How to change the region on the phone Xiaomi: official and hidden methods

Changing the region on Xiaomi smartphones is a procedure that can be necessary for various reasons, from the desire to access global services Google Play to the need to bypass regional restrictions in the firmware. However, many users face problems: after a change in the region, Mi Account stops working, updates disappear or errors in MIUI. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to change the region, from official to hidden methods for power users.

It is important to understand that Xiaomi is actively fighting against unauthorized change of region, especially on new models with MIUI 14/15.Some methods that worked in 2022-2023, today can lead to account lock or “brick” of the device, we tested all the methods described below on the current firmware and indicate the risks for each of them.

Why users change region to Xiaomi

The main reasons for the change in the region are related to the restrictions that Xiaomi imposes on firmware for different markets:

• 🌍 Access to global services: on Chinese firmware (CN) Google Play is not available in Europe (EEA) — Some of the features of the Mi Cloud.
• 📱 Software updates: Regional firmware gets updates at different rates, for example, Redmi Note 12 in India is updated more often than in Russia.
• 💳 Payment and services: Mi Pay, Mi Credit or local payment systems are not available in some regions.
• 🔓 Bypassing locks: Unlocking bootloader on Chinese devices requires changing region to Global, for example.

But not all of the constraints can be overcome by simply changing the region (IN) Even after flashing on Global, there may be a lock 5G-ranges laid down at the hardware level.

Official method: change the region through the settings MIUI

The safest method is to use the built-in MIUI feature, which is suitable for most models on MIUI 12-15, but has limitations:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7-10 times on the line MIUI version until the message appears "You became a developer!".
3. Return to the main settings menu and select Additional → Region.
4. Find the country you want (e.g. India, Russia, Global) and confirm your choice.

⚠️ Note: After changing region, the device may require you to link to a new Mi Account from a selected country. If you already have an account from another region (e.g., China), the system will block access to certain features, including updates.

Backup your data to Mi Cloud or PC

Make sure your phone has enough charge (at least 50%)

Untie all bank cards from Mi Account

Remember the username/password from your Xiaomi account-->

Change region through Mi Account: step-by-step instructions

If your device doesn’t have a region change option, you can try changing it through your Xiaomi account, which works for most models but requires a phone reset:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com and log in.
2. In the profile, look for Personal Info → Country/Region.
3. Change the country to the right one (for example, from China to Russia) and save the changes.
4. On the phone, perform Settings → Reset settings → Delete all data.
5. When you first set up after reset, select the same region as in your account.

⚠️ Note: If the phone requests a link to an account from another region (for example, you chose Global and your account is Chinese), the device may be locked for 7-30 days.

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Before reset, untie your phone from your Google account (if it was tied) via Settings. → Accounts. → Google → Delete your account. This will prevent problems with your FRP-lock-in.

Alternative methods: ADB and engineering menu

For power users, there are ways to change the region without resetting. One is to use the same. ADB-This method works for teams. MIUI 13-15 but requires an unlocked bootloader:

adb shell settings put global region_change_allowed 1


adb shell am start -n com.miui.region/.RegionActivity

Once you've done these commands, you'll have a hidden option to change your region in the settings, but there are some nuances:

• 🔧 On some models (Redmi) K50, POCO F5) This method only works after rolling back to an older version. MIUI.
• 🚫 Xiaomi may block account for frequent region changes ADB.
• ⚠️ After using the command, the device may lose Widevine certification L1 (drop down L3), What will make streaming on Netflix and Disney worse?+.

Another way is to use the engineering menu (#4636##), but in recent versions of MIUI, this method has stopped working due to security constraints.

Changing the region through refashioning

The most radical, but also the most reliable way is to completely reflash the device to another regional version of MIUI.

1. Unlock the bootloader via the Mi Unlock Tool (can take up to 360 hours to wait).
2. Download firmware for the desired region from the official Xiaomi website.
3. Install it via Fastboot or Recovery.

⚠️ Note: When re-flashing with CN Global (and vice versa) is at risk of losing data IMEI Before the procedure, be sure to save them through the engineering menu (#4636## → Phone information).

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Flashing is the only way to change region on models with locked engineering menus (for example, Xiaomi 12S Ultra or Mix Fold 3).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When changing regions, users often face the following problems:

• 🔄 "Region doesn't change after reboot: This is due to a conflict between the firmware region and the account region.The solution is to reset the phone to factory settings after changing the region to Mi Account.
• 🔒 "Device locked for 7 days": Error occurs when you try to link your phone to an account from another region, the solution is to wait the specified period or use the Mi Unlock Tool.
• 📱 "The network disappeared after the change of region: On some models (Redmi) 10, Note 11) after the change of the region IN Global may be losing ranges 4G/5G. The solution is to flash a modified radio (modem).
• 🛑 "Google Certification Error: Occurs when changing from CN The solution is to install the Google Services Framework manually through the ADB.

If the phone has stopped updating after the region change, check the MIUI version in the Settings → About menu. Sometimes the system forgets updates for a new region.

How to return the original region if something went wrong

If critical errors occur after changing the region (for example, the phone does not turn on or constantly restarts), you can try to return the original settings:

1. Reset via Recovery: Turn off your phone. Press Power + Volume Up to log in to Recovery. Select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.

Recovery with the Mi Flash Tool

• Download the official firmware for your region.
• Connect your phone to Fastboot (Power + Volume Down)
• In the Mi Flash Tool, select the Clean All option and flash the device.

⚠️ Note: If after a failed change of region, the phone requires authorization to Mi Account, but you do not remember the data or the account is blocked, the only way out is to contact the Xiaomi service center with proof of purchase.

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If the phone still doesn't work well after returning the original region, check the integrity of the persist partition via the fastboot getvar all command. If it's damaged, you'll need a full formatting firmware.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions