How to disable geolocation on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO They're equipped with a lot of sensors that operate in the background, often without the owner's knowledge. GPS-A receiver that constantly requests your device's coordinates to update the weather, maps and collect statistics, and many users are wondering how to turn off geolocation in order to extend battery life and increase privacy. Turning off location services completely is not just a way to save charge, but also an effective method of protecting against digital tracking.

But simply switching the slider in the notification curtain doesn’t always guarantee that apps won’t access your coordinates. MIUI or the new HyperOS has a complex permission hierarchy where individual services can bypass standard restrictions. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the levels of customization, from fast shutdown to deep customization of access rights for each application installed. You’ll learn how to manage geodata so that it doesn’t disrupt the navigator or taxi when it’s really needed.

Quick shutdown through notification curtain and menu

The most obvious and affordable way to deactivate GPS-The module is a quick access panel, and you just swipe down from the top of the screen to open the curtain, and you find an icon that's labeled "Location" or has a geolocation tag icon. Pressing it changes its status to inactive, which immediately shuts down the satellite receiver, which blocks access to coordinates for all programs without exception.

The second quick access option is via the main settings menu, so you have to open Settings and find the Additional Features section, or you have to go straight to Location in the list of the main system settings, and you'll see the global switch here, and turning it off will make it impossible for any application to tell where you are right now, which is useful if you want to completely disappear from the digital services radar.

• 📍 Open the notification curtain with a swipe from top to bottom.
• 📍 Find the Location icon (geometric label).
• 📍 Press it to turn grey or disappear.
• 📍 Alternative: Settings → Location → switch off.

It's worth remembering that with this approach, the cards will stop working correctly, and in taxi or delivery applications you will have to manually turn on the module every time. Global shutdown is convenient to use at night or in places where you are long time and do not plan to move. This ensures that no background process will wake up. GPS-chip and won't land the battery.

Finely configured access rights for applications

Often users don’t need to shut down GPS completely, just restrict access for specific programs. Xiaomi’s shell-based Android system allows you to flexibly manage permissions. You can allow the navigator to access coordinates, but you can deny it to the social network or game. To do this, go to Settings → Privacy Protection → Permissions Management → Location. Here is a complete list of all the applications requesting access to your data.

By selecting a particular application from the list, you can customize the access script, and the best choice for most services is "Only in Use" mode. GPS-The module only activates when the application is deployed on the screen, and if the program is folded or running in the background, it will not receive new coordinates.

For applications that don’t require precise coordinates (like news feeds or weather widgets), you can use the Approximate Location feature, in which case the app will receive data about your city or neighborhood, but will not know the exact address or number of the house, which reduces the accuracy of ad targeting and increases your anonymity.

⚠️ Note: Some system services, such as Device Search or Security, require constant access to geodata to ensure proper security functions, and disabling rights for them may make it impossible to trace the phone in the event of theft.

System Services and Displacement History Management

Even if you have banned all apps from accessing GPS, the operating system itself can continue to collect data about your movements. This feature is called Location History or Chronology. It is used to improve map performance and predict routes, but it is a detailed map of your life. To turn this off, go to Settings → Location → Geolocation Services (or Google Services).

You need to find Google Location History and stop recording. The system will warn you of the consequences, but for maximum privacy, this must be done. This section often hides the function "Search for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks." Even when the communication modules are turned off, the phone can scan the surrounding space to clarify the coordinates. Turn off the options "Allow search for Wi-Fi networks" and "Allow search for Bluetooth devices."

Turning off background services significantly reduces the load on the processor and radio modules. You will notice that the smartphone will become less hot in standby mode. It is important to regularly check this section after major updates to the MIUI or HyperOS system, since the settings can be reset to factory values.

Specifics of settings in MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi shells have their own permission management features. Recent versions of HyperOS have introduced a feature called “Fake Location,” which allows you to swap real coordinates for selected applications. This is useful for testing or protecting against trackers in games. You can find this option in Settings → Additional → For developers (Selecting an application for fictitious coordinates).

Also worth looking at is the System Security app (green lightning icon) which has a Permissions section → Geodata section inside it, and the interface may be different from the standard Android app, providing more visual statistics on which programs have accessed GPS the most in the last 24 hours, and log analysis in this section helps to identify hidden miners or spyware modules.

• 🔍 Open the Security app».
• 🔍 Go to the section "Permissions».
• 🔍 Select the category "Geodata».
• 🔍 Check the list of apps with access "Always».

Owners of older MIUI 12/13/14 devices should be careful with advertising in system applications (e.g., in “Conductor” or “Music”). Advertising identifiers often use geolocation to match contextual advertising. Disabling the personalization of ads in the MIUI account partially solves this problem, reducing the frequency of coordinate requests.

⚠️ Attention: Enabling Developer Mode requires caution. Changing location simulation settings can cause maps and navigation apps to work in an unstable way.

The impact of geolocation on the autonomy of the smartphone

Continuing work GPS-The receiver is one of the main consumers of power in the smartphone, and the satellite signal is weak, and it requires considerable processing power. If you notice that your Xiaomi discharges quickly, even when the screen is off, it is most likely the fault of the “gluttonous” app that does not let go. GPS. Disabling geolocation or limiting its operation can increase battery life on the 15-20%.

This is especially true in areas of uncertain reception, where the phone is constantly trying to “catch” satellites, increasing the power of the antenna. In such situations (underground parking lots, remote areas), completely switching off GPS through Settings → Location is the only right solution for saving charge. This prevents the module from endless attempts to synchronize with satellites.

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Use the Power Saving widget on your desktop, which lets you tap into the list of the most power-consuming applications and quickly limit their background activity, including access to GPS.

In addition, it is necessary to consider the impact on heat formation. GPS-When you're working, it can heat up the body, and in hot weather or summer, it can cause the processor to trott, and by turning off unnecessary services, you're not only saving the battery, you're also extending the life of the internal components of the smartphone.

Frequent problems and their solution

Users often experience geolocation that is “on-it-yourself” or “on-it-yourself” or “on-it-yourself” — whether it’s caused by Google’s system services or Xiaomi’s specific power-saving settings that try to optimize work, but do the opposite. If the toggler in the curtain doesn’t respond, try rebooting the device, and 90% of the time, it resets the suspended location service process.

Another common problem is inaccurate location determination even when switched on GPS. In this case, calibration will help. Open Google Maps, click on the blue dot of your location and select "Calibrate." Follow the instructions on the screen by spinning the phone in the air with "eight." This will help the magnetic sensor and GPS-Re-determine the orientation of the space.

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If geolocation is unstable, first check if Flight mode is on. Sometimes the system will not unlock correctly. GPS-module after leaving the air mode, requiring a full reboot of the smartphone to reset the radio interfaces.

In rare cases, the problem may lie in the damage to the antenna module after falling or getting moisture. If neither calibration, nor resetting, nor resetting network settings helps, and GPS does not catch satellites even in open space, hardware repairs will probably be required at the service center.

Questions and Answers (FAQ)