How to enable geolocation on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro: full instructions with pictures

Why geolocation on Redmi Note 8 Pro may not work the first time

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro often face a situation where applications like Google Maps, Yandex.Maps or 2GIS can not determine the location, despite the enabled GPS. The reason is not the hardware failure, but the features of the MIUI firmware and energy saving settings. The fact that by default the system limits the background geolocation activity to save charge, which leads to “hang” coordinates or their complete absence.

Another common problem is the conflict between different methods of location determination. Redmi Note 8 Pro supports three data sources: GPS (satellites), Wi-Fi (access points), and mobile networks (operator towers), if they are not synchronized or partially disabled, the accuracy drops to 500-1000 meters, which makes navigation useless, for example, in the subway or underground parking, the phone can “lose” until it finds at least 3-4 satellites.

Finally, regional settings are important, because if you're traveling or buying a phone abroad, some geolocation services (such as GLONASS) may be disabled by default, and you'll have to manually activate additional satellite systems, as we'll discuss in one of the following sections.

Preparation of the phone: checking the basic settings

Before you turn on geolocation, make sure your Redmi Note 8 Pro is ready to work with satellites. Start by checking the time and date - if they are shot down, GPS will not be able to sync with satellites.

1. Open Settings → System → Date and time.
2. Activate the option Automatically (network).
3. Choose the correct time zone (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3).

Next, check the power saving mode. In MIUI, it often blocks background geolocation:

• 🔋 Go to Settings. → Battery.
• 📱 Find the Power Saving Mode section and turn it off.
• 🔄 In the list of apps, find Google Maps (or other navigation software) and allow background activity.

If you are using two-sim mode, make sure that both SIM-The maps support data transmission for geolocation:

⚠️ Attention: In some firmware MIUI Geolocation only works with the main SIM-If you have trouble determining the coordinates, try to swap the cards in places.

Step-by-step: how to turn on GPS on the Redmi Note 8 Pro

Now, the basic thing is, geolocation activation, and in MIUI, it's done in two steps: first, we turn on the GPS module itself, then we set the permissions for the applications.

1. Open the notification bar (swipe down from the top edge of the screen) and find the Location icon (arrow or pin icon. ⚠️ Warning: If there's no icon, then the geolocation is off at the system level.
2. Go to Settings → Location (or Settings → Additional → Privacy → Location in older versions of MIUI).
3. Activate the location accuracy (or high accuracy) switch, which allows you to use GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks simultaneously.
4. Go back to the main Location menu and select Mode. Set High Accuracy (or GPS + Wi-Fi + mobile networks).

Then check the geolocation in Google Maps or another navigation app. If the coordinates are delayed (more than 30 seconds), calibrate the compass:

• 🧭 Open Google Maps and click on the blue dot (your location).
• 🔄 Select Compass Calibration and follow the instructions on the screen (rotate the phone in the air with the icon “8»).
• 📡 Wait for the notification to appear “Ready».

Included location in the notification panel

Selected "High accuracy" mode

Background data for navigation applications allowed

Time and date are synchronized automatically

Power saving mode is off.-->

How to improve geolocation accuracy: hidden settings

If GPS On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, it is unstable (the coordinates “jump” or are rarely updated), try to optimize the settings of satellite systems. MIUI There is a hidden section to manage GPS-Configuration available through the Engineering Menu.

To get there:

1. Open the phone app and enter the code: ##4636##
2. In the menu that appears, select Testing (or Testing).
3. Go to the GPS section.

Here you'll see a graph of satellite signals.

• 🛰️ Press Clear. AGPS (clearing up the satellite data cache).
• 🔄 Select Update AGPS to load fresh ephemerides (satellite orbit data).
• 📡 Enable the Enable option GNSS Logging (if any) to record logs GPS.

You can also activate additional satellite systems in the engineering menu, for example, GLONASS (Russia) or BeiDou (China).

⚠️ Warning: Inactive satellite systems can increase the time for finding coordinates. If you're not traveling, leave it on only GPS + GLONASS (for Russia) or GPS + BeiDou (for China).

GPS (USA)

GLONASS (Russia)

BeiDou (China)

Galileo (EU)

I don't know/no follow.-->

Saving battery power with geolocation enabled

One of the main drawbacks of GPS is its high power consumption. On the Redmi Note 8 Pro with a 4500 mAh battery, continuous navigation can drain your phone in 4-5 hours.

• 🔋 Enable charge saving mode in the navigation app (for example, in Google Maps this option is “Saving traffic»).
• 📶 Turn off mobile data for geolocation if you are in Wi-Fi coverage. To do this, go to Settings → Location → Regime. → Only GPS.
• 🔄 Reduce the frequency of coordinate updates in the application settings (e.g., once every 10 seconds instead of 1 second).
• 📴 Close background apps that use geolocation (e.g. Weather, fitness trackers).

If you need navigation on a long trip, consider using an external powerbank or a Quick Charge 3.0-enabled car charger (Redmi Note 8 Pro supports fast charging up to 18W).

You can also optimize the GPS operation through application permissions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Location.
2. For each application, select one of the modes: Always for navigators (Google Maps, Yandex.Navigator); Only during use - for social networks (Instagram, VK); Ban - for games and unnecessary services.

💡

If you use your navigator in your car often, turn on the Offline Maps option in Google Maps, which will reduce your mobile internet usage and save up to 15% of your battery life.

Problem Solving: Geolocation is not working or is not accurately determined

If after all the GPS settings on the Redmi Note 8 Pro still doesn’t work, check the following points:

If none of these methods worked, reset your GPS settings:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset Location Settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

In extreme cases, the problem may be in hardware damage. GPS-This is relevant if:

• 📵 The phone does not find a satellite even in open areas.
• 🔧 Geolocation stopped working after fall or repair.
• 🔄 Resetting settings and flashing did not help.

⚠️ Warning: If you suspect a hardware malfunction, don’t try to disassemble the phone yourself. GPS-The module in the Redmi Note 8 Pro is soldered to the motherboard, and its replacement requires soldering equipment.

Alternative methods of determining location

If GPS on the Redmi Note 8 Pro is unstable, alternative geolocation techniques can be used, which are less accurate but consume less power.

• 📡 Mobile networks (LBS): Operator towers, 500 to 2000 meters accurate, enabled in location settings (Mobile networks only).
• 📶 Wi-Fi Positioning: Uses a database of access points, accuracy 20 to 100 meters, works even without a network connection.
• 🧭 Gyroscope and accelerometer: Exemplary navigation by movement (e.g. in tunnels) used in Google Maps for loss GPS-signal.

To activate alternative methods:

1. Go to Settings → Location → Mode.
2. Select Charge Saving (only mobile networks and Wi-Fi are used).
3. Or install only the device (GPS only, without internet).

You can also use offline maps and coordinate caching, like Google Maps.

• 🗺️ Download the map of the region in advance (Menu) → Offline maps).
• 📍 Enable Location History to clarify routes.
• 🔄 Use the "Only" mode. GPS» Traveling outside the city (saving traffic).

💡

For maximum accuracy in the city, use a combination of GPS + Wi-Fi + mobile networks. Outside the city, GPS + GLONASS is enough.

FAQ: answers to frequent questions about geolocation on the Redmi Note 8 Pro