Proper display of time on a smartphone is not just a matter of convenience, but a critical parameter for the operation of most modern applications. If the watch in Xiaomi or Redmi is behind or shows an incorrect date, you may have problems logging into Google and Mi accounts, incorrect messengers, and even the inability to open some banking applications due to security certificate errors.
With MIUI and the new HyperOS, the synchronization process is usually done automatically over the network, but sometimes the user has to intervene manually, especially after the device is first turned on, reset to factory settings, or when traveling to another time zone.
In this article, we will take a look at all the nuances of time zone settings, display formats and automatic synchronization, learn how to fix the situation if the clock constantly “runs away” or gets lost after a reboot, and explore the hidden possibilities of the developer menu for fine-tuning.
Basic date and time setting in the menu
The standard way to set up time parameters in shells from Xiaomi is unified for most models, whether it is the flagship Xiaomi 13 or the budget Redmi Note 12. First, you need to open the main menu of smartphone settings and find the “Advanced” section, which is often hidden in the depths of the system parameters list.
After you go to Settings → Additional Settings → Date and Time, you will see the Control Panel, which is where the main switches that control how the device will receive and display the current time interval are located. By default, the “Use Network Time” slider is activated, which causes the phone to request accurate data from your mobile operator.
⚠️ Note: If you turn off automatic sync, some system applications may stop displaying misstated event notifications correctly, as their timestamps will be calculated incorrectly. In the same menu, you can change the format of displaying time to 12-hour or 24-hour, and also choose the order of displaying the elements of the date (day / month / year or month / day / year). To manually change the parameters, it is enough to transfer the switch “Use network time” to an inactive state, after which the fields for entering will be available. 💡If you travel frequently, leave the "Time Zone Auto-Detection" option enabled so that the phone switches itself when crossing regional borders. Automatic synchronization over the Internet The most reliable way to get accurate time is synchronization via Internet Protocol. NTP (Network Time Protocol). Unlike cell tower signal, which can have errors or delays, Internet synchronization provides accuracy of up to milliseconds, which is important for two-factor authentication and bank tokens. To activate this mode, make sure that the device is on Wi-Fi or mobile Internet. The date and time menu should have a switch on "Use network time." If it is on, but the time is not updated, try to switch the phone to flight mode for 10 seconds, and then turn it off to restart the network modules. Sometimes the system can "stick in the old cases," and then manually select your time zone, for example, you can manually choose a time change. This action initiates a new request to the update server. 🌐 Protocol SNTP: Simplified version of synchronization protocol used in mobile devices to save traffic. 📡 Operator signal: It is transmitted through cellular signaling channels and does not require an active Internet connection. 🔄 Frequency: Android devices typically request a time update every time they connect to a new base station or Wi-Fi network. 📊 Automatically, but often confused Don’t know, didn’t check the solution of problems with desynchronization after reset One of the most common problems of Xiaomi users and the most common problems of the users of the company. POCO is a time reset to default value (often January 1, 2015 or 1970) immediately after switching off the smartphone or resetting settings. This indicates that the device cannot store the current time in non-volatile memory or has no access to a time source at start. Most often the reason lies in a discharged internal RTC (Real Time Clock), which is absent in modern smartphones as a separate element, and its functions perform the main battery. If the main battery was completely discharged to zero, the clock is reset. In this case, it is enough to connect the phone to the Internet once and let it synchronize to the problem disappear. If time is reset constantly, even with a charged battery, the problem may be the main battery, the software synchronization systems are to blame for the anti-viruses, or the anti-viruses are installed time-control systems. For diagnosis, try the following steps: 🔋 Check the main battery charge – at a critically low level, the system can turn off background services. 🛡️ Turn off power saving mode, which may limit background activity of system services. 📱 Make sure that the date and time settings do not tick the “Use format” box. 12 “Overnight” if you are used to it. 24-The guards to avoid confusion. ☑️ Time reset diagnostics Check battery power Disable energy saving Check availability of updates MIUIReset the network settings Completed: 0 / 4 Time zone settings for travelers For those who change locations frequently, it is critical to set the time zone correctly. Xiaomi smartphones have a geolocation zone feature, but it requires location permissions. Without this permission, the phone will show the time of the last known place or the time set. SIM-To automatically switch when crossing borders, go to Settings → Additionally. → Date and time and make sure the Time Belt switch is on. If you're in a region where time doesn't coincide with the geographic belt (for example, all of China lives on Beijing time), the automation may not work properly and you'll have to manually select the zone. Region Standard Shift (UTC) Features of the MIUI Moscow (MSK) UTC+3 Often manual selection is required, the car does not work Yekaterinburg UTC+5 Stable Autodetermination of Vladivostok UTC+10 Possible failures in roaming Kaliningrad UTC+2 When manually selecting a belt, the system recalculates the time of all events in the calendar and alarm clocks. This is convenient if you work with colleagues from other countries and want to see their activity time without changing the main time on the phone. ADB For advanced users who are faced with hardware synchronization problems, there are methods of configuring through debugging on the Internet. USB. With the instrument ADB (Android Debug Bridge can be forced to set the time to the system bypassing standard interfaces, which is especially useful if the touch screen is partially broken and you can't press the OK button in the settings menu. Click 7 times on the build number in the About Phone menu, then activate Debugging by USB». By connecting the phone to your computer, you can use commands to manage time. adb shell date MMDDhmmYYYY.ss Where MM — month, DD — day, hh hours, mm minutes, YYYY — year, ss - seconds. For example, the adb shell date 122514302023.00 will set December 25, 2023, at 14:30:00. However, it is worth remembering that after a reboot, this time can reset again if the root cause is not eliminated. ⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Incorrectly entering parameters or using third-party scripts from unverified sources can lead to unstable operation of the system. MIUI You can check the status of the system through the engineering menu (#3646633##) RTC-Batteries are limited and require special rights. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions Why does Xiaomi change time without my knowledge? Chances are you have automatic network synchronization enabled. The phone periodically checks with the operator's server or Internet time and corrects the readings if it detects a discrepancy. This is normal behavior for the network to work properly. How do you make time show seconds on the lock screen? In the standard MIUI lock the second is often hidden. You need to go to the Themes app, go to the profile and select Lock screen. Find and set the theme that has seconds in design, or use third-party locker apps from Google Play. It's time lost after the phone is turned off, what's the point? This is a classic sign of deep battery discharge. In modern smartphones, there is no separate battery for the watch. If the phone has been discharged for a long time, the memory of time is charged on the Internet. Can you install the device on the Internet? There is no direct switch "Atomic Time" but when synchronization is enabled via the Internet, the phone gets time synchronized with the atomic clock via the protocol. NTP, This ensures high accuracy sufficient for domestic use. 💡95% of time problems on Xiaomi are solved by enabling automatic synchronization and checking the time zone.