Geolocation on Xiaomi: how to enable, configure and troubleshoot

Why you need geolocation on a smartphone and how it works

Geolocation has become an integral part of modern smartphones, and Xiaomi devices are no exception, and this feature determines your location to within a few meters using a combination of GPS, mobile tower data and Wi-Fi networks. Without enabled geolocation, you will not be able to use navigators, order a taxi or share a location in instant messengers.

On Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, POCO and Mi line), geolocation is managed through system settings and permissions for individual applications. It is important to understand that simply turning on GPS is only half the battle.

In this article, we will explore not only basic settings, but also the subtleties of geolocation optimization that will help save battery power without losing accuracy, and you will also learn how to solve typical problems when a smartphone “can’t see” your location or determines it with a large margin of error.

How to enable geolocation in Xiaomi settings

The process of activating geolocation on Xiaomi devices takes no more than a minute, but has its own nuances depending on the version of the MIUI shell. Consider a universal algorithm that will suit most models released after 2018.

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on your desktop) and follow the following steps:

1. Go to Settings → Geolocation (in some versions of MIUI, the path may look like Settings → Privacy → Geolocation).
2. Activate the master switch at the top of the screen, which is usually signed as Geolocation or Location.
3. Select the accuracy mode: 🔍 High accuracy - uses the GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile networks and sensors: maximum accuracy but increased battery consumption. 📡 Charge saving: Location only over mobile networks and Wi-Fi. Accuracy is lower, but battery runs slower. 📍 Only GPS — It's the most accurate but slow way, and it's good for navigating away from cities.

Once geolocation is activated, the notification bar will display an icon (usually an arrow or a location icon) if it is not, check if the system icons in the status bar settings are disabled.

Setup of permissions for applications

Enabling geolocation at the system level is not enough – each application that needs to determine your location requires separate permissions, without which even activated GPS will not transmit data to Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator or Uber.

To issue permits:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (like Google Maps).
3. Slip on the Permissions (or Rights in older versions of MIUI).
4. Find the Location Resolution and set one of the options: 📍 Always access geodata at any time (required for activity trackers). 🔄 Only during use – access only when the application is open (recommended for most services). ❌ Prohibit – a complete ban on access to geolocation.

Please note that some applications (e.g., banking or delivery services) may request geolocation even in the background. In MIUI, such requests are displayed separately – they can be found in Settings → Privacy → Special Permissions → Access to location in the background.

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If the app doesn't automatically request permission to geolocate, try manually clearing its cache in the settings. Sometimes this helps to reset permission errors.

Optimization of Geolocation Accuracy

Even with geolocation enabled, your smartphone can detect your location with an error of up to a few hundred meters, and this is due to accuracy settings, sensor status, and external interference.

For maximum accuracy in urban conditions, it is recommended:

• 📶 Enable mobile internet (even if you use Wi-Fi).
• 🔄 Update data regularly A-GPS through apps GPS Test.
• 🛠️ Calibrate sensors using the engineering menu (code ##4636##).

Solving Typical Geolocation Problems

If your Xiaomi geolocation isn’t working properly, it could be a result of software failures or hardware failures, and consider the most common scenarios and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Geolocation is not included at all

• 🔋 Check if the battery is under 15% discharged. GPS critical-charge.
• 📱 Make sure that the smartphone has the current version installed. MIUI. Update the system in Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🛠️ Reset network settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.

Problem 2: Applications don’t see geolocation

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone – sometimes it resets the system services that are stuck.
• 📝 Check permissions for a specific application (instruction in the previous section).
• 🚫 Make sure that charge saving or ultramode is not activated – they can block background geolocation.

Problem 3: Geolocation is delayed

• 📡 Turn on the plane mode for 30 seconds, then turn off - this will reset connections to the networks.
• 🗺️ Update the data A-GPS via the engineering menu (code ##36446337## for some models).
• 🔄 Turn off and turn on geolocation again in settings.

Saving battery power when using geolocation

GPS-The module is one of the most energy-consuming components of the smartphone. With constant use of geolocation (for example, in the navigator), the battery can sit on the device. 30-50% Here's how to reduce the cost without losing functionality:

• 🔋 Use the charge saving mode in navigation applications (available in Google Maps and Yandex.Navigator).
• 📴 Turn off geolocation when you don't need it, like after you've completed your trip.
• 🔄 Set up an automatic shutdown GPS via apps like Tasker or MacroDroid.
• 📶 In urban conditions, you can use only Wi-Fi and mobile networks (charge saving mode) by turning off GPS.

Xiaomi smartphones with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8-series processors (such as Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4 GT) have a hidden GPS hardware acceleration feature. To activate it, select "YGPS" from the engineering menu (#4636##) and enable the "Use GPS" option, which reduces the CPU load and reduces battery consumption by 10-15%.

You also need to look at background activity, and many apps (social media, weather widgets) are constantly asking for geolocation in the background, to limit this:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Background Activity Management.
2. Select applications that should not use geolocation in the background, and limit their activity.

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The optimal balance between accuracy and economy is achieved when using the High Accuracy mode only during active navigation and switching to Charge Savings at the rest of the time.

Security and privacy when using geolocation

Geolocation is not only a convenience, it's also a potential privacy threat. Attackers can use your location data to track movements or target attacks. Here's how to protect their data on Xiaomi smartphones:

Basic security measures:

• 🔒 Regularly check the list of applications with access to geolocation in Settings → Confidentiality → Geolocation → History of permits.
• 🚫 Revoke permissions from suspicious apps, especially if they request location for no obvious reason.
• 📱 Use the second space (function) MIUI), to isolate work and personal data with different geolocation settings.
• 🔄 Turn on the settings. → Google → Managing a Google Account → Data and personalization → Location history → Auto-removal (set a period of no more than 3 months).

Special attention should be paid to system services that collect location data:

• 📍 Google services — used to improve accuracy, but store your travel history.
• 📱 Xiaomi Services – Collects Anonymous Data to Improve MIUI. Turn off in Settings → Additionally. → Location services.
• 🚨 Emergency alerts – some countries require location transfer to alert for an emergency.

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For maximum privacy, you can use applications like Fake GPS Location (requires root rights), which allow you to swap real coordinates for individual programs, but this may violate the user agreements of some services (for example, banking applications).

⚠️ Note: If you sell or transfer your Xiaomi smartphone to another person, be sure to reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Otherwise, the new owner will be able to restore your location history through backups. MIUI.

FAQ: Frequent questions about geolocation on Xiaomi