How to change the format of the date on Xiaomi smartphones: all the ways and nuances

Displaying a date on the lock screen or in the status bar of Xiaomi is often a source of confusion - especially if you're used to the day.month.year format and the smartphone stubbornly shows "month/day/year." This problem is relevant for all devices on MIUI, from the budget Redmi Note to the flagship Xiaomi 14. Unlike "pure" Android, where date settings are standardized, the Xiaomi shell offers several hidden ways of customization - but not all of them are obvious.

In this article, we’ll look at all the available methods for changing the date format on Xiaomi smartphones, including manual settings, hidden developer options, and workarounds for older versions of MIUI. We’ll focus on common errors (such as when a date is reset after a reboot) and explain why some formats may not be saved on certain models. If you encounter a date that displays in an uncomfortable way or disappears from the screen altogether, here’s a solution.

Why does Xiaomi change the date format automatically?

By default, Xiaomi smartphones determine the date format based on the system language and regional settings. For example, when choosing English (USA), the date will be displayed as MM/DD/YYYY (month/day/year), and in Russian - as DD.MM.YYYYY. However, this logic does not always work correctly:

• 🌍 Regional conflicts: If the interface language and country in the settings do not match (for example, Russian language) + region "USA"), the system can "mix" in formats.
• 📱 Updates MIUI: After major updates (for example, with the MIUI 12 on MIUI 14) date settings are sometimes reset to factory.
• 🔄 Sync with Mi Account: When you restore from a backup or log into a new Xiaomi account, the date format can be “pulled up” from the cloud.

In addition, on some models (such as the POCO F5 or Redmi K60), the date format is strictly tied to firmware, in which case it can only be changed through hidden developer settings or third-party utilities.

Method 1: Change the format through standard MIUI settings

The most obvious method is to use built-in system options, which works on most devices with MIUI 12 and later, but may not be available on some global firmware.

1. Open Settings → Additional (or Additional settings).
2. Select Language and Entering → Region.
3. Make sure the country matches your current location (e.g., “Russia” for DD.MM.GYG format).
4. Return to Settings → Lock screen → Lock screen Style and lock screen settings.
5. Find the date format option (may be called Date/Time Settings) and select the desired option.

If the date format item is not on the menu, then your firmware does not support this option directly, in which case move on to the following ways.

Method 2: Changing language and region (bypass)

If you don’t have a direct format change option, you can trick the system by changing the interface language and region, which works on 90% of Xiaomi devices, but has the side effect of changing the format of the display of numbers, currency and some system messages.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Language and Input → Language.
2. Select the language for which the desired date format is used: 🇷🇺 Russian (Russia) → DD.MM.GYG. 🇺🇸 English (USA) → MM/DD/YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY 🇬🇧 English (United Kingdom) → DD/MM/YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY 🇯🇵 Japanese → MGY/MM/DD

Settings

Additionally.

Region

Reboot your smartphone (required!).

Important: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13T) may lose LTE or NFC support after changing their region, in which case, return the previous settings and use Method 3 or 4.

Method 3: Using the Developer’s Settings

For advanced users, it is possible to change the format of the date through the developer menu, which works even on firmware, where standard settings are blocked, but requires caution - incorrect actions can lead to failures.

Steps:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on the MIUI Version (you will be notified "You are a developer").

Settings

Additionally.

For developers

Force RTL layout direction

Localization

Demo mode

Date format

Examples of templates for input:

⚠️ Note: Not all templates are system-level supported if the date is displayed as --.--.----, Try a different format or go back to the standard settings.

Method 4: Third-party applications to change date format

If the system methods didn’t work, you can use third-party utilities, and we tested the following applications on Xiaomi and POCO with MIUI 13-14:

• 📅 MoreLocale 2 allows you to emulate any region and date format without changing the system language. MIUI.
• ⚙️ SetEdit is a system settings editor (only for rooted devices) that allows you to change the date format directly in your configuration files.
• 🔧 Tasker – with this application you can create a task that will force you to change the date display on the lock screen (without root, but with restrictions).

Instructions for MoreLocale 2:

1. Download and install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and grant permission to change settings (you may need to enable Installation from unknown sources).
3. Select the country with the desired date format (e.g. Germany for DD.MM.YYYY).
4. Press Apply and restart your smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Apps like MoreLocale 2 may conflict with Google Pay and banking apps. If contactless payments stop working after the format change, return the standard settings for the region.

💡

If you’re using MoreLocale 2, add the app shortcut to the lock screen, allowing you to quickly change the date format without unlocking your smartphone.

Solving problems: the date is not changed or reset

Sometimes, after a change in the format of the date, it “flys” after a reboot or update, here are the typical reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If none of the methods worked, check if your device has custom firmware installed (e.g. xiaomi.eu or PixelExperience) in which case the date format may be adjusted at the system kernel level and will require firmware reflashing to change it.

💡

On devices with MIUI 14 and later, the date format can be tightly tied to the chosen theme of the design. Try changing the theme to the standard one to unlock additional settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about date format on Xiaomi