Modern smartphones are impossible to imagine without the geolocation features that are used in navigators, taxi apps, cameras, and even to find a lost device. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the need to quickly activate GPS or turn it off to save battery power. However, the interface of the MIUI or HyperOS shell can change, which raises questions for users accustomed to older versions of the menu.
Location is a basic but critical skill for making a full use of your device, and the accuracy of these settings determines how well your maps work on your navigator, whether your friends can see your point on the map in messengers, and whether you can take a photo with a location reference, and in this article we will explore all the possible ways to access these settings, as well as cover hidden functions and calibration methods.
Don’t ignore the fine geolocation settings, as they directly affect your power consumption and privacy. The right configuration balances position accuracy with battery life. Below are proven ways to manage these parameters on current firmware versions.
Quick access through the notification curtain
The easiest and fastest way to turn geolocation on or off is to use a control panel that is swiped down from the top of the screen, which does not require deep immersion in the settings menu and is available even from a locked screen if the appropriate resolution is activated in the security system.
Depending on the version of the MIUI or HyperOS shell, the icon may be called Location, GPS, or a pin graphic designation, and clicking on this element instantly activates the navigation module, signaling that the icon appears in the status bar, and if you don't see the button you want among the standard items, it may be hidden in the extended menu.
To access the full list of switches, you need to pull the notification curtain down again or press the edit button (usually a pencil or three dots). In the list of available widgets, find Location and drag it to the active zone. This action ensures that the function is always at hand.
- 📍 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the control center.
- ⚙️ Find an icon with a pin or the inscription “Location».
- 🔽 If there is no button, click on the pencil to edit and add it from the list of available ones.
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If the GPS icon is gray, the module is off, and if it flashes or is blue/green, you're actively searching for satellites or using geodata.
It’s worth noting that fast-activation through the curtain will activate the default High Accuracy mode, unless otherwise set, which means that the smartphone will use not only satellites, but also Wi-Fi data from networks and cell towers to speed up the coordinates process.
Deep customization through the system menu
To manage geolocation functions in more detail, you need to go to the main system settings, where the user accesses advanced options that are not displayed in the quick bar, the path to the desired partition may vary slightly depending on the regional version of the firmware (Global, China, EEA).
Open the Settings app on the home screen or in the menu of all apps. In the category list, find a section that can be called “Additional Features”, “Privacy” or “Location” immediately. In newer versions of HyperOS, this item is often listed in a separate group at the top level of the menu for easy access.
Inside the Location section, you open a control panel where you can see the overall status of the service, and you have a switch that allows you to globally deny all applications access to the coordinates of the device, and below are the points for selecting the mode of operation and setting access for each installed application separately.
☑️ Verification of geolocation settings
It's important to look at menu sub-items like Google Services or Scanning, and that's where the settings that allow the phone to search for Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices even when the wireless modules themselves are off, are hidden, and this is necessary for some indoor location functions to work.
Modes of determining coordinates and their effect on the battery
Android system based on Xiaomi offers several modes of operation GPS-Each module has its own specifics of energy consumption and accuracy, and understanding the difference between them will help you optimize your smartphone performance based on your current tasks.
The first mode is GPS only, in which case the phone ignores cell tower and Wi-Fi data, relying solely on satellite signals, which provides maximum accuracy in open areas, but significantly increases the time of first determining the coordinates and discharges the battery faster.
The second mode is Network Coordinates (or Charge Savings). The smartphone uses Wi-Fi databases and cell towers. Accuracy is lower, especially in rural areas, but the determination is instantaneous and has almost no effect on battery power. The third option is High Accuracy, which combines all available data sources.
| Mode of work | precision | Battery consumption | Search speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only GPS. | High (up to 5-10 m) | High-pitched | Slow (cold start) |
| Over the network (Wi-Fi/Mob data) | Low (up to 100-500 m) | Low. | Instant. |
| High precision | Maximum | Medium/High | Fast. |
| Off. | Absent. | No. | — |
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For driving or hiking, always choose High Accuracy or GPS Only to avoid routing errors.
Switching between modes is done in the Mode or Location Sources menu within the main geolocation settings. The user can choose the optimal balance himself. For example, to track a jog, it is better to use pure GPS, and to view the weather enough network data.
Managing permissions for individual applications
One of the key security features in MIUI is granular access control, so you can let the navigator use GPS all the time, and the food delivery app only when you're in use, which prevents covert surveillance and saves resources.
To set these settings, go to Location in the settings and select Application Permits or Application Access to Geodata, which will show the full list of installed programs, and click on a specific application, you will see three options for access policy.
The Always option allows the app to track your geo-position in the background, which is required for activity trackers, a family locator or a Find Device feature. The Only When Use option restricts access only when the app is open on the screen. The third option, Deny, completely blocks access.
⚠️ Warning: Do not give access to "Always" questionable applications such as flashlights, calculators or simple games.This can lead to a leak of data about your movement and increased charge consumption in the background.
Check this list regularly. Often, after updating, applications may request extended rights again. If you see that an application that does not need a map has access to geodata, feel free to limit its rights.
Also worth noting is the “Exact Location” feature (available on Android 12 and later on MIUI 13/14), which allows you to give an app access to an approximate location (within a radius of several kilometers) by hiding your exact address, which is useful for apps with news or weather.
Calibration and improvement of GPS signal
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the navigator shows the wrong location or the arrow on the map rotates randomly, in such cases, calibration of the sensors is required. On Xiaomi smartphones, this process can be performed in several ways.
The easiest way is to use Google Maps. Open the app, click on the blue dot of your location, and select Calibrate. Follow the instructions on the screen that will prompt you to steer your phone through space as an eight, which helps the magnetic sensor and accelerometer navigate properly.
For more advanced users, there are engineering menus and specialized applications. However, before using third-party software, try resetting A-GPS data. This can be done through a developer menu or special utilities, which forces the phone to re-download the current satellite almanacs.
Secret team to check GPS
If calibration doesn’t work, check if the settings (for developers) have a “Device Only” mode instead of “High Accuracy” mode, and make sure that the phone case does not contain metal plates or magnets that can shield the signal of the antenna located in the case.
Problems with location and their solution
Despite the reliability of the system, sometimes there are failures, the phone can not see the satellites at all or determine the location with a huge margin of error, before carrying the device into service, it is worth performing a number of diagnostic actions.
The first thing to do is to restart the device. This is a standard procedure that cleans temporary files and restarts system services, including the radio module. If that doesn't work, check for system updates in the Settings menu → About Phone → MIUI version.
Often the problem is a date-time conflict: If the phone is running out of time, satellite security protocols can block the connection, and make sure the date-time settings check the "Use Network Time" box.
⚠️ Warning: If the phone falls or is exposed to moisture, the antenna module GPS It could have been physically damaged, and then the software won't help, and you'll need a diagnosis at the service center.
It’s also worth checking if the “Energy Saving” mode is being turned on aggressively.Some power saving scenarios on Xiaomi can completely turn off GPS-Module for background applications, resulting in track loss during navigation.
System services and location history
In the back of the settings, you can find the geolocation services (or system services) section, where you collect data to improve maps and ads, and you can keep your travel history if you didn't manually turn it off.
Google Location History allows you to trace the entire path you've traveled with your device, and it's a powerful tool to analyze your activity, but it also poses a privacy risk, and you can clear that history or turn it off at any time.
It also configures Bluetooth and Wi-Fi search, and even if you're not connected, the phone can scan the airwaves to find out where you're going, and turning that off will improve privacy a little bit, but it can slow down the speed of navigation in cities.
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Regularly cleaning up location history and checking active services is a good way to maintain a balance between convenience and personal safety.
MIUI users should also be aware of the Device Search feature, which allows you to find your phone on a map when lost, but requires an active internet connection and GPS enabled. Make sure your Mi Cloud account is tied and active.