The alarm clock on Xiaomi is not just a wake-up function, it's a whole day-planning tool. Unlike traditional mechanical alarm clocks, modern phones allow you to adjust repeating signals, select tunes from Spotify, use smooth volume increase, and even synchronize reminders with your calendar. But many users still face problems: the alarm doesn't work in Do Not Disturb mode, the signal is too quiet, the app suddenly resets after the MIUI update.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you set your alarm on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones, from the standard Watch app to third-party solutions like Google Clock or Sleep as Android. You’ll learn how to set your repeating alarm every weekday, why sometimes the alarm doesn’t work, and how to return remote alarms after resetting, and hidden MIUI features that aren’t mentioned in official instructions, such as how to use voice commands to turn off the alarm clock or adjust the vibration to your individual pattern.
Standard application "Clock": basic setting of the alarm clock
All Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Mi 13) have an Alarm Watch app pre-installed, which is the most reliable way, since the system software is optimized for running in the background and does not “fall asleep” when saving energy.
Open the Watch app (the dial icon) and go to the Alarm tab at the bottom menu. Here you will see a list of all active alarm clocks. To add a new one, click the + button in the lower right corner. The setting window with the main settings will open:
- ⏰ Time – Set the hours and minutes with a dial or enter manually.
- 🔄 Repeat – Select the days of the week (e.g., “Pn-Pt” for weekdays).
- 🔔 Sound – Standard tunes or tracks from your phone’s memory.
- 📳 Vibration – Turn on/off and select a pattern (short, long, S-O-S).
- 🏷️ Label – the name of the alarm clock (for example, “Work”, “Workout").
Once set up, press Save. The alarm will appear on the list and will be active until you manually turn it off or delete it. Note: MIUI 14+ has added a Smart Alarm feature that analyzes sleep phases through the built-in motion sensor and selects the optimal wake-up time within ±30 minutes of the set.
Proper time | Sound (not "No sound") | Vibration activated (if necessary) | Repeat set (if required) | Label checked for convenience-->
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If the alarm doesn’t work, check the permissions of the Watch app in Settings → Apps → Application Management → Watches → Permissions. Make sure that Notifications and Auto Start are enabled.
Problems and Solutions: Why the Alarm Doesn't Work
About 30 percent of Xiaomi users experience an alarm clock not working at the scheduled time, ranging from simple setup errors to MIUI system bugs, and the most common scenarios and ways to fix them are:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The alarm clock doesn't ring in "Do Not Disturb" mode. | Exceptions do not include the Appendix Clock | Go to Settings → Sound and Vibration → Don’t Disturb → Allow exceptions and add alarm clocks |
| The signal's too quiet. | Limiting volume for media or system sounds | Check the volume slider in Settings → Sound and vibration → Volume (Media section) |
| The alarm clock is triggered with a delay | Actively optimized battery for the watch application | Open Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization, Find the Watch and select “No Limits” |
| Alarm clock missing after MIUI update | Resetting the settings of the application Watch | Reset the update or restore alarm clocks from Settings backup → Memory → Backup |
The MIUI has three levels of battery optimization, and when SuperSaving is activated, the system can force background processes, including alarm clocks, to avoid this:
- Go to Settings → Battery → Energy Saving Mode.
- Choose Balanced or Performance.
- Add the Watch app to the App list without restrictions.
Every day.|Only on weekdays.|Rarely (1-2 weekly)|I never wake up on my own.-->
Advanced settings: repetitive alarm clocks, debugging and smart features
The standard alarm clock in MIUI supports not only one-off signals, but also complex repetition scenarios, for example, you can set the alarm clock to ring:
- 📅 Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (for training).
- 🎯 Only in the first days of the month (for payment of utilities).
- 🌙 On weekends, but with a different sound (e.g., a more relaxed tune).
To do this, when you create an alarm, click on the Repeat field and manually mark the right days. And if you need to temporarily turn off the alarm (for example, during vacation), without removing it, just move the slider to the right - it will turn gray, but the settings will remain.
Another useful feature is the alarm deferral, which is set to a 5-minute delay by default in MIUI, but you can change it:
- Open the alarm in the list and click on it.
- Pick a scumbag.
- Set the interval: 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes.
What many people don't know is that MIUI 14+ has the ability to adjust a few debuggings in a row, for example, if you press "Delay" for 5 minutes and press it again after 5 minutes, the alarm goes off in another 10 minutes, which is convenient for those who wake up gradually.
How to turn on voice alarm control?
Alternative Alarms Apps: When Standard Ones Are Lacking
If you don’t have the functionality of the standard Watch app, you can set third-party alarms from Google Play. They offer advanced features such as:
- 🎵 Integration with Spotify or YouTube Music to wake up to your favorite tracks.
- 🌡️ Sleep phases through motion sensors (like Sleep as Android).
- 🧠 Puzzles to turn off the alarm clock (to avoid sleeping, solve examples or scan) QR-code).
- 📊 Sleep statistics and automatic reports.
The most popular alternatives are:
| Annex | Features | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Google Clock | Sync with Google account, minimalist design, “Spotting” function (search phone by sound) | No smooth volume increase, limited alarm clock sounds |
| Sleep as Android | Sleep analysis, smart wake-up in REM sleep, integration with wearable devices | Paid version for full functionality, complex interface |
| Alarmy | Disconnection tasks (barcode scanning, photography), extremely loud signal | Aggressive advertising in the free version, high battery consumption |
To set a third-party alarm:
- Download the app from Google Play (like Google Clock).
- Open it and provide all the permissions you request (access to microphone, camera, motion sensors – if necessary).
- Set your alarm clock to the same standard but with advanced options.
- Turn off the standard alarm clock in the clock to avoid duplication of signals.
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Side alarms may conflict with battery optimization in MIUI. Once installed, add them to the list of "Apps Without Restrictions" in the battery settings.
Alarm clock via voice assistant: "OK, Google" and Alice
If you're too lazy to open the app, you can set an alarm with voice commands, this works through Google Assistant (on all Xiaomi models) or Alice from Yandex (on phones for the Russian market).
Through Google Assistant:
- Activate the assistant with the phrase “OK, Google” or hold the Home button.
- Say, "Set the alarm for 7:30" or "Wake me up tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.."
- The assistant will confirm the time and ask if the alarm clock should be repeated on the days of the week.
Through Alice (Yandex):
- Hold the Search button (or say "Alice" if voice launch is enabled).
- Say, "Set the alarm for 8:00 tomorrow."
- Alice will offer to save the alarm clock in the standard Watch app or in your service.
Voice alarms have one caveat: they don’t always last after you reboot your phone, so if you’re planning to upgrade or reset your settings, it’s best to manually duplicate them through the Watch app.
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To set your voice alarm in Do Not Disturb mode, add Google Assistant or Alice to the exception list (Settings → Sound → Do Not Disturb → Allow exceptions).
Alarm clock on smart watches and fitness bracelets Xiaomi
If you have a Mi Band, a Xiaomi Watch, or some other Xiaomi gadget, you can set the alarm right on it, which is convenient, because the vibration on your hand will wake you up even if the phone is far away or in silent mode. Here's how it works:
For Mi Band 7/8 or Xiaomi Smart Band Pro:
- Open the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp Life for new models).
- Go to Profile → My Devices → [Your Bracelet] → Alarms.
- Press Add an alarm clock and set the time.
- Select the repetition days and signal type (vibration, sound + vibration).
For the Xiaomi Watch S3 or Watch 2 Pro:
- On the watch itself, open the app menu and select the Alarm clock.
- Click Add and set the parameters.
- Sync with your phone through Mi Fitness so that alarm clocks are duplicated.
The important thing is that the alarm clocks on the wristband and the phone work independently. If you turn off the clock, the alarm clock on the phone will still work (and vice versa). To avoid duplication, sync the devices or set the alarm clocks in only one place.
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You can set up to 10 alarm clocks on the Mi Band at a time, but they take up the memory of the device. If the bracelet starts to slow down, delete the unnecessary signals.
Resetting and restoring alarm clocks after MIUI update
After major MIUI updates (e.g., version 13 to version 14), users often find that all alarms are reset, either by clearing the Clock cache or resetting it to avoid losing settings:
- Back up through Settings → Memory → Backup. Select the Watch in the list of applications to save.
- If alarm clocks are already gone, try to restore them from backup (Recovery in the same settings section).
- If you don’t have a backup, check the /MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder through the file manager – sometimes old data is saved there.
If nothing works, you’ll have to reset the alarm clocks, and to speed up the process, you can export the settings to some third-party apps (e.g. Sleep as Android supports export/import of alarm clocks via file).
How to return a remote alarm without a backup?
⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI Global, after the update, the region of the device may reset, which will lead to a change in the time zone and, as a result, the alarm clocks will not work properly. → Additionally. → Date and time and, if necessary, enable Automatic Definition.