Owners of Xiaomi smartphones, especially entry-level and mid-range models such as the Redmi 9A, often face unusual behavior of the MIUI shell interface. One of the most common and annoying moments is the appearance of two sets of watches on the lock screen or desktop. This can occur for various reasons, from the enabled function of the “Second time zone” to the features of the widget “Clock”.
This is not a critical system error, but it is visually uncomfortable and impairs perception. In this article, we will go into all possible scenarios for why your Redmi 9A displays time duplication, and provide step-by-step instructions to address this effect. We will look at both standard system settings and the nuances of third-party launchers.
The information in this guide is relevant to current firmware versions based on Android 10 and above. Follow the instructions carefully to return the familiar look to your device without unnecessary elements on the screen.
The reason for the appearance of the second dial on the Redmi 9A
Before you start fixing a problem, you need to understand the source of the problem. In the MIUI shell installed on the Redmi 9A, multiple system components can be responsible for displaying time, most often the conflict between the desktop widget and the system lock clock.
The second common reason is the activated double-time feature for travelers, and if you or someone you know accidentally changed your region settings, the system could automatically tighten the second time zone, which often happens after resetting or updating the software.
Also consider the impact of third-party themes: Some visual styles downloaded from MIUI Themes store contain their own watch widgets that are superimposed over the standard ones, in which case disabling the system function may not work until the theme is changed.
- 🕰️ Activated option "Second time zone" in the system settings of time.
- 📱 Conflict between the Clock widget on the desktop and the lock screen clock.
- 🎨 Use of a third-party design theme with duplicate interface elements.
- ⚙️ Caching errors of the launcher after system update.
Understanding the specific reason will allow you to choose the most effective solution, and in most cases, it is enough to simply switch one switch to the settings menu to normalize the situation.
Disconnecting double time through system settings
The first and logical step is to check the global time settings, and that's where the reason for the extra dials is most often hidden, and you don't need superuser rights or extra software.
To start, open the settings menu for your Redmi 9A. Find the section that handles the extra settings. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic remains the same.
Go to Settings → Additional Settings → Date and time. Here you need to find an option called "Use Double Time" or "Second Time Zone." If the switch is active, the system forcibly displays the time of two different cities.
⚠️ Note: If you travel frequently or work with overseas partners, disabling this feature will hide the time of the second region.
Once this option is turned off, the changes should take effect instantly. If there are still extra numbers on the screen, try restarting the device by pressing Volume Up + Power or through the off menu.
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System setting double time takes priority over widgets, so you need to start the diagnosis with it.
Setup and remove widgets on the desktop
If the system settings are in order, the problem is almost certainly widgets. The MIUI shell allows you to place various modules on the desktop, and the Clock widget is one of the most popular. On the Redmi 9A with its screen diagonal, even one large widget can occupy a significant part of the space, and two create chaos.
To check this out, take a close look at your desktop.Widgets can be transparent or blend into wallpaper, so they're not always easy to spot at first glance.Try pinching a blank area of the screen with your finger or pinching two fingers to go into edit mode.
In edit mode, you'll see all the active elements. If you find a clock widget that duplicates time, just drag it to the top of the screen where a basket icon or a cross will appear to remove. You can also replace the standard widget with an alternative widget that doesn't have dual display.
☑️ Checking widgets
Sometimes users install themes that automatically add their widgets, so removing the widget can be a temporary solution — it will come back after changing the theme, so it’s important to check which theme is active at the moment.
The impact of design themes and lock screen
The MIUI theme store is a powerful customization tool, but it is often the source of visual bugs.Some Redmi 9A themes have their own, hard-coded lock screen designs that ignore system settings.
If you have recently changed wallpaper or installed a new theme, try to return the standard design. To do this, go to the Topic app, click on the profile icon and select My Topics section. Here you need to select the theme "Classic" or "No Theme" (standard).
After applying a standard theme, check the lock screen, if the double clock is missing, it means that the problem was in the third-party code, you can continue using the standard theme or look for another one, after checking the screenshots in the description.
| Interface element | Probability of conflict | Method of decision |
|---|---|---|
| System clock | Low. | Date and time settings |
| Desktop widget | Tall. | Removal of the widget |
| Theme of the design | Medium | Resetting the topic |
| Alarm apps | Low. | Application settings |
It’s worth noting that some “heavy” themes can slow down the Redmi 9A due to unoptimized graphics.Using a standard interface often has a positive effect on device performance.
Why do topics get reset after rebooting?
Third-party applications and alarm clocks
And don't forget third-party software, too, because many users install alternative alarm clocks, pomodoro timers, or weather widgets that have their own clock interface, and apps like Clock Widget or Alarmy can display time on top of the system.
Check the list of newly installed apps. If you notice that a problem occurred after installing a particular program, try removing it or disabling the widgets in its settings. Often, these apps have a "Show on Desktop" or "Floating Clock" checkbox in their settings.
Also, look for apps to clean up memory or speed up the phone. They often have large-digit widgets that visually feel like a watch. On the Redmi 9A, with its screen resolution, such items can look like a second dial.
- 🔍 Check the settings of recently installed applications.
- 🚫 Turn off widgets in third-party alarm settings.
- 📉 Remove the system’s “optimizers” if they duplicate functions MIUI.
If you can't find the culprit, try running your smartphone in safe mode, and if the double clock disappears in this mode, then the problem is guaranteed in a third-party app.
Resetting launcher and system settings
In rare cases, the problem may be that the launcher configuration files, the component that runs the desktop, are damaged. On Redmi 9A, this is solved by clearing the cache, which is safe and will not delete your personal data, photos or contacts.
Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Find Louncher or System Launcher in the list. Click on it and select Clean (or Storage → Clear Cache) and don’t confuse it with Clear All Data, although this is often safe, it will reset the location of icons on your desktop.
⚠️ Attention: Full cleaning of the launcher data will return the icons and widgets to factory status. All folders and widgets on the desktop will be reset, they will have to be re-arranged.
Once the cache is cleaned, the system will restart the desktop, which can take a few seconds, and if the problem was a software interface failure, it should go away.
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Before resetting your launcher settings, take a screenshot of your desktop to remember where the apps were and restore the familiar structure faster.