How to put a watch on the lock screen Android Xiaomi: all ways and life hacks

Xiaomi’s lock screen is not just a protection against random clicks, but also a source of useful information. One of the most popular improvements is the display of time and date in a convenient format. However, many users find that the watch is either absent at all, or shown too small, non-contrast or in an inconvenient place. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to adjust the clock on the lock screen for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones running different versions of MIUI — from 12 to 14.

It is important to understand that the manufacturer regularly updates the interface, so the location of settings can vary depending on the model and firmware version. We took these nuances into account and prepared universal instructions that will help even if your Xiaomi is running on custom firmware or beta version of HyperOS. In addition, you will learn how to change the time format (12/24 hours), font size, color and even add seconds or date next to the clock.

If you didn’t find the right option in the standard settings, don’t be too upset. There’s a section in the article with alternative methods, including using third-party launchers and apps to customize the lock screen. And for those who like experimentation, we’ve prepared manual editing of system files (for power users only!).

Why is there no clock on the Xiaomi lock screen?

Before you set up a watch, you should figure out why it might be missing.

• 🔄 Update MIUI. Once the new firmware version is installed, the screen settings are often reset to the factory.
• 📱 Factory reset: If you have recently done a hard reset, all personal settings, including the lock clock, will be deleted.
• 🎨 Some themes from the Mi Theme Store may hide the watch or replace it with their own elements, which are not always correctly displayed.
• 🔧 System services error. Rarely, but it happens that after a failure in com.android.systemui, the clock disappears before the device restarts.
• 🛠️ Manual shutdown in settings: It may have been deactivated accidentally or by another user (if multiple people use the smartphone).

If the watch is missing after the upgrade, try restarting the device — it often helps restore the standard display. If the problem is in the theme, go back to the standard (Settings → Themes → My Themes → Standard).

Standard method: configure via the “lock screen” menu

The easiest and safest method is to use Xiaomi’s built-in settings, and the instructions are suitable for most models, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13, and other devices on MIUI 12-14.

Open Settings and follow the following steps:

1. Go to the Lock Screen section (in some firmwares it may be called Lock and Password or Protection and Lock).
2. Select Lock screen style (or Lock screen settings).
3. Tape by current style (usually Standard or active theme name).
4. In the menu that opens, find the option of Watch or Time Display and activate it if it is disabled.
5. Click Clock Style to select the display format (digital, analog, date, etc.).
6. Save the changes with the Apply or Ready button.

If your MIUI version doesn’t have a watch style, try a different way:

Settings → Display → Lock screen → Additional settings → Display time

Make sure that the official firmware is installed on the smartphone

Disable VPN (some settings may be hidden)

Check if the energy saving mode is activated.

- Update. MIUI last-minute-->

Attention! Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi A3 or POCO F1) may not have standard Xiaomi settings due to Android One firmware features, in which case use alternative methods in the following sections.

Change the time format (12/24 hours) and additional settings

Xiaomi defaults to 24-hour time, but it can be changed.

1. Open Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Activate the option to Use 24-hour format (to turn off 12-hour) or deactivate it to switch to AM/PM.
3. Return to the lock screen settings (Settings → Lock screen → Style) and select the appropriate watch style.

If you need to display seconds or a date next to the clock, do the following:

• ⏱️ For seconds: Choose the watch style with stopwatch (not available on all topics).
• 📅 For Date: In the lock screen style settings, find the option to Show Date or Additional Information.

Some firmware (e.g. HyperOS) have a color setting for the watch.

Settings → Lock screen → Style → Color of watches → Select from the palette or turn on “Auto” (color will change depending on the wallpaper)

💡

If the lock clock doesn't update after changing the time format, try changing the theme to the standard and back again. This will reset the display cache.

Alternative methods: third-party applications and launchers

If the standard settings don't work, you can use third-party tools.

1. Applications for customization of the lock screen

• 🔧 Always On Display (AOD) — It allows you to configure a permanent display of time, date and notifications even on the screen off. AMOLED-display.
• 🎨 Lock Screen Widget – Adds widgets to the lock screen, including a customizable watch design.
• ⏰ Digital Clock Widget is a simple tool to change the style of watches (requires unlocking the bootloader on some models).

Important! Some applications will require you to turn off battery optimization for them and grant Overlay permissions over other windows (Settings → Applications → Special Access → Overlay).

2. Use of alternative launchers

Some launchers, such as Nova Launcher or Action Launcher, allow you to configure the lock screen through plugins.

1. Install a launcher and plugin to lock (e.g. Nova Lockscreen).
2. In the plugin settings, select the watch style and additional elements.
3. Activate the plugin as a system application to block (ADB may be required).

⚠️ Attention! Using third-party launchers to lock can reduce the security of the device.Do not install applications from unverified sources - this is a risk of virus infection or data leakage.

Manual settings via ADB (for power users)

If you’re ready to experiment, you can change system settings through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that works for Xiaomi on MIUI 13/14 and HyperOS, but requires an unlocked bootloader and enabled USB debugging.

Here's how to do it:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (Tap 7 times)
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_style 1 where 1 — The style of the watch (you can try the values of the 0 before 5).
4. To change the color, use: adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_color "#FF0000" (where #FF0000 — hex-code).
5. Reset the device.

On some Xiaomi firmware, these commands may not work due to manufacturer restrictions, which would require editing the systemui.apk file, which is risky and could cause system failure.

Problem Solving: The clock is not displayed or is not working properly

If after all the manipulations the watch did not appear, check the following points:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the lock screen settings:

Settings → System → Reset settings → Reset the lock settings

⚠️ On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) Because of hardware limitations, the lock screen watch can only be displayed in the basic format without customization.

Comparison of features on different versions of MIUI

The functionality of the watch settings depends on the firmware version. Below is a comparison table:

If your version of MIUI is outdated, we recommend you upgrade through Settings → System Update. This will not only add new features to the watch, but also improve the performance of the device.

💡

Starting with MIUI 14, Xiaomi has added support for dynamic watches that change color depending on wallpaper and time of day. AMOLED-screen.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the watch on the lock screen Xiaomi