How to disable SMS positioning on Xiaomi: a complete guide to setup

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face situations where their location is unwittingly made available to third parties through built-in geodata transmission mechanisms that are activated by default in the MIUI shell. Understanding how this system works is critical to maintaining digital hygiene and personal safety in today’s world.

Many users don't even realize that when they send a text message, they can broadcast their coordinates. The SMS geolocation feature is designed for convenience, allowing you to share a location with a single click, but in the background it can work without you knowing.

In this article, we will look at all the existing ways to block coordinates, you will learn what settings to change in the standard message application, how to manage system resolutions, and what hidden engineering menus will help solve the problem at a deep level.

Analysis of the geolocation function in MIUI

Xiaomi’s MIUI shell is built on the principle of deep service integration, which often leads to excessive telemetry collection. Message positioning is closely linked to Google Location Services and the company’s own cloud services. When you send a message, the system can automatically pull up GPS data, if allowed in the privacy settings.

It is worth noting that the mechanism of operation differs depending on the type of application used. The standard Messaging client has its own settings that can overlap the global system parameters. In addition, third-party applications such as Google Messages or Tinkoff SMS manage geodata regardless of Xiaomi's system settings.

The main problem is that even after sending a message without attaching a card, metadata can be stored in the app cache, which creates a potential vulnerability, especially if the device falls into the hands of attackers or is subjected to a virus attack, so it is important not only to prohibit sending, but also to limit the application's access to the GPS module in principle.

⚠️ Warning: A complete shutdown of geolocation services can disrupt navigation applications and emergency services that use coordinates to determine your location when calling for emergency services.

Xiaomi developers periodically change the layout of menu items in different versions of the firmware. What worked in MIUI 12 can be hidden deeper in MIUI 14. That is why we will consider a comprehensive approach that covers both software settings and system constraints.

Settings of the standard application Messages

The first and most obvious step is to check the internal settings of the messenger itself. In most cases, the geodata transfer function is activated by default to improve the user experience, but it is easy to manually deactivate.

Open the Messages app and find the gear icon or three dots in the corner of the screen. Navigation may vary: some versions of MIUI have settings hidden in the user profile, others have settings in the main menu. Look for the privacy or optional features section.

Inside the menu, you need to find the item responsible for "Geometrics", "Location" or "Share Location." If such a switch is active, immediately turn it off, which will prevent the application from automatically attaching coordinates to outgoing messages.

• 📍 Open the Messages app on the main screen.
• ⚙️ Go to the settings via the profile menu or the “More” button».
• 🔒 Find the “Privacy” or “Security” section».
• ❌ Uncheck the box from the item "Add geoposition" or similar.

After making changes, it is recommended to restart the device so that the application cache is updated and new parameters take effect. If the location point is not explicitly available, it may be hidden in experimental functions or depend on regional settings.

Managing Android System Resolutions

A more radical but effective method is to restrict the rights of the application itself to access the application. GPS-Even if there is a ban on sending coordinates inside the program, having permission to access the location leaves the theoretical possibility of data leakage through vulnerabilities.

To do this, go to the general settings of your smartphone Settings → Apps → All apps. Find your messenger (such as Messages or Messages) in the menu that opens, select App Permissions. Here you will see a list of all the rights you request.

Find the Location category and change the access status. The best option for maximum privacy is a complete ban (“Disallow”). If you need the application to work correctly (for example, to find the nearest pizza parlors through built-in services), select the option “Only when using”.

It is important to understand that disabling location access can affect the functionality of other services associated with the message, for example, you will not be able to send a friend a link to the map or see where he is if he uses compatible Xiaomi services.

⚠️ Note: If you completely ban access to the location, some smart notification features (for example, reminding you to buy bread when I’m at the store) will stop working correctly.

Use of engineering menus and hidden codes

For advanced users who want to be sure to shut down all telemetry functions, there is access to the engineering menu, a hidden part of the system designed to test the hardware, but also containing important debugging and data settings.

To get there, open the Phone app and type the combination ##3646633##. On some Xiaomi models, the code may differ, such as ##4636##. Once you enter the code, the menu will open automatically. Be careful: changing unknown parameters can lead to unstable network operation.

In the engineering menu, go to the Common or Connectivity tab, and you can find settings related to AGPS (Assisted GPS) here. While this does not disable the GPS itself, resetting AGPS data or changing the configuration can prevent the fast transmission of coordinates through the network of the cellular operator.

The sequence of actions in the engineering menu:


1 Enter the code ##3646633#




2. Go to tab "Location"




3. Select "AGPS"




4. Press "Reset" or change the configuration of the servers

Another important aspect is USB debugging, and if the developer's settings are debugging enabled, remote data reading is theoretically possible, and make sure that the developer mode is off unless you're using it specifically.

Third-party applications and alternatives

Xiaomi’s standard app doesn’t always meet privacy requirements, and many security experts recommend replacing it with open-source applications that don’t have built-in telemetry tracking and transmission mechanisms on the manufacturer’s servers.

One of the best alternatives is Google Messages (in RCS mode with encryption) or fully open clients like Simple SMS Messenger, which have no hidden smart positioning features and request access to GPS only explicitly and on demand.

• 📱 Simple SMS Messenger is a minimalist client without advertising and unnecessary permissions.
• 💬 Google Messages – Reliable Protection RCS, But requires a Google account.
• 🔒 Signal – if you can switch to an Internet messenger, this is the best choice for encryption.

When installing a third-party application, MIUI may insist on returning the standard one.Agree to the default shift so that all links to phone numbers (tel:) open in a new, more secure application.

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Use the “Permissions” app in MIUI settings to see all applications that have access to your geo-location in one list and disable the extra ones.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Comprehensive privacy protection is achieved only by a combination of settings within the application, system restrictions of Android and, if necessary, replacing standard software with alternative.