Personalizing the smartphone interface is not just a fashion nod, it’s a way to make interaction with the device truly convenient and aesthetic. Many owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices are faced with the desire to see the time as soon as the screen lights up, without having to unlock the gadget. Standard time widgets offer many design options that are built into any composition of the desktop.
The process of installing a watch widget on a desktop in the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS is extremely simple and does not require superuser rights or installing third-party software. The system provides built-in tools that allow you to change fonts, colors and even add a display of the date or weather next to the numbers. However, not all users are aware of the hidden options for settings or how to fix the situation if the widget stopped displaying correctly after the update.
In this article, we will discuss all the stages of installation, consider the available styles of dials and answer frequent questions that users have when customizing the interface. You will learn not only to add a widget, but also to make it a functional element of your smartphone.
Basic installation of the widget through the editing menu
The easiest and most reliable way to add a watch to the screen is to use the standard editing menu available in all current firmware versions, which requires several sequential steps that will take no more than a minute of your time. First, unlock your smartphone and go to the main screen where you want to place the widget.
Then, pinch your two fingers across the screen, or just press the empty area on your desktop before the vibration appears, and this action activates the editing mode, in which the interface changes: the application icons will decrease, and additional menu tabs will appear at the bottom. You are interested in the tab called Widgets (or Widgets), which is usually located at the bottom of the screen.
The list that opens up is a "Clock" category, and it offers a variety of options, from simple digital to complex analog mechanisms. If you choose a style, click on it and hold your finger, drag it to the free space of your desktop, and once you place it, you can stretch or squeeze it by pulling on the special markers that you see when you touch it.
☑️ Verification of widget installation
It is important to note that some types of widgets require a network connection to display accurate time or weather data. If you see a ticking clock in place or the time is not updated, check for an active Internet connection.
Use of the Topics application for customization
If a standard set of widgets isn't enough, the MIUI shell offers enhanced features through the Themes app. It's the official decor store, where you can find thousands of unique dials created by both Xiaomi and independent designers, using themes to dramatically change the look of the watch by adding animation or custom color gamut.
To find new styles, open the Themes app and go to the widgets section or search for “watches.” Ranking filters will help you find the best and most popular options. Once you download and apply the theme, the new watch style will automatically replace the standard widget on the desktop.
⚠️ Note: When installing themes from third-party sources or unofficial directories, there is a risk of disruption to the stability of the interface.
Some complex theme store widgets can consume more power than standard ones, which is due to the use of dynamic elements and frequent updates of data. If you notice that the battery has become discharged faster after changing the design, try choosing a more static design without unnecessary animations.
How do I remove a downloaded theme?
Setting up the date and weather display
Often, users want to see not only the time, but also additional information, such as the current date, day of the week or temperature outside the window. Xiaomi standard widgets allow you to combine this data in one block. To customize, go to the widget menu and select the option “Hours and Weather” or similar, which contains additional fields.
Once you have installed this widget on your desktop, click on it and hold your finger until the context menu appears. Select the widget settings. Here you can change the city to display the weather, the date format (number-month or day of the week) and the temperature unit (Celsius or Fahrenheit).
- 🌡️ Accuracy of data: Make sure that the widget is allowed to access geolocation in the system settings, otherwise the weather may not update or show data from another city.
- 📅 Date format: In some regions, the date format may be fixed and depend on the system language settings, so changing the interface language may affect the display.
- 🔄 Update interval: Weather data is updated periodically, not in real time, which is done to save battery power and traffic.
If the widget stops showing the current weather, try clearing the cache of the Weather or Google Services app, and often the problem lies in the accumulated erroneous data that prevents the correct updating of information on the desktop.
💡
Use widgets with a transparent background so that they look harmoniously on any wallpaper, without overlapping important details of the image.
Solution: the widget is not displayed or has disappeared
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the set clock suddenly disappears from the desktop or stops updating, this can be caused by a launcher failure (desktop shell) or a conflict after the system update. First of all, try just to restart the device, which solves 80% of these problems.
If the reboot didn’t work, check if the widget is hidden by the power saving settings. The system can force the widget’s background processes to save energy. Go to Settings → Battery → Application Management, find the Watch or Desktop app, and set the No Limits mode.
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision-making |
|---|---|---|
| Time is not updated | Synchronization disabled | Enable "Autodate and time" in the settings |
| The widget has become transparent. | Launcher rendering failure | Clear the cache of the “Desktop” application |
| Wrong time zone | Roaming or VPN | Manually choose the right city in the settings |
| Widget disappeared after update | Version incompatibility | Remove and reinstall the widget |
In rare cases, the problem may be caused by damage to the system files of the interface. If nothing helps, you can reset the desktop settings. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All applications, find the Desktop (or Launcher) and click Clear Data. Note that this will reset all icons on the screens to factory state.
Alternative widgets from Google Play
Standard functionality is good, but Google Play offers thousands of third-party widget apps that can be far more functional than standard ones. Popular apps like Widgetsmith, KWGT or Google Watch let you create unique compositions, change fonts, add moon phases, world time, and more.
To install this widget, download the selected application, run it, and create a new widget inside the program. Then go back to the desktop, press the empty area, select "Widgets" and find the name of the installed application in the list. Drag the widget created on the screen.
Third-party widgets often require additional permissions, such as access to contacts, location or background, which is necessary for their full operation. However, be careful: too heavy widgets with live animations can significantly reduce the performance of a smartphone, especially on entry-level models.
⚠️ Warning: Installing a large number of heavy third-party widgets can lead to accelerated battery discharge and slowing the interface when scrolling through screens.
Features of work in HyperOS mode
With the release of the new HyperOS operating system, which gradually replaces MIUI on Xiaomi devices, the process of working with widgets has become even more flexible. It has become possible to overlay widgets on each other, create stacks and change their size more freely. The interface has become smoother and animations more enjoyable.
HyperOS adds Smart Widgets, which can change size and content depending on the time of day or your actions, such as the morning widget shows alarms and weather, and the day switches to calendar and tasks. To activate these features, you need to update all system components through the Get Updates app.
The new system also improves the lock screen, so that the locked screen watch can now be customized separately from the desktop, choosing different font styles and effects for each state of the phone, which gives even more possibilities for personalization.
💡
HyperOS allows you to create stacks of widgets, where several elements occupy one place on the screen and change when you scroll through.