Users of Xiaomi smartphones often face a situation where the device is locked after resetting settings or flashing. The activation lock screen requires entering a username and password from the Mi Account that was previously tied to the phone. This is a regular feature of protection against theft, designed to protect the owner’s personal data, but it often becomes a problem when buying a used gadget or banal forgetfulness.
There are several ways to unlock Xiaomi's account, depending on whether you remember the login details or not. If the password is lost, the recovery process will take some time and require access to an email or phone number. In the case of a hand-held device and the previous owner is unknown, the situation is complicated by the need to confirm ownership through official channels.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all legal methods of access restoration, the process of unbundling the device through the site and the nuances of working with activation blocking. Complete deletion of the account is possible only if you have access to the phone or through an official reset procedure on the site.
Mi Account and Activation Lock Lock
Account locking, also known as Activation Lock, is activated automatically when you first log in to a Mi Account on a device, a security mechanism that tightly ties a particular smartphone to a user's account, and even a full reset to the factory settings (Wipe Data) will not remove this binding from non-volatile memory.
If you try to activate a dropped phone, the system will require you to enter the password from the last account you used, and if you enter the wrong data several times, the device can temporarily block the ability to enter, this is done to protect against brute-force password selection.
- 🔒 Data protection: without a password, an attacker will not be able to use the phone even after flashing.
- 📱 Geolocation: An associated account allows you to track the location of your device through the service "Device Search".
- 🚫 Blocking Features: Some features, such as Find Device, are no longer available for unblocking.
Why can't you just check the phone?
How to restore access with a forgotten password
If you are the legitimate owner of a smartphone, but you just don't remember the password, the situation is resolved by the standard recovery procedure, you will need access to the Internet and a device from which you can log into the official website of the company, the process is completely free and does not require the use of third-party software.
Go to the account management page and enter your ID (this could be a phone number or an email). Click on the link "Forgot your password?" The system will offer several options for verifying the identity that were specified during registration, most often a code from a text message or a letter to a backup email.
Once you have successfully entered the confirmation code, you will be asked to create a new password, the new password must be secure: contain letters and numbers. After changing the password, it is recommended to wait 15-30 minutes before trying to log in on the locked device for the servers to update the data.
☑️ Checklist for password recovery
It is important to understand that if you change your phone number and lose access to the SIM card to which the account was attached, the procedure becomes more complicated, in which case you will have to go through the verification of identity through support, providing checks about the purchase of the device.
Unlocking the device through the official website
There is a convenient way to unlock Xiaomi phone remotely if you have access to your account, but there is no way to enter a password on the device itself (for example, it is reset).
You need to log in from any computer or smartphone, and the Devices section will show you a list of all the gadgets that have ever been logged into your account, find the model you want (like the Redmi Note 10 or Poco X3), and select the uninstall or undelete option.
Once the action is confirmed via the code from the SMS, the server binding will be removed. Now, when you turn on the phone and connect to Wi-Fi, the activation lock will not appear, since the server will not see the binding of this IMEI to your ID. This is the perfect way to prepare the phone for sale.
| Action. | Access required | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Change of password | Phone or Email | Access to the account restored |
| Deletion of the device | Log in to the account on the site | Removal of activation lock |
| Reset via Recovery | Physical access to buttons | Delete data, but keep the lock |
| Appeal of support | Check of purchase, box. | Forced discharge by an employee |
💡
Always untie your device through the site before selling or transferring it to another person, which will save the new owner from having to contact you to enter a password.
What to do if the phone is bought from the hands blocked
Buying a smartphone with your hands without checking is a risk. If the previous owner hasn't logged out or untied the device, you'll get a lock-screen brick, in which case the only legal solution is to contact the seller. No magic codes or programs can bypass Xiaomi's server verification without accessing the original account.
You have to ask the seller to do one of two things: either dictate the password to log in (after which you immediately change it and untie the device), or remove the phone from the list of trusted people through your account on the site.
⚠️ Warning: If a seller claims to have "forgot a password" and offers you "some software" to unlock for money, these are scammers.
In some cases, if the device was purchased on credit and the owner stopped paying, the bank or store can remotely block the serial number of the device. You can check the lock status by IMEI on specialized services, but often this information is hidden, in such a situation, it is almost impossible to legally unlock the gadget.
Use of Recovery Mode and Fastboot
Many users try to unlock an account through the Recovery menu. Indeed, a Wipe Data reset is necessary before selling or in case of serious system failures. However, as mentioned, this method does not remove the Mi Account binding, but only clears user data.
To enter Recovery mode on the device turned off, press both the power button and the volume button. In the menu that appears (manage volume buttons, select the power button), select Wipe Data -> Wipe All Data. After rebooting, the phone will request a password.
Fastboot mode is used to flash the device through the computer using the Mi Flash Tool. However, even flashing the stock firmware will not remove the activation lock if it was turned on before the reset. Moreover, trying to reflash the device with a locked bootloader can lead to error and inability to start the system.
💡
Recovery only removes photos and contacts, but does not remove account protection. To remove protection, you need a password or removal from the list of devices on the site.
Contacting Xiaomi Support Team
If there's no way to do that, and you're the first and only owner of the device, the final frontier is official support, and that's true for situations where the phone number is changed, the mail is lost, but the documentation is preserved, and it can take anywhere from days to weeks.
You'll need to collect a package of documents, usually a picture of a box with a sticker that shows the IMEI, a picture of the device itself, checks from the store (required to include a serial number or IMEI) and an ID document. Without a purchase check, the chances of success tend to zero, because the company must make sure that the device is not stolen.
The request is sent via a feedback form on the official website or via the email of the regional office, the letter must clearly describe the problem, specify the IMEI and attach scans of documents, security officers check the data and, if successful, send instructions or untie the device themselves.