How to find out the location of Xiaomi phone: official and hidden methods

Lost Xiaomi smartphone or want to check where a family member is? Modern technology allows you to track the location of the device to within a few meters — but only if you know the right tools. In this article, we will analyze all the working methods, from standard MIUI functions to little-known features of Google and specialized services.

It's important to understand that the effectiveness of each method depends on whether the phone is on, whether there is Internet access, and whether it was reset to factory settings. We'll look at options for different scenarios - when the Redmi, POCO or Mi device is turned on, off, or even if it has changed the SIM- card. All instructions are relevant for the MIUI 12-14 and Android 10-14.

We warn you right away that tracking someone else’s phone without the owner’s consent may violate the laws of your country, and use these methods only for legitimate purposes – finding your lost device or monitoring minor children (with their consent).

1.Official way: Find a device service from Xiaomi

The most reliable and legal method is to use the built-in Mi Cloud service, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones if:

• 🔹 Device Linked to Mi Account
• 🔹 Find Device enabled (Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Find Device)
• 🔹 The phone is connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile data)
• 🔹 Account not deleted from device after theft

To check the location:

1. Go to i.mi.com and log in.
2. Select the “Find Device” tab.
3. The map will show the last known location of the smartphone.
4. Additionally, you can lock the device or erase data remotely.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 It does not work if the phone is turned off or discharged.
• 🚫 If an attacker resets the settings, the account binding will disappear.
• 🚫 Accuracy depends on the signal GPS – indoors it can show with error up to 500 m.

💡

If the phone is turned off but has been connected to the Mi Cloud in the past 24 hours, the service can show its last known location with a time stamp.

2. Google’s alternative: “Find my device”

If your Xiaomi has a Google account enabled, you can use Find My Device, a method that often works even when the Mi Cloud is disabled, but requires:

• 🔹 Log in to the same Google account as your phone.
• 🔹 Enabled geolocation and location transfer services.
• 🔹 Internet access (at least at the time of last synchronization)

Instructions:

1. Open Find My Device in your browser.
2. Select the lost device from the list (if there are several).
3. The map will show the current or last location.
4. Additionally, you can play the sound (useful if the phone is nearby), block or erase data.

A critical nuance: if the phone enabled the function “Find the device offline” (in some MIUI firmware), Google can show an approximate location even without the Internet – on the nearest Android devices with Bluetooth enabled.

3. Tracking through the Communications Operator (IMEI)

If the phone is stolen and standard methods don't work, you can ask the mobile operator to track the device by IMEI.

• 📱 Only works if the phone is on and your SIM- card is on.
• 📡 The operator may refuse without a police report (proof of theft required).
• 🌍 The accuracy is low, only detecting the nearest communication tower (radius 1-5 km).

How to proceed:

1. Find your phone’s IMEI (can be viewed on the box, in a check or via *#06# from another device).
2. Write a report to the police about theft/loss.
3. With a statement and passport, contact the communication salon of your operator.
4. The operator will send a request for location (can take up to 72 hours).

⚠️ Warning: In Russia, from 2021, operators are required to provide location data only at the request of law enforcement. Self-tracking via IMEI without police is impossible.

The alternative is to use online services like IMEI.info, but they only show the phone’s model and lock status, not its location.

4. Hidden capabilities: tracking through Mi Home or smartwatch

Few people know, but if your Xiaomi was connected to the Mi Home ecosystem (for example, through smart light bulbs or sockets), you can try to find it through the application.

• 🏠 The phone was tied to the Mi Home as a "control device."
• 🔄 Synchronization of geodata in the application settings is enabled.
• 📶 The device is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile internet.

Instructions:

1. Open the Mi Home app on another phone.
2. Go to the → Device Profile → [Your Phone].
3. If geodata is available, you will see the last location.

Another non-obvious way is if you have a Xiaomi Mi Band or Amazfit smartwatch tied to your phone:

• 🕒 Check your sync history in the Zepp or Mi Fitness app.
• 📍 If the watch was connected to the phone at the time of loss, the last anchor point may be displayed.

5 Third-party applications: when nothing helps

If standard methods don't work, you can use specialized services, and importantly, most of them require pre-installing on the target device, and we'll only look at the legal options:

1. Cerberus Anti-Theft (site)

• 🔐 Works even after settings are reset (if installed as a system application).
• 📸 Can secretly take a photo from the front camera if you enter your password incorrectly.
• 💰 Paid (from €5 per year), but there is a 7-day trial.

2.Prey Anti Theft (site)

• 🌍 Tracks location even if SIM- map is changed.
• 🔊 Can turn on the siren or show a message on the screen.
• ⚠️ Requires root rights for full functionality on MIUI.

3. "Where are my children" (for parental control)

• 👶 Designed to track children, but works with adults as well.
• 📱 Shows the movement history over 30 days.
• 🚫 Requires the consent of the person being tracked (otherwise a violation of the law).

⚠️ Attention: Installing hidden tracking apps without the consent of the phone owner is punishable under Article 138.1 of the Criminal Code (violation of correspondence secrecy).

6 What to do if the phone is turned off or dropped

If your Xiaomi is dead, turned off or reset to factory settings, the chances of tracking are minimal, but there are a few tricks:

1. Check the latest activity in your accounts

• 📌 Google Maps: Open the chronology — there may be a last dot.
• 📌 Mi Cloud: In the Devices section, see the last sync time.
• 📌 Social Networking: On VK, Facebook or Telegram, check which IP was the last sign-in.

2.Use data from banking applications

If you installed SberBank Online, Tinkoff or other banking applications on your phone, they could record the geolocation when you last logged in. Contact the bank to check your session history.

3.Put a report to the police with IMEI

Even if the operator can't track the phone, the police have access to the IMEI database and can block the device from the network.

1. Find the IMEI (on the box, in the check or via *#06# from another phone).
2. Write a report of theft/loss to the police.
3. Provide the IMEI phone will be blacklisted and will not be able to use with any SIM- card.

💡

If the phone is dropped but was linked to a Google account, it will require the previous owner’s data to be entered when it is first turned on (FRP- protection).

7. How to protect your Xiaomi from future loss

In order not to search for the phone after the fact, set it up in advance:

1. Enable all tracking functions

• 🔧 Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Find the device (enable).
• 🔧 Settings → Google → Security → Find my device (enable).
• 🔧 Settings → Additional → Privacy → Location Transfer (enable for Google).

2. Record the IMEI in a safe place.

Take a picture of your phone’s box or save your IMEI (learn via *#06#) to a cloud service to help lock your device when you steal.

3. Install antivirus with anti-theft function

Apps like Kaspersky Internet Security or Avast Mobile Security have built-in modules to track and lock your phone.

4. Set up automatic location sending

Some MIUI firmware has an Emergency SOS feature (Settings → Passwords and Security → Emergency SOS) that triple-press the power button and send your location to trusted contacts.

5.Use two-factor authentication

Link Mi Account to your email and phone number so that the attacker can’t delete the account from the device.

💡

Create a widget with your contacts on the home screen ("If you find it, call it"), which increases the chances that the phone will be returned if you lose it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi tracking