How to change the date and time on the phone Xiaomi: all the ways

Achieving the right date and time settings on Xiaomi’s smartphone is not just a matter of convenience, but also a key to ensuring that many features work smoothly. From synchronizing notifications to working properly with banking applications, even a minimal time difference can cause disruption. Owners of Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi devices often face the need to change these settings after resetting, moving to a different time zone or manually setting up the system.

In this article, we will look at all possible ways to change date and time, from automatic network synchronization to manual time zone settings. We will focus on typical problems when the phone does not save changes or shows the wrong time after a reboot. The instructions are relevant for all modern versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS) and models released after 2018.

Why it is important to set the date and time correctly

At first glance, inaccuracies in the display of time seem small, but in practice they affect:

• 🔄 Data synchronization: Mail, messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) and cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) can display messages in chronological order.
• 🏦 Banking: SberBank Online, Tinkoff and others block access when time divergence is more than 5 minutes.
• 📡 Network protocols: some VPN, Enterprise networks and services (such as Microsoft Exchange) require accurate authentication time.
• 📅 Calendar and reminders: events may not work on time or disappear from the schedule.

Moreover, on devices with an unlocked bootloader, incorrect time settings can lead to a failure of security certificate verification, which can lead to errors when installing applications through the ADB or Mi Flash Tool.

Method 1: Automatic synchronization over the network

The easiest and most recommended method is to use automatic synchronization with Xiaomi or Google servers, which ensures accuracy and eliminates the need for manual adjustments.

To enable automatic setting:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the section Additional settings → Date and time.
3. Activate the switches: 🔄 Autodetermining Date and Time (using network data) 🌍 Time zone autodetermination (determined by location)

Once activated, the phone will contact the Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers and update the data, usually in less than 10 seconds, and if the sync is not happening, check your Internet connection or restart the device.

Connecting to Wi-Fi or mobile network|Plane mode is off"|Access to geodata is enabled (for time zone)|There are no background activity restrictions in battery settings-->

Method 2: Manually set date and time

If automatic synchronization is not available (for example, if the Internet is not available) or if the data is incorrect, you can set the parameters manually, and this method is also useful for testing applications that require simulating different times.

Instructions for manual adjustment:

1. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time.
2. Turn off the switches Autodetermining Date and Time Zone Autodetermining.
3. Click on the Set a date and Set a time to enter values manually.
4. To select a time zone, tap the Time Zone line and find your region on the list (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3).

Problem 2: Autosynchronization is not working

If the Auto-Date and Time Switch is enabled but the time is not updated:

1. Check your internet connection (synchronization requires access to NTP servers).
2. Make sure that in the Battery settings → Power saving mode there are no restrictions for system applications.
3. Reset network settings: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resetting network settings.

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If the sync issue occurred after the MIUI update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version or wait for a patch from Xiaomi.

Problem 3: The Wrong Time Zone

The phone may misdetect the time zone if:

• 📍 Geolocation services disabled (include them in Settings) → Confidentiality → Permits → geodata).
• 📶 Used. VPN Proxies that mask your real location.
• 🔄 Manually selected the wrong region in the settings of the Time Zone.

For the forced updating of geodata:

1. Turn on flight mode for 30 seconds, then turn off.
2. Open Google Maps and wait for your location to be determined.
3. Go back to the time settings and check the time zone.

Additional functions: dual clocks and time zones

Xiaomi’s MIUI 12-based and newer smartphones support time mapping in two time zones simultaneously, which is convenient for those who often communicate with people from other countries or travel.

To adjust the dual clock:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Watch style.
2. Choose a two-time zone option (not available on all models).
3. Click on Set up the second time zone and select the desired region.

You can also add the World Clock widget to the home screen:

1. Long press on the free space of the screen → Widgets.
2. Find the Watch widget (usually from Google or MIUI).
3. Drag it on the screen and set up the cities displayed.

On devices with HyperOS (for example, Xiaomi 14) is available the function “Smart watches”, which automatically switches the time zone when traveling based on flight data from Google Calendar.

Why you should not change the date manually for no reason

Artificially changing the date and time can lead to unexpected consequences:

• 🔒 Account Blocking: Some services (such as Netflix or Spotify) perceive abrupt time change as an attempt to cheat and temporarily block access.
• 📱 App malfunctions: messengers can stop sending messages, and games can save progress.
• 🔄 Backup Violation: Mi Cloud and Google Drive May Miss Planned Backups.
• 🛠️ Update issues: Xiaomi servers may refuse to install firmware if the date on the device is very different from the real one.

⚠️ WARNING: If you use your phone to mine cryptocurrency or work with blockchain, an inaccurate date can lead to loss of access to wallets. Apps like Trust Wallet or MetaMask link sessions to system time.

The exception is when manual time change is necessary for:

• 🎮 Testing games or applications in different time zones.
• 📅 Checks on reminders and notifications.
• 🔧 Bypassing time limits in demo versions of the software (not recommended due to the risk of blocking).

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To temporarily change the date without consequences, use emulator apps such as Fake GPS or Mock Time (developer rights are required).

Frequently asked questions