How to determine the location of a Xiaomi phone from another device: official and alternative methods

Losing your smartphone or having to monitor your loved ones’ location are situations that many Xiaomi users face. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to track your devices remotely, but it’s important to do so legally and with the consent of the owner. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways available, from official Mi Account services and Google to alternative solutions through IMEI or specialized applications.

Before you start searching, consider that most methods require pre-configuring on the target device. If you are trying to find a stolen phone, contact the police immediately - self-tracking without the owner's knowledge can violate the law.

1.Official way: Find a device service from Xiaomi

The most reliable and simple method is to use the built-in Find Device feature in the Xiaomi ecosystem, which works on all smartphones of the brand, starting with MIUI 8, and allows you not only to determine the coordinates, but also to lock the device or erase data remotely.

To use the service, you need to:

• 🔹 Make sure that Xiaomi’s target phone has Find the Device feature enabled (Settings) → Mi Account → Find the device).
• 🔹 The device must be linked to your Mi Account (the same login/password as your phone).
• 🔹 The smartphone must be enabled Internet (mobile or Wi-Fi) and GPS.
• 🔹 Accounts should not be blocked for suspicious activity.

Search instructions:

1. Go to i.mi.com from any device and log in to your Mi Account.
2. In the menu, select Find Device (Find Device).
3. The map will show the last known location of the phone with an accuracy of 5-50 meters (depending on the GPS signal).
4. If necessary, use the options to play sound, block or erase data.

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If the phone is turned off, the service will show the last known point on the map, and once the device connects to the network, the coordinates will be updated automatically.

⚠️ Note: If your device has reset or deleted your Mi Account, it will not be possible to track it through this service, and the feature does not work on custom firmware phones (for example, LineageOS).

2. Google tracking “Find My Device”

If you have a Google account set up for Xiaomi, you can use Google’s Find Device** service, which is universal for all Android smartphones, including Redmi, POCO and Mi models.

Conditions of work:

• 📱 The phone must be linked to a Google account (check Settings). → Accounts).
• 🌍 On. GPS and Geodata Transfer (Settings) → Location).
• 📶 The device is connected to the Internet (even through a mobile network).
• 🔋 The battery is not discharged (service shows the level of charge).

How to find the phone:

1. Open Google Find My Device on any device.
2. Sign in with the same Google account as your lost Xiaomi.
3. The map will show the location of the phone with a time stamp.
4. Additional options: 🔔 Play the sound (useful if the phone is nearby but not visible). 🔒 Block the device with the display of the message on the screen. 🗑️ Delete data (irreversible effect!).

3. Search by IMEI: Myths and Reality

Many users believe that IMEI (Unique Phone Identifier) allows you to track the device to the accuracy of the home, but in practice this is not quite the case: the average user can not determine the location by IMEI without the help of a telecom operator or law enforcement agencies.

How IMEI tracking works:

• 📡 The mobile operator can determine which tower the phone is connected to, but will not show the exact coordinates.
• 👮 Police can ask the operator for the latest location (a theft claim is required).
• 🚫 Self-tracking through online services (like imei.info) is a scam, and these sites do not have access to the operators’ databases.

How to find out the IMEI of your Xiaomi:

1. Dial on the phone keyboard *#06# and the 15-digit code will appear.
2. Look at the device box or under the battery (for older models).
3. In settings: About the phone → General information → IMEI.

⚠️ Note: If you are asked to “track” IMEI The only legal way to do this is to report theft to the police, which is under article 158 of the Russian Criminal Code (theft).

4. Third-party applications for hidden tracking

If official methods are not suitable (for example, you need to track the phone of a child or an elderly relative), you can use specialized applications, Importantly, installing such software without the consent of the owner of the phone violates the law (Article 138 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - violation of the secrecy of correspondence).

Legal use cases:

• 👨‍👩‍👧 Parental control (with the consent of a child over 14 years old).
• 👵 Care for the elderly (with their knowledge).
• 🔄 Control of corporate devices (under the employment contract).

Popular applications for Xiaomi:

Instructions for setting up Cerberus (on the example of Xiaomi Redmi Note 10):

Install the app from Google Play|Register an account at cerberusapp.com|Activate Administrator Rights in Security Settings|Set up hidden mode in the application parameters|Test sending a team SMS (e.g. “cerberus locate")-->

⚠️ Note: Apps like Cerberus may conflict with energy saving settings MIUI. Add them to auto-start exceptions (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery).

5. Alternative methods: SIM-map

If the phone is stolen and official methods do not help, you can try to contact the mobile operator. Some providers (for example, MTS, Beeline, MegaFon) provide a service "Telephone Search" by number. SIM-map.

How it works:

1. Contact the communication salon with a passport and a contract for a number.
2. Write a statement of blocking SIM-maps and geodata requests.
3. The operator can provide information about the last tower to which the phone was connected (accuracy - up to 1-3 km).

Limitations of the method:

• 📵 Accuracy depends on the density of towers (in the city higher than in the countryside).
• 🕒 Data is updated with a delay (not in real time).
• 🚫 It doesn't work if SIM-map removed or replaced.

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The operator is not allowed to transfer geodata to third parties without a court decision, and the maximum you will receive is the approximate zone of the last connection.

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

If Xiaomi is off, discharged, or reset, the chances of tracking are minimal, but there are a few things you can do:

Steps to find:

1. Check the latest activity in your accounts: 📧 In Gmail (Last actions at the bottom of the page). 🌐 In Mi Account (Device section will show the last connection time).
2. Call the police: 📝 Write a statement of theft/loss, specify IMEI and serial number. 📱 Please provide a box from the phone (it is indicated there). IMEI).

Monitor sales:

• 🛒 Check the ads on Avito, Yula and other sites on IMEI.
• 🔍 Use services like SNDeeP to check for your data IMEI lock-in.

If the phone is found but it is blocked:

• 🔐 To unlock, you will need a login / password from Mi Account.
• 📱 Some models (such as Xiaomi Mi 11) will unlock through Fastboot, but this will delete all data.

7. How to protect your Xiaomi from future loss

To minimize the risks, set your phone up in advance:

Enable "Find the Device" in your Mi Account|Link your Google account|Install. PIN-code|Activate two-factor authentication in your Mi Account|Save it. IMEI In the cloud (for example, Google Keep)|Set up a data backup-->

Additional security measures:

• 🔄 Update regularly MIUI — In new versions, vulnerabilities that allow to bypass the lock are fixed.
• 📱 Set up automatic location submission to a trusted contact (e.g. via Google Maps or Telegram).
• 🔋 Use Power Saving Mode for mission-critical applications (like Cerberus) to keep them running longer when charged low.

Example of setting up automatic sending of geodata in Telegram:

1. Create a bot through @BotFather and get a token.
2. Use the Tasker or Automate app to send coordinates on command or on schedule.
3. Set the trigger to low battery charge (e.g., at 15% send location).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi search