How to accurately determine the firmware region of Xiaomi: from settings to hidden commands

Did you buy a Xiaomi smartphone from hand, order from abroad, or just want to make sure your device runs on the “right” firmware? MIUI region affects not only the interface language, but also the availability of Google services, security updates, and sometimes even performance. For example, Chinese firmware (CN) often lacks the Play Market and has restrictions on installing third-party APKs, while European versions (EEA) can block some features due to GDPR.

The problem is that vendors don’t always honestly specify the region of the firmware, and after manually updating or resetting to factory settings, the device can jump to the unexpected version. In this article, we’ll look at 5 reliable ways to check the region, from basic (through the settings menu) to advanced (ADB teams and IMEI analysis), and find out why it’s important to know the difference between Global, China, India and other versions, and what to do if the region does not match your location.

1. Check the region through smartphone settings (the fastest way)

If you need to know the firmware region without connecting your smartphone to your computer, use the built-in MIUI menu. This method works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices regardless of the model and version of Android.

Open Settings → About the phone. Here we're interested in two things:

• 📱 Version. MIUI — for example, MIUI Global 14.0.5 or MIUI China 13.0.12 Region is listed immediately after the word "MIUI".
• 🌍 Model device - may contain a region suffix, for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G (Global or POCO X5 (IN) for the Indian version.

Note that sometimes the model name doesn't include a region, but it can be identified by the device code. For example, the letter G at the end usually means Global, and C is China. The full list of codes for your model can be found on official Xiaomi forums or sites like Xiaomi Firmware Updater.

⚠️ Attention: If in Settings → You see a phone labeled Stable Beta or Developer, which means that the device has a test firmware installed, and these versions often have bugs and can automatically update to unstable builds.

2. Analysis of the MIUI version through System Update

Another way to look at the updates section is to not only show the current firmware version, but also the available updates that vary by region, for example, if your smartphone is on Chinese firmware, it won't see updates for the Global version.

Go to Settings → System Update and pay attention to:

• 🔄 Current version MIUI — for example, V14.0.4.0.TKLCNXM (where CN — China, RU — Russia, IN — India).
• 📥 Available updates - if the firmware with suffix is offered EEA, Your device is tied to the European region.

If the MIUI version does not have an explicit suffix (e.g., V14.0.3.0.TKLMIXM), note the penultimate letter before M:

• ...IXM — Global (international).
• ...EXM - EEA (Europe).
• ...INXM — India (India).

Global (MI/IXM)|China (CN)|EEA (Europe)|India (IN)|Russia (RU)|Other-->

3. Verify using code ##4636## (Hidden Android Menu)

Some Xiaomi devices (especially older models or firmware based on pure Android) have an engineering menu that calls the combination ##4636##. This method is suitable if the previous methods did not give a clear answer.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter the combination ##4636## (without pressing the call button).
3. Select the item Phone Information.
4. Scroll down to the Software Version block – the region may be displayed here.

If the menu does not open, try an alternative method:

1. Install the QuickShortcutMaker app.
2. Find the Testing or Engineering Mode list.
3. Start an activity called com.android.settings.TestingSettings.

⚠️ Note: Do not change the settings in the engineering menu if you do not understand their purpose! For example, network reset can lead to loss of connection with the mobile operator.

4.Use ADB to accurately define region

If standard methods fail, you can connect your smartphone to your computer and use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable for advanced users and allows you to get the most accurate information about the firmware, including hidden parameters.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🛠️ Installed drivers Xiaomi and ADB Tools.

Instructions:

1. Turn on your smartphone to debug by USB (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version → Press 7 times, then Settings → Additional → For developers → Debugging by USB).
2. Connect the device to the computer and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (or Terminal) and type:

adb shell getprop ro.miui.region

In response, you will receive a region code, for example:

• cn - China.
• Global is the international version.
• eea is Europe.
• in - India.

For additional verification, follow two more commands:

adb shell getprop ro.product.locale.region


adb shell getprop ro.product.locale.language

The first will show regional settings (for example, RU for Russia), and the second will show the system language (en, zh, ru, etc.).

Download Platform Tools from the official Android website

Install Xiaomi drivers (Mi PC Suite)

Enable debugging by USB on a smartphone

Connect the original USB-cable

Start the command line on behalf of the administrator-->

5. IMEI region check (for new devices)

If you haven't activated your smartphone or it's not activated, you can identify the region of the firmware by IMEI, which only works for new devices, because the firmware can be changed after the first activation.

How to find out IMEI:

• 📦 On the device box (barcode sticker).
• 📱 Settings menu → The phone. → General information → IMEI.
• 🔢 Dial on the keyboard *#06#.

Next:

1. Go to IMEI.info.
2. Enter your IMEI in the verification field.
3. In the results, find the Firmware or Region bar – here will be the default firmware region.

⚠️ Note: If the device is already activated, IMEI It will only show the original region that could have been changed after manual firmware.

💡

If you buy Xiaomi with your hands, be sure to check the IMEI on the IMEI.info website – this will help to identify a fake or device with a changed region.

6.What to do if the firmware region is not suitable?

If you find out that your smartphone is running on firmware for another region (for example, Chinese instead of global), you have a few options:

Option 1: Change region via MIUI (without unlocking the bootloader)

On some devices, you can change the region directly in the settings:

1. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → Region.
2. Choose the region you want (e.g. India or Russia).
3. Reset the device.

Limitation: This method does not work on all firmware and may reset after an update.

Option 2: Manual update to the firmware of the desired region

If region change in settings is not available, you can manually install firmware for your market:

• 📥 Download the official firmware from Xiaomi’s website (select model and region).
• 📁 Rename the file to update.zip And put it in the root folder of internal memory.
• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Updating the system → Three points. → Select a firmware file.

Important: when switching from China to Global, you may need to unlock the bootloader and completely reset the data.

Option 3: Complete Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Fastboot Firm

For power users, installing firmware through Fastboot with the Mi Flash Tool is guaranteed to change region, but requires:

• Unlocked bootloader.
• Backup of data (everything will be erased!)
• Official firmware for your model.

💡

Before changing your firmware region, make sure to check compatibility! Installing firmware for another region can result in the loss of network, camera or other features.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi’s firmware region