The color of the Xiaomi home screen is a small but important detail of smartphone personalization. Many MIUI users find that the standard white or black shade of time does not fit into the chosen theme of the design, wallpaper or simply annoying over time. Unfortunately, unlike full themes, changing the color of the watch does not always lie on the surface – this option may be hidden in the depths of the settings or completely absent in some versions of the firmware.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways that Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO can color-shift watch widgets on the home screen, from standard MIUI tools to third-party workarounds. We’ll focus on the nuances for different shell versions (from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14) and smartphone models. If you want screen time to be in harmony with your style, read on.
Why the color of the watch does not change through standard settings
Before we get into the instructions, it's important to understand why a simple change of color can turn into a quest. It's all about the MIUI architecture: Xiaomi's shell rigidly ties the display of time on the home screen to the system theme or wallpaper.
- 🎨 In most cases, the color of the watch automatically adjusts to the dominant shade of wallpaper (the function of Autocolor in the color of the watch). MIUI).
- ⚙️ On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Redmi Note 11 – The color is tied to a dark/light theme and changes only with it.
- 🔒 In versions. MIUI 12.5 and below, the option of manual color selection is often absent at all - it was added later, in the MIUI 13+.
- 📱 On devices with AMOLED-The color of the screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) can dynamically change to save battery life.
If you've tried to find a color change option in Settings → Home screen and you don't find one, that's OK. 80 percent of the time, direct color adjustment is not available in MIUI, and users have to use workarounds. Next, we'll look at all the working methods, starting with the simplest ones.
Method 1: Color change through system themes
The most reliable and versatile method is to use built-in MIUI themes, and even if you don't have a direct color setting, changing the theme almost always changes the tint of time on the home screen.
- Open the Themes app (the icon with a brush on the home screen or in the app menu).
- Go to the section My topics → Management.
- Choose one of the proposed themes (Dark, Light, Color or Custom).
- Apply the theme and return to the home screen – the color of the watch should be updated.
If standard themes do not give the desired result, try to download alternatives from the official theme store:
- 🔍 In the Topics app, go online and search for a color watch or time color.
- 🎨 Pay attention to the themes marked Dynamic colors – they adapt the hue of the clock under the wallpaper.
- ⚠️ Avoid themes from unverified developers – they may contain ads or malicious code.
| MIUI version | Does it support manual color change of the watch? | Does the shift work through topics? |
|---|---|---|
| MIUI 12 and below | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes (partially) |
| MIUI 12.5 | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. |
| MIUI 13 | ⚠️ Only in some models | ✅ Yes. |
| MIUI 14 | ✅ Yes, on most devices) | ✅ Yes. |
⚠️ Note: On devices with HyperOS (new shell from Xiaomi, which came to replace the new model) MIUI) The logic of the theme has changed. If your smartphone has upgraded to HyperOS, try first to reset the theme to the standard one, and then apply the custom one again, which often solves the problem of incorrect display of the color of the watch.
Method 2: Using watch widgets from third-party developers
If the system methods didn’t work, you can go a workaround by installing an alternative watch widget from Google Play, which is suitable for all MIUI and Xiaomi models, but requires a little more effort.
The best apps for customizing watches:
- ⏰ UCCW (Ultimate Custom Clock Widget – lets you create a watch from scratch, customizing color, font and even animation.
- 🎨 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – an advanced widget design tool (requires editorial skills).
- 🔧 Chronus: Home & Lock Widgets is a simple widget with wide color and style settings.
- 🌈 Color Clock Widget – a special application for changing the color of watches in real time.
Instructions for installation and configuration (on the example of Chronus):
Download Chronus from Google Play|Add a widget to the main screen (long press). → Widgets → Chronus)|Select the style of the clock in the widget settings|Set up color in the Appearance section → Clock Color|Save the changes and return the widget to the screen-->
Advantages of this method:
- 🎛️ Complete control over the color, size and font of the watch.
- 🔄 The possibility of dynamic color change depending on the time of day.
- 📱 It works on all versions. MIUI, including obsolete.
⚠️ Note: Some widgets may conflict with system clocks MIUI, This will show you duplicate time, so to avoid this, turn off the standard widget: long pressing of the clock. → Delete or hide.
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If after installing the widget, the watch has disappeared from the lock screen, check the Security settings → Lock screen → Widgets and turn on the display of third-party widgets.
Method 3: Manual color change via ADB (for advanced users)
For those who aren’t afraid to dive into the technical details, there’s a way to change the color of the watch through the slate. ADB-This method works on most Xiaomi devices, but requires the developer mode on and connection to the computer.
Step-by-step:
- Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. 7 times click on the MIUI Version until the notification appears You became a developer.
USB-debugging
- Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
- Turn on the debugging switch over USB.
- Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute a color change command (example for red): adb shell settings put secure sysui_clock_color ff0000ff Where ff0000ff — it HEX-color-code AARRGGBB (The first two symbols are transparency).
- Restart the device so that the changes take effect.
This method works particularly well on devices with AMOLED-Xiaomi 12 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Ultra, where the colors are more saturated:
- 🎨 The color of the watch will depend on the dominant shade of wallpaper - it is difficult to find the right tone exactly.
- 🔄 When changing the color of the clock will also change.
- ⚠️ On some devices (Redmi Note 10, POCO X3) Dynamic color function can be unstable.
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Dynamic colors are the easiest way to change the hue of the watch without manual adjustment, but it is only suitable for those who are willing to adjust the wallpaper to the desired color.
Method 5: Using launchers (launchers) from third-party developers
If previous methods don’t work for you, you can completely replace the standard MIUI launcher with an alternative one. Popular launchers such as Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher or Lawnchair allow you to flexibly customize widgets, including the color of the watch.
Advantages of this approach:
- 🎛️ Complete customization of the appearance of the watch (color, font, size, position).
- 📱 Compatibility with all versions MIUI, including obsolete.
- 🔧 The ability to use widgets from other manufacturers (for example, Google Clock).