How to turn off Chinese on Xiaomi: the full guide

Buying a Xiaomi smartphone on AliExpress or other Chinese platforms is often a pleasant surprise due to its low price and powerful specs, but the first launch can cloud the trouble - the Chinese language interface. Instead of the usual Russian or English, the user sees characters, which makes navigation on the menu almost impossible without special knowledge. CN-versions (China Version), which were originally intended exclusively for the domestic market of China.

To make matters worse, the firmware may not even have English, and standard language-change methods through settings are not understandable, but don't panic or bring the device to a service center, requiring a flashing for money. In most cases, MIUI or HyperOS allow you to solve the problem yourself using built-in features or special codes.

In this guide, we will take a look at all the current ways to translate your device into Russian, from simple menu manipulations to radical but effective reset methods, how to determine the type of your firmware and which method will be the most secure for your Redmi or POCO model.

⚠️ Warning: Before performing any data resetting actions, make sure that the battery is at least at least 50-60%, so that the device does not turn off at a critical moment.

The first thing you need to do is figure out which version of the operating system you're dealing with, and then you have to decide what strategy you want to do, and if you have English on the list of languages, you can do it in a few minutes, and if you're completely in Chinese, you'll need visual icon navigation.

Determination of firmware version and region

Before you start active actions, it is important to understand the origin of your gadget. Global versions (Global) usually have preinstalled Russian language and Google services, while Chinese versions (CN) require additional manipulation. Sometimes sellers install global firmware on top of Chinese, but leave a locked bootloader, which creates hybrid situations.

You can check the current version without even understanding the language. You need to find the About Phone section. On the settings screen, look for an icon that resembles a gear or an "i" in a circle, usually at the top or bottom of the list of basic settings.

Inside this menu, find the line with the MIUI version. Click on it several times until the additional developer menu opens or build type information appears. The key marker is the presence of letters at the end of the version: Global stands for global version, CN is Chinese, and EEA is the European version.

If you find that you have a clean Chinese firmware, don’t worry. Xiaomi’s modern smartphones make it relatively easy to change region, which will automatically tighten the necessary language packs.

Change region through settings (without data loss)

The safest and easiest way to turn off Chinese is to change the region of the device, and the logic behind the MIUI shell is that when you change your geographic location, the system tries to adjust the interface and set of pre-installed applications to it, and often after you change the region from China to Russia or the United States, the right option appears in the list of languages.

To do this, you need to navigate by icons. Find the Settings app (cog icon). In the menu that opens, look for a section that visually looks like an "A" with a number or an icon with a picture of the globe / grid. This is the "Additional" or "System settings" menu.

Inside this section, you need to find the item that is responsible for the region. The icon is often a checkbox or geolocation pointer. When you click on it, you will see a list of countries. You need to scroll down to the letter R (for Russia) or U (for USA/UK) and select the corresponding line.

After choosing a new region, the phone may briefly freeze or blink the screen — this is normal, there is a restructuring of system resources. If after this procedure, Russian or Russian appears in the list of languages (which can be found in the same menu, usually immediately below the choice of region or at the top of the settings menu), just select it.

In some cases, the system will require a reboot. Agree by clicking on the red or green button in the window that appears (usually the right button is a confirmation).

Use of the Engineering Menu and MoreLocale 2 codes

If the region change didn't work and the language list didn't change, you can use a more advanced method using a third-party application called MoreLocale 2, which allows you to force the locale to be set even if it's hidden by the manufacturer, and you'll need a computer and a USB cable to work.

The first step is to activate USB debugging mode. In Chinese, it is done like this: go to the settings, find the About Phone section (top item with the MI logo), and quickly click on the MIUI version (second or third line) about 7-10 times until a pop-up message appears (vibration confirms success).

Then go back to the main settings menu and look for Advanced Settings (three-dot icon or wrench wrench). Inside, you'll find a developer option (beetle or android icon). Turn on the top switchboard and find the item. USB Debugging (debugging by USB), activated.

adb install MoreLocale2.apk

After connecting the phone to the PC and installing drivers ADB, download APK-MoreLocale application file 2 and install it through the command line using the command above. Then run the app on your phone, select ru_RU and press Set. The system will be forced to switch to Russian.

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If you can’t connect your phone to your computer, try downloading it. APK-MoreLocale 2 file directly via the phone’s browser (the download section is usually in the Files or Explorer folder) and install it, allowing installation from unknown sources in the window that appears.

It's worth noting that this method is not a full-fledged firmware reflash, and some system applications may remain in Chinese or English, but the basic interface will become clear.

Reset to factory settings (Hard Reset)

The radical, but often the only true solution for Chinese versions is a complete data reset, and when you first turn on after reset, the smartphone will suggest choosing a language and region, and if the firmware is physically Russian language pack, it will appear at this stage.

You can reset in two ways: through the recovery menu or through the settings. Because the settings menu can be confusing, it's easier to use a combination of buttons. Turn off the smartphone completely. Then press the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time.

Hold the buttons until the Mi logo appears, then release the power button while keeping the volume up, and you'll be taken to the main Recovery menu, where the touch screen doesn't work, the navigation is done with volume buttons (up/down), and the power button selects.

From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data (usually the second or third option on top), then confirm the action by selecting Wipe All Data. After the process is complete, select Reboot -> Reboot to System.

⚠️ Note: This process will completely delete all your photos, contacts and apps. Use this method only if you have backed up your data or have your phone new.

After the reboot, the initial setup will begin. Watch the language selection screen carefully. If Russian is not even here, then this particular firmware assembly is physically absent and you will need to flash it back.

Full re-flashing on Global version

If none of the previous methods worked, you got a pure-blooded Chinese version without international language packs, and the only way out is to install global firmware, which is a more complex process that requires unlocking the bootloader.

Bootloader unlocking is a procedure that allows you to change the system partition of the phone, you need to apply to Xiaomi through the official Mi Unlock utility on your computer, the process can take from 3 to 7 days of waiting.

Once you have permission and unlock, download the official global firmware for your model from miui.com. The file must be in.zip for Recovery or.tgz for Fastboot. Installation via Fastboot completely erases Chinese software and puts a clean international version.

The firmware process requires you to follow the instructions for your particular model precisely, as an incorrectly selected file can turn your phone into a brick. Always check the device's code name (e.g., gauguin, vili, mondrian), it's listed on the box or in the system's properties.

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Installing Global firmware is the only guaranteed way to get full Russian and Google services on Chinese versions of smartphones, but this will void the seller's warranty.

There are also "flash-in" versions that vendors modify before shipping, which already have global firmware, but the bootloader is blocked by a Chinese account, and you can't reflash the phone officially without unlocking it.

Frequent problems and their solution

In the process of Russification, users often face a number of typical difficulties, one of the most common is the absence of a Google Play Store even after changing the language.

To activate services, look for Accounts and Sync (an icon with a human silhouette or two arrows) in the settings. Inside, there should be a switch called Google Basic Services. APK-Google Play file.

Another problem is the constant notifications from Chinese apps (Mi Video, Mi Music, Browser) that come even in Russian, which cannot be simply deleted because they are built into the system, so the solution is to turn off notifications in each application’s settings or use ADB to delete them.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.player

These commands will remove Xiaomi's standard video player and music player respectively, eliminating any unnecessary debris.Be careful when typing commands so as not to remove system components.