How to enable geolocation on Xiaomi phone: full instructions for all models

Xiaomi's smartphone geolocation isn't just a feature for maps and navigators. It's a function of taxis, food delivery, fitness trackers, weather widgets, even some banking apps. But many users are facing challenges: GPS doesn't catch satellites, battery goes down in an hour because of background geolocation, apps don't see location at all. In this article, we'll look at everything from basic activation to fine-tuning to save charge and improve accuracy.

It's important to understand that Xiaomi uses a combined positioning system: in addition to the classic GPS (American system), smartphones support GLONASS (Russian), BeiDou (Chinese) and Galileo (European), which allows you to find satellites faster in the city or in the forest. But to work correctly, you need not only to enable geolocation in the settings, but also to properly configure the permissions for applications, optimize power consumption and sometimes even update the firmware.

If you have never used a geolocation on Xiaomi or encountered errors such as "Location not available" or "Signal weak", this guide will help you understand.

1. Basic geolocation activation on Xiaomi

The first thing to do is to enable the location function itself. On all modern Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO, Black Shark), the path is almost the same, but may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI shell.

Open Settings (the gear icon on your desktop or in the app menu) and follow the following steps:

• 📍 Go to Memory and Geoposition (older versions MIUI — Additional → Geoposition).
• 🔄 Turn on the geoposition slider (it should turn blue).
• 🛠️ Click on Mode and select High Accuracy (this uses GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile networks and sensors).

After activation, the notification bar will display a geolocation icon (arrow or dot). If it is not, check if the Savings mode in the battery settings is turned off, as it can block the background geolocation.

On some models (for example, POCO F5 or Xiaomi 13 Ultra) after the geolocation activation, the system will offer a calibration of the compass.

1. Take the phone in your hand and rotate it in the air, describing the infinity sign (∞).
2. Keep an eye on the indicator on the screen – when the scale is full, the calibration is complete.

This procedure improves the accuracy of determining the direction of movement, which is important for navigators such as Google Maps or Yandex.Maps.

2. Setup of permissions for applications

It's not enough to enable geolocation at the system level, because each app needs to be allowed to access the location separately, without which, for example, Uber can't find your position, and Instagram won't attach a geotag to the story.

To set up permits:

1. Open the Settings → Applications.
2. Select the application you want (for example, Google Maps or Yandex.Maps).
3. Go to Permits. → Geoposition.
4. Set one of the options: 🔒 Allow only during use - the safest mode (geolocation only works when the application is open). 🌍 Allow always - you need for trackers (for example, Strava or Endomondo). ❌ Prohibit - unless the application needs to know your location.

Please note that some applications (such as banking or delivery services) may fail if they are not allowed access to geolocation, in which case a notification will appear asking you to change your settings.

Select Google Maps in Settings → Applications|

Allow access to the "Always" geolocation |

Enable background activity for the application|

Update the maps to the latest version-->

If you notice that an app requests geolocation too often (e.g., social media), it may be a sign of excessive battery consumption, in which case it is better to restrict access or remove the app.

3. Optimization of accuracy and speed of coordinate determination

Even after the geolocation is enabled, Xiaomi can catch satellites or show inaccurate coordinates for a long time.

• 📶 Weak signal GPS (in basements, tunnels, or among high-rises).
• 🔋 Energy-saving mode limiting the operation of sensors.
• 📱 An outdated version of the GPS- module's firmware or drivers.

To improve accuracy:

1. Enable all available positioning systems: Open Settings → Memory and geo-position → Mode. Select High accuracy (uses GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, Wi-Fi and mobile networks).
2. Update your A-GPS data (accelerates satellite search): Download the GPS Status & Toolbox app from Google Play. Open it and tap A-GPS Management → Reset, then Download.

Turn off battery savings for navigation apps

• Go to Settings → Battery → Selection of applications.
• Find Google Maps or another navigator and install it without restrictions.

If you are in a city with tall buildings, try to go out in the open area – GPS signal passes better without obstacles. In the forest or mountains can help external antenna (for example, for car navigators).

4. Battery savings when using geolocation

One of the main drawbacks of the GPS is its high power consumption, and if you keep the geolocation on all the time, the smartphone can run out in 4-5 hours, but there are ways to reduce battery consumption without losing functionality.

First, use adaptive geolocation:

• 🔄 Enable Charge Saving mode in geo-position settings (it only uses Wi-Fi and mobile networks, not GPS).
• ⏳ Install geolocation access for applications only during use (except for trackers).
• 📴 Turn off geolocation when you don’t need it (e.g. at night or at work).

Second, adjust the background activity:

1. Go to Settings → Battery → Selection of applications.
2. For applications that do not need constant location access (such as social media), set to limit background activity.

It is also worth checking which apps use GPS the most.

1. Open Settings → Battery → Battery Use.
2. Click on the menu icon (three dots) and select Use geolocation.
3. Check out the list of apps and turn off access for those who consume too much power.

💡

If you use a navigator in your car, connect your phone to charge. GPS + screen + mobile Internet can drain the battery in 2-3 hours even on new Xiaomi models.

5. Solving common geolocation problems

Sometimes the geolocation on Xiaomi works incorrectly: it searches for satellites for a long time, shows incorrect coordinates or does not determine the location at all.

If none of these methods worked, try resetting your network settings:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.
2. Confirm the action (this will remove saved Wi-Fi and cellular settings).
3. Restart your phone and check the GPS.

💡

If the geolocation stopped working after the MIUI update, try rolling back on the previous firmware version or wait for a patch from Xiaomi. Often GPS bugs are fixed in the next updates.

On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3 Pro), users are experiencing hardware problems with the GPS- module. If the satellites are not located after all the manipulations, you may need to repair or replace the antenna.

Geolocation in energy saving mode and travel abroad

Many Xiaomi users include Power Saving or Ultra Mode to extend battery life, but these modes limit GPS performance, which can lead to navigation problems.

If you need to save charge, but at the same time use geolocation:

• 🔋 Turn on the adaptive battery instead of the charge saving (it less aggressively restricts background processes).
• 📵 Add navigation apps to Battery Optimization Exceptions (in battery settings).
• ⚡ Use an external battery or charge in the car if you have a long trip ahead.

When traveling abroad, there may be additional difficulties:

• 🌍 Some countries restrict GLONASS or BeiDou, so it is best to turn on all available systems.
• 📡 Roaming can block the auxiliary data for A-GPS, in which case download the offline maps in advance.
• 🚗 Rented machines sometimes require unlocking regional restrictions for navigators.

If you travel frequently, install the GPS Test app – which shows which satellites are available in the current region and how strong the signal from each is.

7.Security and privacy: how not to disclose your location

Geolocation is not only a convenience, it is also a potential threat to privacy: Attackers can track your location through data leaks, and some apps collect coordinates for targeted advertising.

To protect ourselves:

• 🔐 Turn off geolocation when you don’t need it (e.g. at home or work).
• 📱 Check application permissions – many games and social media sites request location access for no reason.
• 🌐 Use VPN to mask the real IP- address (but that doesn't hide GPS- coordinates!).
• 🚨 Enable geolocation access notifications: Settings → Privacy → Permits → Geoposition → Access notifications.

Particularly careful should be taken:

• 📸 Social networks (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat) – they can save your travel history.
• 🏦 Banking applications – some require geolocation to confirm transactions, but this is not always secure.
• 🎮 Games with AR (Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite) – they are constantly tracking your location.

If you suspect you are being followed through geolocation, check:

1. List of applications with location access (Settings → Privacy → Permits → Geoposition).
2. Google Account Settings → Google Account Management → Data and Privacy → Location History.
3. The presence of suspicious applications in the list of installed programs.

💡

MIUI has a Second Space feature (Settings → Special Options → Second Space) that allows you to create an isolated profile with separate geolocation settings, which is useful if you want to restrict location access for certain applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about geolocation on Xiaomi