You turned on a Xiaomi smartphone, and instead of the usual time, two sets of watches suddenly appear on the lock screen — one on top of the other? This problem occurs on devices with MIUI 12, MIUI 13 and MIUI 14, especially after updates or installing third-party themes. Duplicating time not only spoils the appearance, but can also signal malfunctions in the shell.
Most of the time, conflicting widgets, cache errors, or incorrect display settings are to blame. The good news is that you can fix the bug without resetting to factory settings — just know where to look. In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways, including hidden developer options and manually editing configuration files for advanced users.
Why are there double watches on Xiaomi?
Duplicating the time on the lock screen is a typical MIUI shell glitch that manifests itself in several scenarios:
- 🔄 Widget conflict: Simultaneously activated system widget watch and widget from a third-party theme (for example, Theme Store or Always On Display).
- 📱 Errors after the update: Incomplete patch installation MIUI or resetting cache during an update.
- 🧩 Developer settings: Debugging options enabled, such as Show overlays or GPU-acceleration.
- 🗑️ Damaged cache: The system files that display the lock contain outdated data.
On some models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro or the POCO X3 Pro), the bug appears after the Always On Display (AOD) function is activated. The system mistakenly duplicates the watch widget, believing that the screen is “always on” even when locked.
Method 1: Disabling widgets on the lock screen
The fastest method is to manually remove conflicting widgets.
- Unlock your smartphone and swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification panel.
- Click on the icon “Cog” (Settings) → go to the Lock screen.
- Select Lock Screen Widgets (or Additional Settings on older versions of MIUI).
- Remove all widgets associated with the watch, especially if they are marked as System or Themes.
If the option is not available, try an alternative path:
Settings → Applications → Application Management → System Applications → Lock screen → Storage → Clear cacheMake sure your phone is 30%+ charged.
Take a screenshot of the current lock screen settings
Close all background applications
Turn off the mobile internet (optional)
-->
⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (MIUI 14 Global) after removing the widgets, the clock may disappear completely, in which case, restart the device - the system clock will automatically recover.
Method 2: Reset the lock screen settings
If the widgets are deleted but the double clock is still there, try resetting the lock settings to factory settings, which doesn't affect personal data, but will return the standard look of the screen.
Instructions:
- Open the Settings → Lock screen.
- Scroll down and click Restore Default Settings (or Reset Settings).
- Confirm the action by entering the password / pattern lock.
- Reboot your smartphone (Power → Reboot).
| Xiaomi model | The way to dump | Do you need a password? |
|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 11/12 | Settings → Lock screen → Additional → Reset | Yes. |
| POCO F4/F5 | Settings → Lock and Protection → Resetting settings | Yes. |
| Mi 13 Ultra | Settings → Display → Lock screen → Restoration | No. |
| Xiaomi 12T | Settings → Personalization → Lock screen → Reset | Yes. |
After the reboot, check the lock screen. If the watch is displayed correctly, do not install third-party themes for 24 hours - this will help avoid recurrence.
💡
Before reset, back up the lock screen wallpaper through Settings → Wallpaper → Save current ones.
Method 3: Cleaning the cache of system applications
A damaged cache of com.android.systemui or com.miui.home applications often causes graphical glitches, including double clocks, and clearing the cache will help return the correct display.
How to do this:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show all processes.
- Find applications: System interface (com.android.systemui) MIUI Launcher (com.miui.home) Lock screen (com.miui.lockscreen)
Warehouse → Clear the cache
Reset the device.
On some firmware (MIUI 14 China), after cleaning the cache of system applications, Always On Display may disappear. To return the function, go to Settings → Display → Always On Display and turn it on again.
What to do if the "Clear Cache" button is inactive?
Method 4: Turning off Always on Display (AOD)
The Always On Display feature conflicts with the clock widget on the lock screen for 30% of Xiaomi users, and even if AOD is disabled in settings, its background processes can duplicate time.
How to completely deactivate AOD:
- Go to Settings → Display → Always On Display
- Turn off the slider Always on Display.
- In the same menu, click the Schedule and set Never.
- Return to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Management and find the Always On Display app. Select Limit Background Activity.
If after disabling the AOD, the clock on the lock screen has completely disappeared, perform a forced reboot:
Press the power button + increase the volume for 10 seconds💡
In the models with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 13 Pro) disconnection AOD It can increase the time of autonomous operation on 15-20% by reducing energy consumption.
Method 5: Manual editing of configuration files (for advanced ones)
If standard methods fail, the cause of the double clock may be a corrupted configuration file. lockscreen_settings.xml. This method requires root rights or access to the ADB.
Instructions for users with root:
- Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
- Go to /data/system/users/0/
- Find the file. lockscreen_settings.xml And back it up.
- Open the file in the text editor and delete the lines containing: <setting name="dual_clock_enabled" value="true" /> <setting name="widget_clock_duplicate" value="1" />
- Save the changes, set the rights 644 (rw-r-----).
- Reset the device.
For users without root:
adb shell
su
rm /data/system/users/0/lockscreen_settings.xml
reboot⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to a cyclic restart (bootloop). TWRP Or Mi Flash Tool.
Additional advice and prevention
To avoid the recurrence of double clocks:
- 🚫 Avoid third-party launchers (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) if they conflict with the new launcher. MIUI.
- 🔄 Update your firmware regularly – in new versions MIUI fix the clock widget bugs.
- 🎨 Do not use themes from unverified sources (especially with modified widgets).
- 📱 Reset your settings after major updates (e.g., with a MIUI 13 on MIUI 14).
If the problem occurs after you install a specific application (such as Good Lock or Always On Display AMOLED), uninstall it and check the lock screen after 5-10 minutes.