How to change the clock on the phone Xiaomi: 5 ways + error solving

Misrepresenting the time on a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone can create a lot of inconveniences, from missed reminders to malfunctioning messengers and banking applications. Unlike many other Android devices, Xiaomi phones have several unique time setting features associated with the MIUI branded shell. This article will help not only change the clock manually, but also adjust automatic synchronization, as well as solve typical problems when time is confused or displayed incorrectly.

It is important to understand that the time setting on Xiaomi depends on the version of MIUI and the device model. For example, on new flagships (Xiaomi 14, Redmi Note 13 Pro+), the interface may differ from budget models (POCO M6 Pro, Redmi A2+). We will look at universal methods that work on all devices, and also point out the nuances for specific firmware versions. If your phone shows the time with a delay of 3-5 minutes or after a reboot reset, at the end of the article you will find a section with a solution to these problems.

1. Automatic time setting through the network

The easiest way to sync your watch on Xiaomi is to use automatic settings over a mobile network or Wi-Fi. This method is recommended 90% of the time, because it eliminates the human factor and takes into account the time zone, the transition to winter/summer time (where it is relevant), and even the second corrections.

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on your desktop) and go to: Additional settings → Date and time.

At the top of the screen, you’ll see two key switches:

“Date and time autodetermination”

"Time zone autodetermination"

Google

Xiaomi

• ✅ Pros of the method: does not require manual input, takes into account time zone changes during movement, more precisely manual settings.
• ⚠️ Cons: with a weak Internet connection can fail, on some firmware MIUI Synchronization servers are not operating smoothly.
• 🔄 When to use: If you travel frequently or do not want to manually monitor your time.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ With the latest security updates, automatic synchronization may conflict with some battery-saving apps (e.g. Security or Battery Savior).If time is lost after your phone sleeps, add Settings to the optimisation exceptions app.

2 Manual change of time and date

If automatic synchronization doesn't work or you prefer to control settings manually, you can set the time and date yourself, which is useful, for example, when testing applications that require a specific date, or if you are in an area without network coverage.

1. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time.
2. Turn off the Date and Time Auto-Detection and Time Zone Auto-Detection switches (if they are active).

On some models (Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 12 Pro), after manually setting up, a notification may appear: “Network time and device time do not match.” This is normal – it can be ignored or disabled in the notification settings. However, remember that manual settings are reset when you update the firmware or reset to factory settings.

3. Setting up the time format (12/24 hour)

Xiaomi smartphones use a 24-hour time display format by default, but it can be changed to a 12-hour time display (with AM/PM), which is relevant for users who are used to the American or British style.

1. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time.
2. Find the time format item (on some firmware it is hidden under Additional time settings).
3. Choose a 24-hour or 12-hour format.

The changes will apply to all system clocks, including:

• 🕒 Status bar (top notification panel).
• ⏰ Appendix “Clock” (Alarm clocks, timers).
• 📅 Calendar and reminders.
• 💬 Messengers (displaying the time of sending messages).

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI Global and MIUI Europe may need to restart your phone when changing the time format so that the changes apply to the Mi Fit or Zepp Life app (if you use a Xiaomi smartwatch).

4.Sync time with your Xiaomi account

Few people know, but Xiaomi smartphones can sync time not only through Google, but also through the company’s own servers, which is useful if you have Google Play services disabled or use alternative firmware (such as Xiaomi.eu).

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Make sure you are logged in (if not, log in to your account).
3. Return to Date and Time and enable Xiaomi Time Sync** (this item may be called MIUI Time Servers).

The advantage of this method is that Xiaomi servers are often updated faster than Google and take into account local features (for example, early switching to winter time in some regions). MIUI), time may "hang».

5. Solving problems with the wrong time

If your Xiaomi time is confused or displayed incorrectly, the reasons can be different, from a firmware failure to a conflict with third-party applications.

5.1 Time is lost after rebooting

This problem often occurs on devices with unlocked bootloader or custom firmware. The culprit is the reset /data/time/ file, which is responsible for saving time tags.

1. Install the ClockSync app from Google Play.
2. In the application settings, select Sync at boot (Sync at boot).
3. Give the application the right to Autorun in Settings → Permissions → Autorun.

5.2 The clock is 3-5 minutes behind or in a hurry

This error is usually due to the incorrect operation of the RTC module (Real-Time Clock). On Xiaomi devices with Qualcomm processors (for example, Redmi Note 11, POCO X5 Pro), this can be corrected through the engineering menu:

##4636## → Phone information → Select RTC drift correction

If this method does not help, try calibrating the time with the help of ADB-Teams (PC required):

adb shell su -c "date -s YYYYMMDD.HHmmss"

Where YYYYMMDD.HHmmss is the current date and time in the format 20260515.143000 (May 15, 2026, 14:30:00).

Time is not updated when changing time zone

If you are traveling and your phone does not automatically change the time, check:

• 📶 Mobile Network Settings: Go to Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Name of the access point (APN) and make sure that the correct profile is selected (for example, Internet.beeline.ru for Beeline).
• 🌍 Geolocation: Enable “Accurate Location Determination”** in Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → geodata.

💡

If you fly frequently and experience sync problems, install the Time Zone Fix app – it forcefully updates the time zone when you connect to a new cellular network.

6. Features of setting the time on different models Xiaomi

Despite the common MIUI platform, some Xiaomi models have unique time-tuning nuances, and the most common differences are:

MediaTek processor devices (Redmi 12C, POCO C55)

On MediaTek chips (e.g. Helio G85, Helio G36), automatic time synchronization may not work smoothly due to energy saving features.

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Mode
2. Choose Performance (instead of Balanced or Charge Saving).
3. Add the Settings app to the list of “Secure Apps”**.

Flagship models (Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Xiaomi 13T Pro)

On top-end devices with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2/3, time is synced not only through Google but also through satellite systems (GPS, BeiDou).

1. Make sure that both Geolocation and BeiDou Satellites (for China and Asia) are included.

This allows you to get time with an error of less than 1 second, which is critical for professional applications (for example, for shooting with a time reference).

Devices for the Chinese market (MIUI China)

On a firmware smartphone MIUI China (e.g. Xiaomi 14 China, Redmi) K70 Pro) time synchronization servers are used by default in Chinese NTP-servers (ntp.aliyun.com), which may cause delays in other regions:

1. Install the ClockSync app.
2. In the application settings, select pool.ntp.org server or time.google.com.
3. Turn off standard synchronization in Settings → Date and time.

💡

On Chinese firmware (MIUI China), automatic time synchronization can conflict with global servers. Use third-party applications to fine-tune.

7.The effect of correct time on the operation of the smartphone

Many users are unaware that the wrong time on Xiaomi can cause disruptions in key features:

• 🔒 Banking applications: SberBank Online, Tinkoff and others block access if the time on the device differs from the server by more than 5 minutes.
• 📱 Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber messages may come in order or marked by the wrong time.
• 🎮 Games: in PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact and other online games wrong time leads to bans for cheating».
• 📊 Health statistics: data from Mi Band or Xiaomi Smart Scale is tied to system time – failure will lead to history losses.
• ✈️ Travel: Booking apps (Booking, Airsales) may show incorrect flight schedules.

Especially critical is the right time for two-factor authentication (2FA), applications like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator generate codes based on the current time, and if the phone clock is in a hurry or lags, you won't be able to log in to your accounts even if the password is correct.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up time on Xiaomi