Xiaomi Device Search: From Smartphone to Smartwatches – All Ways for 2026

Losing a Xiaomi gadget is a nuisance faced by nearly one in three smartphone owners. According to Find Device, users initiated more than 12 million searches in 2023 to find lost devices, and 68% of them were able to return the equipment. The reasons for the losses vary from trivial forgetfulness to theft. Fortunately, Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers several search tools, both built-in and third-party.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to find a Xiaomi device, from Redmi and POCO smartphones to Mi Band fitness bracelets and Xiaomi Buds headphones. We will focus on situations when the gadget is turned off or discharged, and also tell you how to act if the device is stolen. All instructions are checked on models from 2020-2026 and work independently of the version of MIUI.

Important: Search performance depends on whether geolocation and sync functions with your account were enabled in advance. If you are reading this article before losing your device, click through to the “How to Prepare for Possible Loss” section to minimize the risks.

1. Search through the official service Find Device (Mi Account)

Find Device (formerly Mi Cloud Find Device) is Xiaomi’s main tool for finding lost gadgets.It works with all devices on MIUI (smartphones, tablets), as well as some accessories, such as Mi Band 7 Pro or Xiaomi Watch S3. The main condition is that the gadget must be tied to the Mi Account and have access to the Internet (via mobile network or Wi-Fi).

To find the device:

• 🌐 Go to Find Device and log in to the same account you used on your lost gadget.
• 📍 The map will show the last known location of the device (if geolocation is enabled). Accuracy depends on the settings: in high-precision mode, the error is up to 10 meters, in battery saving mode, up to 50-100 meters.
• 🔔 Press "Play Sound" - the device will emit a loud signal (even if there is a silent mode) that will repeat every 30 seconds for 5 minutes.
• 🔒 Use the "Block Device" option to protect your data, and you can set a password or display a contact message on the lock screen.

⚠️ Warning: If the device is turned off or discharged, its location will not be updated, but you will see the last recorded point on the map.

2. Search through Google "Find Device" (for Android)

If your Xiaomi smartphone runs on Android (and these are all models except the POCO F5 Pro with HyperOS), you can use Google’s Find Device service, which works independently of Mi Account, but requires:

• 📱 Sign in to a Google account on your device.
• 📶 Included geolocation (Settings → Security and Location → Location).
• 🌐 Internet connections (mobile traffic or Wi-Fi).

Instructions:

1. Go to the Google Find Device page and log in to your Google account.
2. Select the lost device from the list (if there are several).
3. The map will show its location, and the accuracy depends on the source of the data: GPS (up to 5 meters), Wi-Fi (up to 20 meters) or cell tower (up to 1-2 km).
4. Use the options: 🔔 Play Sound – the device will ring at full volume for 5 minutes. 🔒 Lock the device – set a password or show a message on the screen. ⚠️ Erase data is a last resort if sensitive information is on the smartphone.

⚠️ Warning: If the device has Settings enabled → Google → Security → Find the device, even after resetting to factory settings, it can be tracked the next time you connect to the Internet.

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Google’s Find Device service often works more accurately than Xiaomi’s Find Device, especially in rooms where GPS signal is weak but Wi-Fi is good.

3.Finding fitness bracelets and Xiaomi smartwatches

Mi Band devices (all models since Mi Band 3) and Xiaomi Watch smartwatches are searched differently than smartphones, and are not suitable for Find Device or Google Find Device services, but there are alternative ways:

Method 1: Mi Fitness (Zepp Life)

• 📱 Open the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp Life for new models) on the smartphone that the bracelet was connected to.
• 🔍 Go to Profile → My Devices and select the lost gadget.
• 🔔 Press Find the device and the bracelet will start vibrating and flashing the screen (if it is within Bluetooth range, that is, no further than 10-15 meters).

Method 2: Through geolocation history (if synchronized with Mi Fitness)

If the wristband or watch is synced to the app, you can check for the latest activity:

1. In Mi Fitness, go to Profile → Health Data → Steps.
2. Look at the activity chart, the last point may indicate the location of the loss.

Method 3: For GPS models (Mi Band 7 Pro, Xiaomi Watch S3)

Bracelets and watches with GPS module (Mi Band 7 Pro, Xiaomi Watch S2 and later) can show the routes of jogging. Check the history of training in the application - perhaps the last entry will indicate the location.

4. Search for Xiaomi headphones (Buds, AirDots, FlipBuds)

Xiaomi headphones (Buds, AirDots, FlipBuds) don’t have built-in GPS, but they can be found if they:

• 🔋 Charged and on.
• 📶 They are within range of Bluetooth (up to 10 meters without obstacles).
• 📱 Were paired with a smartphone before.

Search instructions:

1. Open the Mi Home or Xiaomi Earbuds app (depending on the model).
2. Select your headphones in the list of devices.
3. Click “Find headphones” – they will start playing the sound signal (if they are in the case, the sound will be quieter).

⚠️ Warning: If the headphones are in a closed case, the Bluetooth signal weakens by a factor of 2-3. Try opening the case or bringing the smartphone closer.

An alternative way to use Android:

Use Settings → Connected Devices → Headphones → Find. This option is available on smartphones with MIUI 12 and later.

5. What to do if the device is turned off or discharged

If a Xiaomi smartphone, bracelet, or headphone is turned off, discharged, or in airplane mode, standard search methods won’t work.

1. Checking the latest activity in the account

• 📍 In Find Device or Google Find Device, look at the last dot on the map that you see, and even if the device is now off, that information can help narrow down the search area.
• 🕒 In Mi Account, check the last sync time (Account Settings → Devices). If it coincides with the moment of loss, chances are that the gadget is nearby.

2.Use of the functions of the communications operator

Some mobile operators (for example, MTS, Beeline, Tele2) offer services for searching devices by IMEI.

1. Find out the IMEI of your smartphone (if you haven’t saved it, look at the box or check).
2. Contact the operator's support team with a loss statement, and they can track the last tower to which the device was connected (accuracy - up to 1-3 km).

3. Social engineering (if the device is stolen)

If the gadget is stolen and the thief turned it on, you can try:

• 📞 Call a number from another phone — sometimes thieves respond and agree to return the device for a reward.
• 💬 Send SMS requesting the gadget to be returned (specify that it is tied to the account and is useless to the thief).

See the last point on the map in Find Device|Check the history of geolocation in Google Maps|Contact the communications operator with IMEI|Call the number from another phone.|Check emails from Mi Account (if the thief tries to reset the settings)-->

6 How to Prepare for the Possible Loss of a Xiaomi Device

The best way to quickly find a lost gadget is to set it up in advance. Here is a checklist of actions to do right now:

• 🔐 Attach your device to Mi Account: Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account and log in. Enable data sync (Account Settings → Sync).

Include geolocation:

• Activate Settings → Security and Location → Location.
• Select High Accuracy mode for maximum accuracy of coordinates.

Set up Find Device:

• In Settings → Memory and Backup → Find Device, turn on the option.
• Make sure notifications for the service are allowed.

Save the IMEI:

• Type *#06# on the keyboard and IMEI will appear on the screen. Record it or take a picture.
• The IMEI is also listed on the device box and under the battery (if removable).

⚠️ Warning: If you plan to sell or transfer a device to another person, be sure to untie it from the Mi Account and perform a factory reset. Otherwise, the new owner will not be able to use the gadget, and you will get a lock on the account for suspicious activity.

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Create a message template for the lock screen with your phone number in your notes, and if you lose it, you can quickly display it via Find Device or Google Find Device.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Many users lose the ability to find the device due to trivial setting errors, and here are the most common ones and how to fix them:

Another common problem is that you have false geolocation positives, for example, if you're indoors, GPS can show coordinates up to 50 meters in error.

• Use Wi-Fi data (more specifically in cities).
• Check your travel history in Google Maps (Chronology → Timeline).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions