How to completely disable geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 6: 5 proven ways

Geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 6 smartphones is a useful feature that helps maps determine your location and apps offer relevant content. However, the constant use of GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks to determine the coordinates drains the battery, reduces privacy and can interfere with the device in some scenarios, for example, if you are traveling and do not want apps to track your route, or if you notice that the phone has become faster to land due to background geoservice activity.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable geolocation on Redmi 6, from standard MIUI settings to hidden developer settings, how to selectively deny location access for individual applications, how to temporarily suspend geoservices to save charge, and what to do if settings are reset after rebooting, and the unique nuances of geolocation on MIUI 9-11 firmware that are not described in Xiaomi’s official documentation.

Why does geolocation work even after shutdown?

Many Redmi 6 users are faced with a situation where GPS-The status bar icon continues to burn despite the geolocation switch off in the settings:

• 🔍 Background processes MIUI: System services (e.g. com.miui.analytics) may request a location periodically to collect statistics, even if you have manually disabled geodata.
• 📱 Administrator Apps: Some programs (antiviruses, device managers) ignore system settings and use alternative coordinates.
• 📡 Mobile Networks and Wi-Fi: Even without GPS Your approximate location can be calculated from the cells of communication towers or nearby access points.
• 🔄 Automatic Enablement: Some firmwares activate geolocation when connecting to new networks or after software updates.

To block location completely, it is not enough to simply move the slider in the settings. Below we will look at complex solutions, including disabling system services and limiting application rights.

⚠️ Attention: Redmi 6 with firmware MIUI 9.6 and below may not have the option "High-Precision Location" in the settings menu. In this case, use the methods in the developer mode section.

Method 1: Standard geolocation disabling in MIUI

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI settings, which are suitable for most users and do not require additional knowledge.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Privacy section → Permits → Location.
3. At the top of the screen, move the "Access to Location" slider to the off-site position.
4. Confirm the action by clicking "Disable" in the window that appears.

After that, the GPS icon in the status bar should disappear and the applications will lose access to your coordinates. However, this method does not block location over mobile networks and Wi-Fi. To completely disable, move to the next method.

Method 2: Disabling High Precision Location

The High-Precision Location feature (or Scanning is Always Available in older versions of MIUI) allows applications to use GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks simultaneously for maximum accuracy, and disabling it will reduce the accuracy of positioning, but save battery life significantly.

How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → Location (or Privacy → Permissions → Location in new versions).
2. Slip on the "Mode" (or "Location Method").
3. Select the option “Only by device” (only GPS is used) or “Battery Saving” (only Wi-Fi and mobile networks).
4. Turn off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Scan Slider if it is available.

If you need to temporarily turn off geolocation (for example, during a meeting), use the Quick Settings Panel: swipe two fingers from top to bottom, find the GPS icon and tap it. This is more convenient than going into settings each time.

Method 3: Prohibit access to geodata for individual applications

Not all apps need constant access to your location, like messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram can request geodata to send your location to chat rooms, but in everyday use, this is not required.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want to restrict access to (such as Facebook or Instagram).
3. Slip on "Permissions."
4. Find the "Location" permission and choose "Prohibit".
5. Confirm the action by clicking "Do not allow".

For convenience, you can use the filter by permission:

1. In the Application Management menu, click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
2. Select "Application Permissions".
3. Put it on the Location.
4. Disable access for unnecessary applications with one tap.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. Google Maps or Yandex.Maps) may stop working correctly without access to geodata. If the navigator does not show your location after the switch is off, return permission or use offline maps.

Method 4: Disabling geolocation through developer mode

If standard methods don't work, you can use hidden settings for developers, which allows you to disable background scanning of networks and prevent system processes from using geodata.

First, activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the item "Version" MIUI" (A notice will appear saying, “You have become a developer!").
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new section for developers.

Now turn off geoservices at the system level:

1. In the “Developers” menu, find the USB Debugging option and activate it (this is temporary, to access additional settings).
2. Scroll down to the "Network Scan" section.
3. Turn off sliders: Scan is always available (responsible for background location); Use Wi-Fi to determine location; Use Bluetooth to determine location.

Restart the device to apply the changes.

This method completely blocks access to geodata for all applications, including system ones, but after the MIUI update, the settings may reset, and they will have to configure again.

💡

If Google Services stop working after disabling geolocation (for example, the weather is not updated or notifications are not shown), try temporarily enabling Device Only in your location settings, which will allow Google services to determine your approximate location without using GPS.

Method 5: Radical measures - disabling the GPS module at the firmware level

For power users who are willing to sacrifice functionality for maximum privacy, there is a way to completely disable. GPS-This method is irreversible without resetting, so only use it if you are confident in your actions.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636###.
2. In the menu that appears, select Testing (or Testing).
3. Go to the "GPS" tab.
4. Press the button "Disable GPS" (or "Disable GPS").
5. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

If you notice that after disabling the geolocation, the phone has become discharged faster, check the activity of the background processes through Settings → Battery → Battery Use. Sometimes the reason is not the geolocation itself, but applications that try to turn it on again.

FAQ: Frequent questions about geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 6