How to add a watch to the home screen Xiaomi Redmi 9: a detailed guide with pictures

Have you just purchased a Xiaomi Redmi 9 and want to make the home screen as functional as possible? Or are you tired of unlocking your phone every time to find out the time? Setting a clock on your desktop is a simple but effective solution that saves seconds daily. In this article, we will explore all possible ways to add a watch to the home screen of your Redmi 9, from standard widgets to third-party apps with advanced features.

It's important to understand that MIUI offers multiple built-in time display options, from minimalistic digital clocks to second-hand analog dials, and if standard solutions aren't enough, you can use Google Play apps that offer hundreds of styles, animations, and even weather widgets in one package. We've tested all methods on Redmi 9 with the latest versions of MIUI, so the instructions are up to date for 2026.

Before you start, check your shell version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version. If you have a version below MIUI 12, some features may not be available – in this case, we recommend you update the system through Settings → System Update.

Method 1: Standard watch widget in MIUI

The easiest and fastest method is to use the built-in widget from Xiaomi, which requires no additional apps to install, and offers 5 basic time display styles.

1. Press and hold the empty space on the home screen (not the icon!).
2. At the bottom of the screen will appear menu – select the item Widgets.
3. Scroll down to the Watch section (usually at the beginning).
4. Choose your favorite style and drag it to a free space on the desktop.

Standard MIUI widgets include:

• 🕒 Digital watches (with or without a date)
• ⏰ Analog clock (round dial with hands)
• 🌤️ Weather watches (show temperature and time)
• 📅 Calendar clock (current date and day of the week)

To resize the widget, click on it and hold it, then release it, and you'll see stretch markers in the corners. Note that not all styles support resizing: for example, fixed format analog watches.

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If the watch widget doesn’t appear in the list, try restarting your phone or clearing the launcher’s cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → Application Management → Launcher and click Clear Cache.

Method 2: Google widgets (for minimalist lovers)

If you don’t like Xiaomi’s standard watch, you can use Google widgets that are pre-installed on all Google-enabled smartphones, which look more concise and fit better with Material Design.

Instructions for addition:

1. Click and hold the empty space on the home screen → select Widgets.
2. Scroll through the list to the Google section (usually it is after the system widgets).
3. Select the Watch widget (available 2 options: digital and analog).
4. Drag it to the desktop and adjust the size.

Google widgets have several advantages:

• 🎨 Responsive design: automatically adjust to the dark/light theme of the system.
• 🔄 Account Sync: If you use other Android devices, the clock will show the same time.
• 🌍 Timezone support: You can add a widget with the time of another city.

But they also have drawbacks: there's no weather, and styles are limited to two options, so if you need more customization, move on to the next one.

Method 3: Third-party watch applications (maximum customization)

If the built-in widgets don't suit you, Google Play has hundreds of home-screen watch apps, and we tested the top-end solutions and picked the best ones:

To install a widget from a third-party application:

1. Download and install the application from the table above.
2. Click and hold the empty space on the home screen → Widgets.
3. Find the section with the name of the installed application (for example, Chronus).
4. Choose your favorite style and add it to your desktop.

Many applications allow you to configure:

• 🎨 Colour and font of numbers/arrows
• 🌈 Background (transparent, gradient, image)
• 📏 Size and arrangement of elements
• 🌤️ Additional information (weather, battery, calendar)

Setting up the display of time and date

Sometimes the clock on the widget shows the wrong time or format of the date, and you can fix this in the system settings:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Make sure Auto-Date and Time Detection (recommended) is enabled.
3. If time is lost, turn off automatic determination, set the correct time manually and turn on auto again.
4. To change the format of the date, click the date format and select the appropriate option (for example, DD.MM.GYG or MM/DD/GY).

If the watch widget doesn’t update after changing your settings, try:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🗑️ Remove the widget and add it again.
• 🛠️ Clear the cache of the Launcher application (how to do this, read in FAQ).

On Redmi 9 with MIUI 13 and later, the watch widgets support dynamic color change depending on the wallpaper (Color palette function). To enable it, go to Settings → Wallpaper → Color palettes and activate the option.

Solving the problems with the watch widget

Sometimes the watch widgets stop working or are displayed incorrectly, and here are the most common problems and solutions.

If none of the solutions worked, try resetting the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Launcher app (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. ⚠️ Warning: This will reset the location of all icons on the home screen!

Widget removed and added again |Time settings checked |Luncher restarted |Luncher cache cleared |Phone rebooted-->

Additional watch chips on Redmi 9

In addition to the standard features, the watch widgets on Xiaomi Redmi 9 support several hidden features:

• 🔊 Voice control: If you have Google Assistant enabled, you can say, “OK, Google, what time is it?” and the widget will light up.
• 🌙 Adaptive backlighting: in the dark hours, the clock automatically becomes less bright (works only on the clock). AMOLED-The Redmi 9 has a screen, but it has a screen. IPS, So this function is off by default).
• 📱 Duplication on the locked screen: you can configure the display of time and lock. → Screen locking → Settings of the clock.

For automation enthusiasts, using Tasker or MacroDroid, you can program the style of a watch to change depending on the time of day or location, such as displaying a digital watch during the day and displaying an analog clock with a dark theme at night.

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Standard MIUI widgets consume minimal battery power, while third-party applications (especially those with animation) can increase consumption by 2-5% per day. If autonomy is critical for you, give preference to built-in solutions.

Frequently asked questions

Now you know all the ways to add a watch to the Xiaomi Redmi 9 home screen and customize it to your needs. If you want maximum customization and additional features, third-party apps will be the best choice. For battery savings and stable operation, choose standard MIUI widgets.

Remember that the look of the watch can be complemented by suitable wallpaper or theme design. Themes (application from Xiaomi) have special collections with clocks and dials that automatically apply a consistent style to all elements of the interface.