Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often face an intrusive system notification informing them that the device search app has unexpectedly closed. This error can appear at the most inopportune moment, blocking access to other interface functions or simply annoying with constant pop-ups.The problem is not the physical damage to the gadget, but the software conflict of the system services of Google Play Services and the shell. MIUI.
This message is not to be ignored, as it indicates unstable work of the background processes responsible for geolocation and security of your account. In some cases, constant failures can lead to increased battery consumption or slowdown of the operating system.
In this guide, we will discuss effective ways to fix this problem, from simple reboots to deeper customizations of system applications. A critical step is to clean the data of the system component of Find a Device, not the entire Google account. Follow the instructions carefully so as not to disrupt other important personalization settings.
Causes of System Failure
Understanding the root of the problem helps to avoid recurrence in the future: most often, the “device search closed suddenly” error occurs after the operating system or Google Play services are updated. During the update, configuration files can become corrupted or conflict with the cached data of the old version.
Another common cause is incorrect synchronization, where if the Internet connection was interrupted while the system was trying to pinpoint the coordinates of the gadget, the process could end in an emergency, and third-party launchers or optimization programs that aggressively unload background processes also influence.
It is worth noting that some Redmi Note and Xiaomi Mi models have a specific bug associated with access rights to geodata. The system can block access to GPS for system services, considering them suspicious, which causes a cyclical crash of the application.
- 📱 Conflict of versions between the shell MIUI and Google services.
- 🌐 Unstable Internet connection during location synchronization.
- 🗑️ Crowded cache of system applications causing read errors.
- 🔋 Aggressive energy saving that kills background processes.
⚠️ Note: Do not try to remove system applications through third-party utilities to obtain root rights, this can lead to complete inoperability of the smartphone.
Basic cleaning of cache and application data
The most effective and safest way to solve this problem is to force the data to be cleaned of the problem component, so you don't have to delete the application completely, because it's part of the system, just reset it to factory parameters.
To start, go to your device’s settings menu. Find the section responsible for managing installed programs. Depending on the version of MIUI, this item may be called “Apps” or “Apps and Notifications.” Next, select “All Apps” to see the full list of system and user processes.
☑️ Algorithm of action
In the list that opens, look for a item called Find Device (or Find Device). Note that the icon may look like green radar or locator. Click on it to open the control menu. Here you are interested in the Clean button at the bottom of the screen. After clicking, select Clear All Data and confirm the action.
Once this procedure is done, the system will delete the temporary files and reset the access settings for the component, and the next time it starts, the service is re-initiated, creating new, correct configuration files, which usually solves the problem 90% of the time.
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If you don’t see “Find Device” in the app list, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select “Show System Processes.”
Configuring permissions and accesses
Android strictly controls the access of applications to geolocation, and if Google Play Services or the system locator does not have the right to determine the location, they can terminate in an emergency.
In the same Find Device control menu where you cleared the data, look for App Permissions. Make sure that access to the geo-location is set to Always Allowed or Only Allowed When Used. Also check for phone and contacts if it is required for the search function to function.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on work |
|---|---|---|
| Geoposition | Permitted. | Critical for search |
| Auto-start | Included. | Needs for background work |
| Displaying on top of others | Permitted. | For pop-ups. |
| Working in the background | No restrictions. | Prevents a stoppage |
Pay special attention to the power saving settings. On Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, aggressive battery optimization is enabled by default. Go to the battery settings, find the Find Device app, and select No Limits mode, which will prevent the system from forcibly shutting down the process to save energy.
⚠️ Warning: Changing system permissions can affect the “Find your phone” function in case of loss of your gadget, so do not turn off access to geolocation completely.
Update of Google Play Services and Systems
Software version incompatibility is a frequent culprit. Make sure your device has the latest updates installed. Go to the Google Play Store, click on your profile avatar and select App and Device Management.
In the Update section, check for updates for Google Play and Google Play Store. If updates are available, install them and restart your smartphone. It’s also worth checking for updates to the MIUI firmware itself in the About Phone menu.
What to do if there are no updates?
Sometimes automatic updates don't come due to regional features or server failures, so you can try manually checking for updates several times at intervals of 10-15 minutes, and the stable version of the software contains fixes for known bugs, including those that cause cyclical shutdowns of system processes.
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Regular updates to Google services ensure compatibility with new versions of Android and fix security vulnerabilities.
Resetting network settings and rebooting services
If simple methods don't work, the problem may be network settings. DNS static IP-Addresses can interfere with the correct transfer of location data to Google servers.
Go to Connect and Sharing (or Additional Features) and find Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile, and Bluetooth. Confirm the action. This won't delete your personal files or contacts, but will reset passwords from Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth headset settings.
Once the network is reset, do a full reboot of the device. Don't use a quick reboot, turn off the smartphone completely and turn it on again in a minute, allowing all system services to start in the right order, without any hanging processes.
- 🔄 Completely reset network settings in the phone menu.
- 📡 Switch the network mode (for example, with the 4G on 3G and back) for re-registration on the network.
- 🔌 Disable and reconnect your Google account in sync settings.
Radical measures: removal of updates and reset
In cases where persists persists despite all attempts, you can try rolling back the Find Device app to the factory version. In the app information menu, click three dots in the upper right corner and select Remove Updates.
If that didn’t work, consider completely resetting your device before factory settings. Factory Reset will delete all data, so be sure to back up important information to a cloud server or computer before starting the procedure.
Settings → About the phone → Reset settings → Erase all dataOnce reset, set the phone as new without immediately restoring the app backup to check if the bug has gone away. If the problem is resolved, you can gradually return the data, a guaranteed way to get rid of any software conflicts.
⚠️ Warning: Full resetting of the device is a last resort.Make sure you remember the password from your Mi Account and Google account, otherwise activation of the phone after the reset will not be possible.