How to install a watch on the screen Xiaomi Mi 9: all ways + solving typical errors

The display of time on the Xiaomi Mi 9 home screen is a seemingly elementary feature, but many users have difficulty setting it up. The problem is compounded by the fact that the MIUI interface is regularly updated, and the location of options varies depending on the firmware version. If you can’t find the watch widget or it suddenly disappeared after the update, this article will help to return them in 2-3 minutes.

Unlike other smartphones, where the watch is displayed by default, the Mi 9 requires manual activation through the widget menu. Moreover, in some versions of MIUI 12/13, the standard time widget can conflict with the themes of design or third-party launchers. We will look at all the current ways from basic settings to installing alternative watches through Google Play.

Attention! If the watch is missing from the screen after upgrading to MIUI 14, the problem may be resetting the launcher settings, in which case a simple reboot of the device or reset the Launcher app cache (instruction below) will help.

Before you start setting up, make sure your Xiaomi Mi 9 has the latest firmware installed. To check, go to Settings → About Phone → System Update. Up-to-date firmware minimizes the risk of bugs with widgets displayed.

1. Standard method: Adding the watch widget through the launcher

The most obvious method is to use the built-in MIUI widget, which supports multiple display styles (analog/digital clocks) and automatically syncs with system time.

To add a watch to the main screen:

1. Touch and hold the empty space on the main screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen will appear menu – select the item Widgets.
3. Scroll down to the Tools section and find the Watch widget (the dial icon).
4. Press the widget and drag it to the free screen space.

If the Watch widget is not listed, it could mean:

• 🔄 Resetting the launcher settings - try rebooting the phone.
• 🎨 Conflict with the installed theme – return the standard theme to Settings → Topics.
• 📱 Use of a third-party launcher (Nova, Apex) – switch to standard MIUI Launcher.

Make sure there is free space on the screen.|Turn off the "Light Interface" mode in the settings|Check if the widget is hidden in the launcher settings|Restart your phone if the widget doesn’t show up-->

⚠️ Attention: MIUI The 14th watch widget may not appear if Simplified Control (for older users) is enabled. To turn it off, go to Settings. → Special facilities → Simplified management and deactivate the option.

2. Alternative method: clock in the status bar

If you don't need a large clock on the screen, but a compact display of time in the top panel is enough, this is perfect. In MIUI, the status bar supports several time display formats, including seconds and date.

To adjust the display:

1. Turn the notification bar swipe down.
2. Touch the icons ⚙️ Settings in upper right corner.
3. Select Status Line.
4. Activate the option Show the clock and select the format: 🕒 CH:MM - Only hours and minutes. 🕐 CH:MM:SS - with seconds. 📅 ChChCh:MM, DD MMM – with a date (for example, “14:30, 5 May").

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi Mi 9 firmware may not have a second display option due to battery optimization, and installing a third-party app will help (see Section 4).

If the time in the status bar is not updated after changing the settings, try:

1. Reboot the phone.
2. Reset Launcher settings to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launcher → Storage → Clear data.
3. Update the firmware to the latest version.

3. Problem Solving: Why the Watches Are Not Displayed

If the standard methods do not work, the problem may lie in one of the following factors:

If none of these things worked, try resetting the launcher to the factory.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher (or System Launcher).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

4. Install third-party watches from Google Play

If the built-in MIUI widgets don't suit you, you can install an alternative watch from Google Play.

• ⏰ Digital Clock Widget – Minimalistic digital watch with font and color settings.
• 🕰️ Chronus is an advanced widget with weather, calendar and notifications.
• 🌈 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – widget designer for creating unique watches.
• ⚙️ UCCW — Flexible configuration of appearance with support for scripts.

To set a third-party clock:

1. Download your favorite app from Google Play.
2. After installation, tap and hold the empty space on the main screen.
3. Select Widgets and find the widget of the installed application (for example, Chronus 4x2).
4. Drag it to the screen and adjust the look through the app menu.

⚠️ Note: Some widgets (e.g, KWGT) require additional customization in the application itself. If an empty block is displayed after adding to the screen, open the application and select the ready-made watch template.

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To save battery, turn off animations in third-party widgets. For example, in Chronus, this is done in the widget settings: Animation → No animation

5. Setting the clock on the lock screen

The time display on the lock screen is set separately from the main screen. in Xiaomi Mi 9 there are several styles available:

• 🔢 Digital watches – a classic format.
• 🕒 Analog clock - with dial.
• 📱 A weather watch -- time + temperature.
• 🎨 Castomy styles – depending on the established theme.

To change the style:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Choose the watch style.
3. Scroll through the list and choose your favorite option.
4. For additional settings (color, font) tap additionally.

If the watch style option is not available, it means that your device has a simplified version of MIUI (for example, for the European region), in which case the style of the watch is tied to the current theme of design, to change it:

1. Go to Settings → Themes.
2. Choose a different theme (like Default or Dark).
3. Apply the changes and check the lock screen.

6. Additional chips: seconds, date, alarm clock on screen

The standard MIUI widget does not support displaying seconds on the home screen, but this feature can be added using third-party apps or hidden settings.

Method 1: Watch with seconds with Developer Options

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the option to Show seconds in the status bar and activate it.

Method 2: Widget with date and alarm clock

If you want to display not only the time, but also the date or the nearest alarm clock, install the Another Widget widget from Google Play.

• 📅 Simultaneous display of time and date.
• ⏰ Indication of active alarm clocks.
• 🌡️ Weather and temperature.
• 🔋 Battery level of charge.

⚠️ Warning: Widgets with additional information (weather, alarm clock) may consume more battery due to background synchronization. To reduce consumption, turn off automatic weather updates in the widget settings.

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For maximum battery savings, use the standard MIUI widget without animation and additional data. Third-party weather and alarm widgets increase consumption by 5-15%

7. Reset screen settings to factory

If all attempts to return the watch to the Xiaomi Mi 9 screen were unsuccessful, the last option is to reset the launcher settings or completely reset the interface, which will return the standard layout of widgets and icons.

Mild reset (launcher only):

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher (or System Launcher).
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm the action and wait for the launcher to restart.

Hard reset (all screen settings):

This method will return all screen settings to factory settings, including wallpaper, widgets and icon layout, to perform the reset:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset the lock screen and main screen settings.
3. Confirm the action with a password or pattern lock.

⚠️ Warning: Hard reset will delete all user screen settings, but will not affect application data and files. → Additionally. → Backup.

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Before resetting your screen settings, take a picture of the current location of the icons and widgets, which will help you quickly restore the familiar interface after reset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up a watch on Xiaomi Mi 9