How to Set the Watch and Weather on Xiaomi Phone: 3 Ways to Work

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have widgets on it – and how to fix it

Watch and weather widgets on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO are not just screen decorations, but a useful tool for quickly accessing key information. However, many users face the problem that once they update MIUI or reset the settings, the widgets disappear, and the standard ways to add them do not work, the reason often lies in the limitations of the MIUI shell, which by default hides some of the system widgets for the “purity” of the interface.

In this article, we will discuss 3 proven methods of installing watches and weather on the home screen, from the basic (through long press) to advanced (using third-party launchers). All instructions are relevant for MIUI 12-14 based on Android 10-14, including Xiaomi 13/14 models, Redmi Note 12/11 and POCO F5/X5. If you have an older version of firmware (for example, MIUI 11), some menu items may differ - we will warn about this separately.

Before you proceed to setup, make sure that:

📱 The phone has the latest version of the shell. MIUI (Check in the settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
🌍 Geolocation services (for weather widget) are included in Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → geodata.
⏱️ Time zone is configured correctly (Settings) → Additionally. → Date and time).

📊 Which widget do you need on the main screen?

Date clock

Weather forecast

Calendar

Currency rates

Other

Method 1: Standard long-press addition (works 80% of the time)

This is the easiest method that works on most Xiaomi devices without any additional manipulation, and is suitable for users who do not want to install third-party apps.

Instructions:

Press and hold the empty space on the home screen (not the icon!) and the desktop settings menu will appear.
Select the Widgets item (on some firmware - Add a widget).
Scroll down to Systems or MIUI, and it should show:

Name of the widget	Functional	Size (cells)
Clock (analog)	Classic dial with arrows, date, alarm clocks	2×2 or 4×2
Clock (digital)	Digital format, seconds, the ability to customize the font	2×1 or 4×1
Weather.	Current temperature, weather icon, brief forecast for 3 days	2×2 or 4×1
Weather + Hours	Combined widget with time and weather in one block	4×2

If you don't have system widgets on the list, they're disabled in the settings.

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Find the Weather app (com.miui.weather2) and tap it.
Choose Display widget or Allow widgets (the name of the item depends on the version of MIUI).
Restart the phone and try again.

Make sure there is a free space on the screen (minimum 2×2 cells)

Enable geolocation for weather widget

Update the Weather app on Google Play (if installed)

Reboot your phone after changes in settings-->

Method 2: Through theme settings (if widgets are hidden)

In some versions of MIUI (especially on Xiaomi for the global market), system widgets are hidden by default, and can be returned via theme menu – this method works even if the first method did not work.

Step-by-step:

Open the "Themes" app (icon with brush).
Go to the section My → Widgets.
In the upper right corner, click on three dots and select the widget settings.
Activate the switches opposite: 🕒 Clock (system clock) ☀️ Weather (MIUI) 📅 Calendar (optional)

push-on → Widgets

If the widgets don't show up after this manipulation, check if the MIUI Light version is disabled.

⚠️ Note: Light mode is automatically turned on on budget models (Redmi) A1, POCO C50) To save resources, turn it off, go to Settings. → Special facilities → light-version MIUI And then you deactivate the option, and then you have the widgets available, but the performance of the device may be slightly reduced.

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If the weather widget shows the wrong temperature, manually update the data: open the Weather app, pull the screen down for an update, then return to the home screen – the data in the widget is synchronized automatically.

Method 3: Installation through a third-party launcher (for advanced users)

If Xiaomi system widgets don’t suit you (e.g., no customization or size), alternative launchers can be used, a method that is suitable for models with MIUI 13/14, where the settings of standard widgets are limited.

The best launchers for widgets on Xiaomi:

🏆 Nova Launcher – supports adaptive widgets, gestures, backup settings.
🎨 Niagara Launcher – Minimalist design with vertical widget scrolling.
🔧 Action Launcher – unique “smart” widgets (for example, weather) + single-block).
📱 Microsoft Launcher – Windows integration, widgets with data from Office 365.

How to install the widget through Nova Launcher:

Download and install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
Assign it to the default launcher (at the first start, an offer will appear).
Press and hold the empty space on the screen → Widgets.
Select the widget from the list (e.g., “Google Watch” or “AccueWeather Weather”).
Adjust the size by dragging the edges of the widget after placing.

On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14 and Android 13+, some third-party launcher widgets may not be updated in the background. To fix this, add the launcher to the battery optimization exception list: Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization → All apps → Nova Launcher → Nova Launcher → No restrictions.

How to Return Xiaomi’s Standard Launcher After Testing Alternatives

To roll back to your native MIUI launcher, go to Settings → Applications → Silences → Launcher and select MIUI Launcher. All widgets installed through a third-party launcher will be removed!

Even after successful installation, widgets on Xiaomi can behave unstable: stop updating, disappear after a reboot or display outdated data.

Problem.	Reason.	Decision
Weather widget shows old data	Limiting the application’s background activity	Add "Weather" to battery exclusions (Settings → Battery → Optimization)
The widget disappears after the reboot	Launcher cache failure	Clear the launcher cache: Settings → Applications → MIUI launcher → Storage → Clear the cache
The clock is strayed by 1-2 hours	Incorrect time zone or disconnected synchronization	Enable automatic timing in Settings → Additional → Date and time
Widget doesn't respond to taps	Overlay of protective glass or film	Check the sensitivity of the screen in Settings → Display → Touch sensitivity

If the weather widget displays the wrong city:

Open the Weather app.
Click on the current city at the top of the screen.
Enter the name of your locality manually or enable Autodetermination.
Return to the main screen – the widget is updated automatically.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for China (firmware version) CN) The weather widget may not work without VPN. This is due to restrictions on access to weather servers outside of China.Solution: install an alternative app (such as Yahoo Weather or Windy) and use its widget.

Customization: How to change the style of the clock and weather

Standard MIUI widgets offer limited customization options, but their appearance can be changed through themes or third-party apps.

Change of the subject matter:

🎨 Open the Topics app → Online.
Enter the search for “widget watch” or “weather widget”.
Choose your favorite theme (such as Minimal Clock or Weather Pro) and apply it.
The widgets will automatically be updated according to the new style.

Annexes for customization:

🕐 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – Creates unique widgets from scratch (design skills required).
☀️ Transparent Clock & Weather – transparent widgets with font and color settings.
🖌️ UCCW (Ultimate Custom Clock Widget – Flexible watch appearance.

Change of size and position:

Press and hold the widget → select Change size.
Drag the edges to fit under the screen grid.
For fine-tuning, use the Nova Launcher (cell size option in the widget settings).

💡

On Xiaomi devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi) K60 Pro) it is recommended to use widgets with a dark theme - this will reduce power consumption and prolong the service life of the display.

If the text instructions seem complicated, watch a short video with a step-by-step demo (relevant to MIUI 14):

How to Set Your Watch and Weather on Xiaomi (2026)

The video shows:

📌 Adding a widget via long press (0:05).
🔍 Search for hidden system widgets (0:20).
⚙️ Set up data updates (0:45).
🎨 Changing the style of the clock (1:10).

If the video is not available, follow the text instructions above – they cover all the steps in detail.

FAQ: Frequent questions about widgets on Xiaomi

Can I install a weather widget from Google instead of the standard?

Yes, but you need to: Install the Google Weather app. Use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher), as the MIUI system launcher restricts Google widgets. Add a widget via the launcher menu (Google Widgets section). Note: Google Weather widget updates less frequently than the standard one from Xiaomi (every 3-4 hours vs. 30-60 minutes).

Why is the clock widget 5-10 minutes behind?

This is a typical problem on MIUI devices related to battery optimization. Solutions: Turn off optimization for the Watch in Settings application → Battery → Battery Optimization. Enable network time synchronization in Settings → Additional → Date and time → Network. If the problem persists, set an alternate clock (e.g., Clock Widget from Google Play).

How to make the weather widget transparent?

Standard widget MIUI It doesn't support transparency, but there are workarounds: Set a theme with transparent elements (search the Topics app for "transparent weather"). Use a widget from the Translucent Weather & Clock app (available on Google Play). Set up transparency through KWGT (It requires a custom widget. AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Pro) transparent widgets with dark backgrounds look particularly spectacular.

The widget disappeared after the MIUI update.

MIUI updates often reset widget settings. To restore: Check if widgets are hidden in the theme settings (see Method 2). Clear the launcher cache: Settings → Applications → MIUI Launcher → Warehouse → Clear cache. If the widget was from a third-party app (such as AccuWeather), reinstall this app. On MIUI 14, after major updates (such as Android 12 on Android 13), you may need to completely reinstall the widgets.

Can I add a widget to the lock screen?

On Xiaomi devices, the widgets on the lock screen are disabled by default for security reasons. However, there is a partial solution: Activate the display of date and time on lock: Settings → Lock screen → Status bar → Show time. For weather, use wallpaper with dynamic weather (set the theme with the weather effect in the Themes app). On some models (for example, Xiaomi Mix Fold 3), the option Always-on Display with display of time and weather is available. Full widgets on the lock screen can not be added without root rights.