Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones are famous for their performance, but before selling or transferring the device to a new owner, it is critical to properly prepare the gadget.Mere deleting contacts or cleaning the gallery is not enough: the MIUI system and HyperOS store deep anchorages that can lock the phone after a reset. Owners often face a situation where the new owner can not activate the device due to FRP (Factory Reset Protection) protection.
The cleaning process requires a consistent approach, because multiple profiles can be activated on a single device at the same time, including the main Google account, the Mi Cloud cloud service, and various authorization applications, ignoring any of these elements will lead to the phone becoming a brick for an outsider, and you will lose access to your data.
In this article, we will discuss a detailed algorithm that ensures that all services are completely untied. We will look at standard methods through settings, manual removal of profiles and ways to bypass locks if standard access is lost.
Why you should untie accounts before resetting
Modern Android operating systems, including Xiaomi shells, have built-in anti-theft mechanisms. If you perform a hard reset through the volume buttons without first deleting the accounts in the settings menu, the system will lock. When you first activate the phone will require you to enter the password from the last used Google account or Mi Account.
This creates a serious problem when selling: the buyer will not be able to use the device, and you, as a seller, will receive notifications about attempts to log in from unfamiliar equipment. Moreover, while the account is tied, remote management allows you to erase data or determine the geolocation of the phone, which in the hands of an unscrupulous buyer can lead to locking your device.
⚠️ Note: If you sell a phone with a Mi Account tied, the new owner will not be able to reset to factory settings without your password.
Also, keep in mind the security of personal data. Even after formatting internal memory, some cached data can theoretically be recovered if no encryption or menu reset procedure has been done. Deleting an account initiates the process of unbundling access tokens on the company's servers, making your data in the cloud inaccessible to the device.
Delete Mi Account through system settings
The first and most important step is to disable the main identifier in the Xiaomi ecosystem. It is Mi Account that controls the synchronization of contacts, notes, voice recorder and the "Device Search" function. Without removing it, any reset will result in a blockage of activation.
To start, open the Settings app on the home screen or in the notification curtain. Find Accounts and Sync (in newer versions of HyperOS, it may simply be called Accounts).
- 🔹 Click on the “Log Out” or “Delete Account” button at the bottom of the screen.
- 🔹 The system will request confirmation of the operation and will require you to enter a password from your Mi-account.
- 🔹 After entering the password, the device will uncouple, and the synchronization status will change.
It's important to understand the difference between logging out and deleting your account, and in the context of preparing your phone for sale, what we need to do is delete your profile from your device, and if you just log out but don't delete your profile, the next time you turn on, your phone might automatically try to log in.
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Before deleting your Mi Account, make sure you remember the password.If you forget it after resetting, it will take days to weeks for you to regain access to the locked device through support.
After a successful operation, there should be no Mi Account entries in the Accounts and Sync menu. If you use multiple profiles (for example, work and personal), the procedure should be repeated for each of them, only a clean list ensures that there are no hidden attachments.
Unbinding Google Account and Services
The second critical element is the Google account: FRP (Factory Reset Protection) tightly ties the device to the last Gmail address entered, and ignoring this step is the most common cause of problems for new smartphone owners.
Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. Find your email address @gmail.com on the list. Click on it and you will see the Delete Account or Delete More → Delete button. The system will warn that all associated data (contacts, mail, calendar) will be deleted from the phone but will remain in the Google cloud.
| Type of account | Wherever | Effects of removal | Password requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Account | Settings → Mi Account | Unlocking from Xiaomi's cloud | I'll be sure. |
| Settings → Accounts | Removing FRP lockdown | Not always. | |
| Exchange/Corporate | Settings → Accounts | Deletion of work mail | Depends on politics. |
Beyond the core services, check for third-party accounts, which could be Samsung Cloud profiles (if you’ve switched from a different brand), Dropbox accounts, OneDrive accounts, or Exchange corporate profiles, which may not block the phone, but leave your files open to the new owner.
☑️ Checking accounts before resetting
Cleaning Third-Party Apps and Cloud Storage
Many users forget that apps like Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp, or bank clients keep active sessions, and even after a phone reset, if you don't log out manually, notifications may arrive on a new customer's device or, conversely, your sessions can be used to access correspondence.
Pay special attention to financial applications. Banking programs (SberBank, Tinkoff, etc.) are often device-specific. Before selling, be sure to go to the security settings inside the bank application and select the option “Exit” or “End session”. In some cases, you need to completely delete the application before resetting.
For messengers with a cloud history (such as Telegram), it is easy to uninstall the application, since the history is stored on the server. However, for WhatsApp, which stores backups locally or in Google Drive, it is better to back up, and then select an Account → Delete my account (if the phone is sold forever) or just log out in the application settings.
⚠️ Warning: Don't just rely on deleting application shortcuts. Authorization data can stay in system storage. Use Delete Account within every important application.
Also check NFC and payment system settings. If you have used Google Pay or Mi Pay, remove the associated cards in the bank app or in the NFC settings. This will prevent potential, though unlikely, payment attempts with a screen lock.
Full reset (Hard Reset)
Once all accounts are manually deleted, you need to do a full reset, which will put the phone back out of the box, and there are two ways to do this: through the settings menu and through Recovery mode.
The safest and most correct method is through the system interface. Go to Settings → About Phone → Reset (or Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset). Select the option to Erase all data.
The way to discharge:
Settings → About Phone → Reset Settings → Erase All Data → Enter Password → ConfirmationThe system will alert you that all files will be destroyed. If you delete your accounts correctly, the phone won't ask for a password from Google or Mi after the reboot, it will prompt you to choose a language and connect to Wi-Fi immediately.
What to do if the phone asks for a password after resetting?
An alternative method via Recovery (Volume Up + Power) is not recommended if you have access to the menu, as it may not properly handle some system partitions in new versions of Android, remaining in the “emergency only” mode.
What to do if you forget your account password
The situation where a user wants to delete an account but does not remember a password is one of the most difficult: without a password, you can not normally delete Mi Account or Google, and the security system is specially designed to prevent the deletion of a profile by an attacker.
In this case, the only legal way is to restore access through the web interface. For a Xiaomi account, go to id.mi.com, enter a phone number or email and follow the recovery instructions. Similarly for Google, go to accounts.google.com.
If you can't retrieve your phone number or email, things get complicated. Google has an identity verification procedure that can take days. Mi accounts may require you to submit a receipt for the device to an authorized service center for forced unlocking.
- 🔹 Try to remember your password using the options you normally use.
- 🔹 Check if the password is saved in the browser on the computer or in the password manager.
- 🔹 If the phone is still turned on and has access to the Internet, try changing the password through the web version of the service.
⚠️ Warning: Using third-party software to “hack” or bypass FRP (Bypass often leads to system instability, loss of warranty and risk of malware infecting the device.
It is important to note that buying a phone with your hands without checking for other people's accounts is a risk. If you are a seller, your honesty and pre-cleaning the device will save you unnecessary questions and returns.
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Main thought: Deleting accounts through the pre-reset settings menu is the only guaranteed way to avoid blocking activation and FRP issues.