A smartphone today is impossible to imagine without navigation modules that are responsible for determining your location. For users of the Xiaomi ecosystem, this feature becomes critical, as it is tied to the work of many system services and third-party applications. Without a properly functioning GPS, maps, taxi services, food delivery applications and even finding a lost device will not function.
However, it often happens that after updating the firmware or accidentally resetting the settings, access to satellites is blocked. In the shells of MIUI and the new HyperOS, energy saving algorithms can aggressively restrict the background operation of communication modules, which leads to the fact that the navigator simply stops seeing satellites or shows the location with a huge error.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the ways of activation and fine-tuning geo-positioning, you will learn how to force the scan, what hidden menus exist for diagnosis and why sometimes standard switching on a tumber is not enough for stable operation.
Basic activation through the control panel
The fastest and most obvious way to enable navigation is to use a notification curtain, which is suitable for situations where you need to urgently determine the coordinates or start the navigator in the car, just swipe from top to bottom of the screen to open the quick action panel.
Find an icon that resembles a geolocation tag or compass among the icons, which can be called Location or GPS. If you don't see it on the first page, swipe left to open additional pages of widgets. Click on the icon to activate the module, which should be illuminated in blue or green.
It is worth noting that in some versions of the Xiaomi shell, long-pressing this icon does not open the settings, but simply switches the state. To access the advanced options, you need to go to the main menu of system settings, where you can manage permissions for specific programs.
⚠️ Note: If after turning on the icon in the curtain, the navigation does not work during the 1-2 minutes, perhaps the failure lies deeper in system resolutions or device drivers.
Deep setting in the system menu
To fully control the geodata, you need to go to the deep settings menu, and you can not only turn on the module, but also choose a high-precision mode that uses not only satellites, but also Wi-Fi networks cell towers. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Geolocation or simply type in the search for settings the word “GPS”.
In the window that opens, make sure the master switch is activated. Below you will see a list of all installed applications. The Android system on Xiaomi smartphones allows you to flexibly manage access: you can allow access always, only when using the application or completely deny it. For navigators, it is critical to choose the Always mode.
Special attention should be paid to the section “Geolocation Services” (or “Mode”), where you should choose the option “All sources” or “High accuracy”, which will allow the phone to use the scanning of Wi-Fi networks even when the Wi-Fi module is turned off for faster determination of coordinates in the room.
☑️ Verification of geolocation settings
Also hidden in this menu is the "Improving Accuracy" feature, which allows you to transfer anonymous location data to Google for map calibration, and while this raises questions about privacy for some users, it is extremely useful for navigation in difficult urban environments.
Developer Mode and GPS Diagnostics
If standard methods don't work, and the phone stubbornly doesn't catch satellites, you'll have to use a hidden engineering menu. To do this, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About the phone and quickly press 7 times on the build number (MIUI Version).
Once activated, a new option will appear in the settings menu, “Advanced Settings” or “Additional”, and inside it, “Developers”. Scroll down to the “USB Debugging” section or search for the developer settings. Find the “Select mock location app”.
Importantly, this same developer menu often contains a switch that says, "Always Allow Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Scanning," and make sure it's on even if the modules themselves are off, which makes GPS cold start much faster.
⚠️ Note: Do not change the values in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose. Resetting the settings in this section can lead to improper operation of radio modules.
What is a cold and hot GPS start?
You can use third-party tools like GPS Test or GPS Status & Toolbox to diagnose it, and they show the number of satellites visible and the signal strength. If the program sees the satellites but can't get the coordinates, the problem is software. If there are no satellites at all, the antenna may be damaged.
Configuring permissions for specific applications
Often the problem is not with the phone itself, but with the MIUI security settings. An aggressive power saving mode can kill navigation when the screen goes out, and to avoid that, you need to set up autostart and work in the background.
Go to the battery settings and find your map app (Yandex, Google Maps, 2GIS). Set the power saving mode in the "No Limits" position. Also in the "Permissions" menu, make sure that access to the geoposition is not in "Interview Only When Used" mode if you need to record the track in the background.
Newer versions of HyperOS have added the “Precise Location” feature, and when you first run the app, the system will ask if you need to give exact coordinates or approximate ones. For navigators, always choose the exact location, otherwise the route may be built incorrectly.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|
| Access mode | Always. | Allows tracking in the background |
| precision | Precise (GPS + Wi-Fi) | Increases accuracy to several meters |
| Energy conservation | No restrictions. | Prevents the navigation from stopping |
| Auto-start | Included | Speeds up card launches after screen is turned on |
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If the card application crashes immediately after switching on GPS, Try to clear its cache in the "Applications" section» → «All applications» → «Memory management».
GPS data reset and calibration
When navigation is not working properly (arrow jumps, coordinates go to the ocean), the satellite almanac is reset, which can be done through the engineering menu by typing the code ##6484## in the call. Select "GPS" and start testing.
In an engineering test, you can perform an AGPS reset command, which will clear the satellite data cache and force the phone to reload the current almanac, which can take a few minutes, while the phone must be in an open space.
There is also a software method through the application. GPS Status & Toolbox. From the tool menu, select "Reset data" GPS» (Reset GPS data) and then “Data uploading” GPS» (Download GPS This often solves the problem of long satellite searches.
⚠️ Attention: After the data reset GPS The first navigation can take up to 5-10 You're out there with an open sky view.
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Resetting the satellite almanac is a radical, but often the only way to resuscitate the “stupid” satellite» GPS-flash-box.
Problems with location and their solution
Users often encounter a situation where GPS is enabled, but apps write "No connection" or show a location in another country.This may be due to date and time settings. Make sure that in Settings → Date and time is automatically determined.
Another common reason is the use of VPN Or a proxy, if your virtual IP-The address points to another country, Google services can block the exact definition or show fake coordinates. VPN before using the navigator.
If nothing works, check if the phone has Fake GPS software installed, which intercepts the real module signal and swaps the coordinates, confusing all the maps.