How to add an account in the Xiaomi phone: all ways and solutions to problems

Adding an account on a Xiaomi smartphone is a must-have for a device to be fully used. Without a linked profile, you won’t be able to download apps from Google Play, sync contacts, use Mi Cloud cloud storage, or recover data after a reset. However, many users face difficulties: the system asks for an old account when buying a used phone, does not accept a password, or does not offer to add a profile at all when you first set up.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to add accounts to Xiaomi in 2026, from the standard procedure for new devices to bypass locks on used smartphones, focusing on solving errors like “This device is already linked to another account” or “I failed to connect to Xiaomi servers”, and you will learn what types of accounts are mandatory for work and what you can do without.

What accounts can be added to Xiaomi and why you need them

Xiaomi smartphones support the binding of several types of accounts, each of which performs its functions, without some of them the device will work with serious limitations.

The main types of accounts:

• 📱 Mi Account is a Xiaomi branded account, and you need to access Mi Cloud, sync notes, notebooks, theme, and unlock the bootloader when you're running the firmware, and you can't activate certain features like Find Device or Backup without it".
• 🤖 Google Account is a Google profile, required for Google Play, Gmail, YouTube, contact sync and calendar, and new devices cannot be added without requiring data entry.
• 🌐 Social media (Facebook, VK, Telegram, etc. – optional, but convenient for fast login to applications and synchronization of chats.
• 🏦 Corporate accounts (Exchange, Outlook) – are necessary to work with the mail and calendar of the company.

In practice, the minimum required are Mi Account and Google Account, without which you can not:

• 📥 Install applications from Google Play (only via Google Play) APK).
• 🔄 Synchronize contacts, photos and notes between devices.
• 🔓 Unlock the loader for custom firmware.
• 🛡️ Use the function "Find the device" when lost.

It is important to understand that Xiaomi with global firmware (Global) ROM) and Chinese (China) ROM) For example, the Chinese versions often don’t have Google Play and have to be manually installed.

Standard method: Adding an account at the first setup

If you’ve just bought a new Xiaomi or reset it to factory settings, it will suggest adding accounts at the initial setup stage, the easiest method and requires no additional manipulation.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on your phone and select your language.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi (required! without the Internet, you can't add an account).
3. At the "Login to Mi Account" stage, click Create an account or Sign in if you already have a profile.
4. Fill in the data: email or phone number, password, code from SMS.
5. In the next step, the system will suggest adding Google Account – repeat the entry procedure.
6. Complete the setup by following the master's tips.

Stable Wi-Fi connection|Battery charge over 50%|Current telephone number for SMS|Correctly entered email (without typos)-->

If you buy Xiaomi with your hands, make sure the seller untie your Mi Account from the device. Otherwise, you will have to unlock the phone through the official Xiaomi service, which can take up to 72 hours.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 or Redmi Note 12) POCO X5) The first setup may result in an error, "This device is linked to another account," which means that the previous owner did not log out of the profile.

Adding an account on an already configured phone

If you missed adding an account when you first set up or want to link an additional profile, you can do this through the settings menu.

Instructions for Mi Account:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Click Login and enter email/phone and password.
3. Confirm the entry via SMS or email.
4. Turn on synchronization for the desired data (contacts, notes, photos).

Instructions for Google Account:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Add an account → Google.
2. Choose to Create an account or Sign in.
3. Fill in the data and confirm ownership of the account (it may be necessary to enter a code from the account) SMS or backup email).
4. Set up sync for Gmail, Contacts, Calendar and Google Drive.

To add social media or corporate accounts:

1. In the Accounts and Sync menu, click Add Account.
2. Select the service you want (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Exchange).
3. Enter the login and password, confirm access to the data.

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If you add Google Account and you get a "failed to connect to Google servers" error, check the date and time on your phone, or if you have the wrong settings, you can block sync, or you can switch from mobile to Wi-Fi or vice versa.

Solving problems with adding an account

When adding accounts to Xiaomi, users often encounter errors, and consider the most common and ways to fix them.

If you buy Xiaomi with your hands and the seller hasn’t untied your account, you have two options:

1. Officially unlock through account.xiaomi.com (confirmation from the previous owner is required).
2. Dumping through EDL-mode (only for experienced users, requires an authorized developer account).

⚠️ Note: Using unofficial unlock methods (e.g., through programs like Mi Account Unlock Tool) can lead to blocking. IMEI Xiaomi is actively fighting against such tools, and their use is fraught with the loss of warranty.

Features of adding an account on the Chinese versions of Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphones for the Chinese market (China) ROM) There are a number of restrictions associated with accounts, and the main problem is that Google doesn't have services out of the box:

• 🚫 No Google Play, Gmail, YouTube and other Google apps.
• 🔄 Contact and calendar sync only works through Mi Cloud.
• 📱 It is impossible to install many global applications (e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook) without manually installing the Google Framework.

To add Google Account to the Chinese version of Xiaomi, you need to:

1. Install Google Installer (you can download from apkmirror.com).
2. Launch the app and wait for Google Play Services to install.
3. Reboot the phone.
4. Add an account through Settings → Accounts. → Google.

Important: Some models (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra China) may require unlocking the bootloader to install the Google Framework.

• 🔓 Requires a tied Mi Account (unblockable without it).
• ⏳ It takes up to 72 hours (waiting for confirmation from Xiaomi).
• ⚠️ Resets all the data on the phone.

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Chinese versions of Xiaomi are cheaper than global ones, but require additional effort to fully use.If you are not ready to mess with the installation of Google services, it is better to choose models with Global firmware. ROM or EEA ROM (Europe).

How to delete or change your account on Xiaomi

If you need to change your linked account (for example, when selling a phone) or delete an unnecessary profile, you can do this through the settings.

Deletion of Google Account:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select the account you want to delete.
3. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Delete Account.
4. Confirm the action.

Deletion of Mi Account:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Click on your profile and select Leave.
3. Enter the password for confirmation.
4. To completely delete your account from your device, reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).

Important: If you simply log out of Mi Account without a reset, your account remains tied to your device.

• 🔒 The new owner will not be able to add his profile without unlocking it.
• 📱 Features like Find a Device will remain active for your old account.
• 🔄 Mi Cloud data (photos, notes) will not be available.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) K50 or POCO F4) After you leave Mi Account, the system may require you to enter your password the next time you turn on, even if you reset. This is anti-theft protection. To avoid problems, always untie your account before selling your phone.

Security: How to Protect Your Xiaomi Account

Xiaomi accounts, especially Mi Accounts, are targeted by scammers, and if an attacker gains access to your profile, they can:

• 📍 Track the location of the phone through "Find the device".
• 🔓 Unlock the bootloader and install custom firmware.
• 💳 Access payment data if a bank card is tied.
• 📂 Remove backups from Mi Cloud.

To protect your account:

• 🔐 Use a complex password (at least 12 characters with numbers and special signs).
• 📱 Enable two-factor authentication in your Mi Account settings.
• 🔄 Check the list of authorized devices regularly at account.xiaomi.com.
• 🚫 Don’t use the same password for your Mi Account and Google Account.
• 📧 Link backup email to restore access.

If you suspect that your account has been compromised:

1. Change your password immediately via account.xiaomi.com.
2. Revoke access to all devices in the "Security" section.
3. Check the login history for suspicious IP-address.
4. If your phone is stolen, use the Find Device feature to lock or remotely reset.

For Google Account, it is also recommended to:

• 🛡️ Pass a security check on the site myaccount.google.com/security-checkup.
• 🔑 Set up hardware security keys (e.g. YubiKey).
• 📲 Enable notifications for new logins in Google settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about adding accounts to Xiaomi