How to set a watch on the main screen Xiaomi Redmi 8: all the ways + mistake-making

Have you just purchased a Xiaomi Redmi 8 and want to personalize the home screen by adding a handy watch widget? Or Perhaps maybe an old watchSuddenly disappeared after the update MIUI? In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to install a clock on the desktop of your smartphone – from standard widgets to third-party applications with advanced features.

Model Redmi 8 (The code name Olive is based on the MIUI, So, the desktop interface is very closely integrated with the corporate shell, which means that the procedure for adding widgets here is different from pure Android. MIUI 12/13 We'll show you how to install alternatives with the Play Market if the standard watch doesn't suit you.

Important: the instruction is relevant for all versions of the Redmi 8 firmware, including the global one (MIUI Global) and Chinese (MIUI If you have a modified firmware (e.g. xiaomi.eu or custom build), some menu items may differ – we’ll mention that too.

1. Standard method: Adding the watch widget through MIUI

The easiest method is to use Xiaomi's built-in analog or digital watch widget, which is available by default and doesn't require any additional apps to be installed.

1. Unlock the screen and touch any empty space on the home screen. Hold your finger. 1-2 A few seconds until the settings menu appears.
2. At the bottom of the screen, select the Widgets (the icon with squares).
3. Scroll down to the Watch section (or Clock in English version) MIUI). Here you will see the available options: 🕒 Digital clock (shows time in format) 12/24 hour) ⏱️ Analog clock (classical dial with hands) 🌍 Weather watches (display temperature and time)

Pick the widget you like and drag it to a free seat on the home screen. Release your finger when the green frame appears.

If the widget is not added (for example, a message “Can’t be placed here”) appears, check:

• 📱 Free space on the screen – the widget should not overlap other icons.
• 🔄 Update MIUI — In older versions (below 12.0) there may have been bugs with widgets.
• 🎨 Active theme – some themes from the theme block standard widgets.

Free space on the main screen|Updated? MIUI last-minute|Are there any active restrictions on the current topic?|Is the mode "Light interface" enabled"-->

Once added, you can resize the widget: touch it and hold it, then pull it around the corners of the frame. Some widgets (like an analog watch) support 3 sizes: small, medium and large.

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If the watch widget disappeared after the reboot, try reinstalling it again. MIUI in versions 12.5–13.0.

2. Set up the display of time and date in the widget

Xiaomi’s standard watch widget allows you to customize the time format, color and additional information.

1. Tap the watch widget on the home screen – the Watch app will open.
2. Press on. ⚙️ Settings (three dots in the upper right corner) → Watch widget.
3. Options are available here: 🕐 Time format: 12-clockwork (AM/PM) or 24-clockwork. 🎨 Color of the dial: automatic (under the theme) or manual selection. 📅 Show date: turn on/off display of the day of the week and the number. 🌤️ Weather: Adding temperature (access to geolocation required).

V MIUI 13+ The dynamic clock is now available, and the widget automatically changes style depending on the time of day (morning/day/evening/night) to activate it:

1. Go to Settings. → Display. → Lock screen style.
2. Select Dynamic Watch and enable the option to Sync with the widget.

If the widget does not update the time after setting up, check:

• ⏰ Automatic time synchronization in Settings → Additionally. → Date and time.
• 📶 Internet connection – without a network, the weather widget does not work.
• 🔄 Rebooting your smartphone – sometimes helps when the widget is hanging.

Analog (with arrows)|Digital (electronic)|With the weather.|Minimalistic (only time)|Another option-->

3. Alternative watch widgets from the Play Market

If you don't like the standard Xiaomi watch, you can install third-party widgets with advanced features.-3 tested applications:

1. Clock Widget by Droid27 🎨 More than 100 styles of dial (from retro to futuristic). 🔧 Set up transparency, color, fonts. 🌍 Weather support from AccuWeather or OpenWeatherMap: com.droid27.clockwidget (free with in-app purchases).
2. Chronus: Home & Lock Widgets 📊 Widgets for the main screen and lock screen. 🔄 Automatic change of style on schedule. 📱 Integration with Google Fit (steps, pulse).
3. Minimal Clock Widget ⚡ Ultra-lightweight widget (weight) < 1 MBB). 🖼️ Minimalist design without unnecessary elements. 🔒 No advertising or data collection.

To install the widget from the Play Market:

1. Download and install the app (e.g. Clock Widget by) Droid27).
2. Return to the main screen, hold your finger in a free place → Widgets.
3. Find the widget from the installed app (usually at the end of the list).
4. Drag it to the screen and set it up according to the instructions in the app.

Warning: Some widgets from the Play Market can drain the battery if you use constant synchronization with weather servers. To avoid this, turn off the widget settings:

• 🔄 Auto-weather update (set manual mode).
• 📍 Continuous geolocation tracking.
• 🔔 Weather change notifications.

4.Clock on the lock screen: how to sync with the widget

In Redmi 8, the lock screen clock and the home screen widget are set separately, but you can sync them in style.

1. Open the Settings → Lock screen.
2. Choose the watch style. There are options available: 🕜 Classical (standard for) MIUI). 🕝 Minimalistic (only time without date). 🕞 With a date (time) + weekday + number). 🕠 Dynamic (changes depending on the wallpaper).

Enable the option to Sync with the widget (available in MIUI 13+).

If there is no synchronization option, you can manually choose similar styles:

• For analog watches on the widget, select the style "Ciferblatt" on the lock screen.
• For digital watches, the style of "Electronic" or "Minimalistic" is suitable.

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V MIUI 14: Smartwatches are automatically matching the color of the wallpaper on the lock screen. To activate it, go to Settings. → Display. → Color scheme → Adaptive watches.

If the clock on the lock screen is not updated, follow the following steps:

⚠️ Attention: The problem with the "hang" clock on the lock screen is often related to the disabled service com.android.systemui:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Press on. ⋮ → Show system-based.
3. Find System. UI (or System interface, open it and press Stop → OK.
4. Restart your smartphone – the service will start automatically.

5. Problem Solving: The clock widget doesn't work

Sometimes the watch widget on Redmi 8 may disappear, not update, or show the wrong time.

If the widget stops working after changing the theme, follow the following steps:

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Go to My subjects. → Current theme.
3. Press Reset to Standard.
4. Restart your smartphone and try adding the widget again.

For advanced users: if the problem persists, you can reset the Launcher app cache (shell) MIUI):

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

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If the launcher cache has been reset, the icons on the screen have gone off, don't worry, it's temporary. Just reboot the phone and they'll recover.

6. Hidden functions of the clock widget in MIUI

Many Redmi 8 users don’t know what the watch widget is. MIUI It hides additional features that you can activate through settings or gestures:

• 🔍 Quick access to alarm clocks: tap the watch widget to open the Watch app with the Alarm clock tab.
• 🌐 Weather by swipe: in the weather widget, swipe left/right to see the forecast for 5 days.
• 🕒 Secret timer: hold your finger on the digital widget for 3 seconds – the quick timer menu will open.
• 🎨 Dynamic wallpaper: in MIUI 14 watch widget can change color under wallpaper (included in Settings) → Display. → Color scheme).

Another little-known feature is the assistant voices when you click on the widget, to activate it.

1. Open Settings → Special features → Gestures and movements.
2. Turn on the option of voice assistant when holding.
3. Now, if you hold your finger on the widget for 2 seconds, Google Assistant or XiaoAI (in Chinese firmware) will start.

If you have custom firmware installed (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), the standard Xiaomi watch widget won’t work.

• Use widgets from the Play Market (see Section 3).
• Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that supports watch widgets.

7. Battery Optimization: How the Watch Widget Affects Autonomy

Many Redmi 8 users complain that after adding the watch widget, the battery goes down faster, which is due to the widget (especially when it's weathered) being constantly synchronized with the servers.

• 🔋 Turn off automatic weather updates in widget settings.
• 📡 Reduce the synchronization frequency (e.g., once every 3 hours instead of every hour).
• 🌑 Use a dark theme for AMOLED-screen (saves up to 15% of charge).
• 🔄 Turn off animations in Settings → Special facilities → Delete animations.

To check how much power the widget consumes:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Use
2. Find the Clock Widget or Clock Widget in the list.
3. If the consumption exceeds 3-5% per day, the widget is too voracious.

For maximum battery savings:

• Use a static weather-free widget (e.g. Minimal Clock Widget).
• Turn off geolocation for the Watch application in the resolution settings.
• Install black wallpaper - this will reduce the load on the screen.

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The weather watch widget can consume up to 10% of the battery per day due to constant geolocation requests. If autonomy is critical, use the widget without weather or turn off its update.

8. Watch widget for the screen Always On Display (AOD)

Redmi 8 doesn't support Always On Display (AOD) at iron level, but there are workarounds to display the clock on the screen turned off:

1. Appendix Always On AMOLED (only AMOLED-screen): 📱 Shows time, date and notifications. 🔋 Minimum battery consumption (about 1% per hour). 🎨 Color, font and position settings. Link: com.urovoiz.alwayson.
2. Glance Plus (for Glance Plus) MIUI): 🕒 The clock + weather + stepping-step. 🔒 It works through notifications (no root requirement). 🛠️ Compatible with MIUI 12–14.

To set up Always On AMOLED:

1. Install an app from the Play Market.
2. Open it and grant permissions to Overlay and Ignore battery optimization.
3. Turn on the option to show when the screen is off.
4. Set up the style of the watch in the Design section.

⚠️ Attention: Annexes for AOD on Redmi 8 (c) LCD-The screen will consume much more battery than the AMOLED. We recommend using them only when connecting to charging.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Redmi watches 8