How to completely disable Find My Device on Xiaomi: all ways

Find My Device (or Find My Device) on Xiaomi smartphones is a built-in security tool that allows you to remotely track the location of the gadget, block it or erase data in the event of loss, but there are situations when this option needs to be deactivated: before selling the phone, when transferring it to another user or if the feature conflicts with other services (for example, Google Find My Device).

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to disable Find My Device on Xiaomi devices (including models on MIUI 14 and MIUI 15), as well as consider the nuances that will help avoid errors such as “Can not turn off device search” or “Mi Account password is required.”

Why you should turn off Find My Device on Xiaomi

At first glance, deactivating the device’s search function seems counterintuitive because it’s designed to protect your data, but there are a few good reasons to do so:

• 📦 Selling or transferring a smartphone: The new owner will not be able to activate the device if Find My Device remains tied to your Mi Account.
• 🔄 Conflict with other services, such as if you use Google Find My Device, the duplicate feature from Xiaomi may cause interference.
• 🔋 Battery savings: Background geolocation service activity consumes up to 5-7% Charge per day (according to tests on the Redmi Note) 12 and POCO X5).
• 🛡️ Unlocking problems: If you forget the Mi Account password tied to Find My Device, the phone may be locked after being reset.

It’s important to understand that disabling Find My Device doesn’t affect other security features like Screen Lock or Data Encryption, but if you’re planning to sell a phone, it’s a good idea to remove your Mi Account completely from the system, as we’ll explain in the following section.

Method 1: Disconnect via MIUI settings (main method)

This is the easiest and most secure way to do this, and works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 12-15 firmware. The instruction is suitable for models where the feature is not blocked due to binding to the Mi Cloud.

Steps:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to Mi Account (or Xiaomi Account in the newer versions).
3. Select Find My Device (or Find My Device in English firmware).
4. Press the switch to deactivate the function.
5. Enter your Mi Account password if the system requests it.

If you have a “Device Search Failed” error after these actions, your phone is tied to Mi Cloud with additional protection, in which case try Method 2 or Method 3 from this article.

Battery charge > 50%|Connecting to Wi-Fi or mobile network|Password from Mi-account at hand|Backup of data (optional)-->

Method 2: Disconnect via Mi Cloud (if your phone is locked)

If you can’t log in to your phone’s settings (for example, because of a forgotten password or a screen lock), you can remotely deactivate Find My Device via the web version of Mi Cloud. This method is also useful if you want to unplug your device from your account before selling without having it on hand.

Instructions:

1. Go to the official Mi Cloud website from a computer or other phone.
2. Sign in under the same Mi Account that is linked to the target device.
3. In the Devices section, select the desired smartphone.
4. Press three points (⋮) Next to the device name and select Delete Device.
5. Confirm the action by entering a password.

After that, Find My Device will be disabled and the phone will be unlocked for the new owner, but note: this method does not reset data on the device. If you sell a smartphone, be sure to reset to factory settings (about it in the next section).

Method 3: Completely reset (if other methods don’t work)

If the first two methods didn’t work (for example, because of the error “Previous owner’s password is required”), the radical option remains: factory reset, which will delete all data from the phone, including the binding to the Mi Account and Find My Device.

Important: Before reset, make sure to back up important data (photos, contacts, messages) as they will be permanently deleted. If your phone is locked, use Mi PC Suite to extract files (instruction below).

How to perform the reset:

1. Turn off your smartphone.
2. Press the buttons Power + Volume up at the same time (on some models - Power + Volume down).
3. In the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data (use volume buttons for navigation and power button for confirmation).
4. Confirm the action by selecting Yes.
5. After the reset is complete, select Reboot.

If the phone still requires a password from the Mi Account after reset, then the device has activated the Mi Account Lock function (account lock), in which case you will need official unlocking through the Xiaomi service center or special tools like Mi Flash Unlock (for more details, in the section about errors).

💡

If you're selling a phone, then download it to the welcome screen after the reset and check if the system asks for a password from your Mi Account. If so, the device is still tied to your account!

Method 4: Disconnect via ADB (for advanced users)

This method is suitable for those who are familiar with the developer tools and are preparing to unlock the bootloader or install custom firmware. It allows you to disable Find My Device without resetting data, but requires connecting the phone to your computer.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with drivers installed ADB and Fastboot.
• 📱 Included Debugging by USB in the phone settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers).
• 🔌 Cable USB Type-C (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command prompt (cmd) and type: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.cloudservice This will remove the Mi Cloud service responsible for Find My Device.
3. Reboot your phone: adb reboot

⚠️ Note: This method can disrupt other Xiaomi services, such as note sync or backup.If you don’t plan on installing custom firmware, use method 1 or 2.

Common mistakes and their solutions

When you turn off Find My Device, users often encounter errors, and we have collected the most common ones and ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, you may have activated the Anti-Theft function on your device, in which case unlocking is possible only through the official Xiaomi service with the provision of proof of ownership (check, box, etc.).

💡

If you buy a used Xiaomi smartphone, be sure to check to disable Find My Device before transferring money. Otherwise, you risk getting a “brick” with the Mi Account blocked.

What to do after you turn off Find My Device

After successful deactivation of the function, it is recommended to perform several additional actions to avoid problems in the future:

• 🔄 Reset the settings to factory settings (if you sell a phone) and that will delete all data and account attachments.
• 📱 Remove Mi-account from the system: Settings → Mi Account. → Get out.
• 🔒 Set up alternative protections, such as Google Find My Device or third-party antiviruses with search functionality (such as Kaspersky or Avast).
• 📋 Save it. IMEI Phone (#06#) This will help in case of loss or theft.

If you have disabled Find My Device to save battery life, look out for other energy-consuming features:

• 📍 Permanent geolocation (disabled in Settings) → Confidentiality → Permits → geodata).
• 🔍 Autosynchronization (in Google account settings).
• 📶 Background data transfer for unnecessary applications.

Remember, disabling Find My Device reduces the security of your device. If your phone is stolen, it will be harder to get it back.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling Find My Device on Xiaomi