How to turn off the second clock on Xiaomi devices: 5 proven ways

Duplicate watches on the screen of a Xiaomi smartphone or smartwatch are a common problem that occurs after MIUI updates, resets or connect additional gadgets. Second watches can be displayed in the status bar, on the lock screen or even on top of the main dial on the Mi Band or Watch, which is not only annoying, but also eats up battery power, as the system is forced to synchronize time across multiple sources at the same time.

In this article, we will look at all the possible causes of the second display of time and offer 5 working ways to turn them off — from basic MIUI settings to hidden developer parameters. The instructions are relevant for smartphones on MIUI 12-14 (including Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5, Xiaomi 13T) and smartwatches on Wear OS or proprietary Xiaomi firmware. If you encounter this problem after upgrading to HyperOS, at the end of the article there is a separate section with solutions for the new shell.

Why is there a second watch on Xiaomi?

Before you start shutting down, it is important to understand the root of the problem.

• 🔄 Synchronization conflict: the system receives time data simultaneously from the mobile operator’s network, GPS servers Google/Mi Account.
• ⚙️ Date and time settings: Automated mode is enabled, but servers return different time zones.
• 📱 Connected additional devices: smart watch Mi Band 8 or Watch S3 They can impose their time on the smartphone.
• 🔄 Bug after update MIUI: This is especially true for transitional versions (e.g., with MIUI 13 on MIUI 14).
• 🛠️ com.android.server.telecom: Responsible for system time and sometimes duplicates it.

In 80% of cases, the problem is solved through standard settings, but if the second hours appeared after manually changing system files (for example, through ADB or Magisk), you may need to reset to factory settings.

Method 1: Turning off automatic time synchronization

The easiest and safest method is to manually set the time zone and turn off automatic synchronization, which will eliminate the conflict between the time sources.

1. Open Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Turn off the Autodetermining Date and Time slider.
3. Manually select your time zone (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3).
4. Turn off time zone autodetermination (if there is such a point).
5. Reset the device.

If the second clock has disappeared after the reboot, the problem was the conflict of time servers. If not, move to the next method. Note: when you manually adjust the time, you need to periodically update it manually (especially when flying or switching to winter/summer time).

Method 2: Resetting time and region settings

If manual autosynchronization disabling didn’t work, try resetting the time settings to factory ones, which will remove all user changes and return the system to default settings. Importantly, this method does not affect personal data, but can reset the date display format (for example, from DD.MM.GYG to MM/DDD/GGG).

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
3. Find the Time Settings app (or Clock) and open it.
4. Click Warehouse → Clear the data and confirm the action.
5. Reboot your smartphone.

After the reboot, the system will automatically tighten the time from the operator’s servers, and if the second watch again appeared, then the problem lies deeper, for example, in conflict with Mi Account or third-party applications.

Method 3: Disabling duplicate widgets and notifications

Sometimes the second clock is not a system bug, but a widget or notification from a third-party app. For example, Google Clock, Mi Fit, or even SberBank Online can display the time in the status bar or on the lock screen.

• 📱 Check the widgets on the home screen: remove all time related (long press) → Delete).
• 🔔 Open the Settings. → Notifications → Additionally, and disable the display of time in notifications.
• 🔍 Go to Settings. → Apps and find programs with access to system time settings (resolution) SET_TIME). Revoke their permission.

Pay special attention to the annexes:

Critical detail: if the second watch only appears on the lock screen, check the theme settings. Some MIUI themes (such as Super Wallpaper or Dynamic Clock) embed additional hours into the wallpaper. To fix this, change the theme to the standard one in Settings → Design → Themes.

Method 4: Correction through Developer Mode

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to use the developer's hidden settings, which are suitable for power users, because the wrong changes can lead to system failures.

⚠️ Note: Changing the developer settings may disrupt the mobile network or GPS. Before actions, create a backup copy in Settings → The phone. → Backup.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
3. Find the USB Debugging option and turn it on (this will unlock additional options).
4. Scroll down to Network and disable: Autosynchronize network time Use network time

Reset the device.

If the second clock has disappeared after the reboot, but there are problems with the mobile Internet, return the settings Use network time to its original state and try Method 5.

adb shell settings put global auto_time 1

This will return automatic time synchronization without resetting other parameters.-->

Method 5: Radical measures - reset and firmware

If neither of these methods worked, the problem could be at the file level, and there are two options:

1. Soft reset (no data loss): Go to Settings → About → Phone → Settings Reset. Select Reset all settings (not “Reset to factory”!) Confirm action. This method saves files but resets all system settings, including time settings.

Hard reset (full cleaning)

⚠️ Warning: This method will delete all data on the device, including photos, contacts and apps. pre-backup to your computer or Mi Cloud.

• Turn off your smartphone.
• Press the Power button + Volume up until the Mi logo appears.
• From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
• Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
• ⌚ On the clock: Swipe down the screen to open the notification bar.Look for the Settings icon → System system → Date and time. Turn off Auto-Time Update.