How to disable geolocation on Xiaomi: all ways (including hidden)

Xiaomi’s smartphone geolocation is a two-way sword: on the one hand, it makes navigation, finding nearby services, and running geo-dependent applications easier. On the other, it constantly tracks your location, drains your battery, and can transfer data to third parties without your knowledge. If you decide to completely disable geolocation on Redmi, POCO, or Mi devices, it’s important to understand that a standard disconnection through the notification panel only temporarily suspends the service. To remove geolocation at the system level, you will need to deep-tube from permission editing to working with ADB.

In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to disable geolocation on Xiaomi in the 2026 year, including hidden functions MIUI 14/15, We'll focus on the nuances that the manufacturer doesn't say, like why some apps continue to locate even after they're disabled. GPS, And how to fix it.

⚠️ Warning: Full geolocation shutdown may disrupt banking applications, maps (Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator), taxi services and geo-targeted advertising. In some countries (e.g. China, UAE) shutdown GPS This may cause suspicions among local law enforcement agencies – keep this in mind when traveling.

1. Standard geolocation disabling through settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in MIUI tools, but it has limitations: the system will continue to collect approximate location data through Wi-Fi networks and cell towers.

To temporarily deactivate GPS:

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Find the Location icon (usually depicted as an arrow or pin) and tap it. The badge should go out.
3. To completely disable, go to Settings → Privacy → Location and move the slider to the “Off” position.

⚠️ Note: Even after that, Xiaomi will collect data on connected Wi-Fi networks and nearby cell towers to determine the region, which is necessary for the operation of weather services, time zone and local recommendations in the region. MIUI.

To restrict access to this data:

• 📍 Open the Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Name of the access point (APN) and delete the box from "Allow location determination".
• 🌐 B Settings → Wi-Fi → Additionally, disable the option “Scanning is always available” (this will prevent the collection of data about nearby networks).

2. Disable geolocation for individual applications

Many programs (social networks, instant messengers, games) request access to a location even when it is not necessary for their work, to prevent them from using GPS:

Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions Management → Location. Here you will see a list of all the programs that are allowed to access. Tap the desired application and select:

• 🚫 "Disable” – complete shutdown of access.
• 🔄 "Only during use” – access only when the app is active on the screen.
• ❓ "Ask each time – request confirmation at each request.

Pay special attention to the following applications that often misuse geodata:

• 📱 Mi Browser – Collects location for targeted advertising.
• 💬 Facebook, Instagram, TikTok – used GPS for analytics and display of local posts.
• 🚖 Google Maps and Yandex Maps can work without GPS, but with limited accuracy.
• 🏦 Banking applications (SberBank, Tinkoff) – some require geolocation to confirm transactions.

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If the app stops working after disabling geolocation (e.g. Uber or Delivery Club), try turning on “Only during use” and using it manually rather than in the background.

3. Hidden MIUI settings: disabling background scanning

Xiaomi hides some of the geolocation-related features in the developer menu to access them:

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 and open a new section → For developers.

In the developer menu, find and disable the following options:

• 🔍 "Allow location scanning in the background" - blocks data collection when the screen is off.
• 📡 "Wi-Fi scanning is always available – prevents location from being determined over networks.
• 📶 "Bluetooth Scanning is Always Available – Disables the Use of Bluetooth Beacons for Geo-Positioning.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling these features could disrupt the Mi Band, Xiaomi smart lamps and other ecosystem devices that use Bluetooth LE closeness.

4. Complete disabling of geolocation via ADB (no root)

If standard methods don't work, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a deep-tuning tool that doesn't require superuser rights, but requires a computer.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. On your phone, turn on “USB Debugging” in the developer menu (see the previous section).
3. Connect the phone to your computer and type in the command line:

adb shell settings put global location_mode 0

This command completely disables all geolocation services, including GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular networks. To return the settings back, use:

adb shell settings put global location_mode 3

To check the current state enter:

adb shell settings get global location_mode

• 0 - completely disabled.
• 1 - GPS only.
• 2 - over the network and GPS.
• 3 - high-precision (GPS + Wi-Fi + cellular networks).

5. Disable geolocation at the core level (root only)

If you have root rights, you can block GPS access at the system level, a radical method that completely deprives all applications (including system) of the ability to determine location.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/ and find the gps.conf file.
3. Rename it to gps.conf.bak (this will disable) GPS-module).
4. Reboot the phone.

An alternative way is to disable geolocation services via Magisk:

• 🛠️ Install the Disable module GPS" from the Magisk repository.
• 🔄 Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: After this action, Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator and other navigation services will stop working. To return functionality, restore the original gps.conf or remove the Magisk module.

6. Alternative methods: Simulation of location

If you need to replace your geolocation (for example, to bypass regional restrictions or test applications), use the following methods:

Method 1: Apps for fake GPS

• 📱 Install Fake. GPS Location or Fly GPS Google Play.
• 🎯 In the application settings, select any point on the map.
• 🔒 In the developer menu, enable "Select mock location" and specify the installed application.

Method 2: Through ADB (without root)

Enter the command:

adb shell settings put global development_settings_enabled 1


adb shell settings put global mock_location 1

Then install any app to swap GPS and select it in the developer settings.

⚠️ Attention: Simulated location can lead to a ban in games (Pokémon GO, Ingress) or blocking accounts in taxi services (Uber, Yandex Go.

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GPS swapping works only for individual applications, and system services (such as time zone determination) will use real data.

7.Verification: How to make sure that geolocation is actually disabled

To check that your location is no longer tracked:

Method 1: Online services

• 🌍 Open Google Maps or Yandex.Maps in your browser – if geolocation is disabled, the site will not be able to determine your location.
• 📍 Go to IPLocation – the service will show you your IP-address, but not exact coordinates.

Method 2: Special annexes

• 🔍 Install. GPS Status & Toolbox from Google Play – It’s a Status and Toolbox GPS-module.
• 🛡️ NetGuard or GlassWire will help you track which apps are trying to access geodata.

Method 3: Logs of the system

For advanced users:

adb logcat | grep -i "gps\|location"

This command will show all the calls to geolocation services in real time.

FAQ: Frequent questions about disabling geolocation on Xiaomi