Realize that Xiaomi has locked phones.

Preface#

I have always wanted to explain to everyone what "locked" means for Xiaomi phones. I have written about it clearly in my previous article on "Brother Long's" blog, but unfortunately, the view count was not high enough and I am no longer involved in related matters. This article will further simplify the previous one for beginners, and I will gradually update the implementation methods of related technologies in the future.

I will introduce various methods in a step-by-step manner and explain how to determine if a phone is "locked".

Why are there locks?#

Locks on Xiaomi phones are not a program intentionally designed to make things difficult for Xiaomi users, but rather a security measure taken by Xiaomi to protect their phones. Users can use Xiaomi Cloud Services https://i.mi.com to track their phones, lock their phones, find their phones, remotely erase data, and take photos if the phone is lost. Other phone manufacturers such as Huawei, Apple, Meizu, etc. also have similar services for finding phones.

Regarding this issue, some people say it is due to a dirty phone, while others say the owner forgot the password. These are not within the scope of our discussion, but I encourage you to try to contact the owner if you find someone else's phone and try to return it.

Tips#

This article will become invalid due to continuous updates and upgrades in "unlocking" and "blocking" technologies, so please be careful when using it!

I am not a saint and I am not intentionally trying to disrupt the second-hand market. Some people sell second-hand phones without integrity and use various misleading terms. Thank you for your understanding.

Although there are still some old methods, many of them have become ineffective, mainly because Xiaomi has gradually tightened security issues related to phones.

This article has undergone technical processing to protect my IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) and related privacy. Please enter your own IMEI correctly for relevant queries. Unauthorized use of illegal queries will be subject to necessary legal protection! Do not attempt to break the law.

This unlocking method is still being updated, so this article may become invalid due to technical upgrades. Also, the images in my (tutorial) are large, so please bear with me [doge].

Life of a Locked Phone#

This section is divided into "Popular", "Common", and "Obsolete" to represent unlocking methods from different eras. Sometimes a phone model may have multiple unlocking methods, so please be cautious.

Summary Table#

	System OTA Upgrade	Factory Reset	Login to Xiaomi Account	Flashing	ROOT	BL Lock
Unlocked	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Perfect Unlock	❌	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Perfect Unlock	❌	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌
VPN Half Hide	✔	❌	WeChat Login ✔	❌	❌	❌
MediaTek Perfect Unlock	✔	✔	✔	❌	❌	❌
Semi-Perfect Unlock	❌	✔	WeChat Login ✔	❌	❌	❌
Hidden ID	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Block APP	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌
Card Desktop	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

The "Hidden ID", "Block APP", and "Card Desktop" methods have all been fixed and are unreliable and consume a lot of power. It is not recommended in the following text.

VPN Half Hide#

Example: [Popular]

This is not used for "climbing the wall" (bypassing internet censorship). This VPN is an app that controls the internet access permissions of the system. The app intercepts the system's Find My Phone feature by blocking the VPN channel used by the app. This prevents the Find My Phone app from connecting to the internet. However, due to the power-saving settings in MIUI, the VPN app may frequently disconnect, causing instability and indirectly leading to re-locking. In this case, you can only restart the phone by long-pressing the power button and then open the VPN app again. This unlocking solution is now widely used, as occasional re-locking is acceptable for most budget-conscious users.

Models: Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi 9, Xiaomi CC9E, Xiaomi Mix 3, Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Xiaomi 10, Xiaomi 10 Pro, Redmi K30 Pro...

Perfect Unlock 2.0#

Example: [Popular]

This unlocking method appeared earlier this year. I don't know the exact principle, but I do know that MediaTek and Qualcomm have different methods for unbricking phones, so MediaTek has come up with a perfect unlocking method. This perfect unlocking method is indeed very perfect. It allows system upgrades, factory resets, and logging in with an ID. The only drawback is that you cannot flash the phone, which refers to unlocking the bootloader to flash the phone. This unlocking state is very similar to the unlocking method used in the Xiaomi 5 era.

Models: Redmi 10X 4G, Redmi 10X 5G, Redmi 10X Pro, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi K30 Supreme, Redmi Note 9 5G...

Semi-Perfect Unlock#

Example: [Popular]

I don't know the principle behind this unlocking method, but it has started to appear in the past month. It addresses the shortcomings of the VPN re-locking method and allows factory resets and logging in with WeChat ID. The risk of using this unlocking method is basically zero.

Models: Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi 9, Xiaomi Mix 3, Xiaomi CC9E, Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Note 8...

Perfect Unlock 1.0#

Example: [Common]

Starting from the Xiaomi 6, we have had the term "perfect unlock". The principle is to unlock the internal bootloader of the phone, modify the Find My Phone app file in the MIUI system to block Xiaomi's control of the phone.

Therefore, theoretically, all Xiaomi phone models can be perfectly unlocked.

However, low-end Xiaomi models on the market do not have this privilege.

Now let's talk about the models that can be perfectly unlocked on the market. Please note that I am referring to models that are actually available and can be operated.

Models: Xiaomi 6, Xiaomi Mix 2, Xiaomi Note 3, Redmi Note 5, Xiaomi 6X, Xiaomi Max 3, Xiaomi Mix 2S, Xiaomi 8, Xiaomi 8SE, Xiaomi 8 Youth Edition, Redmi Note 7, Xiaomi 9SE, Xiaomi CC9, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi 9, Xiaomi Mix 3, Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi K30 Pro, Xiaomi 10, Xiaomi 10 Pro...

The BL lock has version issues. The BL lock of older versions can be directly unlocked using software. This should be the software.

This method died during the 2020 Spring Festival.

Hidden ID#

Example: [Obsolete]

Due to cost limitations, the above-mentioned models generally use this hidden unlocking method (in fact, the perfect unlocking method described below is also available for the Xiaomi Max 2, but it does not require unlocking the bootloader due to cost reasons). This method involves using the Qualcomm 9008 cable flashing unlocking package, but you cannot upgrade or restore the phone or even flash it. The drawback of this unlocking method is increased power consumption.

Models: Xiaomi Max 2, Xiaomi 5x, Redmi 5, Redmi 5 Plus, Redmi 5A, Redmi Note 5A, Redmi S2, Redmi 6, Redmi 6A...

Block APP#

Example: [Obsolete]

In the early days, the "My Xiaomi.apk" and "Find My Phone.apk" apps were installed and cracked by flashing a specific unlocking package through the Qualcomm 9008 port on the motherboard. This method was widely supported by many phones at the time. However, the drawback of this unlocking method is increased power consumption because the Find My Phone app is constantly trying to connect to the server but cannot establish a stable connection.

Models: (Models from the early Xiaomi 5 era)

Card Desktop#

Example: [Obsolete]

In the early days, this unlocking method involved using the official MIUI or modified MIUI to download a third-party desktop app from a hidden webpage in the setup wizard and then using the phone's dual apps feature. However, this method became invalid after restarting the phone. It is unlikely that this unlocking method still exists.

Models: MIUI 9 era

How to Determine if a Phone is Locked#

Tip: Do not use the query function on unofficial domains. Please verify the domain as mi.com and access the website with the subdomain i.mi.com using HTTPS for secure access before logging in to your Xiaomi account.

Obtain IMEI#

The IMEI is printed on the phone's packaging.
If the phone is functioning normally, enter *#06# on the phone's dial pad to display the IMEI.
On the phone, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Status to view the IMEI.

Here is an example using a normally booted phone, or you can use the IMEI provided by the seller.

You can use the "Direct Link" in this article to perform the query. The query service is provided by Xiaomi Cloud Services. Do not trust links provided by sellers to avoid being deceived.

Open the phone's dial pad and enter *#06#. Long-press on "IMEI1" or "IMEI2" in the dialog box that appears (IMEI1 is recommended for each slot).

steps

Then open the website of Xiaomi Cloud Services, i.mi.com https://i.mi.com

Mobile End#

Enter https://i.mi.com in any browser.

Or directly access the query page https://i.mi.com/find/device/activationlock?_locale=en_US#/status

The following demonstrates manually accessing the official website.

Click on "Phone Appeal Unlock" at the bottom of the Xiaomi Cloud Services webpage.

Click on "Find Phone Status Query" under "Not sure if Find My Phone is enabled on your phone?"

In the "Enter the current unlock code or IMEI" section, copy or enter the IMEI code in the "Unlock code or IMEI" box, and then click "Query".

The query result shows that the phone is "locked" and the Xiaomi account needs to be unbound by the seller before re-querying. The phone is locked as shown in the following image.

The query result shows that the phone is "unlocked" and not bound to a Xiaomi account. The phone is unlocked as shown in the following image.

PC End#

Enter https://i.mi.com in any browser.

Or directly access the query page https://i.mi.com/find/device/activationlock?_locale=en_US#/status

[It is recommended to use a browser with the Chrome engine]

The following demonstrates manually accessing the official website.

Click on "Phone Appeal Unlock" at the bottom of the Xiaomi Cloud Services webpage.

Click on "Find Phone Status Query" under "Not sure if Find My Phone is enabled on your phone?"

In the "Enter the current unlock code or IMEI" section, copy or enter the IMEI code in the "Unlock code or IMEI" box, and then click "Query".

The query result shows that the phone is "locked" and the Xiaomi account needs to be unbound by the seller before re-querying. The phone is locked as shown in the following image.

The query result shows that the phone is "unlocked" and not bound to a Xiaomi account. The phone is unlocked as shown in the following image.

Conclusion#

This set of methods is indeed very useful for identifying locked phones on second-hand platforms, but some people like to use terms that you have never heard of, such as "screen aging" being described as "ghosting"... in order to beautify these flaws. Therefore, it is important to carefully discern the truth.

This article is modified from Brother Long's column. It was originally written based on my own ideas, and Brother Long has been updating it since then. There is no problem with reposting, but please edit the source and inform me in advance!

If this article is helpful to you when buying a second-hand phone, you can buy me a coffee. Can you see the coffee cup below? ☟

Any amount is fine, it is very helpful to me. Or you can contribute some page views to me φ(゜▽゜ *)♪

This article is synchronized and updated to xLog by Mix Space.
The original link is https://www.miaoer.xyz/posts/blog/xiaomi-locked