Auto Start to be enabled so Pacer can run after reboots and in the background.
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Battery optimization (either path works):
- Settings → Battery & performance → App battery saver → Pacer → No restrictions
- Settings → Apps → Pacer → Battery → Unrestricted
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Enable Auto Start:
- Settings → Apps → Permissions → Auto start → Pacer ON
- Or Security app → Permissions → Auto start → Pacer ON
Optional: In the recent apps screen, lock Pacer so it’s less likely to be cleared (method varies by MIUI version).
3) Allow notifications (Notification Permission)
Allowing notifications helps Pacer run a foreground service that Android keeps alive more reliably.
- Settings → Notifications → Pacer → Allow notifications ON
- If you see a switch for Foreground/Sticky notification, turn it ON.
4) Pacer is open but still not counting? Restart your phone
If Pacer is in the foreground and steps still don’t increase, restart your device.
Sometimes Google Play services or motion sensors can get stuck; a reboot usually restores them.
5) Open Pacer at least once a day
We recommend opening Pacer daily. This keeps the app active in the system’s memory, refreshes background services, and reduces the chance that Android will stop it.
Extra tips (optional)
- Permissions: Settings → Apps → Pacer → Permissions → ensure Physical Activity / Activity Recognition is Allowed.
- Update everything: Keep Pacer and Google Play services up to date.
- Avoid task killers: Don’t use “one-tap clean/battery boost” tools on Pacer, and avoid Force stop unless troubleshooting.
Still not working?
After completing the steps above, step counting usually returns to normal.
If not, please contact support with: your phone brand/model, Android version, Pacer app version, when the issue started, and which steps from this article you tried. We’ll help you investigate quickly.