How to remove the second watch on the screen Xiaomi Poco M3: the reasons for the appearance and 3 working methods

Duplicate watches on the Xiaomi Poco M3 screen are a common problem that users face after updating MIUI or installing third-party themes. Second watches can be displayed both on the lock screen and in the status bar, creating visual chaos and interfering with the perception of the interface, most often due to conflict of system widgets, design errors or time settings in different layers of MIUI.

In this article, we will discuss all possible reasons for the appearance of the second display of time on Poco. M3 (including models with firmware based on Android 10/11) and offer 3 And we're going to do a lot of good work on how to fix them, from simple changes in settings to deep system edits. MIUI 12/13/14, If you notice that the clock is duplicated only in certain topics or after installing updates, here's the solution.

Why is the Poco M3 getting a second watch?

The reason for clock duplication is almost always the MIUI shell architecture, where time can be displayed simultaneously:

• 📱 System widget in the status bar (top panel)
• 🔒 Lock screen widget (lower or central part)
• 🎨 A third-party theme that redefines standard display
• ⚙️ Cache error after update MIUI

On the Poco M3, the problem is compounded by the fact that the model originally came with a MIUI 12 based on Android 10, where the time display mechanism was less stable than in newer versions. For example, after manually upgrading to MIUI 13/14, users often find that the clock on the lock screen remains from the old firmware, and the system adds new ones on top of them.

Another common scenario is to install themes from MIUI Themes that contain their own time widgets. If the theme is poorly optimized, it may not turn off the standard display of the watch, creating overlays, especially in dark topics where the contrast of numbers decreases, and the second watch becomes barely distinguishable, but still spoils the appearance.

Method 1: Disabling the duplicate widget on the lock screen

The easiest and safest method is to remove the extra time widget directly through the lock screen settings, which works if the second clock only appears on the locked screen and disappears after unlocking.

Instructions:

1. Unlock your phone and go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Select Additional Settings (or Widget Settings depending on the MIUI version).
3. Find the section Widgets of the lock screen and tap it.
4. In the list of active widgets, find the watch (may be called "Time", "Clock" or "Analog/Digital Watch").
5. Hold your finger on the widget and drag it to the basket or click on the removal icon (🗑️).
6. Restart the device so that the changes take effect.

If you don't find a watch in the widget list, but it still shows up, then the problem lies deeper in system settings or the conflict of topics, in which case move on to the next way.

Take a screenshot of the current lock screen|Check the version. MIUI at the Settings → The phone.|Turn off automatic theme updates|Close all background applications-->

Method 2: Reset the lock screen settings and themes

If the clock duplication is related to a set theme or incorrect display settings, resetting to standard settings will help, a method that does not affect user data, but will return the phone to its factory state.

How to reset your settings:

1. Open Settings → Themes.
2. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and choose My subjects.
3. Find an active theme and tap it. At the bottom of the screen, a Remove or Reset button will appear.
4. Confirm action. The system will automatically apply the standard MIUI theme.
5. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Style and select the Standard option.

After resetting, check if the second clock has disappeared, and if the problem persists, it may be related to the cache of system applications.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Themes and Lock Screen (or Lock Screen) apps.
3. For each of them, click the Warehouse → Clear the cache.
4. Reboot the phone.

Method 3: Manual editing of system parameters (for advanced)

If the first two methods failed, the reason for clock duplication could lie in system files that control time display, which requires super-user rights or ADBs and is only suitable for advanced users.

We will consider two options:

• 🔧 Through ADB (rootless)
• 🛠️ System File Editor (requires root)

Option 1: Disabling duplicate display via ADB

Connect Poco M3 to your computer, enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap on version → return to Additional settings → For developers) and execute in the terminal:

adb shell settings put global lock_screen_clock_double_line 0


adb shell settings put global status_bar_clock 0

Once you've done the commands, restart your phone. If the watch is gone, then the problem was the global settings.

Option 2: Overlay file editing (root only)

With a root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer), follow the path:

/vendor/overlay/

Find files with names that contain clock or lockscreen (like LockscreenClockOverlay.apk). Rename them by adding.bak at the end, or delete them. Reboot the device.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can cause the phone to lose its functionality.Before making changes, back up the partition. /vendor through TWRP If you delete your files, your phone stops loading, restore them from the backup.

Additional checks: when nothing helps

If none of the methods eliminated the duplication of hours, the problem may be related to:

If you suspect the problem is caused by the MIUI update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version.

1. Download the archive with the desired version of MIUI for Poco M3 (codename citrus) from the official Xiaomi website.
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root folder of the phone.
3. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update system, press three dots (⋮) and select Select a firmware file.
4. Select update.zip and confirm the rollback.

💡

Before rolling back the firmware, be sure to back up the data through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. rollback erases all user files unless the data saving option is selected.

Preventing Time: How to Avoid Duplicating Time in the Future

To avoid recurring problems, follow these guidelines:

• 🔄 Turn off automatic theme updates in Settings → Topics → Settings → Auto-update.
• 📦 Remove unused topics through My themes to avoid conflict.
• 🔍 Check reviews before installing a new theme – users often write about clock bugs.
• 🛡️ Do not install modified firmware from third-party developers unless you are sure of their stability.
• 📱 Clean the cache of system applications regularly (Themes, Lock Screen, Launcher).

Pay special attention to MIUI updates before installing the new firmware version:

1. Check out the Change List (Changelog) on Xiaomi forums (e.g. xiaomi.eu).
2. Check out the reviews of Poco M3 users with the same firmware region (Global/EU/India).
3. Make a backup through TWRP or Mi Backup.

If you’re often experimenting with themes, consider using alternative launchers (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that allow you to flexibly customize your time display without tampering with system files.

💡

The main reason for the duplicate watches on the Poco M3 is the conflict between the system time widget and the theme widget, and 90% of the time the problem is solved by resetting the themes or removing the extra widget from the lock screen.

Frequent questions about duplicate watches on the Poco M3