How to track the location of Xiaomi devices: official and alternative methods

Losing a smartphone or a Xiaomi smartwatch is stressful, but technology can quickly find a device if you know the right tools. Unlike other brands, Xiaomi offers several ways to track it, from the built-in Find Device feature to integration with Google services and third-party apps.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to track Xiaomi devices’ location, including smartphones (Redmi, POCO, Mi), tablets (Pad), smartwatches (Mi Band, Watch), and even laptops (Mi Notebook), and focus on the nuances of what to do when the device is turned off, how to bypass locking, and why coordinates are sometimes inaccurate. All instructions have been tested on devices with MIUI 14 and later, but most methods work on older versions of the firmware.

1.Official method: Find Device service from Xiaomi

The most reliable and legal method is to use the built-in Find Device service (formerly Mi Cloud Find Device), which works on all Xiaomi devices linked to a single Mi Account, and allows you not only to see the location, but also to lock the device, erase data or make it make sound.

To use the service:

• 🌐 Go to account.xiaomi.com and log in with the same account as your lost device.
• 🔍 In the menu, select Find Device (or Find the device in the Russian version).
• 📍 The map will show the last known location, and if the device is online, the coordinates will be updated in real time.
• 🔒 Alternatively, you can: Lock the device with the display of the message on the screen, delete all data remotely (will work on the next connection to the network), turn on the audible signal (useful if the phone is lost at home).

⚠️ Note: If the device is disabled mobile Internet and Wi-Fi, the service will show only the last known location, and Xiaomi may not display coordinates if the device is in mode Do not disturb or discharged below 5%.

💡

If you often lose your phone at home, turn on the "Send Last Location at Low Charge" option in Find Device settings to help you find your device even after it's turned off.

2. Tracking through Google Find My Device

If your Xiaomi has Google services installed (and they are on all smartphones with Google Mobile Services), you can use an alternative service - Find My Device.

• 📱 The device is not tied to Mi Account (e.g., hand-buyed and not re-registered).
• 🔄 Xiaomi Find Device service is not working or shows inaccurate data.
• 🌍 You need to track your location outside of China (where Google is more stable than Xiaomi services).

Instructions:

1. Open Find My Device in your browser and log in to the Google account that was used on your device.
2. In the list of devices, select the lost Xiaomi (if it is not available, then the account is not synchronized).
3. The map will show the current or last known location with a time stamp.
4. Additional options: 🔊 Turn on the sound (rings 5 minutes at maximum volume). 🔒 Lock the device with the output of the message. 🗑️ Delete all data (irreversible!).

⚠️ Note: Google Find My Device will not work if the device is disabled Geolocation Services or Device Search in Google settings, and the service may not show the exact coordinates if the smartphone is connected to the network through the network via Google. VPN.

3. Tracking Xiaomi smartwatches and fitness bracelets

Xiaomi Watch, Mi Band and other wearables are tracked differently than smartphones, and there are two main methods for them:

1. The app Mi Fitness (Zepp Life): 📱 Install the Zepp Life app (formerly Mi Fit) on another smartphone. 🔄 Sign in with the same account as the lost device. 📍 Go to the Devices section → [name of your watch/bracelet] → Find the device. 🔔 If the watch is within Bluetooth range (up to 10 meters), it will emit an audible signal.

Xiaomi Find Device

(GPS only for watches):

Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, Watch S3 and other models with GPS-The module is displayed in the Find Device service on a par with smartphones, but the coordinates are updated less often (every 10-30 minutes), as the watch saves battery power.

⚠️ Note: Mi Band bracelets (except Mi Band 7 Pro and newer) do not have GPS-It's only tracked by the last connection to the smartphone, and if the phone is off, you can't find the bracelet through geolocation, just by sound within Bluetooth radius.

4. Alternative methods: when official services do not work

If Xiaomi Find Device and Google Find My Device don’t show location, you can try the following ways:

• 📡 Tracking by IMEI: Unique room IMEI You can use it to call the police or a mobile operator, and you can't track it yourself (this is illegal), but you can block your smartphone from your network. IMEI You can: On the box of the device, on the purchase receipt, via the command *#06# (if the phone was on hand).
• 🔗 App side (before losing your phone!): If you install apps like Cerberus, Prey, or Where's My Droid in advance, they can track the device even bypassing standard services.
• 📶 Tracking by SIM-map: Some operators (e.g. MTS, Beeline) offer paid phone search services by number. accuracy is low (the nearest tower is determined), but can help narrow down the search area.

⚠️ Note: Using informal tracking methods (for example, through vulnerabilities in firmware) may be illegal. In Russia and most countries, self-injection into someone else's device without the consent of the owner qualifies as a violation of the Federal Law.-152 (on personal data) and the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. 272 (Illegal access to computer information).

5 Why Services Don't Show Location: Common Mistakes

Often users find that Find Device or Google Find My Device is not working, and here are the main reasons and ways to fix them:

🔹 The most common mistake: users forget that to work Find Device on the device must be enabled:

• 📶 Mobile Internet or Wi-Fi.
• 📍 Geolocation services (Settings) → Confidentiality → Location).
• 🔄 Synchronization with Mi Account (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Synchronization).

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

If your smartphone or Xiaomi watch is turned off, you can't track it in real time, no service will show you the actual coordinates.

• 🔋 Last known location: Xiaomi and Google services keep the last point where the device was online. Check the update time - if less than an hour has passed, there is a chance that the phone is still in the same place.
• 🔔 When you turn on alert: Google Find My Device lets you turn on an email notification when the device reconnects. To do this: Find My Device, select the device. Click Enable notifications. Specify email to alert.

Checking through other devices:

If you have other Xiaomi gadgets (like a tablet or a second phone), log in with the same account – sometimes coordinates are updated there faster.

⚠️ Warning: If the device is down to 0%, the odds of it being there are near zero, and the only hope is that someone will plug it into charging, and it will automatically sync the data when it's turned on. To increase the likelihood of this, in the Find Device settings, enable the option to Send the last location at low charge.

7. How to protect your Xiaomi device from future loss

The best way to easily find a lost device is to set up all the necessary features in advance. Here is a checklist for Xiaomi owners:

🔹 Additional security measures:

• 🔐 Use a Password or pattern lock – This will make it harder to access data if the phone falls into the wrong hands.
• 📱 Set up Smart Lock for secure places only (home, work).
• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI — New versions close vulnerabilities that attackers can use to bypass the lock.
• 📌 Enable Remote Management in Google Settings (Settings) → Google → Security → Find the device).