How to completely disable GPS on Xiaomi phone: all ways

Modern Xiaomi smartphones are heavily using GPS for geolocation, but it’s not always a feature that users need. Location tracking consumes battery power, transmits data to applications and can create privacy problems. If you want to completely disable GPS on your Redmi, POCO or another Xiaomi device, in this article you will find all the current ways for MIUI 14/15, including hidden settings and bypassing system restrictions.

It’s important to understand that simply turning off geolocation in the notification curtain doesn’t always work: many applications (e.g. Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator or system services) can automatically turn on GPS in the background. We’ll look at how to block this feature at the system level, what hidden developer settings allow you to disable A-GPS and other support services, and what it threatens to work for a smartphone. Instructions will be suitable for most models, including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X5 and others.

Why does GPS work even after the shutdown?

Many users are faced with a situation where, after clicking on the geolocation icon in the notification panel, GPS continues to determine the coordinates.

• 🔄 Background applications (social networks, maps, weather widgets) have permission to access the location and activate the module automatically.
• 📡 Google Services and MIUI use A-GPS (Assisted GPS) Accelerate coordinate determination via mobile network and Wi-Fi.
• 🔒 System restrictions: in some regions (for example, China) firmware MIUI Can ignore manual shutdown due to legal requirements.
• 🔄 Automatic turn on when using the camera (photo geotegas), calling emergency services or activating mode SOS.

To fully deactivate GPS, it's not enough to just move the slider in the curtain -- you need to block access at the application and system settings level. Next, we'll look at all the possible methods, from the simplest to the most advanced.

Method 1: Disable GPS via notification panel (fast method)

The most obvious, but not always effective, way to do this is to use the Quick Settings Panel, which is suitable if you need to temporarily turn off geolocation:

1. Swipe your finger down the screen to open the notification curtain.
2. Find the Location icon** (usually an arrow or navigation icon). If it's not, click on the ⚙️ Edit and add.
3. Touch the icon once – it should gray (meaning GPS is turned off).

⚠️ Note: This method only works until the first phone restarts or an application that requests geodata is launched. For example, Google Maps or Yandex.Maps can activate the module again without your knowledge.

💡

If the Location icon is missing from the curtain, check if it is hidden. Press any icon in the Quick Settings Panel → Add → Find Location and drag it to the active area.

Method 2: Completely disable via MIUI settings

A more reliable method is to deactivate GPS in the main settings of the system, which will block access to geolocation for all applications except system services (for example, emergency calls).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to Privacy → Application Permissions → Location.
3. At the top of the screen, move the “Access to Location” slider** to the “Off” position.
4. Confirm action if the system requests a password or fingerprint.

After that, most applications will lose access to GPS, but some system features (such as finding a device through the Mi Cloud) may continue to work.

Method 3: Deactivation of A-GPS and support services (for experienced)

If you want to completely block all ways of determining location, including A-GPS (accelerated navigation over the mobile network) and Wi-Fi-pozitioning, you will need to activate the developer mode and change the hidden settings.

Step 1: Enable the Developer Mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and click on it 7 times in a row (you will be notified “You became a developer”).

Step 2: Turn off the support services:

1. Return to Settings → Additional → Developer (or System → Advanced Settings → Developers on new versions of MIUI).
2. Scroll down and find the Location section**.
3. Disable the following settings: 📡 Google Location Services (if any) 📶 Use wireless networks to determine location 📱 Use location data to improve accuracy

⚠️ Note: Disabling Google Services can cause Google Maps, Uber, and other geolocation-dependent applications to crash. If you only need maps, leave this option on, but disable the rest.

Method 4: Blocking GPS access for individual applications

If you don’t want to disable geolocation completely, but want to disable it from specific programs (such as social networks or advertising SDKs), do the following:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Application Permissions → Location.
2. Select an app from the list (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, AliExpress).
3. Set permission to Prohibit or only during use (if you want to restrict background access).

Some applications (such as TikTok or VK) can bypass these restrictions if they have administrator rights or are set as system-based, in which case only a complete system-level GPS shutdown (see Method 2) will help.

Method 5: Disable GPS via ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods do not help, you can block the GPS system-level ADB-Android Debug Bridge, which requires you to connect your phone to your computer and enable debugging.

Instructions:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → For Developers.
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (macOS/Linux) Enter: adb shell settings put global location_mode 0 This command completely disables all geolocation services, including GPS, A-GPS and Wi-Fi-pozitioning.
4. To return settings back, use: adb shell settings put global location_mode 3 (where 3 — precision-guided, 1 — device-only, 2 — battery-saving).

If you want to navigate but want to restrict other apps from accessing GPS, use permission profiles (e.g., via AppOps or MacroDroid).