How to add a watch widget to Xiaomi: 5 ways to all versions of MIUI

Xiaomi’s watch widgets aren’t just a desktop decorator, they’re a useful tool for quickly monitoring time without unlocking the screen. Many users don’t even realize that standard MIUI watches can be customized to change style, size, add seconds or date. Some models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12) support animated weather or step dials.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to add a watch widget, from standard solutions to hidden MIUI 14/15 features, how to set a watch on the home screen, locked screen, or even the notification bar, and what to do if the widget suddenly disappeared after a system update.

Before you start, check out your shell version: go to Settings → About → MIUI version. This is what makes some features available. For example, MIUI 15 has dynamic widgets that support Always On Display (AOD), which are not available in older versions.

1. Standard method: Add widgets through the menu

This is the simplest method that works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with a MIUI shell, and is suitable even for low-end models like the Redmi 10A or POCO M5.

To add the watch widget to the main screen:

1. Touch and hold an empty space on the desktop.
2. At the bottom of the screen, a menu will appear – select “Widgets”.
3. Scroll down to the Watch section (or Clock on English firmware).
4. Click on your favorite style and drag it to the free screen space.

MIUI 14/15 has up to 7 different watch design options, from minimalist digital to second hand analog. Some widgets support dark theme and automatically adjust to wallpaper.

Check the free space on the desktop

Update the Watch app on Google Play

Turn off the power saving mode (can block widgets)

Restart your phone if the widgets don't show-->

An important caveat: if you use a third-party launcher (like a Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher), standard Xiaomi widgets may not work, in which case you will have to install the clock through Google Widgets or third-party apps.

2. The clock widget on the locked screen (AOD)

The feature is Always on Display (AOD) It allows you to display time, date and notifications even when the screen is off. AMOLED-display (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T, Redmi K50, POCO F5).

How to turn on AOD with a watch:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Always On Display
2. Activate the slider "Always on Display".
3. Select the style of the watch in the AOD style section.
4. Set up a schedule (constantly or by time).

MIUI 15 has the ability to customize AOD, so you can add animations, battery metrics, or even personalized text, for example, on Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Breathing Light mode is available, where the clock flickers in time with notifications.

Limitation: On IPS-displayed devices (e.g. Redmi 9A or POCO M4 Pro), AOD is not available due to screen specifications, in which case the alternative will be widgets on the home screen or in the notification panel.

3. Clock in the notification panel (status bar)

If you don't have enough desktop space, you can put time in the top notification bar, which is suitable for all versions of MIUI, but requires a little tweaking.

Instructions:

1. Turn the notification bar swipe from top to bottom.
2. Click on the icon "Pencil" (editing).
3. Find the Watch widget and drag it to the active area.
4. Click on “Ready” to save the changes.

In the notification panel, the watch is displayed in a compact form, but always at hand. On some firmware (for example, MIUI EU), you can even configure the display of seconds or dates next to the time.

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If the clock in the notification panel is not updated, try clearing the System Interface app cache in the application settings.

Important: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite), the watch widget in the notification panel may conflict with other elements (e.g., the weather indicator), in which case you will have to choose one.

4. Hidden watch widgets in MIUI (for power users)

V MIUI There are hidden features that are not documented in the official instructions, one of which is alternative watch styles available through the developer mode or the user mode. ADB-team.

How to activate hidden widgets:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Activate the debugging option via USB.
4. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global hidden_clock_widgets 1
5. Reset the device.

After that, additional watch styles will appear in the widget menu, including an animated neon dial and a time zone widget, which are tested by Xiaomi and may disappear after the system update.

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Hidden widgets don’t work on all models; on some devices (e.g. Redmi 9C), this feature can cause launcher malfunctions.

Warning: changing system settings through ADB can cause the phone to malfunction.Before experimenting, back up your data.

5. Third-party applications for customization of watches

If you don’t like standard Xiaomi widgets, you can install alternative apps from Google Play.-3 tested solutions:

• 🌈 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker is a widget designer with animation support and weather integration.
• ⏱️ Chronus: Home & Lock Widgets – more than 100 watch styles with support for Always On Display and widgets for locked screen.
• 🎨 UCCW (Ultimate Custom Clock Widget – a lightweight application for creating minimalistic watches with the ability to customize each element.

To install a widget from a third-party application:

1. Download and install the program from Google Play.
2. Add a widget to your desktop (similar to the standard method).
3. Select a style and customize the display through the app menu.

Disadvantages of third-party widgets: they can consume additional battery, especially if they use animations or frequently update data (for example, weather). On models with a weak processor (for example, Redmi 8A), this can lead to slowdowns.

6.Clock on the lock screen (without AOD)

If your smartphone doesn’t support Always On Display, you can set up the lock screen time display, which works on all Xiaomi models, including the older ones (Redmi 5, Mi A2).

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Select the Lock screen style.
3. Scroll down and activate the “Show the clock” option.
4. Set the font, color and position of the clock.

MIUI 14/15 offers additional options:

• 🌙 Night mode – automatically darkens the clock in the dark.
• 📅 Date and weather – displays additional information under time.
• 🔒 Hiding notifications – allows you to show only the watch without unnecessary elements.

Tip: If the clock on the lock screen is too small, try changing the style to Minimalist or Digital – they usually have a larger font.

7 Problem Solving: The clock widget is gone or not working

Sometimes, after updating MIUI or resetting the clock widget disappears from the desktop, here are the most common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If none of these methods helped, try resetting the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Launcher.
2. Press Warehouse. → Reset the settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

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On some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global), watch widgets can be blocked due to regional restrictions, in which case switching region to India or Europe in the phone settings will help.

Warning: If the clock is running late or in a hurry after manipulating the widget, check Automatic Date and Time settings. On some models (such as the POCO X3 Pro), after manual time change, the widgets stop updating until automatic synchronization is enabled.

FAQ: Frequent questions about watch widgets on Xiaomi