How to take photos with geolocation on Xiaomi Android smartphones: a complete guide

Have you ever lost a photo from a trip and couldn't remember where a picture was taken? Geolocation in photos solves this problem by automatically tying coordinates to each frame. On Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi models, POCO and Mi) the geotagging function works through the built-in camera, but many users are not even aware of its existence or face problems when setting up.

In this article, we will learn how to activate the preservation of geodata, check their presence in the photos taken, and what to do if the coordinates are not correctly determined. GPS differentially MIUI — 12 to 14 and popular smartphone models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T You will also learn how to protect your privacy if you do not want your location to be displayed in photos when they are posted on social networks.

Why do you need geotags in photos and how they work?

A geotag is a metadata that is stored with a photograph, and contains information about the location coordinates (latitude and longitude), and sometimes additional information: the name of the location, altitude or even the direction of the camera. GPS, On modern smartphones, Xiaomi can be supplemented with signals from GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo for greater accuracy.

The practical benefits of geolocation in the photo:

• 🗺️ Arrange your photos by location in the gallery (e.g. Google Photos or Mi Gallery).
• 📍 Recovering the travel itinerary from photos years later.
• 🔍 Search for lost footage at the location (e.g., "show all photos from Paris").
• 📱 Automatic sorting in cloud services (for example, Yandex.Disk or iCloud).

But there's a downside to this: geotags can compromise your privacy if you upload photos to social media or messengers, like coordinates that can tell you where you're at home or where you're working, so it's important to not only enable geolocation, but also manage it, as we'll talk about in one of the next sections.

How to turn on geolocation in the camera Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

On most Xiaomi smartphones, geotag saving is activated in the camera settings. However, the path to this option may vary depending on the version. MIUI Below is a general instruction that is suitable for Redmi, POCO and Mi on base MIUI 12–14.

Steps for activation:

1. Open the standard Camera app.
2. Touch the badge. ⚙️ Settings (usually located in the upper right corner).
3. Scroll down to the Additional or Location section (on some models, the item may be called Geotegi or Save Geodata).
4. Activate the switch next to the Save Location (or similar) option.
5. Close the settings – now all new photos will contain coordinates.

If the camera settings do not have a geolocation item, check:

• 📱 Application permissions: go to Settings → Annexes → Camera. → Permits and enable access to Location.
• 📡 Regime. GPS: In Settings → Select High Accuracy (Uses High Accuracy) GPS + mobile + Wi-Fi).
• 🔄 Update: on some older models (e.g. Redmi) 9A) The function may not be available without a firmware update.

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If the geotaggs don't save any coordinates after you turn them on, try rebooting your smartphone. GPS"It is “frozen” and requires a restart.

Checking geolocation in the photos taken

There are several ways to make sure that geotags are actually saved, and the easiest way to do that is to open a photo in a standard Xiaomi gallery and check its properties.

Instructions for Mi Gallery:

1. Open the photo taken after the geolocation is turned on.
2. Touch the badge. ℹ️ Information (or swipe up the screen).
3. The Details or Location section should show coordinates (e.g. 55.7558).° n., 37.6176° er.).
4. Click on the coordinates and a map with the exact location of the shooting will open.

Alternative methods of verification:

If coordinates are missing despite the function being turned on, the problem may be:

• 📵 Lack of signal GPS (For example, in a room or underground passage).
• 🔋 Energy saving: in the mode of ultra-economy geolocation can be turned off.
• 🛠️ Failure of the module (solved by restarting or resetting location settings).

Why geolocation doesn’t work: common problems and solutions

Even after you set up the camera properly, geotags may not be saved, so let's look at the typical causes and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: GPS does not determine location

If there is a badge on the camera screen in the corner 📍 With a circle crossed, the smartphone can't get a signal from satellites:

• 🌍 Go out into an open space – the walls of buildings and roofs block the signal.
• ⚡ Enable "High Accuracy" mode in location settings.
• 🔄 Update the data A-GPS: download the app GPS Status & Toolbox and press Manage A-GPS state → Reset.

Problem 2: Geotechs are preserved with a large margin of error

If the coordinates point to a nearby house or street, it's a weak signal or energy saving setting.

• 📶 Disable Wi-Fi – Sometimes your smartphone mistakenly uses data from nearby access points.
• 🔋 Add a camera to battery optimization exceptions: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → All applications → Camera. → No restrictions.
• 🛠️ Reset the settings GPS: Settings → Location → Searching for devices → Data resetting GPS.

Problem 3: Geotaggs feature is missing from camera settings

On some budget models (Redmi) 10A, POCO C31) or older versions MIUI The option may be hidden:

• 🔄 Update the firmware to the latest version.
• 📱 Install an alternative camera (like Google Camera or Open Camera) where geotags are customized separately.
• 🛠️ Activate hidden settings through the engineering menu (power users only!).

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If none of these methods helped, check the efficiency. GPS-the module using the test ##4636## (enter in the dialer). From the menu, select "Phone Information" →"GPS test".

How to remove geolocation from photos before posting

Posting a photo on Instagram, VK Or WhatsApp, you can accidentally reveal your location, and to avoid that, you have to remove the geotags, and you can do this on your smartphone or on your PC.

Method 1: Through the standard Xiaomi gallery

Unfortunately, Mi Gallery doesn't have a built-in geodata deletion feature, but you can:

1. Open photo → Edit → More. Three dots).
2. Select Save as a copy – in the new version of the photo geotags will be deleted.

Method 2: Using third-party applications

Reliable tools for cleaning metadata:

• 📱 EXIF Eraser – removes all metadata in one tap.
• 🖥️ IrfanView (for PC) – supports batch processing.
• 🌐 Online EXIF Viewer – upload photos and clean up the data online.

Method 3: Through Google Photos

If you use Google Photos to back up:

1. Open the photo in the app.
2. Press. ℹ️ Information → Edit (pencil icon next to location).
3. Remove the coordinates and save the changes.

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Before posting photos in social networks, check them through the service EXIF Viewer – it will show all hidden data, including geotags.

Features of geolocation on popular Xiaomi models

The geotag saving feature can work differently on devices of different lines, and below are the key nuances for popular models.

On flagship models (Xiaomi) 13/14, Mix Fold geolocation works more stable thanks to improved antennas GPS. In budget smartphones (Redmi) A2+, POCO M5) There may be delays in determining the coordinates - in this case, calibration of the compass (in the engineering menu or through the application) will help. GPS Essentials).

Alternative ways to add geolocation to photos

If Xiaomi's built-in camera doesn't support geotags or is unstable, you can use third-party solutions.

1.The Google Camera (GCam) app

Ported versions of GCam often offer advanced geolocation settings.

1. Download the compatible version of GCam for your model (for example, from the Celso Azevedo website).
2. Open the camera settings (⚙️ → Settings → Location).
3. Enable the option of Save location or Geotag photos.

2. Open Camera

A free, open source app where geotags are configured flexibly:

• 📍 Enable Store Location (geotag) in Settings.
• 📏 Set the coordinate format (decimal degrees or degrees/minutes).
• 🔄 Add custom tags (such as the event name).

3. Post-processing services

If the photo is already taken without geotags, the coordinates can be added manually:

• 🖥️ GeoSetter (for PC) – supports batch editing.
• 🌐 GeoTag Photos – upload photos and link to the map.

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When using GCam, check compatibility with your Xiaomi model – some versions may not save geotags due to porting errors.

Security and privacy: how to protect your data

Geolocation in photos is not only a convenience, but also a potential risk. Attackers or just curious people can use coordinates to track your movements. Here's how to minimize threats:

1. Set up automatic geotag removal

Some applications (such as Simple Gallery) allow:

• 🔄 Automatically clean metadata when exporting photos.
• 📁 Create “clean” copies without geolocation for social networks.

2. Limit access to location

Control which applications can use your geodata:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Permits → Location.
2. Disable access for unnecessary applications (such as games or instant messengers).
3. For the camera, set the resolution only during use.

3.Use. VPN mask

Some of them VPN-Services (e.g. ProtonVPN or NordVPN) allow:

• 🌍 Replace your real location when shooting.
• 🔒 Encrypt the transfer of geodata to cloud services.

⚠️ Warning: If you sell or transfer a smartphone to another person, be sure to reset it to factory settings. Photo geotags can remain in the device's memory even after deleting files!

FAQ: Frequent questions about geolocation in Xiaomi photos