How to change time on Xiaomi devices: smartphones, watches, fitness bracelets

Even the smallest time-setting error on a Xiaomi device can cause alarm clocks, notifications, and cloud-based sync to crash. MIUI smartphones, Mi Watch smartwatches, and Mi Band fitness bracelets use different time-up algorithms, from automatic network sync to manually adjusting in deep menus. In this article, we’ll look at all possible scenarios, from basic settings to solving rare bugs, when the device persistently shows the wrong time despite all attempts to fix it.

The peculiarity of the Xiaomi ecosystem is that even budget models (for example, Redmi Note) are not very popular. 12 or POCO M6 Pro) support advanced functions such as dual clocks (time mapping of two time zones) or automatic daylight/winter time, but these same features sometimes become a source of problems, especially after a firmware update or a change of time. SIM-We tested all the current methods on the devices with the MIUI 14/15 wear OS 3+, to provide working solutions.

Why Xiaomi is losing time: the main reasons

Before you change the time manually, it’s worth figuring out why the device loses accurate synchronization, and 80 percent of the time, the problem isn’t hardware malfunctions, but software conflicts or incorrect settings.

The most common reasons are:

• 📶 No stable Internet connection: Automatic time synchronization (NTP) requires access to Xiaomi or Google servers, if the smartphone is connected to a mobile network with limited traffic or Wi-Fi with locking NTP-Time may freeze on the last successful update.
• 🔄 Failure after update MIUI. Firmware versions MIUI 14.0.4–14.0.6 contained a bug that reset system time to January 1, 1970, when rebooted. Corrected in later builds, but some devices require manual resetting.
• 📱 Battery saving apps: Utilities like Greenify or Ultra Battery Saver can block background activity of system services that synchronize the system.
• ⚙️ If you manually select a city that does not match your current location (for example, Moscow instead of Yekaterinburg), automatic time adjustment will not work.

⚠️ Note: On devices with unlocked bootloader and custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), time may be lost due to the lack of proprietary Xiaomi drivers for the module RTC (In this case, only the original firmware will help. MIUI or manual editing of the build.prop file.

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How to change the time on the Xiaomi smartphone (MIUI)

On most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, the time change algorithm is the same, but there are nuances for different versions of MIUI. Below is a universal instruction running on firmware from MIUI 12 to MIUI 15.

Method 1: Automatic synchronization (recommended)

This method is suitable for 95% of users, and the system itself will adjust the exact time from the servers of Google or Xiaomi, if:

• 🌐 Device connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile network).
• 📍 Geolocation service is enabled (optional, but speeds up time zone definition).
• ⚡ The battery is charged by more than 15% (at low charge background processes are limited).

Path to the menu:

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Scroll down and select Additional (on some models - System).
3. Slip it on date and time.
4. Activate sliders: Auto-date and time (using NTP servers); Auto-define time zones (detecting a belt over the network or GPS).

If after turning on these options, the time did not update within 1-2 minutes, try:

• 🔄 Switch aircraft mode (Enable) → Turn it off).
• 📶 Connect to another Wi-Fi or mobile internet network.
• 🔧 Reset network settings: Settings → Wi-Fi → ⋮ → Additionally. → Resetting network settings.

Method 2: Manually adjusting the time

If automatic synchronization is not working (for example, on devices without a synchronization). SIM-cards or with limited internet, you can set the time manually:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Turn off the Autodetermining Date and Time slider.
3. Slip on the fields Set a date and Set a time to change the values.
4. For time zones, turn off Autodetermination and manually select the city from the list.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra or POCO F5) When you manually set the time, you turn off functions like automatically switching to summer/winter time and syncing with your Google account. To return them, turn on automatic determination again.

💡

If after manual adjustment time continues to be lost during restart, check the battery status. A worn-out battery (capacity < 70%) may not power the RTC module when it is off. Use the AccuBattery app for diagnostics.

Features of setting the time on Xiaomi smart watches

The Mi Watch, Watch S3 and Mi Band 7/8 smartwatches sync time with a connected smartphone via the Mi Fitness app (formerly Zepp Life) and if the clock is not on the right time, the problem can be in the watch itself and in the phone.

For Wear OS watches (Mi Watch 2 Pro, Watch S3)

Devices on Wear OS (e.g. Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro) use Google’s sync algorithm:

1. Make sure the watch is connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth.
2. Open the Wear OS app (not Mi Fitness!) on your phone.
3. Go to Settings → System → Date and time.
4. Enable the Automatic Date and Time.

If the time on the clock and phone is more than 5 minutes apart:

• 🔄 Reconnect the clock to your phone (forget the device in Bluetooth settings and connect again).
• 📱 Update the Wear app OS and watch firmware through Mi Fitness.
• ⚡ Check if the phone is power saving mode for the Wear app OS.

For fitness bracelets (Mi Band 7/8, Smart Band Pro)

The Mi Band does not have its own NTP module and is completely dependent on the phone.

1. Open the Mi Fitness app.
2. Go to the device profile (stick the bracelet icon at the top of the screen).
3. Select the device settings → Date and time.
4. Make sure you have the option to sync time with your phone.

• 📲 Mi Fitness version (current - no less than 5.10.0).
• 🔋 Bracelet charge level (when charged) < 20% of synchronization may not work).
• 📡 Stability of Bluetooth connection (reconnect the bracelet).

Solving rare problems with time

If standard methods didn't work, the problem could be profound, from firmware failures to hardware failures.

Problem: Time is strayed after rebooting

Symptom: After each switch off/on of the smartphone, the time is reset to January 1, 1970 or an arbitrary date.

Causes and solutions:

Problem: Time in the status bar and in the settings are different

Symptom: One time is displayed in the top notification bar, and another time is displayed in Settings → Date and time.

Decision:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI (or Launcher) system interface.
3. Slip the vault. → Clear the cache.
4. Reset the device.

adb shell settings get global auto_time


adb shell settings get global auto_time_zone

Both parameters should return 1. If not, reset them manually.-->

Additional settings: dual clock, time format

Users who travel frequently or work with international partners can configure a time mapping of two time zones at the same time (dual clock). MIUI 13+:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Slip the Dual Clock.
3. Turn on the option and select the second time zone from the list.
4. Configure the display: In the status bar (near the main time). On the lock screen.

You can also change the format of the time (12-hour or 24-hour):

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Choose to use the 24-hour format.
3. A reboot may be required to apply the changes.
4. Google Play Services: Open Settings → Apps → Google Play Services. Tap Storage → Space Management → Clear all data.

If the problem persists, manually indicate NTP-server:

1. Install the ClockSync app from Google Play.
2. Open it and select pool.ntp.org server or time.google.com.
3. Press Sync Now.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up time on Xiaomi