Personalizing the mobile device interface is one of the first things a user does after buying a new gadget. Owners of Xiaomi and Redmi devices often face the desire to change the standard appearance of a MIUI or HyperOS system to make it more informative and convenient. The watch widget on the home screen is not just a decorative element, but a functional tool that allows you to control the time, date and weather without opening additional applications.
There are several ways to display the current time, from standard system widgets to third-party applications with advanced design. Modern shells from Xiaomi offer flexible settings that allow you to adapt the size, font and transparency of elements to any background. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to activate and configure the widget of a watch on a locked screen and in the workspace using built-in system tools.
Before we start to make changes, it’s worth noting that the interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version. However, the basic principles of working with widgets remain the same for all models, whether it’s a budget Redmi Note or a flagship Xiaomi 14.
Standard time widgets in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi’s built-in Android shell provides a rich selection of pre-installed widgets that are optimized to work with the system, do not consume excess battery power and are guaranteed to display correctly.
Put two fingers on the screen, or pinch an empty area on your desktop. At the bottom of the display, you'll see a menu bar where you want to select "Widgets." Here's a catalog of all the available mini-apps, sorted by category or application. Find the "Clock" or "Tools" section.
- 🕰️ Classic analog: display time with arrows, imitating a traditional dial, often combined with a date.
⚠️ Note: If you use a different theme than the standard, the set of available widgets may be limited to the theme author. For full access, return the theme "No restrictions" or "Classic».
Choose your favorite design and drag it to the free screen space. The system automatically offers the available grid sizes. Once placed, the widget can be moved or resized by pulling out of the frame, a basic level of customization that is available to each user without installing additional software.
Step-by-step instruction for installing the widget
The process of adding an element to the screen requires several simple steps to be taken in sequence. An error at any stage can cause the widget to fail to anchor or to fail. It is important to follow the instructions carefully, especially if you are doing it for the first time on a Redmi device.
First, make room on the home screen if all the cells are occupied by icons. Widgets take up more space than regular applications, so you may need to create a new desktop page or remove unnecessary shortcuts. After preparing the space, move to installation.
☑️ Installation algorithm
Once the widget is on the screen, tap it and hold your finger to call the context menu, and you can use the options "Change" or "Widget Settings" to change your time zone if you're traveling, or change the time format (12 or 24 hours).
Some widgets allow you to change the color scheme of text and background, which is especially important for owners. AMOLED-In the case of black backgrounds, you can save charge, so you can set the contrast so that the time is read in any light.
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Use widgets with a transparent background on bright wallpaper – this creates a depth effect and makes the interface more modern and easy.
Always on Display (AOD)
Special attention should be paid to the Always On Display feature, which allows you to display hours, dates and notifications on the off screen. This feature is available on most modern Xiaomi smartphones with AMOLED-matrixes, since the technology allows you to highlight individual pixels without harming the display life.
To activate, go to system settings. The path can look like Settings → Lock screen or Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. In the menu that opens, find the Always on screen switch and activate it.
| Setup parameter | Description of function | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|
| Constantly. | The screen is on all the time. | High. |
| 10 seconds. | Includes after touching | Low. |
| Scheduled. | Works at the specified hours | Average. |
| Smart mode. | Reacts to picking up the phone | Optimal. |
In the AOD styles section, you can choose to design watches. Often, animated dials are available that come to life when interacting. Style choices affect energy consumption: static white digits consume less energy than color animations.
You should also pay attention to the “Brightening in your pocket” setting, which means that if this function is not working properly, the phone may be wasting charge while in the bag, and in such cases, it is better to switch the AOD mode to “Schedule”, limiting its daytime operation.
Why isn't AOD working?
Third-party customization applications
If standard functionality is not enough, Google Play offers thousands of customization solutions. Third-party widgets often have more flexible font, color and shape settings, allowing you to create a unique interface.
One popular solution is Widgetsmith, or specialty launchers, which allow you to upload your own images to the watch background or use complex fonts, and installing these applications requires permission to display on top of other windows.
- 🎨 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker: a powerful tool for creating widgets from scratch, taking time to master.
- ⏱️ Overdrop: a collection of stylish weather and time widgets with minimalist design.
- 📅 Google Watch: Simple and reliable widget from search giant with alarm clock integration.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party widgets may not work properly with the "Advertent Press Protection" feature in your pocket. If the screen lights up in your bag, check the settings of the specific widget application.
When installing a third-party widget, the system can request permission to access location (for weather) or usage data, which is necessary for the functions to work properly, but requires trust in the developer.
Solving Time Display Problems
Sometimes users are faced with a situation when the clock on the screen shows the wrong time or completely stop updating, most often this is due to the dissynchronization of system time or aggressive optimization of the battery, which kills the process of the widget.
First, check the date and time settings. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time. Make sure the Use Network Time switch is activated. If time is knocked down, turn it off and turn it on again.
The second common reason is the power saving mode. The system may limit the background activity of the widget to save charge. To fix this, look for the widget process (for example, System widgets or the name of a third-party application) in the list of applications and select No restrictions mode in the Battery section.
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If the widget has stopped updating, try to remove it from the screen and add it again – this resets the cache of a specific instance of the widget.
The problem can also be in overflowing RAM, where if there are many heavy applications running in the background, the system can force widgets to close, and closing unnecessary tasks through the menu of running applications often solves the problem of “frozen” hours.
The impact of widgets on the autonomy of the device
Using widgets, especially those that constantly update data (weather, currency rate, seconds), has an impact on the life of a smartphone on a single charge, and it is important to understand the balance between the beauty of the interface and the practical use of the device during the day.
The most energy-intensive widgets are those with high refresh rates and bright animations. The second-hand widget causes the processor and screen to activate 60 times per minute, which significantly speeds up battery life compared to static displays of only hours and minutes.
For owners of devices with LCD-screen (IPS) Using black widgets does not save energy, since the matrix backlight works evenly throughout the area. In this case, it is better to choose compact widgets to minimize the glow area.
Optimize consumption by disabling the update widgets in the background, if they are not urgently needed, however, for the basic widget watches this is rarely required, since modern processors Snapdragon and MediaTek effectively cope with background tasks without significant impact on autonomy.