How to disable geolocation on Xiaomi smartphone: the full guide

Owning a modern Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone involves constant data exchange with the network, and one of the most active users of traffic is the GPS module. Geolocation allows navigation applications to build routes and photos to save the shooting coordinates, but in the background it can significantly consume battery power. Users often wonder how to completely block the access of applications to their coordinates without losing the basic functionality of the device.

Disabling location services is not just a mechanical action on the menu, but a comprehensive approach to setting up privacy. The MIUI shell, or the new HyperOS, features flexible tools to manage access both system-level and program-specifically, and understanding these mechanisms will help you maintain privacy and extend battery life.

In this guide, we will take a look at all the ways GPS is deactivated, from fast switches to deep developer settings. You will learn which system processes continue to request coordinates even after the main switch is turned off, and how to effectively combat intrusive data collection. Complete disabling geolocation in the Special Opportunities menu can lead to the failure of the Find Device function and malfunction of alarm clocks tied to the location.

Quick shutdown through notification curtain

The easiest and most obvious way to stop the transmission is to use a quick access panel, which is ideal for situations where you need to temporarily hide your location or save battery power at a critical moment, just swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification curtain.

In the expanded menu, look for an icon that is signed as “Location” or has a pin/arrow icon. Clicking on it changes the status of the GPS module. However, it is worth considering that in some versions of the MIUI firmware, the visual display of status may differ: sometimes the indicator simply disappears, and sometimes changes color from active to gray.

If you don't find the right switch on the first page, swipe right to open additional widget pages. Often users forget to add this button to Favorites, and it hides in the secondary menu. For constant convenience, it is recommended to drag this element to the main screen of the control panel.

• 📍 Click on the Location icon to turn grey or disappear.
• ⚙️ Hold your finger on the icon to go to advanced geoservice settings.
• 🔍 Check the status in the status bar: the navigation icon should not be displayed.

⚠️ Note: When geolocation is disabled through the curtain, some system weather widgets and news feeds may stop updating as they will lose access to your region.

It's important to understand the difference between turning off a module and denying access to applications. GPS-The module does not remove permissions previously granted to programs. When you re-enable all applications automatically access coordinates without additional request, unless you manually change the privacy settings.

Deep customization in the security and privacy menu

To more nuanced control over which apps have a right to know where you are, you need to refer to system settings. Unlike simply turning off the toggler, you can set up usage scenarios here. Go to Settings menu, then select Privacy Protection (or Security in older versions).

Within this section, look for permissions management and select geolocation, and you'll see a list of all installed programs, sorted by frequency of use or alphabet, and you can see which background processes are trying to access your coordinates right now.

There are three behaviors available for each application: “Disallow”, “Ask” and “Allow”; it is recommended that you set the “Ask” mode for most utilities so that the system requests confirmation every time the program tries to determine your coordinates, which creates an additional barrier to covert data collection.

Pay special attention to system services such as Google Play Services or Device Search. Disabling geolocation access for Google services can disrupt maps, smart homes, and location-based photos.

• 🛑 Select “Disallow” for games and entertainment apps that don’t need to be used. GPS.
• ✅ Leave access "Always" only for navigators and taxis.
• ❓ Install “Ask” for messengers and social networks.

Newer versions of the HyperOS shell have added Virtual Location or Exact Location, and you can turn off accuracy for applications that only need to know your city, allowing you to get relevant content but hiding your specific address.

Access management for individual applications

It is often the case that a user has banned access to GPS globally, but a particular application continues to insist on its rights or is not working correctly. In such cases, you need to customize it through the Application Manager. Open Settings, go to the Applications section and select All Apps.

Find the right program, such as a camera or gallery, and go to Application Permissions (or just Permissions) and see the full list of rights you request. If you want to completely isolate the application from geodata, select Geolocate and set the value to Prohibit.

It's worth noting that some applications can block their launch or restrict functionality if they don't get access to a location, for example, maps without GPS are useless, and weather widgets can show data by default, in which case it's better to leave access, but limit its background operation.

For applications that you rarely use but require GPS (like food delivery), it’s convenient to use the “Only when in use” option, which means that once you fold the app or lock the screen, access to coordinates will be immediately revoked by the system.

• 📱 Open the settings of a particular application through a long tap on the icon.
• 🔐 Go to the permissions section and find GPS.
• ⏳ Select the “Only in Use” option to balance functionality and privacy.

⚠️ Warning: Forced geolocation disabling for system components such as “Security” or “Device Search” may make it impossible to remotely lock a smartphone in the event of theft.

Special opportunities and energy saving regimes

Xiaomi has tools that allow you to turn off geolocation automatically depending on the use case. Power saving mode is one of the most effective ways to combat background charge consumption. When you activate Energy Saving, the system forcibly restricts background activity and turns off GPS for most applications.

To set up this mode, go to Settings → Battery, where you can choose the "Energy Saving" or "Ultra-Saving" profile. In the latter mode, the smartphone turns into a bell, and the geolocation is turned off completely for all third-party programs, which is useful when the charge is running out, and you need to wait for an important call.

There are also automation scenarios, and you can set up your phone so that when you connect to your home Wi-Fi network, geolocation turns off automatically, using built-in scripts or third-party automation utilities that support Android.

And don't forget Flight Mode. While it primarily shuts down cellular and Wi-Fi, it also jams and silences some firmware configurations. GPS-The best energy-saving module can be tested experimentally by running the navigator after the avionics mode is turned on.

Disabling Google System Services and Services

The most advanced users may be faced with the need to disable system services that collect location data even when GPS is turned off. First of all, we are talking about Google services. Go to the settings of your Google account through the phone menu and find the section “Geodata” or “Location History”.

You can completely suspend the storage of your travel history, and even if GPS is on, your phone won't remember where you've been, which is a big step for those who value anonymity, and it's also worth checking the settings of ads that often use geo-location to target.

It is important for MIUI users to check the settings of Xiaomi system applications, and in the About Phone menu, you can turn off sending usage and diagnostic data, which also indirectly affects the collection of telemetry, including network coordinates.

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If you don’t use navigation, disable Location History in your Google account, which will stop you from building your digital browsing profile.

Remember that a complete shutdown of system services can lead to incorrect time operation (automatic network synchronization can use a geofence) and the inability to use the functions of the “smart home” tied to the presence of the user.

Additional methods and settings of the developer

For those who want to go beyond the standard settings, there are developer menus, and to activate them, you need to quickly click on the MIUI version number in the About Phone section several times, and after the developer mode notification appears, a new item will appear in the settings menu.

In the For Developers section, you can find options related to location simulation, and although this is more commonly used for application testing, you can choose a faker app that will swap real coordinates for bogus coordinates for all other programs, which is a radical method of hiding real locations.

Also worth mentioning is resetting the network settings. If GPS is not working properly or is “glutching,” resetting the network settings (Settings → Connection & Sharing → Resetting Wi-Fi, Mobile Networks and Bluetooth) can help.It won’t turn off geolocation forever, but will clear the cache of the network towers and Wi-Fi points used to determine.

• 🔧 Activate the developer menu with tapas according to the firmware version.
• 🎭 Use the "Selecting a Fictitious Location" to change coordinates.
• 🔄 Reset network settings to eliminate positioning errors.

⚠️ Attention: Use of applications for substitution GPS (Fake GPS) may violate the rules of certain games and services (for example, Pokémon GO or banking applications, which will result in the account being blocked.

To conclude, selective geolocation shutdowns are the best balance between convenience and security: a complete jamming of all services turns a smartphone into a regular phone, depriving it of most of its intelligent functions.

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The optimal strategy is to deny GPS access to all applications by default and only allow it as needed for specific tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)