The display of time on the Xiaomi screen is not just a functional element, but also part of the visual style of your smartphone. Incorrectly tuned watches can be confusing (for example, lagging an hour because of the wrong time zone) or spoil the appearance of the interface. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to adjust the time on devices with MIUI 14/15 — from basic synchronization to hidden functions that are not discussed even in the official instructions.
It’s important to understand that clock settings affect not only the lock screen, but also desktop widgets, notification panels, and even system applications. For example, an incorrect time zone can cause crashes in the Mi Fit or Calendar. We’ll look at solutions for all current models, from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
If you find that the Xiaomi watch shows the wrong time, resets after a reboot or does not display at all, in this article you will find unique diagnostic and correction methods that are not found in standard manuals. For example, few people know that resetting time settings through ADB can solve the problem of “hang” clocks on some firmware.
1. Basic time settings through the settings menu
The easiest way to set up a watch on Xiaomi is to use the built-in settings, which is suitable for 90% of users and takes no more than a minute.
Open the Settings app (the gear icon on your desktop) and go to Additional → Date and Time. Here you will see three key parameters:
- ⏰ Automatic date and time – includes synchronization with Google or Xiaomi servers (recommended to leave on).
- 🌍 Automatic time zone – determines your location by GPS Mobile networks (may not work properly when used) VPN).
- ⏳ Time format - the choice between 24-sentry 12-clockwork AM/PM system.
If automatic synchronization is disabled, you can manually specify:
- 📅 Exact date (calendar with day/month/year selection).
- ⏲️ Time is accurate to the minute.
- 🏙️ Time zone (list of cities in the world, for example, Moscow (GMT+3) or New York (GMT-5)).
⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (The manual time setting can be reset once you reboot, because you don't have root rights to write to system files, and you can use apps like ClockSync from Google Play.
2. Set up the display of the clock on the lock screen
The watch on the lock screen Xiaomi can not only customize, but also completely customize — change the font, size, color and even add seconds.
Go to Settings → Lock screen → Watch style. Here you can:
- 🎨 Ready-made styles – from minimalist digits to animation themes (e.g., “Digital Watch with Shadow” or “Analogue with Second Hand").
- 🔤 Font customization – choice from system fonts or downloaded via Mi Theme Editor.
- 🎨 Color and transparency - selection for wallpaper or theme of design.
- ⏱️ Second display – useful for accurate time counting (included in Additional clock settings).
On devices with MIUI 15, a dynamic clock has been introduced, which automatically changes style depending on the time of day (for example, dark backgrounds at night and light during the day) to activate it:
- Open the topics → My themes → Setup.
- Choose Dynamic Wallpaper.
- Activate the Synchronization option with the clock.
☑️ Preparation for the customization of the clock
If after changing the style of the clock on the lock screen is missing or is displayed incorrectly, try:
⚠️ Attention: Reset theme settings (Settings) → Topics → Resetting to standard) often solves the problem of missing watches. But it will remove all your custom wallpaper and styles! 3. Manual time change through the engineering menu (for experienced) If standard settings do not help (for example, time is reset after turning off the phone), you can use the engineering menu. This method requires caution, since improper actions can lead to system failures. To open the engineering menu: Open the Phone app. Enter the code: ##4636## Select Phone Information. Scroll down to Set time. Here you can manually specify: 🕒 Local time (in the format ChCh:MM:SS). 🌐 Time zone (introduced manually, for example, +03:00 for Moscow). 📡 Network mode (sometimes affecting time synchronization). ⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 9A, Poco X3) The engineering menu may be missing or blocked. ADB-What to do if the engineering menu does not open?If the code ##4636## It doesn’t work, try alternative options: 1. ##3644633## — for devices on Qualcomm. 2. Install the app MTK Engineering Mode (for MediaTek processors). 3. Use it. ADB team am start -n com.android.settings/.DevelopmentSettings. 4. Correcting time failures through ADB (If the clock on your Xiaomi is constantly straying, lagging or not synchronizing, the problem may lie in the system files. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This method requires connecting your phone to your computer, but is guaranteed to solve most software glitches. First, start with the debugging. USB: Go to Settings. → About the phone. 7 once-on MIUI, To activate the developer mode. Go back to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers, activate debugging by USB. Now connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell su date -s YYYYMMDD.HHMMSS # For example, date -s 20260515.143000 for 15 may 2026, 14:30:00 setprop persist.sys.timezone "Europe/Moscow" # If the time is lost again after the reboot, reset the time settings: adb shell settings delete global settings auto_time adb shell settings delete global auto_time_zone adb shell settings put global auto_time 1 adb shell settings put global auto_time_zone 1 💡Before use ADB Make sure that Xiaomi drivers are installed on your computer USB Drivers and Platform Tools from Google. You can download them from the official website developer.android.com. 5. Customizing the clock on the desktop widget clock on the Xiaomi desktop allows you to quickly view the time, date and weather without unlocking the screen.To add or customize the widget: Long press on the free desktop space → Widgets → Find the Watch (usually under Miui or Google) available options: Type of widget Displayed information Size Features Digital Watch Time, date, day of week 2×1 or 4×1 Supports font and color change Analog clock Time (shooting format) 4×2 Second hand animation of the Clock + weather Time, temperature, forecast 4×2 Data taken from Mi Weather Minimalistic Time Only (large font) 3×1 Ideal for Always-on Display To change the style of the widget: Touch the widget and hold your finger. Select Change the widget. If the clock on your Xiaomi is not working correctly, use this diagnostic table: Problem Possible cause The clock is behind / hasten on 1–2 Incorrect time zone or synchronization failure Include Automatic Time Zone or set manually Clock reset after reboot Damaged system files or custom firmware Perform reset via ADB (section 4) or re-flash the device Watches do not appear on the lock screen Theme failure or wallpaper conflict Reset the theme to standard or change the style of the watch Widget watches do not update Background restrictions or Miui Clock application error Reboot the phone or clear the app's cache Settings → Annexes → The clock → Cache Clear Watch Shows Wrong Format (AM/PM instead 24-HOURS) Failure of regional settings Change the format to Settings → Additionally. → Date and time → Customize the color, font, and additional elements (such as displaying seconds). 💡Xiaomi watch widgets are updated every minute, but if you use power saving mode, the interval can increase to 5-10 minutes. 6. Time format If none of the methods helped, try rolling back the update. MIUI (if the problem appeared after the update) or reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings!Be sure to back up your data before doing so! 7. Hidden watch features on Xiaomi MIUI It hides some useful features that are associated with time mapping: 🔊 Voice alert time: In Settings → Special facilities → Voice assistant can enable automatic voice of the current time by double pressing the power button. 🌙 Night mode for the clock: In Settings → Screen. → Night mode can be set to automatically darken the clock on the lock screen in the dark. ⏳ Stopwatch on the lock screen: On some models (Xiaomi) 13T, Redmi K60) You can add a stopwatch widget directly to the locked screen through Settings → Lock screen → Widgets. 🎵 Musical watch: The Mi Clock app has an alarm function with a smooth volume increase (ideal for waking up (AOD) You can set the clock to display continuously even when the screen is off. → Screen. → Always-on Display. Select the style of the watch (animated and static options are available). Set up a display schedule (for example, only at night). How to turn on the hidden mode "Clock on the off screen"? On some models (Xiaomi 12 Pro, Redmi) K50) There's an undocumented time display feature when the phone is off. To activate it, 1. Turn on Always-on Display. 2. Enter code ##2663##. 3 in the engineering menu. AOD Always Show Time. 4. Reboot the device. ⚠️ This regime is expending ~1% battery per hour! FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up a Xiaomi watch Why does my Xiaomi watch show the wrong time after a battery change? This is a typical problem after replacing the battery with a non-original one or when you disconnect the phone from power for a long time (RTC) They're reset when the capacitor is fully discharged on the motherboard. Solution: Connect your phone to charge and wait for it to be fully charged. Enable automatic time synchronization in the settings. If the problem repeats, check the quality of the battery installed (it may not hold the voltage when the phone is turned off). Can Xiaomi make the clock on the lock screen show seconds? Yes, but it depends on the model and version. MIUI: Nana MIUI 14/15 Go to Settings. → Lock screen → Clock style → Extra and turn on Show seconds on older versions (MIUI 12 Second hand is only available in analog watches. On some devices (Poco) F5, Redmi Note 12 Pro+) stopwatch is displayed by default in Always-on Display mode. If you don't have an option, try installing a custom widget through KWGT (widget customization app) What to do if you update MIUI Has the clock stopped updating? is a known problem with some updates, especially on devices with MediaTek processors. Order of action: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Watch. Clear the cache and application data. Turn off and re-enable automatic time synchronization. If it doesn't work, roll back the update through Settings. → The phone. → Updating the system → Three dots (menu) → Remove the update. In extreme cases, reset the settings through ADB (How to synchronize Xiaomi clocks with atomic time? By default, Xiaomi synchronizes time with Google servers or NTP-You can manually specify a more accurate source for this: Install ClockSync from Google Play. Select an atomic time server (e.g., time.google.com or pool.ntp.org). Set up automatic sync every 6 to 12 hours. For maximum accuracy, turn off automatic sync in Xiaomi settings and use only ClockSync. Why does my Xiaomi watch have different times on the status bar and lock screen? It's because of a conflict between system and user settings. Reasons and solutions: 🔄 Double sync: Turn off automatic sync in Google Account (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of the account → Autosynchronization of time). 📱 Widget Failure: Remove and Add the Watch Widget Again. 🔧 Firmware error: Update MIUI before the latest version or reset through ADB.