Geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 5: how to enable, configure and troubleshoot

Why you need geolocation on your smartphone and how it works on Redmi 5

Xiaomi’s smartphone geolocation is not just a feature for maps; it underpins navigation, taxi services, social media, weather widgets, and even some banking applications. Redmi 5 (released in 2018) uses a combined location system: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou (China’s alternative to GPS) and mobile tower data with Wi-Fi networks, which allows for accuracy up to 5-10 meters in urban environments.

However, many users are faced with the fact that geolocation either does not work at all or determines the location with a large margin of error, the reasons may lie in the wrong settings, outdated MIUI firmware, application conflicts or hardware limitations of the budget chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. In this article, we will discuss not only basic GPS activation, but also fine-tunings to improve accuracy, as well as ways to diagnose problems.

It’s important to understand that Redmi 5 doesn’t support modern A-GPS (Accelerated Positioning over the Internet) standards fully due to the outdated MT6737T module. This means that the first satellite search can take up to 2-3 minutes – especially in low signal conditions (for example, in a basement or dense forest).

Step-by-step: how to enable geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 5

GPS activation on Redmi 5 takes less than a minute, but requires attention to detail.

1. Open “Settings” (the gear icon on the home screen or in the application menu).
2. Go to the section Additional → Confidentiality.
3. Select the Application Permissions option → Location.
4. Activate the slider Access to geodata (should turn blue).
5. Return to the main Settings menu and select System Applications → Location.
6. Make sure that options are included: 📡 Accuracy GPS (module) 📶 Search by network (mobile towers and Wi-Fi) 🌍 Google Location Services (if you use Google Maps)

After activation, wait until the status bar (upper right corner of the screen) appears icon. 📍 — This means that the smartphone has started looking for satellites. If the icon doesn't appear for more than 5 minutes, go to Troubleshooting».

Is the "In the Airplane" mode enabled»?|Is mobile internet or Wi-Fi activated?|Google Maps Updated to the Latest Version?|Is geolocation permission granted for the navigation application?-->

Geolocation accuracy setting: energy saving modes vs. high accuracy

Redmi 5 offers three location modes that vary in accuracy and battery consumption, depending on your needs:

To change the regime:

1. Go to Settings → Location.
2. Click Mode (or Method in some versions of MIUI).
3. Choose the right option. For navigation, we recommend "High accuracy."

Redmi 5 with MIUI firmware below version 10.2.3 may not have a Device Only option, in which case use third-party applications like GPS Status & Toolbox to force you to disable network geolocation.

High accuracy |Battery savings |Only on device |I don't know/did not configure-->

App Permits: Why Maps Can't See Your Location

Even if GPS is enabled at the system level, individual applications (e.g. Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator or 2GIS) may not have access to geodata to verify and issue permissions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Google Maps).
3. Go to Permits. → Location.
4. Set the switch to the Allow or Always position (for background work).

Please note the three types of permits:

• 🔍 Only during use – geolocation only works when the application is open.
• 🔄 Always – access to location even in the background (needed for tracking runs).
• 🚫 Prohibit - Full access block.

On Redmi 5 with MIUI 9-11, there may be a bug when permissions are reset after rebooting.

⚠️ Attention: If the app loses access to geolocation after restarting the smartphone, try turning off battery optimization for it. → Battery → Battery Optimization, Find the App and Choose Without Limits.

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To quickly check which apps are using geolocation in the background, open the notification bar and hold the icon. 📍 — A list of active services will be available.

Geolocation problems on Redmi 5: causes and solutions

If GPS doesn't work or if it's a very random location, it can be either software or hardware.

1. Long satellite search (more than 5 minutes)

This is a common feature of Redmi 5 because of its weaker GPS-- Solutions:

• 📶 Update the data A-GPS: use the app GPS Status & Toolbox (available from Play Market.) Launch it, press Manage A-GPS state → Reset, then Download.
• 🌐 Turn on mobile Internet: without a network connection, the search for satellites takes 3-5 times longer.
• 🔄 Reset network settings: Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting network settings.

2.Geolocation only works with Wi-Fi

If the smartphone determines the location only when connecting to Wi-Fi, but does not catch GPS-satellite:

• 🛠️ Check the integrity of the antenna. GPS (It may have been damaged after falling).
• 📱 Install alternative navigation software, for example, GPS Test (shows real-time satellite signal).
• 🔧 Update the firmware to the latest version MIUI (instruction).

3.Apps show incorrect location

If the cards identify you in another city or area:

• 📍 Turn off mock locations in the developer settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times to activate the developer mode, then in → For developers → Mock locations.
• 🗺️ Manually specify the region in Google Maps: open the app, click on the blue dot of your location and select Send Review → Location is wrong.

Update of the firmware and GPS module: when it is necessary

Redmi 5’s relevance to firmware directly impacts work GPS. For example, in versions MIUI 9.5-9.6 was a bug with "hang» GPS-module after long-term use of the navigator, in newer assemblies (starting with the use of the navigator) MIUI 10.2) the problem is solved, but manual update is required.

To update the firmware:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. If you have a new version, download it (we recommend using Wi-Fi).
4. After installation, restart the device.

If automatic updates do not help, you can install firmware manually:

1. Download the latest stable version of MIUI for Redmi 5 (codenamed rosy) from Xiaomi’s official website.
2. Place the.zip file in the root folder of internal memory.
3. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update → Menu (three dots) → Select a firmware file.
4. Select the downloaded file and confirm the installation.

⚠️ Note: When you are manually firmware, never use files that are intended for other models (e.g. Redmi). 5A This will cause the device to break down. Check the code name (rosy for Redmi 5) in the firmware file.

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Updating firmware to MIUI 11+ Increases satellite search speed by 40-60% by optimizing drivers GPS-module.

Alternative ways to determine location without GPS

If GPS-The module on your Redmi 5 is out of order or unstable, and alternative geolocation techniques can be used, which are less accurate but are suitable for basic tasks:

• 📡 By mobile towers: 500–2000 m Accuracy Works even without the Internet, but requires a mobile network to be turned on. → Regime. → Battery savings.
• 📶 By Wi-Fi: 20 to 100 meters accuracy; Google and Yandex have Wi-Fi databases, which allow you to determine the location of the nearest routers).
• 🌐 Po Po Po IP-Address: Accuracy 1-5 km Used by browsers and some web services. To check, go to whatismyipaddress.com.

To improve accuracy without GPS, you can combine methods. For example, in Google Maps, turn on:

1. Settings → Geolocation → Improve accuracy (using sensor data).
2. Settings → Report traffic jams (additionally analyzes the movement of other users).

If you want high precision without GPS, consider buying an external Bluetooth module, such as the Garmin GLO 2 or Dual XGPS150A. These devices connect to Redmi 5 over Bluetooth and provide accuracy up to 3 meters even in poor satellite visibility conditions.

FAQ: Frequent questions about geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 5