Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are equipped with powerful security tools that are designed to protect the gadget in the event of theft or loss. One of the key features is a device search engine running through Mi Account. However, in some situations, the user may need to disable this mechanism, whether it is selling the device, transferring it to another person or simply wanting to limit the background activity of services.
Disabling geolocation and search services is not just a single setup change, but a complex process that affects accounts and system permissions. Failure to do so can make it impossible to unlock your phone after rebooting due to Find Device activated protection, so it’s important to understand the difference between simply disabling GPS and completely deactivating security services.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways to manage tracking functions, how to log out correctly, disable specific services in the developer menu, and what to do if the device is already blocked by the owner. Complete disabling of protection is possible only if you have a password from Mi Account, which is associated with the smartphone, this is a critical point, ignoring which can turn the device into a brick.
Why you need to disable the search for a device on a smartphone
Find Device is a security standard for the Android ecosystem, but it’s not always convenient. Owners often face the need to disable this option when selling a gadget. If the new owner can’t untie the old account, he will not be able to fully use the phone, since the system will require authorization from the previous owner at each flashing or reset.
Another common reason is privacy: some users do not want their exact location to be constantly shared with the company’s servers, even if it is done for security reasons. In addition, background geolocation services can consume battery power, albeit marginally, which is important for owners of older models with worn-out batteries.
- 📱 Selling or transferring a smartphone to another person requires complete data cleanup and account detachment.
- 🔒 The desire to increase the level of anonymity and eliminate background coordinate transfer.
- ⚡ Resolving potential software conflicts when geolocation services cause navigation errors.
It is worth noting that disabling search makes it impossible to remotely lock or clean data in the event of a theft.You should be clear about the risks when going to this step.If the phone is lost after disabling protection, finding it through standard Xiaomi or Google tools will be almost impossible without pre-installed third-party trackers.
Difference Between GPS, Geolocation and Find Device
Many users confuse these concepts, believing that turning off the geo-position icon in the curtain completely disables the ability to track the phone. GPS-The module is responsible for determining coordinates via satellites, but applications can use other methods such as cell tower triangulation or Wi-Fi networking.
The Find Device service is a separate system component that has deeper access rights than regular applications. GPS-The module is turned off by the user using low-frequency network requests to determine the approximate location.
To fully understand the processes, it is worth considering the table of differences between these functions:
| Parameter | GPS-module | Geolocation (systemic) | Find Device (Mi Cloud) |
|---|---|---|---|
| precision | Tall (up to meters) | Medium (by tower/Wi-Fi) | Low/Medium (Last known) |
| Battery consumption | High in active work | Medium. | Minimum (background) |
| Internet dependency | Not required to receive the signal | Required for maps | Necessary data transfer |
| Possibility of remote management | No. | No. | Yeah (lock, sound, reset) |
So simply turning off the “geoposition” doesn’t guarantee that the phone will disappear from Xiaomi’s security radar, requiring deeper intervention in your account settings.
Disable the search function through Mi Account settings
The safest and most effective way to disable search is to log out of your Mi Account, and it is the link to your account that activates the security protocols, so as long as the phone is logged in, it is considered the property of the account holder, and any reset attempts will be blocked.
You first need to go to the settings menu. Find a section that is usually called "Mi Account" or "Mi Profile" and click on it. It shows all the information about current authorization, cloud storage and active devices. This is where the switch that controls the visibility of the device is located.
☑️ Preparing for account untiing
Inside your profile, find Settings (often a gear icon or three dots in the corner). In the menu that opens, select Find Device. There's an active slider. Switching it to Off will require you to confirm your Mi Account password. This is a security measure to prevent attackers from turning off security.
⚠️ Note: Once this feature is disabled, the phone will no longer appear in the device list on i.mi.com. Make sure you really want to lose remote control.
After a successful service shutdown, it is recommended to log out completely. Click the log out button in your profile. The system will warn you that the sync data will be deleted from your device. Confirm the action. Now the phone is not tied to the Xiaomi cloud, and the search for the device for it is inactive.
Managing Geolocation Authorizations and Services
If your goal is not to sell your phone completely, but to restrict apps from accessing your coordinates, then logging out may be unnecessary, so you can fine-tune permissions for system services, which will leave the functionality of the smartphone intact, but will limit data transfer.
Go to Settings → Applications → All applications. You need to find system processes related to security and location. Often they are hidden, so you may need to include system processes in the settings menu (three dots in the corner → Show system processes).
- 🔍 Go to the "Permissions" section and find the "Location" category».
- 🚫 Select the “Prohibit” or “Ask” option to restrict background access.
- 📡 Disable access to exact coordinates, leaving only an approximate location if the system allows.
Also worth checking is Google's settings. Even on Xiaomi, Google Play services play an important role in determining location. In the Settings menu → Google → Security → My devices, you can see the list of gadgets where you log in. Deleting a device from this list will break the connection with Google search services, but will not disable Mi Cloud protection.
It is important to understand that modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS can automatically reactivate some services after a system update, so check these settings periodically, especially after major firmware updates.
What to do if the Find Device slider does not turn off?
Resetting and deleting your account before selling
The most radical but effective method is a full reset to factory settings (Hard Reset).However, on modern Xiaomi smartphones with Find Device protection enabled, simply resetting through the recapverie menu will not help - once turned on, the phone will require a password from the account to which it was previously associated.
So the algorithm of actions before selling should be strictly consistent: first you log out of all accounts (Mi, Google, Samsung, etc.), then turn off the lock screen (remove the pin code, pattern lock, fingerprint), and only then do a reset, and breaking this sequence will lead to blocking.
The process looks like this:
- Turn off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) to avoid accidental synchronization during the process.
- Exit Mi Account and Google Account manually through settings.
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Choose to erase all data.
⚠️ Attention: If you reset your phone without leaving your account and it requests a password when you turn it on, you can only restore access with your login and password. Without it, your phone will turn into a useless piece of plastic. Xiaomi support will not unlock devices without purchase checks.
Once reset and set up initially (which is best missed if you sell a phone), the device will be clean, and the device will not be searched because there is no link to any cloud service, and the buyer will be able to register it as new.
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Take a photo before selling IMEI-This will prove to the buyer that the phone is not stolen or locked by the operator.
What to do if your phone is locked and requires an account
When a user buys a used phone and sees the Mi Account lock screen when turned on, it is common, meaning that the previous owner has not untied the device, in which case it is impossible to turn off the search for the device using standard methods, since authorization is required.
The only legal way to unlock a device is to contact the previous owner, who has to remotely remove the device from his list via i.mi.com, and then reboot the phone and the lock will disappear. No hacking methods in the article are seen as often leading to virus infection or complete software failure.
If the previous owner is unknown (for example, a phone is found or bought with undocumented hands), and the account is not untied, the device remains blocked. Some service centers can help with a check of purchase confirming that you are the legal owner, but this is a paid and not always successful procedure.
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Activation blocking (FRP/Mi Account Lock) is a protection against theft that cannot be circumvented without the owner’s data or official unlock through the service.