How to change the language on the robot vacuum cleaner Xiaomi: 3 working methods + problem solving

Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaners have gained popularity thanks to a combination of affordable pricing and advanced features, but many users face an unexpected problem: the device “speaks” in Chinese, English or another unfamiliar language, which creates discomfort when setting up, voice alerts and controlling through the application. Fortunately, you can change the interface language in several ways, either through official software or manually.

In this article, we will discuss all the current language change methods for Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite, Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P, Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro and other popular versions. We will focus on hidden settings that the manufacturer does not advertise, but allows you to bypass regional restrictions.

Important: the procedure varies depending on the firmware and the region of the vacuum cleaner purchase. For example, European versions (EU) often have a limited list of languages, whereas global (Global) or Chinese (CN) are more flexible.

1. Method: Changing language through the Mi Home app

The easiest and safest method is to use the official Mi Home app (or Xiaomi Home for new models), which is suitable for most users if the vacuum cleaner is connected to a Xiaomi account and has the latest firmware.

Step instructions:

• 📱 Open the Mi Home app and go to the Devices (or Devices) tab).
• 🤖 Find your robot vacuum cleaner in the list and tap it.
• ⚙️ In the upper right corner, click on the icon «⋮» (three points and select Settings).
• 🌐 Scroll down to Device Language or Voice Prompts).
• 🇷🇺 Choose Russian (or other language) from the list and confirm the change.

If the language of the device is not on the menu, it means that your model does not support changing the language through the application, in which case move to the next method.

Check the connection of the vacuum cleaner to Wi-Fi

Update the Mi Home app to the latest version

Make sure the vacuum cleaner is not in cleaning mode

Battery charge of at least 20%

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Attention! Some firmware (CN) may require rebooting the device after changing the language.

1. Return to the main vacuum cleaner menu in the app.
2. Click on the icon. ⋮ → Reboot (Reboot).
3. Wait until the device turns off and turns on again (it will take ~2 minutes).

2. Method: manually changing the language through buttons on the body

If the app doesn’t allow you to change the language (for example, due to regional restrictions), you can use the hardware method, which works on most Xiaomi models, including the Mi Robot Vacuum 1S, Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 and others.

You'll need:

• 🔋 Charged vacuum cleaner (at least 30% of the battery).
• 📱 Phone with Mi Home app (to check the result).
• ⏱️ 5-10 minutes of free time.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn off the vacuum cleaner with a long press on the power button (3-5 seconds).
2. Press the buttons at the same time (🏠) and food (⏻) 5-7 seconds until you hear a beep.
3. Release the buttons. The vacuum cleaner will issue a voice message in the current language (e.g., Chinese "" - "please select the language").
4. Press the power button to switch languages, and each click is the next language on the list.
5. When you hear the desired language (for example, Russian "Language changed"), confirm the choice with a long press on Nutrition (3 seconds).

Important: On CN firmware models, the list of languages may be limited. If there is no Russian, try English and then upgrade to the global version.

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If the vacuum cleaner does not respond to the pressing of buttons, check if they are blocked with a protective film (relevant for new devices).

3. Method: Resetting settings to factory

If previous methods didn't work, the radical option is a complete reset, which will return the vacuum cleaner to the factory state, including the default language (usually English or Chinese), and after the reset, you can reconfigure the device and select the desired language.

Pre-discharge warnings:

How to reset your settings:

1. Turn off the vacuum cleaner with the power button.
2. Press the buttons Home (🏠) and food (⏻) 10-15 seconds until the white light lights up.
3. Release the buttons. The vacuum cleaner will sound and start the reset process (it will take ~2 minutes).
4. After the reboot, reconnect the device via Mi Home and select the language at the setup stage.

If you don’t have the right language after resetting, try updating the firmware (see next section).

Through the Mi Home| application Through the buttons on the case |Resetting the settings | Nothing helped-->

4. Update firmware to add new languages

On older firmware (version below 3.5.8), the list of supported languages may be reduced, so the solution is to update the vacuum cleaner software to the latest version, adding new languages (including Russian) and correcting localization errors.

How to update firmware:

• 📲 Open Mi Home → pick a vacuum cleaner → Settings → Firmware update.
• 🔄 If the update is available, click Update and wait until it is completed (don’t disconnect the vacuum cleaner from the network!).
• 🔋 Make sure your battery is at least 50% or the upgrade will be interrupted.

If there is no update button in the app, try:

1. Remove the vacuum cleaner from your Xiaomi account and add it again.
2. Change your account region to China (in your profile settings) and check for updates.
3. Use alternative firmware (such as Valetudo), but it requires technical skills.

Attention! Some users report that after updating the firmware from CN to Global, Russian language support disappears, in which case only manual firmware through ADB or a rollback to the previous version will help.

5 Problem Solving: Language is not changed or reset

Sometimes, after a successful language change, the vacuum cleaner forgets the settings or returns to Chinese.

If none of these methods worked, please contact Xiaomi for support:

• 🆔 Vacuum models (e.g, STYJ02YM Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Lite).
• 📋 Firmware versions (find in Settings) → About the device).
• 🌍 Region of the Mi Home account.

6.Alternative methods: firmware via ADB and Valetudo

For advanced users willing to risk the guarantee, there are informal ways to change the language, which require technical skills, but allow you to unlock all the features, including hidden languages.

Method 1: Firmware through ADB

If your vacuum cleaner is running Android Things (like Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop 2 Pro), you can connect to it via ADB and manually change your language settings.

1. Enable Developer Mode (10 times click on the firmware version in the settings).
2. Connect to the vacuum cleaner via Wi-Fi (IP-address can be found on the router).
3. Follow the command: adb shell setprop persist.sys.language ru adb shell setprop persist.sys.country RU adb reboot

Method 2: Installation of Valetudo

Valetudo is an open firmware for robot vacuum cleaners that replaces standard Xiaomi software, which supports all languages, including Russian, and gives access to advanced settings, minus the loss of official support.

Installation instructions:

1. Download Valetudo from the official website.
2. Connect to the vacuum cleaner via SSH (instructions are in the Valetudo documentation).
3. Download the firmware via SCP and perform the installation.

⚠️ Warning: Unofficial firmware can cause warranty loss and unstable operation of the device, and use them only if you have exhausted all official methods.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

When changing languages, users often make mistakes that cause them to crash or lose functionality, and the most common ones are:

• 🔌 Power out during the update → It can brick the device. Always watch the charge level (>50%) and do not interrupt the process.
• 🌍 The wrong account region → If your account is tied to China and the vacuum cleaner is bought for Europe, you can have conflicts.
• 🔄 Ignoring backups → Before resetting or firmware, save room maps (if possible in your model).
• 📱 Use of an outdated version of Mi Home → Update the app to Google Play or App Store before setting up.

If the vacuum cleaner starts to behave strangely after changing the language (for example, does not build a map or does not respond to commands), follow:

1. Hard reboot (clip the power for 20 seconds).
2. Network reset (Settings → Network → Forget the network and connect again).
3. Checking firmware updates.

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If the vacuum cleaner after changing the language stopped connecting to Wi-Fi, reset the network settings manually: press the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds until you hear the reset signal.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions