How to enable geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 4X: detailed instructions with nuances

Xiaomi Redmi 4X is still a popular budget smartphone, but many users face problems when setting up geolocation. From applications can not determine the location, the battery dies in an hour because of the background GPS, maps show coordinates with an error per kilometer. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to enable geolocation on Redmi 4X — from basic settings to hidden developer parameters that will help you to accurately determine the position even in basements.

It's important to understand that Xiaomi's geolocation works not only through GPS, but also through Wi-Fi networks, mobile towers and Bluetooth. And there are features on the Redmi 4X (model santoni): for example, the MT6737T chip only supports GPS and GLONASS, but not Galileo or BeiDou. This means that in urban conditions, accuracy may fall — but we will show how to fix this.

1. Basic geolocation settings in MIUI

To start with, the simplest way to enable geolocation is through the standard menu, which is suitable for 90% of tasks: maps, taxis, fitness trackers. On Redmi 4X, the path to settings may differ depending on the version of MIUI (8-12), but the general logic remains.

Open Settings → More → Privacy → Geolocation. Here you will see three modes:

• 📍 High accuracy - uses the GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile and Bluetooth, the most accurate but consumes more battery.
• 📶 The battery saves only Wi-Fi and mobile networks. Accuracy is worse, but the battery goes down slower.
• 🛰️ Only GPS — It's good for navigators in the car, but in the city, it can lose the signal.

For most users, High Accuracy mode is optimal, but if you notice that the battery is going down too fast, try Saving Charge and see if the accuracy in your area has deteriorated.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 4X s MIUI 9 and below may not have Bluetooth in the geolocation settings. This is not a mistake — it's just that these versions of the Bluetooth firmware are not used for location determination.

App Permissions: Why Maps Can't See Your Location

Even if geolocation is enabled at the system level, individual applications (such as Google Maps, Yandex.Maps or Uber) may not have access to your coordinates. MIUI.

To check the permits:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Google Maps).
3. Press Permissions. → Geolocation.
4. Set the switch to the "Allow" or "Allow only during use" position.

Redmi 4X has a nuance: some applications (especially Chinese ones like Baidu Maps) can request geolocation access via MIUI Optimization. If you see a notification that says "App requests access to your location through system settings," don't ignore it, otherwise coordinates won't be determined.

Select the application in Settings → Applications

Check the status of the "Geolocation" permit

Make sure you don’t check the “No Change” box in MIUI Optimization

Restart the application after changing permissions-->

Developer Parameters: How to Speed Up Satellite Search

If you're Redmi. 4X Long time "catch" satellites (more than 30 seconds), the problem may be in the settings GPS-On older smartphones (especially with a chip). MT6737T) Helps manually adjust through Developer Options.

First, activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click 7 times on the MIUI version (you are a developer!).
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.

Now find the following options and set them like this:

A critical nuance for Redmi 4X: if the developer's settings enable "Disable absolute location accuracy" - geolocation will work with an error of up to 500 meters!

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If you change the developer's settings and GPS stops working at all, reset the network settings. Go to Settings → System → Reset → Network Reset. This won't delete your data, but it will return the network settings to factory settings.

Problems with geolocation: diagnostics and solutions

If the location on Redmi 4X still doesn’t work well after all the settings, the reasons may be:

• 📵 Weak signal. GPS — So, you might not be able to find satellites in basements, tunnels, or high-rise areas. Solution: Use Wi-Fi or mobile data to figure out where to find out.
• 🔋 Battery savings — MIUI Aggressively optimizes background processes. Solution: add a navigation app to Cleanup Protection (Settings) → Battery → Protection from cleaning).
• 🛠️ The old firmware is on MIUI Below version 10 there may be bugs with GPS. Solution: Update through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📡 Antenna problems – physical damage to the module GPS (Solution: Check your smartphone at the service center.

To diagnose GPS accuracy, you can use the GPSTest app (available on Google Play).

• Number of visible satellites.
• Signal Level (SNR).
• Accuracy of coordinates in meters.

If you see fewer than 5 satellites in GPSTest or the accuracy is less than 50 meters, the problem is precisely with the settings or hardware.

5. battery saving without loss of accuracy

One of the biggest fears of Redmi users 4X — This is a quick battery discharge when geolocation is turned on, GPS-module MT6737T Not the most energy efficient, but there are ways to reduce your consumption without losing functionality.

Here are the working methods:

• 🔄 Adaptive geolocation - in MIUI 11+ There is an option Adaptive battery (Settings) → Battery) that automatically limits the background GPS low-use applications.
• ⏳ Time limit – in the geolocation settings of some applications (for example, Google Maps) you can set an automatic shutdown after a specified period of time.
• 📴 Manual control – only turn on High Accuracy when needed (e.g. on a trip) and use Charge Savings the rest of the time".

Also check which apps are actively using geolocation in the background.

1. Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Use.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Use GPS".
3. Sort the list by time of use.
4. Turn off background geolocation for unnecessary applications (such as social media).

⚠️ Note: Some apps (e.g. Avito or Zen) request geolocation for targeted advertising but don’t really need precise coordinates.

6. Alternative methods of positioning

If GPS on the Redmi 4X is unstable, alternative methods can be used:

• 📶 LBS (Location Based Services: Detection by nearby cell towers. ~500-1500 m, but it works without the Internet.
• 📡 Wi-Fi Positioning – if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, Google or Yandex can determine your location from a database of access points. ~50–200 m.
• 🔄 Hybrid mode - combination GPS + LBS + Wi-Fi (included in geolocation settings as "High accuracy").

LBS or Wi-Fi Positioning do not require additional settings, they are activated automatically when you select High Accuracy or Charge Saving modes. However, there is a caveat: these methods require Internet access (at least 2G/EDGE) to work, since coordinates are calculated on Google or Yandex servers.

If you are often in places with poor GPS coverage (for example, in the forest or mountainous areas), you can use offline maps in Google Maps or OSMAnd.

• Download the cards in advance.
• Use GPS without internet (but accuracy will depend on satellites only).
• Save traffic and battery.

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Redmi 4X, when GPS is bad, has the best combination of GPS + mobile networks, Wi-Fi only works in the city, and in the field or forest can give large errors.

7. Frequent Geolocation Mistakes and Myths on Xiaomi

There are many myths surrounding Xiaomi's GPS settings.

Another common misconception is, "If you turn on geolocation, I'll be monitored all the time."

• Android and MIUI will not share your coordinates with Xiaomi or Google without your consent.
• Applications may request geodata, but you can always refuse access.
• In Google settings (Settings → Google → Google Account Management → Data and Personalization → Location History), you can completely disable history saving.

If you’re concerned about privacy, use open source apps like OsmAnd or Magic Earth that don’t collect your location data.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions