Xiaomi and Poco smartphone owners often encounter visual artifacts in the interface that can be confusing, one of which is the appearance of two time icons in the status bar or widget on the home screen, not a sign of breakdown or viral activity, but only a consequence of specific settings of the MIUI or HyperOS system.
Most often, double hours appear after travel, shifts. SIM-It tries to synchronize local time with the operator's network time, and if it's out of sync, it displays both. X3 NFC POCO X3 Pro this feature remains relevant due to the deep integration of Google services and the manufacturer’s own shells.
Resolving this problem requires careful system settings, and in some cases, a simple reboot is enough, but often requires manual intervention in date and time settings, and it is important to understand that correct timing is critical for alarm clocks, task schedulers, and messenger synchronization.
The reasons for the second time indicator
The fundamental reason for the emergence of clock duplication in the status bar is the activation of the “Second Hours” function, or the conflict between network time and manual settings. When you are in a different time zone, Android can save home network time and add current local time to the user so that the user does not get confused. On Poco devices, this is often implemented through widgets or special themes.
Another common cause is a launcher or cache error in system applications. After a major firmware update, some configuration files may not update properly, leading to visual bugs. The status bar may display both the widget watch and the system clock if their styles have been changed by the theme of the design.
Also worth considering is the impact of third-party alarm or calendar apps that have permission to display information in the status bar. If you’ve recently installed new time management software, they may conflict with Xiaomi’s standard system clock.
- ⏰ Double Hours is activated in date and time settings for travelers.
- 📱 A third-party theme of design is installed, which has its own watch widget in the status bar.
- 🔄 Synchronization failure occurred between operator network time and internal device clock.
- 📲 Conflicting alarm apps try to display their data on lock screen.
Understanding the source of the problem allows you to choose the right method of solving it, if it's a topic, it helps to reset the topic, if you're roaming settings, you need to change the date settings, and in any case, you shouldn't ignore this, because it can indicate deeper synchronization problems.
Setting the date and time in the system
The first and most logical step to eliminate double time is to check the main system settings. You need to go to the Settings menu and find the section responsible for additional parameters. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but it is usually in the category Advanced Settings or System and Device.
Within the Date and Time section, you should pay attention to the Use Network Time switch. If it is turned off, the phone relies on an internal clock, which can cause out-of-synchrony. Enabling this option causes the device to take the exact time from the carrier. However, if you are roaming, the system may suggest using the Second Watch to display the time of the home region.
To turn off the extra indicator, you need to find the Dual Clocks and deactivate it. This action will remove the second dial from the status bar and from the lock screen. If this option is not explicitly available, try manually selecting the time zone corresponding to your current location instead of automatically determining.
In some versions of Poco firmware, there is a hidden bug where the Use Network Time switch is visually on but not functionally working. In this case, the loop helps: turn off -> restart the phone -> turn on again. This forcefully updates the request to the cell towers.
⚠️ Warning: After changing your time settings, be sure to check the alarm clocks.A time zone shift can cause the alarm clock to fail at the right time or to be delayed.
Proper time zone setting is important not only for display, but also for banking applications. Many financial services block the login if the time on the device differs from the server by more than a minute, so after deleting the double clock, make sure that the time coincides with the real one.
☑️ Checking the time settings
The Impact of Themes and Interface Personalization
MIUI is famous for its customization capabilities, but it's the themes that often cause visual glitches. If you installed a third-party theme from GetThemes, it could change the system file that controls the status bar. In these themes, the watch can be embedded as a graphical element that is superimposed on top of the system clock, creating a double-digit effect.
To test this hypothesis, you just need to temporarily switch to a standard Classic or Default theme. Go to the Themes app, select a person's profile and click on a classic theme. If the second dial disappeared after applying the standard design, then the problem was in the third-party theme code.
Some themes have their own widget settings that are activated separately from the theme itself. Go to the theme settings and look for the Status Bar or Status Bar section. There may be a separate switch for displaying the clock. Disabling this element will return the standard view to the Poco X3 interface.
Also worth noting are the desktop widgets. Often users install a large-sized Clock widget that has its own setting for displaying seconds or a second time zone, removing it or replacing it with a standard one solves the problem visually, even if nothing has changed in the status bar.
- 🎨 Third-party themes may contain code bugs that duplicate system elements.
- 🖼️ Desktop clock widgets often have independent display settings.
- 🛠️ Resetting the theme to standard – the fastest way to diagnose the interface.
If the problem persists even on a standard theme, it is possible that the system has tails from the previous design, in which case it is recommended to clear the cache of the Themes application through the application management menu, which will delete temporary files that may store erroneous configurations.
How do you clear the theme cache?
Resetting widget settings and lock screen
The lock screen on Xiaomi and Poco smartphones has a separate set of settings that can conflict with the main desktop, in particular, the “Stepher” or “Cards” feature on the lock screen sometimes pulls over the time display function. If you have a different lock screen style than the system one, it can force double clocks to display.
To correct this, go to the Lock Screen settings, where you need to check the active widgets. Often, large-sized and small-sized watches are turned on by default at the same time. Disabling one eliminates visual noise. Also check if the "Show time in two formats" option (such as 12 and 24 hours) that can look like two different times is enabled.
An important element is the Clock widget on the home screen. The standard MIUI widget allows you to display time in several cities. If a second city is added in the widget settings, it will show two times. Press and hold the widget, select Edit, and remove the extra cities from the list.
| Interface element | Probability of problem | Method of decision | Location of settings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard widget | Tall. | Editing by cities | Desktop |
| Theme of the design | Medium | Change to classic | Annex Topics |
| Lock screen | Medium | Lock screen style | Settings -> Lock screen |
| Third-party launcher | Low. | Launcher widget settings | Depends on the launcher. |
Sometimes it helps to completely reset the lock screen to factory settings, which will return the standard font and the location of the elements. Please note that this action will not affect your personal data, photos or contacts, only the appearance of the turn on screen will change.
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If you’re using a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Niagara), check its individual widget settings. They can override Xiaomi’s system styles and create duplicates.
Diagnostics of third-party applications and launchers
If system settings and themes are in order, third-party apps can be the source of the problem. Programs like Clock Widget, various alarm clocks or weather apps often request permission to display over other windows. On Poco X3, with its high screen refresh rate, such applications may not work properly.
Check the list of newly installed applications. If a problem occurs immediately after you install a new program, try to delete it. Pay special attention to applications that modify the system UI, such as control panels or notification centers, which often embed their elements in the status bar.
In Safe Mode, you can easily determine if a third-party app is to blame. When you turn on your phone, press the volume button (some models may have different button combinations, sometimes you need to hold the button off the menu and select Safe Mode). This mode only downloads system applications. If the double clock is gone, look for the culprit among the installed programs.
⚠️ Warning: Do not install apps to "speed up the phone" or "clean up memory" from unreliable sources.They often contain ad modules that can embed their time widgets to grab the user's attention.
Also worth checking is the Accessibility settings. Some applications for people with disabilities or for phone management may change the time display. Go to Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Special Features and turn off suspicious services.
For advanced users, there is a possibility of using ADB-commands to remove the system clock if it counts as part of the system application, but this requires caution.
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Safe Mode is the best tool to identify the culprit, and if there is no double clock in safe mode, the problem is guaranteed in third-party software.
Resetting and system update
When software methods don't work, the radical but effective tool is resetting. On the Poco X3, you can do it in two ways: through the recovery menu or through the settings. The less traumatic option is to reset all settings (not data), which will return all system parameters to factory values by removing your Wi-Fi passwords and Bluetooth settings, but saving photos and contacts.
Path to reset: Settings -> About Phone -> Settings Reset -> Erase all data (attention, this is a full reset) or Settings -> Settings -> Reset and Reset -> Reset (save files). Before the procedure, be sure to back up important data in the Mi Cloud or on your computer.
Often, the problem is solved by a simple system update. Xiaomi developers regularly release patches that fix interface bugs. Go to Settings -> About -> About Phone -> MIUI version and check for updates. If a new version is available, install it. In some cases, re-installing the current version through the Select Service Pack menu, if the function is activated, helps.
If the double clock appears after the update, it may be a known bug of a particular firmware version, in which case users on forums often advise waiting for the next patch or using third-party launchers that ignore the status bar. However, waiting for an update is not always the best way to go if the problem interferes with the use of the device.
- 💾 Backup of data – a mandatory step before any reset.
- 🔄 Firmware updates often contain corrections to visual interface bugs.
- 🗑️ Full reset (Hard Reset) is guaranteed to eliminate software conflicts settings.
Remember, once reset, the phone will be like new. You'll have to re-sign in to Google and Mi accounts. That's a small price to pay for a stable system and no annoying visual errors.