How to configure a Huawei phone

Which phones this page covers: Huawei phones running EMUI 12 to EMUI 15. All of these are based on Android 12, the minimum for the current version of AAPS. On a phone with an older EMUI version, you can only use an older AAPS version.

HarmonyOS NEXT / HarmonyOS 5 phones

Recent Huawei phones sold in China run HarmonyOS NEXT (HarmonyOS 5 and above). This system is not Android anymore and cannot run AAPS.

Huawei phones close apps running in the background very aggressively. Apply all the settings below to AAPS and to your CGM app (for example xDrip+ or Juggluco), otherwise the loop and glucose readings may stop when the screen is off.

Menu names can differ slightly between models. If you can’t find a setting, type its name in the search bar at the top of Settings.

The screenshots below come from an older EMUI version. The settings are the same on EMUI 12 to 15.

Ignore battery optimization

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Apps.

  2. Tap the menu ⋮ in the top right corner and select Special access > Battery optimization.

  3. Tap the arrow at the top of the list and select All apps.

  4. Select AAPS and choose Don’t allow. Huawei won’t optimize apps in this list anymore.

  5. Repeat for your CGM app.

Huawei - ignore battery optimization

App launch: allow running in the background

  1. Open Settings > Battery > App launch (or Settings > Apps > Apps > select the app > Battery > App launch).

  2. Find AAPS and turn off Manage automatically.

  3. In the Manage manually window, turn on all three options:

    • Auto-launch

    • Secondary launch (can be launched by other apps)

    • Run in background

  4. Repeat for your CGM app.

Huawei - battery options

Lock AAPS in the recent apps

Locked apps are not closed when you clear the recent apps list.

  1. Open the recent apps list.

  2. Swipe down on the AAPS card. A lock symbol appears on the card.

  3. Do the same for your CGM app.

Huawei - lock app

Power saving mode

Keep Power saving mode and Ultra power saving turned off (Settings > Battery). They close background apps regardless of the settings above.

If AAPS still stops in the background

See Don’t kill my app for more Huawei-specific solutions.

Honor phones

Honor is a separate brand now and its phones run MagicOS instead of EMUI. The background settings are very similar: look for App launch in the app’s battery settings, turn off Manage automatically and allow all three options, then remove the app from battery optimization.