Owners of the Xiaomi Mijia G1 robot vacuum cleaner often face a pleasant but unexpected problem: the device works perfectly, but the menu on the case or in the application is displayed in Chinese or English. This is standard for devices imported through parallel imports or bought on Chinese marketplaces. Fortunately, the G1 sweeping model supports a multilingual interface, and you can change the settings without complex reprogramming.
The localization process depends on how you plan to manage the cleaning, whether it's through the built-in buttons on the case, through the official Mi Home app, or through third-party utilities. Most of the time, it's easy to change the region in the application, but there are nuances associated with the firmware version and connection type. Let's go through all the available methods in detail.
Checking the current version and preparing the device
Before you start changing the language, you need to make sure your device is ready for the changes. Often users try to change the settings without checking the relevance of the software, which leads to the lack of options in the menu. First connect the robot vacuum cleaner to the Wi-Fi network and make sure that it appears in the Mi Home application as an active device.
Go to the settings of a particular device and find the update. If the system offers to download a new version of firmware, be sure to agree. In new firmware versions, Xiaomi often adds missing language packs and fixes localization errors. The update process can take from 5 to 15 minutes, at which time the robot will not respond to commands.
⚠️ Note: During the firmware update, it is strictly forbidden to disconnect the robot vacuum cleaner from the charging station or interrupt the connection to Wi-Fi, otherwise the device may turn into a “brick” and require maintenance repairs.
After a successful upgrade, restart the device. To do this, press the on and back buttons at the same time (or use the combination specified in the instructions for your specific revision) for 5-7 seconds.
Change of region in the Mi Home app
The most common and safe way to get a Russian interface is to change the region in the Mi Home app. The robot vacuum menu language is often rigidly tied to the region chosen when registering an account or in the application settings. If you have a China region, the menu will be in Chinese or English.
To change region, open the Mi Home app, go to profile (Profile tab in the lower right corner) and click on Settings. Find Region and select "Russia" or your country of residence. The app will warn that the list of devices may update, and some gadgets tied to another region may temporarily disappear.
If the language hasn't changed automatically after the region change, try removing the device from the list and adding it again. When you add it again, the system recognizes the new region and prompts you to download the corresponding language pack.
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If the robot stopped showing after changing the region, return the region “China”, remove the device, change the region to “Russia” and add the robot again through a search over Wi-Fi.
Localization through the menu on the body
Some versions of the Xiaomi Mijia G1 allow you to change the language directly through the control buttons on the top of the case. This method is useful if you do not want to change the account region or use the device without being tied to the cloud.
To enter the settings menu, you (usually) need to press and hold a certain combination of buttons. On the G1 model, this is often the simultaneous pressing of the on and on buttons of the spot cleaning (or return) when turned off. In the menu that opens, navigation is carried out by the mode switching buttons, and the choice is confirmed by the power button.
Find the item marked with the globe icon or the letter "L" (Language), and try to find options before the Cyrillic characters or the word "Russian" appear. If the list does not contain Russian, then the current version of the body firmware does not contain a language package, and you will have to resort to changing the region in the application or reflashing.
Secret button combinations
Use of alternative clients and plugins
If official methods fail, third-party solutions that provide more flexible localization settings are available, and one popular option is to use modified versions of the app or plugins for smart home platforms such as Home Assistant or Domoticz.
For advanced users, custom plugins can be installed in Mi Home (through Profile → Settings → About the program with multiple taps according to version). This opens up access to the plugin store, where you can find russifiers for specific models of robots.
- 🔌 Valetudo plugin: allows you to completely replace firmware with open, support any language and integration with any systems.
- 📱 Mi Home 5.9.9 (mod): Old but functional version of the app with built-in menu translation capabilities.
- 🌐 Web interface: Some users run a local web server to manage a robot with a full interface translation.
⚠️ Warning: Installing third-party software or modified firmware (like Valetudo) will void the manufacturer’s official warranty and may result in unstable device performance.
Using these solutions makes your Xiaomi Mijia G1 a completely independent device, independent of the company’s servers, and a great choice for those who value privacy and want to see menus in their native language without restrictions.
Table of compatibility of languages and regions
It is important to understand that the availability of Russian depends on the combination of the region in the application and the version of the device. Global versions support more languages out of the box than Chinese (CN Version).
| Region in Mi Home | Device version | Available Russian | Stability of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| China (China) | CN Version | No (EN/CN only) | Tall. |
| Russia (Russia) | Global Version | Yes (full) | Tall. |
| Europe (Germany) | Global Version | Yes (full) | Medium |
| Singapore | CN/Global | Partially. | Tall. |
As you can see from the table, the best way to get a full-fledged Russian language is to bundle Region Russia and Global Version of the device. If you have a Chinese version, changing the region to Russia may still not give a full translation of the menu on the case, but the interface in the application will become Russian.
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Full Russian is guaranteed only when using the global version of the robot with the region "Russia" in the official application Mi Home.
Checklist to fix language problems
If after all the manipulations, the Xiaomi Mijia G1 robot vacuum cleaner continues to speak a foreign language or display characters, perform a consistent diagnosis. Often the problem lies in the app cache or synchronization error.
☑️ Diagnostics of localization
Try to completely remove the Mi Home app, reboot the smartphone and install it again, immediately selecting the right region when you first start. It is also useful to reset the network settings on the robot itself: press the on button and the back button to the base before the sound signal.
In rare cases, creating a new Mi Account with the Russia region and linking the device to it helps, and an old account with a history of using the Chinese region can pull old localization settings.