How to change the country in the phone Xiaomi: all the ways 2026

Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO may need to change countries for a variety of reasons, from access to regional services to fixing update errors. However, the manufacturer does not always provide a direct way to change the region — especially if the device was bought abroad or tied to another market. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of changing the country, including official and hidden, taking into account the features of MIUI 14/15 and the new restrictions of 2026.

It is important to understand that changing the region can affect the performance of some system applications (for example, Mi Pay or Mi Video), as well as the availability of updates. We will explain in detail what consequences await after the change of country, how to avoid them and what to do if the phone is “locked” in the old region.

If you encounter an error like “This MIUI version cannot be installed on this device” when trying to update your firmware, it’s likely that the problem is in the region mismatch, and then you’ll find solutions that can get around this limitation without the risk of “bricking” the phone.

Why is Xiaomi blocking the change of country?

The manufacturer is not just linking the devices to a particular region, but here are the main reasons:

• 📦 Local laws and certifications: Some countries (e.g. India or the EU) have strict requirements for pre-installed software, radio frequency, and even fonts, and changing regions can violate these rules.
• 💳 Payment systems: Services like Mi Pay or Google Pay only work with supported countries, and they may not work as they change region.
• 🔄 Xiaomi is rolling out updates in stages, first for China, then for the global market (EEA), If your phone thinks it’s in another country, it may not be getting the latest security patches.
• 📱 Pre-installed apps: Chinese firmware doesn't have Google services, but Mi App Store and Mi Community, and some of them may disappear or stop updating as you change region.

Xiaomi also uses region-specific binding as a means of combating “gray” imports, for example, if you bought a Xiaomi 14 in China and are trying to use it in Russia, the system may restrict functionality until you confirm the “right” region through the “right” region. SIM-map.

⚠️ Warning: Changing the country on devices with a locked bootloader (bootloader) can lead to the inability to install custom firmware. Before starting the procedure, check the lock status through the command fastboot oem device-info.

Official method: through the MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It works on most global firmware (EEA, Global, India), but may not be available on Chinese versions (China ROM).

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7-10 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer!” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and go to Additional Settings → Region (on some firmware, the path may differ: Settings → System → Language and Region).
4. Choose the right country from the list. If your region is not, try installing it first. SIM-map.
5. Reboot your phone. Once turned on, check the region in Settings → About Phone → General information.

If the Region is missing or blocked, your firmware does not support the official country change, in which case, move to the alternative methods described below.

Backup your data through Settings → Google → Backup

Make sure the battery is at least 50% charged.

Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network

Delete your Mi Account (if linked) in Settings → Accounts → Mi Account

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Important: Some firmware applications may require a factory reset, because some of the system applications are tied to the original region, so if you don't want to lose data, you can transfer it to your computer or the cloud in advance.

Change of country through SIM-card

One of the most reliable ways is to use SIM-This method often helps when the phone is stuck in the Chinese region or refuses to update due to a firmware mismatch:

• 📱 Put it in the phone. SIM-a card of the operator from the country to which you want to switch (for example, Tele2 MTS for Russia, Vodafone for Europe).
• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🌐 After switching on, go to Settings → Mobile network → Network operators and select operator manually (not automatic search!).
• 📡 Wait for registration in the network (the name of the operator will appear in the status bar).
• 🔧 Back to Settings → About the phone and check if the region has changed. If not, try updating the firmware through Settings. → Updating the system.

This method works because Xiaomi defines the region not only by settings, but also by the code of the country of the mobile network (MCC). For example, for Russia, this is 250, German — 262, for India — 404/405. If SIM-The card is active, the system can automatically adjust the appropriate settings.

⚠️ Note: Some Chinese firmware (China) ROM) This method doesn't work because it's very tightly bound to the original region, and then you'll need to flash it to the global version. MIUI.

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If you don't have a physical SIM-map of the desired country, you can use a virtual operator (eSIM) with the appropriate MCC. Airalo offers eSIM for 190+ countries.

Hidden Methods: Engineering Menu and ADB

If the standard methods do not work, you can try to change the region through the engineering menu or ADB-These methods require caution, because the wrong actions can lead to malfunctions in the phone.

Method 1: Engineering menu (MTK-chip)

This method is suitable for devices running MediaTek processors (for example, Redmi Note 11, POCO M4 Pro).

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select Phone Information.
3. Scroll down to Set preferred network type and select LTE only (this will temporarily disable 2G/3G, which sometimes helps to change region).
4. Go back to the main menu of the engineering mode and look for BandMode or Network Selection.
5. Select a manual network search and connect to the operator with the desired MCC-code.
6. Reboot the phone.

If the region has not changed after the reboot, try repeating the procedure by inserting it. SIM-map.

Method 2: ADB-Teams (for experienced users)

This method will require a computer with ADB drivers installed and USB debugging enabled on the phone.Caution: improper use of ADB can lead to data loss or system failure.

adb shell settings put global carrier_setup_wizard_has_run 0


adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.Settings$CarrierSettingsActivity

These commands reset the operator's settings and open a hidden region selection menu.

1. The operator will be set up by the operator on the phone.
2. Select a country from the list (if it is not, paste it). SIM-map of the region).
3. Follow the instructions of the master until completion.
4. Reset the device.

Reflashing to the global version of MIUI

If all previous methods failed, the radical way is to install global firmware via Fastboot or Recovery, which is guaranteed to change region, but requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to data loss.

Advantages of this method:

• 🌍 Change of the region without restrictions.
• 🔄 Access to all global updates.
• 📱 Google Services (if you had Chinese firmware).

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Risk of “bricking” in case of error.
• 🔓 You must unlock the bootloader (can take up to 72 hours).
• 📉 Losing all data on your phone.

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi website (en.miui.com/unlock). This will require a Mi Account tied to the phone.
2. Download the global firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware Updater. Pay attention to the version: Global for most countries. EEA for Europe. India for India.

Mi Flash Tool

Fastboot

TWRP

Recovery

Wipe Data

⚠️ Note: Install firmware for another region (e.g, EEA on a phone purchased in Russia may lead to loss of warranty and problems with the operation of the mobile network! 💡Before flashing, make sure to check if your model supports global firmware. 12S Ultra doesn't officially have a Global version, only Chinese or custom firmware. What if the phone gets locked after a change in region? Sometimes, after a change in country, Xiaomi can start to behave unstable: stop updating, issue errors when logging in to your account, or even block access to certain features. Here are typical problems and their solutions: Problem Reason Decision Fails to log in to Mi Account Account Linked to another region Reset password via account.xiaomi.com or create a new account No updates to Settings → Update of the firmware system is not intended for the current region Install the update manually via Recovery or Fastboot Disappeared Google services Installed Chinese firmware without GMS Scroll the global version or install Google Installer from the Mi App Store Not working Mobile Network Frequency mismatch (e.g., EU firmware on phone for India) Check your model's range support at frequencycheck.com If the phone stops turning on after changing region or logo-hung MI, Try: Enter Recovery (clutch power) + Volume up when turned on. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (Reset to factory settings). If it doesn't work, reflash the device via Fastboot. MIUI SIM-Map of local operator Engineering menu (MTK) ADB-The team reflashing to the global version did not help--> How do you check if a region has changed? After you've done any of these things, you need to make sure that you've actually changed a country. Here are 4 ways to check if you've changed a country: 📱 Through Settings: Settings → The phone. → General information → Region. 🌐 By code: Enter the phone number ##4636## in the phone app, then go to Phone Information and find Network Operator (should display the operator with the desired number). MCC). 🔍 Using Mi Account: Log in to Xiaomi account on your phone – the profile should display a new region. 📦 Through Updates: Try checking for updates in Settings → System update: If the region has changed, it should be updated firmware. If neither of these methods shows a new region, then the change failed. 💡Some firmware may display the region implicitly. For example, in Settings → Additionally. → Language and input may only be available in a set of languages for a specific market (e.g., only Chinese and English for China). ROM). FAQ: Frequent questions about changing region to Xiaomi: Can you change country to Xiaomi without losing data? MIUI or SIM-However, if you flash or reset through Recovery, all data will be deleted. → Google → Backup or Mi Cloud: Why Google Services Stopped Working After the Region Change? This means that you have switched from global firmware to Chinese (China). ROM), Solution: Install Google Installer from the Mi App Store (not all models). MIUI. Use alternative services (e.g. Yandex instead of Google Maps); How to bring back a Chinese region if the phone was bought in China? ROM You need to: Unlock the bootloader. Download Chinese firmware from the official website (for example, mi.com/global/miui). Install it via Mi Flash Tool in Clean All mode. Note that after that Google services will disappear, and some features (for example, Mi Pay) will be available only with a Chinese Mi Account. NFC After the region shift? NFC It doesn't depend on the region. However, there may be problems with payment systems: 💳 Google Pay requires support HCE (host card emulation, which can be disabled on Chinese firmware. 🏦 Mi Pay only works in supported countries (China, India, etc.). NFC stopped working, check the settings in the Settings → Connections → NFC Or update the firmware. Can I change the region on a locked phone (with a Mi Account)? No, if the phone is locked through Mi Account (for example, after a reset), you first need to unlock it. Enter your Mi Account (unless you remember your password, restore it to account.xiaomi.com) and then you can change the region. If you have your hands on the phone and the previous owner hasn't untied your account, contact Xiaomi with proof of purchase.