Xiaomi Mi Account Lock: How to Check Before You Buy (2026)

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones are popular second-hand buys: great specs, good prices, and plenty of them on the market. But a used Xiaomi has one trap that catches buyers every day — the Mi Account lock (now called the Xiaomi Account lock). Buy a phone that’s still linked to the previous owner’s account, reset it, and it will refuse to set up until someone enters that owner’s password.

You can avoid the problem completely with a few minutes of checking. This guide shows you how to check the phone in your hands, how to check one remotely by IMEI, and what to do if the lock is on.

What the Mi Account lock is

Every Xiaomi phone can be signed in to a Xiaomi Account (the account formerly branded “Mi Account”). When the owner turns on Find device, the phone becomes tied to that account on Xiaomi’s servers. From then on:

• The owner can locate, ring, lock or erase the phone remotely.
• After a factory reset, the phone shows an activation screen asking for the Xiaomi Account password that was last used on it.
• Without that password, setup can’t continue.

It works like Apple’s Activation Lock — and for the same reason: to make stolen phones worthless. That means a locked phone in a stranger’s hands is either a mistake the owner can fix, or a phone that shouldn’t be sold at all. If you want the iPhone side of the story, see Activation Lock explained.

How to check the phone in front of you

1. Is anyone signed in?

Open Settings. On HyperOS and recent MIUI versions, the Xiaomi Account appears near the top of the Settings screen. If an account name or number is shown, someone is signed in.

2. Is Find device on?

Tap the account, then Xiaomi Cloud › Find device (menu names vary slightly by version and region). If Find device is on, the Mi Account lock is active.

3. Ask the seller to sign out — in front of you

The owner should tap Sign out on the account page and enter their password. Then:

1. Confirm no Xiaomi Account appears in Settings.
2. Remove the seller’s Google account too (Settings › Accounts & sync, or Passwords & accounts on some versions), otherwise Google’s factory reset protection can lock the phone.
3. Do a factory reset and make sure setup reaches the home screen without asking for anyone’s password.

How to check remotely by IMEI

When you’re buying online, from another city or from a dealer with dozens of phones, an IMEI check tells you the lock status before you travel or pay. Get the IMEI by dialing:

*#06#

It’s also in Settings › About phone (on some versions under Detailed info and specs or All specs › Status). Then choose the right report:

• Xiaomi check — the all-round report: Find device status, clean/lost status, carrier, model, country and warranty.
• Xiaomi Mi Cloud status check — focused on whether the phone is still locked to a Mi Cloud account.
• Xiaomi official Mi Account check — shows the account’s country/activation region and clean or lost status.
• Mi Account info check — account region, IMEI, serial and status in one report.

Add a GSMA blacklist check to make sure the phone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen to a mobile network. All Xiaomi reports are also linked from our Xiaomi IMEI check page.

Reading the results

The account’s region also matters: if a seller says the phone is “new, never used” but the report shows it’s been activated in another country, ask questions.

If the Mi Account lock is on: only the owner can remove it

There are only two legitimate ways to remove a Mi Account lock:

1. The owner signs out on the phone, or removes the device from their account online at Xiaomi Cloud (i.mi.com), using their own password.
2. Xiaomi support may help the genuine owner who has lost access to the account, typically with proof of purchase such as the original invoice. Requirements depend on the country.

If you bought a locked phone and the seller has disappeared, contact the seller through the platform you used and ask for a refund. Without the owner or valid proof of purchase, the phone can’t be legitimately unlocked.

Selling your own Xiaomi? Remove the lock properly

If you’re the seller, sign out of your Xiaomi Account in Settings before handing the phone over — this turns off Find device. Then remove your Google account and do a factory reset. If you’ve already handed the phone over, you can sign in at Xiaomi Cloud and remove the device from your account there. Doing this protects your data and saves the buyer from a locked phone — see how to factory reset a phone properly.

Full checklist for a used Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO

• IMEI from *#06# matches Settings and the box.
• No Xiaomi Account signed in, Find device off — confirmed by an IMEI check.
• No Google account left on the phone.
• Clean GSMA blacklist status.
• Model, storage and region match the listing.
• Factory reset completes with no account prompt.

For the complete buying routine, see how to check if a phone is stolen and our guide to buying on marketplaces safely.

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