How to find out the password on the phone of a child Xiaomi: legal methods

When parents forget their own access code or PIN-In the Xiaomi ecosystem, as in other modern Android smartphones, security issues are at the forefront, which makes the process of restoring access less trivial than you would like. If you are faced with a lock, it is important to understand that modern data encryption systems do not allow you to simply “view” a forgotten password in settings without prior authorization.

But there are proven ways to restore control of the gadget or learn the restrictions if you have administrator rights or access to the owner’s account. In this article, we will look at the technical nuances of MIUI, methods of resetting through service menus and features of the Find Device function. It is important to act consistently so that you do not lose important data stored in the memory of the phone.

Before you start to act, you need to determine the type of lock, which can be a pattern lock, a digital key. PIN-A code, a complex password, or a restriction set through Parental Control, which is the basis for strategy choices: in some cases, remote unlocking will help, in others, only a complete reset. A full Hard Reset will delete all user data from the device unless a backup was made in advance.

Using the Mi Cloud service for remote access

The most civilized and safe way to restore access is to use the cloud service Mi Cloud. If the Internet was turned on on on the blocked phone of the child and the Find the Device function is activated, you can manage the locks remotely, for this you will need to know the username and password from the Mi Account that is associated with the smartphone.

Go to the official cloud storage site from any other device (computer or tablet). After logging in, select "Find the device" in the interface. The system will try to locate the gadget and offer available management options. If the device is online, you will see the option to unlock the screen, but in recent versions of MIUI this feature is often replaced by forced password reset via the cleaning command.

Importantly, it is critical to have an active network connection to work with this method, so if a child's phone is turned off or in flight mode, the command will be queued and executed only after the network appears.

• 📱 Go to i.mi.com and log in to your account.
• 📡 Make sure the Internet is on the target device.
• 🔓 Select the option “Unblock” or “Clear Data” in the control menu.
• 🔄 Wait for confirmation of the command execution on the smartphone screen.

⚠️ Warning: Remote unlock may not work if two-factor authorization is enabled on the device or if too much time has passed since the last authorization.

Cloud computing is the industry standard for protecting data from theft, but remember that after this procedure, the phone may require you to re-enter your account password when you turn it on, which is part of the Anti-theft protection system.

Reset with Recovery Mode and Hard Reset

If cloud-based methods are not available, the only technically feasible option is to reset your settings to factory settings via the Recovery Mode, a method that is universal for most Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco models, and allows you to erase all data, including the forgotten lock password.

To enter recovery mode, you need to turn off your smartphone completely. Then you need to press the combination of the buttons: usually this is the on button and the volume button. Hold them until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button, continue to keep the volume. The menu will appear on the screen, which is controlled by the volume button, and the choice is the power button.

From the Recovery menu, select a language (usually English or Chinese), then go to Wipe Data. You will need to confirm the action by selecting Wipe All Data. The process will take a few minutes. Once completed, the phone will restart, and you can configure it as new.

And you have to consider that once you reset, the phone can request a previously used Google account or Mi Account, which is a security mechanism that you can't get around without knowing your credentials, and if you don't remember them, the device can become unusable.

Working with the Parental Control application

Often, “password” is meant by parents to mean restrictions set through special applications such as Google Family Link or built-in Digital Balance features in MIUI. In this case, it is not about locking the phone itself, but about prohibiting the launch of applications or buying content.

If you use Google Family Link, find out or reset PIN-You can only use the code from the parent's device, open the app on your phone, select your child's profile, and go to the settings, and you can change the access code or temporarily disable the restrictions. Without access to the parent account, it is impossible to restore the code on the child’s phone for security reasons.

When using Xiaomi’s built-in tools, restrictions are often tied to your Mi Account. Try entering the wrong code multiple times — the system may suggest sending an unlock request or entering a password from the owner’s account.

If a child has installed a third-party blocking app and forgotten the code, the situation becomes complicated. In some cases, removing the app through Safe Mode helps, but modern versions of Android limit this ability. Often the only way out is the full reset mentioned above.

• 🛡️ Check the settings of Google Family Link on your device.
• 🔑 Use your Mi Account to reset restrictions on your account MIUI.
• ⏳ Try entering the wrong code to get a recovery option.
• 📲 Remove suspicious app blockers through settings.

⚠️ Warning: Attempts to hack third-party parental control apps with malware can result in your identity being stolen and the entire family digital ecosystem compromised.

Use of debugging by USB and ADB

For advanced users, there is a method of removing password files through debugging USB (USB However, this method has a critical limitation: the debugging function must be already included in the Developer Menu before locking. If the phone has just been locked and the debugging has not been activated, this method will not work.

If debugging is enabled, connect the phone to your computer and install ADB drivers. Through the command line, you can try to delete files that store password hashes. The command looks something like this: adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key or adb shell rm /data/system/password.key. After completing the command and rebooting, the password may disappear.

adb devices


adb shell




cd /data/system




ls




rm gesture.key




reboot

On modern Android versions (starting with 6.0 and up, and especially MIUI 12/13/14), access to the /data/system partition without root permissions is closed even when debugging is enabled, so this method works extremely rarely and mainly on older devices or custom firmware.

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Before connecting to your computer, make sure that the screen of the locked phone has a window "Allow debugging?". If it is, but you can't press "OK" because of the lock, the method will not work.

Specificity of Redmi and Poco models with MIUI

Xiaomi sub-brand devices have their own characteristics in the behavior of blocking, in particular, on some Redmi models there is a bug when, after multiple incorrect inputs, the phone offers to unlock through the Mi Account, but the button can be inactive without the Internet. In such cases, the installation helps SIM-active-rate cards.

Also worth mentioning is Second Space, which is a mode that a child uses, the password from the main space and the second space may be different, and the second space password is often reset via the main space settings if you have access to it, and if the main space is blocked, the same rules are the cloud or reset.

Owners of MediaTek processor devices sometimes manage to use specialized FRP reset software, but this requires the appropriate drivers and engineering menu skills. For Snapdragon processors, these methods hardly work because of the closed bootloader.

Remember that MIUI regularly receives security updates that close vulnerabilities that allowed passwords to be bypassed in previous versions, so methods that worked a year ago may no longer be relevant today.

Prevention and backup

To avoid such situations in the future, you need to configure the device correctly when you first turn on, be sure to link the phone to a reliable Mi Account and enable synchronization of contacts and settings, which will allow you not only to recover data, but also to control the device remotely.

Use biometric unlocking techniques like fingerprint or facial recognition, which are not only more convenient, but also allow you to unlock your phone even if you forget the digital code (although you still have to enter your password periodically), and set up a smart lock that lets you keep your phone unlocked in trusted places or when you connect to a parent's Bluetooth watch.

Check regularly for Find Device. Periodically log in to your site to make sure your device is online and commands are being followed, which will take a couple of minutes, but will save your hours of nerves at a critical moment.

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The only guaranteed way to keep access is to store passwords in a reliable password manager or physically record them in an out-of-access place for children.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)