How to Enable Geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Full Guide

A modern smartphone cannot be imagined without precise positioning in the ground, and the Xiaomi Redmi 4X is no exception. Owners of this popular device often face the need to quickly activate navigation to use maps, order a taxi or find a lost phone. Geolocation is a fundamental feature that connects your device with satellites and cell towers.

With MIUI, the operating system that runs Redmi 4X, the on-board process can have its own nuances, different from stock Android. Proper configuration of modules allows you not only to determine the location, but also significantly improve the accuracy of navigation in urban environments. Below we will discuss in detail all available methods of activation and fine-tuning.

Many users underestimate the importance of working correctly. GPS-But it's the one that's going to make emergency services, banking applications and anti-theft systems work. 4X Determine coordinates as accurately and quickly as possible.

Activation through the Quick Settings Panel

The fastest way to start looking for satellites is to use a notification curtain, which is ideal for situations where you need to be geolocated right here and now, so you don't have to go into the deep menus of the system, you just swipe from top to bottom of the screen.

In the menu that opens, you'll see a lot of icons. Find an icon that resembles an arrow or a compass that's signed as Location or GPS. Click on it once to activate. If the icon is blue or orange, the module works.

However, simply enabling the function is not enough to allow all applications to work correctly, and sometimes the system requires additional permission to access data for specific programs, which is why it is recommended to check the access settings immediately after turning on.

• 📍 Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the control center.
• 🔍 Find an icon with an arrow-pointer image.
• ✅ Click on it so that the indicator lights up with an active color.

It’s worth noting that in some versions of MIUI firmware, the icon may be hidden in the second page of the Quick Access panel. Just scroll through the icon list to the left to find the missing controls.

Deep configuration in the system menu

To control your signal sources in more detail, you need to go to the basic settings of your smartphone, where you can choose a mode of operation that will determine how quickly and accurately the phone will determine your coordinates, which is especially important if you are in a bad reception zone.

Go to Settings, then select Advanced Settings and find Location. In some versions of the shell, this item may be right in the main settings menu, and inside you will see a switch that should be active.

The key is to choose a mode, and the system will offer several options: GPS only, network only, or combined. For the Xiaomi Redmi 4X, the best choice will always be a high-precision mode, since it uses all available data sources.

High-precision mode consumes more battery power, as it simultaneously polls satellites, Wi-Fi networks and cell towers, but the speed of determining coordinates in this mode is maximum, which is critical for navigation in motion.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling high-precision mode can speed up battery discharge 10-15% Every day with active navigation.

Choice of method of determining the coordinates

Inside the Redmi 4X geolocation menu, there’s an important subsection that’s responsible for signal sources, and understanding the differences between them will help you save battery power or improve navigation in challenging environments.

The first is GPS satellites, which is the most accurate way to work around the world without the Internet, but it requires a line of sight of the sky and a cold start time, and the second is Wi-Fi networks and mobile towers that work fast even indoors, but with less accuracy.

The third option is a combined mode, which MIUI decides which data source to use at a given time, switching between them to balance speed and power consumption, which is the option most users recommend.

If you are indoors and the navigator can not catch the signal for a long time, try temporarily switching to Wi-Fi determination. This will help the maps to navigate faster, after which you can return to high accuracy mode.

Calibration and signal accuracy

There are situations where the geolocation is turned on, but the arrow on the map shakes or shows the wrong direction. In this case, the Xiaomi Redmi 4X requires calibration. Without this procedure, the sensors can work incorrectly, especially after a fall or a long downtime.

First, make sure you have Wi-Fi scanning enabled even when the Wi-Fi module is off, which helps your phone find nearby networks faster and position it through their database -> Location -> Scanning.

Also, clear the cache of Google Play Services and Google Maps. Accumulated temporary files may contain erroneous data about your past location, which interferes with the correct operation of the current navigation, you can do this through the application settings in the All Apps section.

Another important step is to check the permission to access the geodata for system services, go to the privacy settings and make sure that system services are allowed to determine the location at all times, not just when you use it.

• 📡 Enable Wi-Fi scanning in the background to speed up search.
• 🧹 Clear the cache of Google Maps and Services to remove old coordinates.
• 🔧 Use special calibration apps from the Play Market.

Setup of permissions for applications

Even if GPS is enabled at the system level, a particular application (such as Yandex.Maps or Uber) may not be authorized to use this data. In MIUI, permission controls are very strict, and often access is blocked by default for security reasons.

When you first start the navigator, the system will ask for permission to access the location. It is important to choose the option "Allow always" or "Allow when using" if you want the application to work correctly. Denial of access will lead to errors in the program.

You can check and change these settings after the fact. Go to Settings -> Applications -> All applications, find the right software, select Permissions and make sure that the Geolocation slider is activated.

Remember that some battery savers can automatically turn off GPS for background applications. If you need a tracker or messenger to transmit coordinates constantly, add them to the list of energy saving exceptions.

Solving problems with GPS module

If after all the settings, the navigation on the Redmi 4X still doesn’t work properly, it may be a software failure or hardware problem. First of all, try rebooting the device – this is a classic but effective method of resetting system processes.

The second step is resetting your network settings, which will not delete your personal photos or contacts, but will return to factory settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile communications, which often resolves module conflicts.

⚠️ Note: Before resetting your network settings, make sure you remember passwords from important Wi-Fi networks, as they will have to be re-entered.

In rare cases, the problem lies in the case. Metallized or too thick cases can shield the signal of the antenna located in the case of the smartphone. Remove the case and check the quality of the signal reception.

Using the Engineering Menu for Diagnostics

For advanced users, Xiaomi provides access to an engineering menu where you can see the real strength of the signal from satellites, which will help you to understand whether the phone sees satellites at all, or the problem is only in the software part.

To get there, open the Phone app and dial the combination ##6484##. From the menu that appears, select Single Item Test and then search for GPS. Here you will see a map of the starry sky and the number of satellites visible.

If the phone sees satellites in this test (they are displayed in red or green), then the hardware is correct and the problem is in the cards or firmware, and if the screen remains black even in the open air, hardware failure is likely.