How to disable Google geolocation on Xiaomi smartphones: all ways 2026

Xiaomi and Google are using your location data to personalize services, display ads, and improve app performance. However, the constant collection of geodata can be a privacy issue, drain battery life, and even affect the speed of your device. If you notice that a Redmi, POCO, or Mi smartphone determines your location too often, this article will help you understand how to manage geolocation at the system level, individual applications and Google services.

Unlike iOS, where geodata management is centralized, Android on Xiaomi offers several independent mechanisms: MIUI, Google Play Services options, app permissions, and even hidden features through ADB. We will look at all the current ways to disable geolocation, including those that are not obvious in the standard interface. MIUI 15, where some of the functions are moved to the menu "Special permissions".

Why does Xiaomi collect location data?

The collection of geodata on Xiaomi devices is for several reasons, and not all of them are obvious to the user.

• 📍 Google Services: Maps, Weather, Search, and even YouTube use location to personalize content, like Google Photos automatically grouping photos by location.
• 🔋 Optimization MIUI: The system analyzes frequently visited locations to predict battery consumption (the "Adaptive Battery" function).
• 🛡️ Security: Find My Device requires geolocation access to work.
• 📊 Advertising and Analytics: Xiaomi and Google collect anonymized data for targeted advertising (you can turn off in your account settings).

It’s important to understand that even if you turn off geolocation in your settings, some system processes (com.google.android.gms, com.miui.location) can continue to collect data in the background.

⚠️ Warning: A complete geolocation shutdown can disrupt key features like Google Pay, Mi Fit (for smartwatches), and even some banking applications that require location confirmation for transactions.

Method 1: Disabling geolocation in MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use standard MIUI settings. This method is suitable for most models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 13, etc.) and firmware versions (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 15).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Application permissions → Location.
2. Switch the "Access to Location" slider to the off position.
3. In the same menu, click System Services and turn off: 🔄 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scans (improves accuracy but consumes battery). 📡 Search for Nearby Devices (used for Mi Share and Quick Share).

After turning off, check that the 📍 icon has disappeared in the status bar (upper right corner). If it remains, then some application continues to use geodata in the background.

There is no 📍 icon in the notification panel |

Google Maps does not identify location |

Apps (e.g. Uber) are requesting permission again |

Reduced battery consumption (check in Settings → Battery)

-->

Method 2: Managing permissions for individual applications

Even when geolocation is disabled at the system level, individual applications may request location access, such as Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator or TikTok, often ignore global settings to limit them:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, select the right one and click on “Permissions”.

• 🚫 Disable access – the app will not be able to locate.
• 🔄 Allow only during use – geodata is only available when the application is open.
• ❌ Remove permission – if the application requests access too intrusively.

Pay special attention to the following applications that often misuse geodata:

⚠️ Warning: Some apps (like Google Maps) may stop updating maps or showing traffic jams if they are denied access to geolocation, in which case leave permission "Only during use."

Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, VK)|

Maps and navigators (Google Maps, Yandex.Maps) |

Taxi and delivery (Uber, Yandex Go, Delivery Club) |

Games (Pokémon GO, Genshin Impact) |

Others-->

Method 3: Disable geolocation via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a deep-tuning tool that works for MIUI 14/15 and disables kernel-level geolocation, including system services.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Enables Debugging USB on your smartphone (Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI – press 7 times, then Settings → Additional → For Developers).

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute in the terminal: adb devices (the name of your device should appear).
2. Disable geolocation access for all applications: adb shell settings put global location_mode 0
3. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning for location: adb shell settings put global wifi_scan_always_available 0 adb shell settings put global bluetooth_scan_always_available 0
4. Reboot the device: adb reboot

After these commands, even Google's system services won't be able to locate you, so to get it back, replace the 0 with the 1 commands.

Method 4: Set up a Google Account and Location Services

Even if you have disabled the geolocation on your phone, Google may continue to collect data through your account to stop this completely:

Go to Google Activity Management and:

1. Turn off Location History, it will stop recording your movements.
2. In the "Activity in Web and Applications" section, disable "Enable Location History for this account."
3. Delete the saved data by clicking "History Management → Delete".

It is also recommended that:

• 🔍 Turn off "Personalization of Ads" in Google Advertising Settings.
• 📱 In the Google Maps app, go to Settings → Location History and turn off automatic saving.
• 🛡️ In the settings of Google Play Services (Settings → Apps → Google Play Services → Permissions) disable location access.

💡

If you are using Mi Account, go to Settings → Mi Account → Privacy and turn off Location Data Collection. This will stop the transfer of geodata to Xiaomi servers.

Method 5: Using the "No Surveillance" mode in MIUI

Starting with MIUI 13, Xiaomi’s firmware has introduced a special “Incognito Mode” mode that temporarily blocks geodata collection and limits application background activity, which is useful if you need to temporarily turn off all tracking functions.

How to activate:

1. Open Settings → Special functions → No surveillance.
2. Turn on the "no surveillance" slider.
3. Set up exceptions (for example, leave geolocation access for Google Maps if you need it for navigation).

In this mode:

• ✅ Background location is turned off.
• ✅ Analytics for Xiaomi and Google are blocked.
• ❌ Some smart home (Mi Home) and fitness trackers (Mi Band) may stop working.

⚠️ Warning: No Surveillance Mode resets after the device is restarted. If you need to permanently disable geolocation, use other methods from this article.

Method 6: Alternative methods (for advanced users)

If none of these methods worked, you can try more radical measures, which require technical skills and can lead to unstable operation of the device.

1. Removal of system applications (requires root rights):

• 🗑️ Delete com.google.android.gms (Google Play Services) – this will disable most geolocation services, but the smartphone will lose access to the Play Market.
• 🗑️ Delete com.miui.location, the MIUI location system service.

2.Use of Xposed/EdXposed:

Modules like FakeGApps or Disable LocationConsent allow you to swap geolocation data or completely block Google requests, but this requires an unlocked bootloader and can disrupt banking applications.

3, custom ROM firmware:

Firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience does not contain proprietary services Xiaomi and Google, which excludes the collection of geodata, minus the loss of camera functions and some sensors.

💡

Any manipulation of system files (deletion, modification) can lead to loss of warranty and unstable operation of the device. Before experimenting, make a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When disabling geolocation, Xiaomi users often face the following problems:

If after turning off the geolocation smartphone began to work slower, try:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🧹 Clear the system cache (Settings → Memory → Cleaning).
• 📱 Reset network settings (Settings) → Connections → Resetting Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions