How to display a clock on a locked screen Xiaomi: setting up for the style of Samsung

Xiaomi users who have switched from Samsung devices often face the inconvenience of having their new smartphone lock screen display a different watch — smaller in size, no stopwatch, or in an uncomfortable format. While Samsung offers flexible time settings right on a locked screen (including style, color and additional widgets), MIUI by default hides many of these options. But that doesn’t mean that owners of Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi 13/14 will have to put up with the inconvenience.

In this article, we’ll explore all the ways to customize a watch on the lock screen in MIUI, from standard settings to hidden features and third-party solutions. You’ll learn how to bring the watch’s look closer to the Samsung style, add seconds, change the font or even display additional information (date, weather, notifications), and for advanced users, instructions for editing system files without the risk of “bricking” the device.

Important: not all methods are universal. For example, Xiaomi 12T Pro and Redmi Note 11 have different versions of MIUI, and some features may not be available on budget models.

Why Xiaomi and Samsung Watches Are Different: Technical Reasons

The difference in time display on a locked screen is due to the shell architecture: One UI (Samsung) and MIUI (Xiaomi) are built on different principles.

• 🔹 Depth of customization: One UI It allows you to change the style of watches (analog / digital), color and even animation right in the settings. MIUI By default, offers only a choice of 2-3 preset styles.
• 🔹 Widgets on lock screen: Samsung can display weather, footsteps or music next to the clock. MIUI This function is either missing or works through workarounds.
• 🔹 System restrictions: Xiaomi blocks deep clock setup at SystemUI level to prevent crashes.Samsung more loyal to custom changes.

MIUI also uses its own LockScreenService rendering mechanism, which is less flexible than Samsung’s. For example, One UI clocks are updated every second by default, and MIUI requires you to enable the option manually (if it’s available at all on your model).

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI version below 13.0 some of the methods in this article may not work. → The phone. → Version. MIUI.

Standard settings of the watch in MIUI: what can be changed without root

Before you resort to third-party tools, check the standard options. Most Xiaomi devices (starting with MIUI 12) have the following settings:

1. Watch style: Go to Settings → Lock screen → Watch style. 2-4 options are usually available here (digital, analog, minimalist). Some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) can choose the color of the text.
2. Second Display: In the same settings, look for the Show Seconds switch. If it's not available, your model doesn't support this feature at the firmware level.
3. Date and additional information: In the Lock Screen → Additional information can be included to display the date, day of the week or weather (not available on all devices).

The POCO F5 and Redmi K60 also have a Double Line option that allows you to divide the time and date into two lines, which visually brings the style closer to Samsung.

Hidden MIUI settings: how to turn on stopwatch and change the time format

Some watch options are hidden in the MIUI lab or require activation via ADB. Here's how to find them:

Method 1: MIUI Laboratory (without root)

This method works on most devices with MIUI 12-14:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the line MIUI version until the notification appears You became a developer!
3. Go back to the main settings menu and find a new section Additional → Functions Lab (or Special Opportunities → Lab).
4. Look for options like Show seconds on lock or 24/12 hour time format.

Method 2: ADB-Teams (for advanced teams)

If the lab doesn't give you the options you need, try ADB. Connect your phone to your PC and do:

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_seconds 1

This command is forced to turn on the display of seconds, to return the standard settings:

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_seconds 0

⚠️ Attention: Not all teams ADB They work on custom firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.EU). Before experimenting, back up through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.

Install ADB-PC drivers|Enable debugging on USB developer-setting|Connect your phone to the original cable|Check the connection with the adb device team-->

Third-party applications for customizing watches

If the standard methods don't work, look at third-party tools, which fall into two categories:

• 🔧 Lock-enabled launchers: Apps like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher can replace the lock screen, but require the standard locker to be disabled (which reduces security).
• 🎨 Topics and Overlays: Services like Always On Display or Lock Screen Customizer overlay their widgets, including Samsung-style watches, on top of the standard lock screen.
• ⚙️ Modules for Magisk: For root-access devices, there are modules like LockClock that completely replace the system clock.

The most popular solution without root is the Always On Display app (not to be confused with the MIUI! feature of the same name).

• 🕒 Output watches with seconds in any style (including Samsung-like).
• 🌡️ Add weather widgets, batteries or notifications.
• 🎨 Customize colors, fonts and animations.

Cons: The app consumes an extra battery (about 2-5% per day) and may conflict with Xiaomi’s Always On Display. To avoid bugs, disable standard AOD in Settings → Lock Screen → Always On Display.

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If the locking clock is gone after installing the third-party app, restart your phone. If the problem persists, clear the System UI cache in Settings → Apps → All Apps → System (access to system settings is required).

Manual editing of system files (for experienced users)

This method is only suitable for devices with unlocked bootloader and root access, and allows you to change the size, font and position of the clock at the system file level, but requires caution.

Step 1: Backup

Before changing the original files, copy:

adb pull /system/priv-app/SystemUI/SystemUI.apk


adb pull /system/framework/framework-res.apk

Step 2: File editing

Use APK Editor or MT Manager to edit:

1. Open SystemUI.apk in the editor.
2. Move to the res/values/strings.xml and find the lines from lockscreen_clock.
3. Change the font settings (e.g., android:textSize="48sp" to "60sp").
4. For more seconds, find boolean. config_showSeconds = false; and substitute for true.

Step 3: Install modified files

Restore the files back to the system:

adb push SystemUI.apk /system/priv-app/SystemUI/


adb push framework-res.apk /system/framework/

Then restart the device.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing SystemUI.apk If the phone doesn't turn on after the changes, then you can reflash SystemUI through the system. TWRP or Fastboot.

Samsung: What is missing in MIUI

Even after all the settings, MIUI is less flexible than One UI, and here's what's not available:

The only way to get full functionality like Samsung is to install custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, but this will deprive you of Xiaomi’s signature chips (for example, Always On Display or Game Turbo).

Frequent problems and their solutions

When setting the clock on the lock screen, users encounter typical bugs. Here's how to fix them:

• ⏱️ Seconds are not displayed after turning on in settings: Check if the System battery optimization is disabled UI (Settings → Annexes → All applications → Systemic → System UI → Battery → No restrictions).
• 🔄 Clock resets after rebooting: This is typical for devices with MIUI 13 on the Redmi Note 10/11. The solution is to roll back firmware to a stable version or use Always On Display.
• 🎨 The color of the watch does not change: on some models (for example, POCO X3) The color is tied to the theme of the design. Try changing the theme to Settings. → Topics.

If after the MIUI update the watch is completely gone, reset the lock screen settings:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Reset settings.
2. Select Restore Standard Settings.
3. Reset the device.

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Before resetting your lock screen settings, make sure you have your Xiaomi account binding disabled (if used). Otherwise, you may need to enter your password after the reboot.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions