How to completely disable Google geolocation on Xiaomi smartphones: a step-by-step guide

Xiaomi’s current smartphones are using geolocation services to improve the user experience, but not everyone likes Google’s constant tracking of their movements. Even when you’re not using maps or a navigator, the system can collect your location in the background. This is not only a matter of privacy, but also an additional battery load — especially for models with limited battery capacity, such as the Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5.

In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to disable Google geolocation on Xiaomi devices – from the basic settings in the smartphone menu to the hidden developer parameters. You will learn how to prevent location data collection for specific applications, how to restrict access to geolocation at the system level, and what to do if settings are reset after an update. MIUI. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of firmware, including: MIUI 14 and HyperOS.

Why Google is tracking your location on Xiaomi

Google’s geolocation services are integrated into Android at a deep level, and Xiaomi is no exception. Even if you’ve never used Google Maps or Google Assistant, the system can collect your location data through:

• 📍 Google Location Accuracy (or rather, the service com.google.android.gms), which uses data from cell towers, Wi-Fi and other devices. GPS coordinate.
• 🔄 Background activity of apps, including Google Play Services, which update location even when the screen is off.
• 📱 System services MIUI, Mi Location Service, which can transfer data to Google to improve map performance.
• ⚡ Battery optimization, where geolocation is used to analyze user habits (e.g. Adaptive Battery).

By default, Xiaomi’s new smartphones have almost all of these options enabled, such as the Redmi 13C’s first launch, which suggests allowing geolocation access for Google Play Services, arguing that “apps are better,” which means that your coordinates can be logged up to a few hundred times a day, even if you’re not using navigation.

⚠️ Note: Disabling Google geolocation may affect some features, such as finding nearby Wi-Fi points, accurately detecting the weather or geotagging photos. However, most applications (including WhatsApp, Telegram and other apps) VK) will work without change.

Method 1: Disable geolocation for Google in MIUI settings

The easiest method is to restrict access to the location directly from the settings menu, which is suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the POCO F5, Xiaomi 13T and older devices on MIUI 12.

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Application permissions → Location.
2. In the list, find Google Play Services (an icon with a multi-collar Google emblem).
3. Choose the option to Disallow or Only during use of the application (if you want to keep the minimum functionality).
4. Repeat the steps for other Google apps: 📌 Google Maps 📌 Google App (search engine) 📌 Google Chrome (if you use it)

After you apply the changes, restart your smartphone. This is necessary for the changes to take effect for the background processes. Check the result: open Google Maps — if geolocation is disabled, you will see a notification that you can not determine the location.

Open Google Maps and make sure that coordinates are not determined|

Check the navigation in other applications (Yandex.Maps, 2GIS)|

Make sure the weather is updated correctly (if the widget is used)|

Next articleBattery log: Google Play Services should reduce consumption-->

Method 2: Deactivation of Google Location Accuracy

Even if you have banned geolocation for individual applications, Google can continue to collect data through Google Location Accuracy, a service that uses data from cell towers and Wi-Fi to approximate location even when GPS is off, to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Location Services (on some firmware, the path may differ: Settings → Additional → Google Services).
2. Select Location Accuracy (or Google Location Accuracy).
3. Turn off the slider Use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning.
4. Go back and turn off Location History (if it is active).

On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14), the path may be slightly different: Settings → Applications → Permissions Management → Special Access → Location Access.

In this menu, you can also disable geolocation access for system applications.

Method 3: Turn off background activity of Google Play Services

Google Play Services is a system application that is responsible for updating Google services, including geolocation, and often runs in the background, consuming battery life and transmitting location data, to limit its activity:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google Play Services (the icon with the Google logo and gear).
3. Select Battery Consumption → Limit background activity.
4. In the Permissions section, turn off Location and Physical Activity (if any).

Some firmware (e.g., MIUI 14 for Redmi K60) may need to further disable Google Play Services auto-run: Settings → Apps → Auto-run → Google Play Services → Disable.

⚠️ Note: A complete shutdown of Google Play Services may cause disruptions to the Google Play Market, Gmail and other services.

Yes, completely shut down all services |

Turn it off for individual applications only |

I'm not shutting it down.|

I tried it, but some of the functions stopped working.|

Method 4: Using Developer Mode for Deep Shutdown

If standard methods don't work, you can use the hidden settings of the developer mode, which is suitable for power users and requires caution.

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI Version. a notification will appear "You became a developer".
2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
3. Find the Debugging section and turn it off: 📍 Locations (Allow mock locations) 🔄 Background location checks (Background location checks)

Network

Scanning is always available (Wi-Fi scanning is always available)

For HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the path can look like this: Settings → About Phone → All settings → Developer Mode.

You can also disable USB Debugging if you’re not using it, which will prevent potential data leaks through ADB.

💡

If after disabling geolocation in developer mode, some applications stopped working correctly, try to return the settings to the original state. To do this, select Reset Settings from the Developer Menu.

Method 5: Remove Google Play Services Updates (for advanced ones)

In extreme cases, where geolocation continues to work despite all restrictions, you can try rolling back the version of Google Play Services. This method requires superuser rights (root) or ADB use, so not everyone.

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and activate Debugging over USB in the developer settings.
2. Open the command prompt (CMD or Terminal) and type: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.gms This command will remove updates for Google Play Services only for the current user, without affecting system files.
3. Reset the device.

Once rolled back, Google Play Services will reset to factory, which may temporarily solve the geolocation problem.

• ⚠️ Some apps (like Google Pay) may stop working.
• ⚠️ Google Play Market to Renew Services.
• ⚠️ After the next major update MIUI settings may reset.

💡

Google Play Services rollback is a last resort, and we recommend trying all other ways first, as this can disrupt the stability of the system.

Comparison of geolocation disabling methods on Xiaomi

To choose the best method, compare the effectiveness of each method:

For most Xiaomi users, a combination of the first three methods is enough, for example, on the Redmi Note 11, after disabling geolocation for Google Play Services and deactivating “Precision of location”, background activity decreases by 40-60%, and the battery lasts 10-15% longer.

What to do if settings are reset after the MIUI update

One of the common problems with Xiaomi smartphones is resetting privacy settings after a firmware update, which is because MIUI (and even HyperOS) often overwrites the system permissions for Google apps, to avoid this:

1. Turn off automatic updates to Google Play Services: Go to Google Play Market → Profile → Settings → Auto-Update Apps. Select Not to Update Automatically.

If you notice that geolocation is active again after the MIUI update, check:

• 🔹 Permissions for Google Play Services in Settings → Annexes.
• 🔹 Status of location accuracy in Google settings.
• 🔹 Background activity in Settings → Battery → Charge consumption.

💡

If you frequently experience a settings reset, consider turning off automatic updates. MIUI. To do this, go to the Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Settings (⚙️) → Auto Update and select Off.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Google geolocation on Xiaomi