How to completely disable geolocation on Xiaomi phone: from simple settings to hidden MIUI features

Geolocation on Xiaomi smartphones is a powerful tool that makes it easier to use maps, find nearby establishments, and even work some system functions. However, constant location tracking can cause battery drain, personal data leaks, or simply cause discomfort due to over-control. Unlike other manufacturers, MIUI has unique geodata collection mechanisms that continue to work even after a standard location services shutdown.

In this article, we will not only discuss basic ways to deactivate geolocation through settings, but also little-known methods that will help completely stop transferring coordinates to Xiaomi servers and third-party services. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden features of MIUI, which are often overlooked even by experienced users. If you want to not just disable geolocation, but to do it as efficiently as possible, read on.

Why does Xiaomi geolocation work even after shutdown?

Many users are faced with a paradoxical situation: in the phone settings, the geolocation service is turned off, but the applications still determine the location, and in the logs of the system, there are records of coordinate transfer. MIUI It uses a multichannel geodata collection system that includes:

• 📡 GPS/GLONASS – Standard Satellite Signals;
• 📶 Wi-Fi and cell towers – determination by the nearest access points;
• 🔄 Xiaomi Cloud Services – Synchronize location with your Mi Account;
• 🤖 System applications (e.g. com.miui.analytics) that collect data in the background.

Even if you have disabled GPS in the notification curtain, MIUI can continue to use alternative sources to approximate coordinates. For example, the Mi Security app automatically sends location data to Xiaomi servers if Antivirus or Fraud Protection is enabled.

⚠️ Attention: Starting with MIUI 14, Xiaomi has implemented the Mi Location Service mechanism, which cannot be completely disabled through the standard menu, which runs in the background and transmits location data even when it is turned off. GPS.

Method 1: Standard geolocation disabling in settings

To start with, a basic method that works for most users, which disables the main location channels, but doesn't guarantee complete privacy:

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Application permissions → Geolocation.
2. Transfer the slider to the off position at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll through the app list and disable geolocation access for each of them manually (especially for Google Play Services, Mi Browser, and Mi Security).
4. Return to Privacy and select Special Access → Access in the background. Turn it off for all applications.

This method blocks access to GPS and cell tower data for third-party applications, but does not stop Xiaomi system services from continuing to collect information.For example, the Mi Cloud app will still sync the last known location with your account.

Method 2: Disable Xiaomi Cloud and Mi Account

One of the major leaks of geodata on Xiaomi is synchronization with the Mi Cloud, which even if you don't actively use this feature, it can transmit your location information to the company's servers, to completely stop this transfer:

• 🔗 Open the Settings. → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
• 📍 Find the Device section → Last location and turn it off.
• 🔄 Return to the Mi Cloud main menu and turn off data sync (or delete your account completely if you don’t use Xiaomi services).
• 🛡️ Go to Settings. → Confidentiality → Advertising → Personalized recommendations and disable them.

Important: If you delete your Mi Account, some features of the phone will stop working (e.g. themes, cloud backup, device search) but this is the only way to ensure that you stop transferring location data to the Xiaomi ecosystem.

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If you don’t want to delete your account completely, create a new Mi Account without having to link to your phone number and don’t activate cloud sync, which will reduce the amount of data you’re transferring.

Method 3: Block system applications via ADB

For users willing to take drastic measures, there is a method of disabling system services responsible for collecting geodata using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the phone to a computer and executing commands in the terminal.

First, turn on the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click 7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.

Now connect your phone to your PC and execute the following commands in the terminal (pre-installing ADB):

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.analytics


adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.daemon




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.xiaomi.location.fused




adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.systemAdSolution

These commands are off:

• 📊 com.miui.analytics – statistics and analytics collection;
• 🔄 com.miui.daemon – background system processes;
• 📍 com.xiaomi.location.fused – the main geolocation service;
• 🎯 com.miui.systemAdSolution – personalized advertising.

⚠️ Note: Disabling these services may cause some functions to function unstable MIUI, For example, weather notifications or search for a device through Find Device. Before performing commands, back up your data.

Method 4: Use of alternative firmware (for advanced)

If you want maximum privacy, consider installing custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, which does not contain proprietary Xiaomi services and does not transmit data to Chinese servers.

Advantages of alternative firmware:

• 🚫 Mi Location Service and Mi Cloud systems are not available;
• 🔒 The ability to disable all Google background processes (if you use firmware without GApps);
• ⚡ Higher productivity due to the absence of unnecessary services.

There are, however, downsides:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (if the phone is under warranty);
• 🔧 Installation difficulty (requires unlocking the loader);
• 📱 Possible camera or sensor issues (not all features are stable).

If you do, follow the official instructions for your model on the XDA Developers or 4PDA forums. For example, for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, Pixel Experience with or without GApps is the right firmware.

Method 5: Configure Superuser Rights (Root)

If your phone has root access, you can completely block geolocation access at the kernel level, which requires an app like Magisk or SuperSU, as well as an XPrivacyLua module or AppOps module.

Instructions:

1. Install Magisk and activate root access.
2. Download the XPrivacyLua module via Magisk Manager.
3. Open XPrivacyLua and find the Location section.
4. Tick any application that you want to deny access to geodata (including system).
5. Reboot the phone.

This method allows you to selectively block access to geolocation for individual processes, including hidden system services. For example, you can prevent com.xiaomi.location.fused from receiving data, but leave access to Google Maps.

⚠️ Note: Using root rights voids the warranty and can lead to security issues (e.g. if you install malware with superuser rights.

Method 6: Physically disabling GPS and Wi-Fi modules

For those who want to be guaranteed to stop any location tracking, there is a radical method, which is to physically shut down the hardware modules.

1. Flight mode with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth enabled: Activate Flight Mode in the notification curtain. Manually turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (if you need them for work), in this mode, GPS and cellular data will be completely disabled, but you can use the Internet via Wi-Fi.

Hardware shutdown of GPS antenna:

This method is only suitable for advanced users and requires disassembling the phone. In most Xiaomi models, the GPS antenna is located next to the main board, it can be turned off by cutting the appropriate contact or closing the screen (for example, with foil), but this is an irreversible change, and the phone will lose the ability to use navigation even if necessary.

The advantage of the first method is that it is reversible and does not require any interference with the hardware; the second method is only suitable for extreme cases where absolute confidentiality is required (for example, for journalists or activists).

Method 7: Using VPN and Location Shifting

If your goal is not so much to disable the geolocation as to hide your real location, you can use the VPN-switch-off GPS. For example, apps like Fake. GPS Location or Mock Locations allow you to emulate coordinates anywhere in the world.

How it works:

• 🌍 Install a location swap app (e.g. Fake) GPS by Lexa).
• 📍 Enable Developer Mode (as described in Method 3) and select Mock location app by specifying your app.
• 🎯 Set any coordinates manually or select a point on the map.
• 🔒 Connect to VPN (For example, ProtonVPN or NordVPN to hide your real life. IP-address.

This method does not completely disable geolocation, but renders its data useless for tracking, but some applications (such as banking or government services) can detect shifts and block access.

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Location swaps only work for applications that don’t use additional verification methods (like analyzing nearby Wi-Fi networks or data from an accelerometer).

FAQ: Frequent questions about geolocation on Xiaomi