Are you trying to find where the geolocation is hidden in the Xiaomi phone, but you are confused in the maze of the MIUI menu? or suddenly you find that maps have stopped determining your location, and applications like Google Maps or Yandex.Navigator give an error “GPS signal is weak?” This article will examine all possible ways to access geolocation on Xiaomi – from basic settings to hidden developer parameters.
Not only will we show you where the GPS power button is, but we will also explain why geolocation may not work properly (spoiler: not only the phone settings, but also the system limitations of Android 13/14), and you will learn how to turn off tracking of you through device administrators and why some applications continue to “see” your location even after the GPS is turned off.
The instructions are valid for all modern models of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO based on MIUI 14/15 (including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X5). If you have an older version of the firmware, use the section about MIUI 12 and below.
1. Quick access to geolocation through the notification panel
The most obvious way to turn geolocation on or off is through the notification curtain, but there are nuances that few people know about:
- 📱 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen → find the badge 📍 Geolocation (in some models it is hidden under the "also known as "Geolocation").
- ⚙️ Long click on the geolocation icon will open the Location settings section (analogue of the Settings path). → Security → Location).
- 🔍 If there's no badge, press it. ✏️ Edit in the curtain and add it manually from the list of "Unused".
Important: on Xiaomi with MIUI 15, the geolocation icon can automatically hide if you haven’t used GPS for more than 7 days.
⚠️ Warning: If nothing happens after clicking on the geolocation icon, check if access to the location is blocked for system applications. MIUI.
2.The Complete Way to Geolocation Settings in MIUI
If the icon in the curtain is missing or does not work, use the standard way:
- Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
- Go to Security (on some models – Privacy).
- Select Location (or Geolocation in older versions of MIUI).
In this section you will see:
- 🔄 Precision mode: the choice between high accuracy (GPS)+Wi-Fi+Mobile networks, charge savings (only) Wi-Fi/network) and only the device (clean) GPS).
- 📊 Recent Location Requests: List of Apps That Accessed Your Coordinates.
- 🔒 Application Permissions: You can manually deny or allow geolocation access for each application.
Hidden Lifehack: If this menu does not have Location, then your device has activated Child Mode or Guest Mode. Sign out via Settings → Special Features → Children Mode.
☑️ Verification of geolocation settings
3. Why geolocation doesn’t work: Top-5 causes and solutions
If GPS doesn’t locate you or does so with a large margin of error, the problem lies in one of these points:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| No GPS signal. | GPS module or weak signal (e.g. indoors) is disabled | Turn on High Accuracy and go out into an open space |
| Location is determined with an error | Power saving enabled or restricted access for applications | Turn off the Adaptive Battery in the Power Settings |
| Applications do not see geolocation | Prohibited access in privacy settings | Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Location |
| Geolocation only works with Wi-Fi | Failure in the GPS module or outdated firmware | Update MIUI or reset network settings (Settings → Connections → Network Reset) |
Critical information: on Xiaomi with Qualcomm processors (such as Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4), a GPS failure may be due to a disabled GNSS module in the engineering menu. To turn it on, type in the dial ##4636##, select Phone Information and check for GNSS status.
⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI geolocation stopped working at all, do not try to reset settings through Hard Reset - first check if the access is blocked by an antivirus (for example, Xiaomi Security.
4.How to disable location tracking completely
If you’re paranoid (or just value privacy), here’s how to block access to your geolocation completely:
- Global Shutdown: Settings → Security → Location → Turn Off.
- For individual applications: Settings → Applications → Permissions Management → Location → Select the app and set to Opt out.
- Hidden Administrators: Some applications (like Find My Device) can bypass restrictions. Check the list in Settings → Passwords and security → Device Administrators.
Radical method: Disable the system-level GPS module through Developer Mode:
- Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times).
- Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
- Find the option to turn off GPS (or Mock Locations) and activate it.
But remember, after that, Google Maps, Yandex.Maps, and even Uber will stop working properly, and only use this method if you really want to hide your location from all services.
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If you travel frequently, add the Geolocation widget to the home screen through a long-click on your desktop → Views → find Location. This will speed up access to settings.
Geolocation in older versions of MIUI (12 and below)
On MIUI firmware 12 and older, the path to geolocation settings is different:
- 📱 Settings → Confidentiality → Location (instead of Security).
- 🔧 No High Accuracy Mode – Uses a Precise Location Switch instead.
- 🚫 No Location Request Log (Apps can access without notifications).
These versions are also more likely to have a bug where the GPS shuts down on its own after the reboot.
1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Energy Saving.
2.Look for an application (e.g. Google Maps) and turn off Battery Optimization for it.
3. Reboot the phone.For owners of Xiaomi Mi A1/A2 (Android One): you have pure Android, so the way is different — Settings → Security and Location → Location. There are no branded MIUI features, but fewer coordinate-detection bugs.
How to check if it works GPS-physical?
6. Alternative methods of positioning
If GPS fails to work, other methods can be used:
- 📡 Cellular towers: less accurate (accuracy to the 1-2 km, but does not operate GPS. Turns on automatically when selecting charge saving mode.
- 📶 Over Wi-Fi networks: Google and Yandex use the access point database to approximate coordinates. 50-100 meters.
- 🧭 Integrated services: Applications like GPS Status & Toolbox can combine data from multiple sources to improve accuracy.
Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ has a hidden feature called Improved Location, which uses data from the accelerometer and gyroscope to adjust the coordinates.
- Go to Settings → About the phone → All the parameters.
- Find the Sensors and activate the Calibration Compass.
- Return to geolocation settings and turn on Use motion sensors.
This is especially useful in cities with tall buildings, where GPS signals are often “reflected” and give large margins of error.
7.Security: Who Can Track Your Location
Even if you turn off geolocation, some services may still be tracking you.
- 🕵️ Google: Collects location data through Google Play Services, even if GPS Turned off. Turned off in Google Settings. → Account management → Data and confidentiality → Location history.
- 📱 Xiaomi: Sends Anonymous Location Data to Improve Services (you can disable Settings) → Confidentiality → Diagnostics).
- 🚗 Taxi/delivery apps: some (e.g. Yandex.Go) request geolocation access in the background!
How to check who is watching you right now:
- Open Settings → Applications → Permissions → Location.
- See which apps have status Always or When used.
- Click on the app → More → Recent requests (if any).
⚠️ Attention: Xiaomi with Android 13+ There's an approximation location feature that allows apps to see your coordinates with an error of up to 3 km. This is useful for privacy, but it breaks the navigators. It turns off in the settings of each application separately.
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Even with geolocation off, your location can be determined by IP-address (accuracy to city) or the nearest Wi-Fi network. VPN Turn off Wi-Fi in public places.