How to set a watch on the main screen Xiaomi Redmi: all ways to MIUI

The default Xiaomi Redmi smartphone home screen often lacks a watch widget, instead displaying only the time in the status bar. Meanwhile, large analog or digital watches not only grace the desktop, but also allow you to navigate faster through time without unlocking the device. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to add watches to the Redmi Note 12/11/10 screen, POCO X5/F5 and other models running MIUI 14/13/12, including hidden settings and bypassing possible system limitations.

MIUI firmware is flexible, but not everyone knows where the widget options are hidden. For example, in some versions of the software, you can add a watch only through Additional Settings, and in others, directly from the desktop menu. We tested all methods on current devices (2023-2026) and identified those that work consistently. We will also tell you how to change the style of the watch, its size and even add seconds or date — these features are often ignored in standard instructions.

1. Standard method: Add widgets through the menu

The most obvious method is to use the built-in MIUI widget menu, which is suitable for most MIUI 12-14-based Redmi and POCO models, but may vary depending on the shell version.

1. Unlock your smartphone and go to the main screen.
2. Make a long tap on any free screen space (not on the icon!). Wait for the desktop settings menu to appear.
3. At the bottom of the screen, select the Widgets (the icon with squares).
4. Scroll down to Tools or Watch (depending on version) MIUI). Here you will see the available widget styles: 🕒 Analog clock (round, with hands) 🕝 Digital watches (electronic format) 📅 Date clock (combined view)

Click on your favorite option and drag it to the free screen space. Release your finger to lock the widget.

If there is no clock in the widget list, it can mean one of two things:

• ⚠️ Your device uses a lightweight version MIUI (for example, MIUI Lite) where widgets are disabled.
• ⚠️ The system automatically hides widgets when activating Easy Mode (for older users).

Turn off the "Light interface" mode in Settings → Special features

Make sure there is free space on the screen (the widget takes up a 4×2 or 4×4) cell.

Update MIUI to the latest version (old firmware may not have widgets)

Check if the theme is installed that blocks widgets (for example, Minimalist)

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Once added, the widget can be moved anywhere on the screen with a long press. To resize it, pull the corner markers (if the function is supported by the selected style).

2. Alternative method: through the theme settings

In MIUI, the look of the watch is tied to the set theme, so if you don't like the standard widgets, you can replace them through the theme store, which works even on devices where the widgets are hidden by default.

Instructions:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to My Topics → Local or Online (to download new themes).
3. Select any theme marked C C or Widgets (e.g. Digital Clock, Analog Elegance).
4. Click Apply and confirm the changes. After that, new watch styles will appear in the widget menu.

Note that some themes require subscriptions (for a fee), but there are also free options. To avoid paying, sort themes by price (Free in the filters).

Analog (with arrows)

Digital (electronic)

Minimalistic (time only)

With the date and the weather.

I don't care.-->

An important caveat: once the theme is changed, the old widgets may disappear, and you will have to add them again through the widget menu (see the first method).

3. Hidden settings: clock in "Desktop" mode

MIUI 13/14 has a hidden feature called Desktop Mode that mimics the computer interface, and in this mode, automatically adds the clock, calendar and weather to the home screen, and here's how to activate it:

Settings → Desktop → Desktop Mode → Include

After activation:

• 🖥️ On the screen will appear a panel with a digital clock in the upper right corner.
• 🔄 The watch will be updated in real time even when the phone is locked (if the option Show widgets on the locked screen is enabled).
• ⚙️ The size and style of the watch in this mode can not be changed – they are tied to the system theme.

To turn off desktop mode, repeat the same steps and select Standard Mode, and the watch widget will disappear, but it can be added back through the widget menu.

4. Third-party watch applications

If you don’t like the built-in widgets, you can install specialized apps from Google Play, which offer more options for design, animations, and even additional features like an alarm clock or timer.

Top.-3 Watches on Xiaomi Redmi:

How to set a third-party clock:

1. Download the app from the table above (e.g. Digital Clock Widget).
2. Open the widget menu (long tap on the screen → Widgets).
3. Find the widget from the installed app (usually at the end of the list).
4. Drag it to the screen and adjust the size/style through the app menu.

⚠️ Note: some third-party widgets require permission to display over other windows. Without this, they will not work on a locked screen. → Annexes → Special access → Display over other windows.

5.A clock on a locked screen

If you need the watch to display even when the phone is locked, this is set up separately. MIUI has two options:

Method 1: System clock

1. Go to Settings. → Locked screen.
2. Select the watch style and set one of the options offered.
3. Activate the option to Show widgets on the locked screen (if you have one in your version of MIUI).

Method 2: Always on Display (AOD)

On devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Redmi) K50, POCO F4) Always On Display is available, which shows the time, notifications and battery even when the screen is off:

Settings → Screen → Always On Display → Select Style

AOD It consumes a minimum battery charge (about 1-2% per hour), but only works on the battery. AMOLED-On the displays. IPS-Screens (e.g. Redmi Note 11) do not have this feature.

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If the clock on the locked screen is not updated, check the battery saving settings. In Settings → Battery → Power saving mode, add the "Clock" app to the exceptions.

6. Problem Solving: The watch is not displayed or updated

Sometimes the added clock disappears after the reboot or does not show the actual time.

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the desktop settings:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Launcher → Storage → Clear data

⚠️ Warning: After clearing the launcher data, all widgets and shortcuts on the home screen will be deleted. MIUI provided.

7 Additional settings: seconds, date, weather

In standard MIUI widgets, you can configure the display of additional information:

• ⏱️ Seconds: available only in digital watches (included in widget settings).
• 📅 Date: Shows automatically in most styles, except minimalist ones.
• 🌤️ Weather: Integrated into the Watch Widgets + Weather (access to location must be allowed).
• 🔋 Battery charge: Shown in some themes (e.g. Battery Clock).

To change the format of the display:

1. Press the watch widget and hold your finger for 2-3 seconds.
2. In the menu that appears, select Change or Settings (not all widgets are available).
3. Set the desired settings (e.g. 24-hour format or Show seconds).

If there are few options, try changing the theme (see the section on themes) or installing a third-party application.

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The MIUI clock widgets do not support animation (for example, moving hands) – this requires third-party applications like KWGT Kustom Widget Maker.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions