Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the need to untie their Mi Account before selling the device or after buying a used gadget.The Redmi 5 model, despite its age, remains popular and lock issues are more relevant for it than ever. The process of deleting an account can seem difficult if you are not familiar with the Mi Cloud ecosystem.
There are several scenarios: you know your account password, you forgot it, or you bought a phone that was already registered to another user. Activation Lock (FRP) is a security mechanism that prevents you from using your phone without entering the previous owner's data. In this article, we will discuss all the legal ways to solve this problem.
Don't ignore this step, because an associated account can limit the functionality of the device, for example, you can't back up or sync contacts, and then we'll look at detailed algorithms for different situations.
Preparation for Account Deletion
Before you start taking active action to remove the profile, you need to perform a number of preparatory operations, which will help to avoid loss of important data and prevent accidental locking of the device.
Make sure you have access to the phone number that was listed when you signed up. Often, the security system requests a confirmation code via SMS. If the SIM card is lost, it will take longer to recover.
- 📱 Charge the battery of the Redmi 5 smartphone to at least 60% so that the process does not interrupt.
- 💾 Save important photos and contacts to the cloud or computer.
- 📶 Connect your device to a stable Wi-Fi network.
- 🔑 Write down your current Mi Account password to a secure location before deleting it.
☑️ Checklist before reset
It’s also important to understand the difference between simply logging out of an account and completely removing a device from the trusted list. Simply logging out through settings doesn’t always remove the activation lock after resetting.
Standard method of removal through settings
The easiest and most correct method is if you have access to the desktop and know the password, which ensures that activation lock will not turn on after resetting.
You need to go to the system settings menu. Find the account section. In the MIUI shell, the path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same.
Click on your account name at the top of the menu, and a page will open with profile information, cloud storage and associated devices, and that's where the exit button is.
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If the system requires a password when you log out and you don’t remember it, don’t try to guess many times in a row – the account may be temporarily blocked for security reasons.
⚠️ Note: After clicking the "Exit" button, the system may request confirmation by SMS Or through an authenticator app, make sure you have a second phone on hand to get the code.
Once it's successfully released, the phone will stop syncing data to the cloud, and you can safely reset to factory settings without fear of activation problems.
Removal via Mi Cloud web interface
If you don't have access to the smartphone itself, but you remember the username and password, you can use remote control. Mi Cloud allows you to manage the associated devices from any computer.
Go to the service's official website and log in to your data. In the main menu, select the section responsible for finding the device, and here you will see a list of all the gadgets associated with this account.
| Action. | The result | Conditions required |
|---|---|---|
| Delete from your account | Removes activation blockage | Internet access on the phone |
| Erase the data | Full reset (Factory Reset) | GPS enabled and network |
| Disappearance regime | Blocks the screen with a message | Active compound |
| Sound. | Turns on maximum volume | Any state of the network |
Select your Redmi 5 from the list. Search the control menu for the device removal option. Confirm the action. If the phone is online at that moment, the command will run instantly.
It's important to note that if a device is turned off or doesn't have access to the Internet, the command will be executed the first time you connect to the network, so don't rush to sell if the status of the device has not been updated.
What if the device is not listed?
Resetting a forgotten Mi Account password
Password loss is one of the most common situations, and fortunately Xiaomi has a recovery mechanism, and you'll need access to the mail or phone number you've signed up for.
Go to the account login page and click on the link "Forgot your password?" The system will offer several recovery options. Choose the most suitable method for you.
- 📧 Email: A link will be sent to the mail to create a new password.
- 📲 Through SMS: The confirmation code will arrive at the linked phone number.
- ❓ Check Questions: If you set them up when you created your account.
After changing your password, you have to wait a while (usually 15 minutes to 24 hours) before entering new data on your device, a security measure to prevent hacking.
⚠️ Note: If you change your phone number and don't have access to your mail, you may not be able to restore your account, and you may need to contact customer support with purchase checks.
Remember that two-factor authentication greatly improves security, but makes it harder to recover if the second factor is lost.
What to do when buying a used phone with someone else's account
Buying a Redmi 5 with your hands can put you at risk of a device being locked by someone else’s account, which often happens if the previous owner simply reset the settings but didn’t untie the device.
In this case, the only legal way to unlock the phone is to contact the seller, and they don't have to give you their password, and they just log into their Mi Account from any other device or computer and remove Redmi 5 from the trusted list, as described in section two.
If the seller claims that he did nothing and can not help, it is an alarm bell: the phone may have been stolen or found, in such cases, using third-party software to bypass the lock is a violation of the terms of use of the service.
There's a myth that flashing your phone solves the problem, but locking it is tied to a unique device ID on the company's servers, so as long as the device is listed on someone else's account, after any firmware, it will again request the owner's data.
Complete reset (Hard Reset) after detachment
Once the account is successfully deleted, it is recommended to perform a complete reset, which will clear the phone of all personal data, app cache and possible system errors.
For Redmi 5, the procedure is done via the Recovery menu. Turn off the phone completely. Then press the Up Volume and Power button at the same time. Hold them until the Mi logo appears.
Volume Up + Nutrition (hold 5-10 seconds)In the menu that appears, you can navigate with volume buttons and select with a power button. Select a language, then go to Wipe Data and confirm the action of Wipe All Data.
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Hard Reset completely destroys all user data. Make sure that the account is deleted before this procedure, otherwise the phone will lock when you turn on.
It takes a few minutes to complete, and when it's done, it will reboot and start as a new one, requiring initial setup, and because the account was untied in advance, you won't be asked to enter the old password.