Losing or stealing a smartphone is stressful, but Xiaomi owners have multiple tools to find a device. Unlike the iPhone with its Find My iPhone, MIUI phones support two independent services: the official solution from Xiaomi (Find Device via Mi Account) and the universal Google Find My Device, while many users miss critical nuances of the settings, which cause functions to work incorrectly or completely disabled.
In this article, we’ll look at not only basic search activation steps, but also hidden options (like Sending the Last Location at a Discharge), and explain why using Mi Account and Google at the same time increases your chances of success. This material is relevant for all modern models, from the budget Redmi 13C to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Pro, including devices on HyperOS (the new firmware that replaced MIUI in 2026).
1.Preparation of the phone: what to do before the dawn
Most users start to customize their search after losing their phone, which is a major mistake. Some features (e.g., Device Locking or Remote Deletion) require pre-activation.
Link Mi Account to your device |Enable Location Transfer in Settings |Activate Find My Device from Google |Save phone IMEI in a safe place |Check GPS (enable High Accuracy)
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Pay special attention to Mi Account, and without it, Xiaomi's Find Device service won't work.
- Go to Settings → Xiaomi account.
- Enter login details or create a new account (if not).
- Confirm the device’s binding via SMS or email.
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If you buy Xiaomi with your hands, be sure to reset to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset) and link your Mi Account. Otherwise, the previous owner will be able to track your location!
Another critical issue is the permissions for geolocation services, and even if Find Device is enabled, it won't work without access to location.
- 📍 Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → Location → turn on MIUI Security and Google Play Services.
- 🔄 In the Location Mode section, select High Accuracy (Uses) GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks).
2. Set up search via Mi Account (official method)
Xiaomi's Find Device service is integrated into MIUI/HyperOS firmware, and allows you not only to track the phone, but also to block it, turn on the beep or delete data remotely.
- Open Settings → Xiaomi Cloud (or Cloud).
- Slip on Find Device (in some versions – Device Search).
- Turn on the switch and confirm the action with a password from the Mi Account.
Once activated, you can control your phone via the web version of the service: i.mi.com.
- 📍 View the current location on the map (accuracy) ~5-50 meters).
- 🔊 Enable the sound signal (useful if the phone is lost at home).
- 🔒 Lock the device with the message on the screen (for example, "Reward for returns: +7...").
- 🗑️ Delete all data (Warning: After that, it will be impossible to track the phone!).
What if the Find Device does not show the location?
A critical caveat: if an attacker resets the phone to factory settings, the Mi Account binding will be removed and the device will no longer be traceable. To minimize the risks, activate the Device Protection option (Settings → Xiaomi Account → Device Protection) which requires you to enter a password from Mi Account when you try to reset.
3.Alternative: Google Find My Device
If you use Google services (like Gmail or Play Market), you already have access to Find My Device, a universal tool for finding Android devices.
- ✅ It works even if the Mi Account is not tied.
- ✅ It can show location in real time (with active Internet).
- ✅ Allows you to block your phone through your Google account.
To include:
- Go to Settings → Google → Security → Find My Device
- Activate the switches Location and Device Search.
- Make sure that sync is enabled in your Google account settings (Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync).
You can control your phone via google.com/android/find. The same options are available here as in MI Find Device, but with one key difference: Google can show a location even if the phone is disconnected from the Internet, but was connected to it in the last 24 hours (thanks to the Last Known Location feature).
Only MI Find Device | Only Google Find My Device | Both services configured nothing at the same time |
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4 Hidden Features: How to Increase Your Chances of Finding a Phone
Few people know, but Xiaomi has additional options that help in critical situations.
| Function | Where to turn it on | Why do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Sending the last location in the discharge | Settings → Xiaomi Account → Find Device → More | Automatically sends coordinates to the server when the battery is below 15%. |
| Notice of change SIM-map | Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Notice of change SIM | Sends an SMS to a backup number if a new SIM is inserted into the phone. |
| Anti-theft regime | Settings → Password and security → Anti-theft mode | Locks the phone when it is removed SIM-map or reset. |
| Hidden photo with incorrect password entry | Settings → Lock screen → Additional | Takes a photo of the attacker through the front camera after 3 failed attempts to unlock. |
Especially useful function Change Notice SIM-If the thief takes yours. SIM And put yours in, you get it. SMS with a new phone number (if you have previously specified a backup contact in the Mi Account settings), this gives you the chance to contact the operator and lock the device on the device. IMEI.
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The combination of MI Find Device + Google Find My Device + hidden features improves the chances of a phone returning by 70% compared to using just one service.
5 What to do if your phone is lost or stolen
If the problem has already occurred, follow the algorithm:
- Check your location through both services: 🌐 MI Find Device 🌐 Google Find My Device
- Lock the device: In MI Find Device: click Lock and enter a contact message to communicate. In Google Find My Device: select Lock the device and set a new PIN.
- Contact the police with: IMEI phone (you can find out through a box or check), location screenshots from search services, change data. SIM-Cards (if notified).
Block the IMEI through a carrier (if the phone is stolen) and it will render the device useless to the thief.
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If the phone is turned off, don't panic: services will keep the last known location. Check the card periodically - when turned on, the device may reappear on the network.
If you are sure that the phone is stolen, don't try to find it yourself. Give the information to law enforcement. In some cases, attackers use "traps" (for example, leaving the phone in a crowded place to catch the owner when trying to take it).
6. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
Even experienced users miss out on setting up a search, and here are the most common ones:
- ❌ Disabled data transfer in the background: If the battery settings activated the power saving mode for MIUI Security or Google Play Services, search services may not update location. → Battery → Energy saving regime.
- ❌ Unsynchronized time: If the phone is not set to date and time correctly, Google's Find My Device won't be able to locate.Enable automatic sync in Settings → Additionally. → Date and time.
- ❌ Use of the VPN Or proxy: Some of them. VPN-Services block access to Xiaomi and Google servers, which causes search to work incorrectly. VPN network-setting.
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Before traveling abroad, check if your tariff supports data roaming. Without the Internet, search services will not be able to update location!
Another common problem is resetting your settings through Recovery, where if a thief knows how to boot your phone in Power + Volume Up, they can erase all data, including account binding, to protect themselves:
- Enable Device Protection in the Mi Account settings.
- Set a complex password (at least 8 characters with numbers and special signs).
- Activate Anti-Theft Mode (see the table in Section 4).
7. Additional security measures
Besides the standard search services, there are ways to make your phone less attractive to thieves:
- 🔐 Turn off notifications on the lock screen: In the lock screen settings → Notifications select Do not show notifications. This hides personal information (SMS, letters) from outsiders.
- 📱 Set up remote control through SMS: Some firmware (e.g, MIUI 14) support sending commands to the phone via SMS. For example, you can lock your device by sending a message with the text #lock#1234 (where 1234 is yours). PIN). Check for a function in Settings → Password and security → Remote control.
- 🛡️ Use antivirus applications with anti-theft function: Programs like Avast Mobile Security or Kaspersky Internet Security have built-in modules for finding your phone, blocking and erasing data.
If you often lose your phone at home or work, install Xiaomi’s Smart Band (like Mi Band 8) and set up a phone connection break alert, which will help you quickly notice the missing bracelet when the device is more than 10 meters apart.
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The combination of hardware (IMEI-lock) and software (MI/Google services) protection methods makes theft of Xiaomi meaningless for a thief – it will be impossible to sell or use the phone.