How to change the country to Xiaomi: a complete guide

Owning a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone often involves fine-tuning your system to suit your personal needs. One of the most common problems faced by users of global firmware versions is the device’s geographical location, a limitation that can interfere with the installation of certain applications, the use of local services, or simply annoy with intrusive notifications specific to the country you choose when you first turn on.

Changing the region is not just a flag change on the greeting screen, but a complex process that affects the work of the GetApps store, system notifications and even the availability of some features of the MIUI or HyperOS shell. Many owners of Chinese versions of smartphones are also looking for ways to bypass locks to fully use the device outside of China.

It's worth noting that standard tools don't always change the country, and often the interface only offers a limited list or blocks this feature after initial setup, which is why users have to resort to proven methods, including using an engineering menu or third-party software, and it's important to understand the risks and follow the instructions clearly so that the operating system doesn't malfunction.

Why change the region on the smartphone Xiaomi

The main reason users are looking to change location is because of the way Xiaomi operates, as it segments the market by providing different content and services to different countries, for example, a device made for the Indian or Indonesian market may not have the most popular banking applications and services in the CIS or Europe in its GetApps store pre-installed.

In addition, changing the region allows you to get rid of intrusive advertising in standard applications such as “Conductor”, “Music” or “Themes”. Algorithms for displaying ads often depend on the geolocation set in the system settings. Transferring a smartphone to a region with less aggressive monetization, such as India or Nepal, sometimes works wonders, although it is not a absolute guarantee.

Another important aspect is the operation of the Second Space function and some system widgets, which may not be available or work correctly if the regional link is incorrect, and a country change is often required to activate certain functions in the Mi Cloud or for the correct operation of the Xiao AI voice assistant, which responds differently to commands depending on the language and location chosen.

• 🌏 Access to regional versions of the GetApps app store with unique software.
• 🚫 Reducing the number of advertising integrations in shell system utilities.
• 🔓 Unlocking Hidden Functions MIUI, country-only.
• 📱 Correct operation of Google services and account synchronization.

But remember, if you change your region, you can reverse the effect, and some applications may stop updating and the system will start requiring re-authorization, so always consider this step before you make changes to your system settings.

The standard way to change the region through settings

The most obvious and secure method offered by the MIUI-enclosed Android operating system itself is in the settings menu, which is suitable for those who want to simply change the time zone, date format or basic regional settings without deep interference.

To start, you need to open the main settings menu of your device. Find a section that is usually called "Additional" or "Extended settings", although the name may vary on different versions of firmware. Within this section, look for Region. When you click on it, you will see a list of available countries.

Select the country you want from the list. The system may need to reboot or simply apply changes instantly, then change the format of the time, currencies in some apps, and possibly the set of recommended news items in the Mi Video or Mi Music app, but it's worth noting that this method does not change the region of the Mi Account or unlock the regional restrictions of the GetApps store.

If your goal is just visual change or time adjustment, the standard method is good enough, but the more complex tasks of account and app store require other solutions, which we'll discuss below. The standard path is good for its safety, but it's powerless against a hard-to-tether device on its first run.

Change the region of the Mi Account and the GetApps store

The most frequent user request is from the GetApps app store. Often, the phone is tied to a region where the application is not available, or updates come with a delay. You can change the account region, but there are nuances and limitations on the part of the manufacturer.

To change region in the app store, you need to open GetApps, go to the user profile (usually the person icon in the corner), and find the account settings. This can display the current region. However, if the account has already been activated in a particular country, the system can prohibit direct change, requiring you to create a new account or wait a certain period (usually 90 days) between shifts.

It's important to distinguish between the region of your Mi Account and the region that your smartphone hardware is tied to. If you bought a global version of your phone but you first switched on, say China, the store will be Chinese, and changing the region in your phone settings won't help, you need to reset your app data or use special codes.

⚠️ Attention: Frequently changing the region of your Mi Account may temporarily block the country change function, which the security system considers suspicious activity.

Also, if you change the region of the store, previously installed applications may disappear if they are not available in the new location.Bought themes, wallpaper or subscriptions within the Xiaomi ecosystem may also become unavailable, as they are often tied to a specific geographic area.

Use of engineering menus and codes to unlock

For more advanced users who want to change hidden settings, there is access to an engineering menu, which allows them to influence deeper levels of modem and system identifiers, but on modern versions of Android, access to this menu is often closed or requires special permissions.

One popular way to do this is to type in specific commands in the Phone app, and the codes can vary depending on the processor model (Snapdragon or MediaTek) and the version of MIUI. For example, code ##4636## opens up a testing menu where you can find information about your phone and sometimes change your preferred network type, which indirectly affects work in different regions.

There are also codes for resetting the region, but they don't work on all devices. Trying to type in non-existent code just won't work, but using the wrong commands in the engineering menu can cause the network settings to reset or even brick the device if you change the critical parameters of the radio module.

#6484## - CIT menu (testing equipment)
#4636## - Phone Information Menu
##225## - Calendar information (rarely useful)

Be very careful when using engineering codes. If you're not sure what the parameter is, you better not touch it. Most users decide to change the region not through an engineering menu, but through specialized software that is safer and more understandable.

Application of SetEdit application for changing parameters

The most effective and popular method that actually works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models is the use of SetEdit (Settings Database Editor) utility. This application allows you to edit the system database of Android settings, including the parameter responsible for the region.

The essence of the method is to change the value of the string cell_broadcasts or parameters associated with locale in the Settings.Global database (11, 12, 13, 14) Direct editing is often blocked by security, so the algorithm gets a little complicated.

First you need to download and install the SetEdit application from a reliable source (usually this is the case). APK-The file, as Google Play may not have it or have limited versions. Once you run the application, you'll see a list of all system variables. You'll need to find the region string (often persist.sys.country, persist.sys.language, or just region region).

Once the value is changed, you need to restart the device completely, and simply restarting the screen or leaving the application is not enough, and only after switching on, the system will read the new parameters and apply them to the GetApps store and other services.

Table of region codes for setting

When using different methods of region change, including SetEdit or engineering codes, you may need country lettering. These codes are standardized (ISO), but in Xiaomi's system they play a key role in determining content.

By choosing a region code, you are effectively telling Xiaomi servers what content to show you, for example, choosing Germany (DE) is often associated with stricter privacy rules and fewer ad integrations, as EU laws require it.

Possible problems and solutions

The process of changing the country does not always go smoothly, users may face a number of typical problems, from simply ignoring settings to more serious system conflicts, and understanding the causes of these failures will help to return the smartphone to working condition faster.

One of the common problems is that the region is resetting, and the system can return the original value if it is hard-sewn in firmware or protected by access rights, which may require a deeper reset or flashing of the device to the global version if you use the Chinese model.

NFC and contactless payments may also be problematic, and if you change your region to a non-standard one for your credit card, services like Google Pay (or its equivalents) may stop seeing your card or require you to change your Google account country, which is already a complicated procedure.

⚠️ Attention: Changing the region to China (CN) on global firmware can lead to the appearance of Chinese software that cannot be removed, and disruption of notifications from messengers.

If notifications stop coming after a region change, check your energy saving settings. Sometimes a location change resets the permissions for applications, and the system aggressively kills background processes, considering them suspicious for the new region.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)