How to set or change the time on the desktop of the Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Is the time displayed incorrectly on the lock screen or in the status bar of your Xiaomi? is the clock in a hurry, lagging behind or even showing a different time zone? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi smartphones, POCO and Mi line - especially after resetting settings, updates MIUI substitute SIM-In 90% of cases, the faulty sync settings are to blame, but sometimes the root of the problem lies deeper: a time service turned off, a conflict with battery-saving applications, or even a hardware failure of the module. GPS.

In this article, you’ll find all the current ways to customize your time on Xiaomi, from basic network sync to manually adjusting and solving rare bugs. We’ll break down the features of MIUI 14/15, explain why time can get lost after a reboot, and show you how to tie your watch to an accurate NTP server. And if you’re faced with a situation where the time on the desktop and in the status bar is different, we have a solution for that.

Before you go to the instructions, make sure your phone is connected to the Internet (preferably via Wi-Fi or a mobile network with LTE/5G support). Without this, automatic time synchronization will not work. Also check if you have apps like Greenify or Battery Guru installed, which can block background processes responsible for updating time.

1. Automatic time setting over the network

The easiest and most recommended way is to enable automatic synchronization with NTP servers (Network Time Protocol), which works on all Xiaomi smartphones regardless of MIUI version and model.

Open Settings → Additional settings → Date and time. Here you will see three key switches:

• ⏰ Date and time autodetection – Includes synchronization with servers NTP.
• 🌍 Time zone autodetermination – defines your belt from mobile network data or GPS.
• 🔄 Use 24-hour format – switches the time display between 12- and 24-hour format.

Activate the first two. If the time hasn't updated within 1-2 minutes after that, try manually selecting a time zone (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3) and turning on automatic determination again. Sometimes NTP servers hang over and re-activating helps to "wake up" synchronization.

Is Wi-Fi or mobile internet enabled?

Are the "Date and Time Auto-Detection" and "Time Zone Auto-Detection" switches activated?

Is the region correctly selected in the phone settings (Settings → About Phone → Region)?

Have you rebooted your phone after the changes?

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Some MIUI firmware (especially custom ones) may not have automatic belt detection, so you can manually select it from the list, and note that if you travel frequently, you'd better leave the automatic definition on so that the phone can adjust to local time.

⚠️ Note: If after activating automatic synchronization time is lost after a few hours, check the settings of battery saving. POCO) Disable background activity of system services, including time synchronization.

2 Manual change of time and date

If automatic synchronization is not working or you need to temporarily set inaccurate data (for example, to test applications), you can set the time manually.

1. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time.
2. Turn off the Auto-Date and Time Switch.
3. Click on the Set a date and Set a time to enter values manually.
4. To save the changes, tap Ready or OK (depending on the MIUI version).

Note that manually configured time won’t automatically update—it’ll have to be adjusted by itself—which can cause problems with some apps (like WhatsApp, Telegram, or banking) that check for time synchronization with servers for security.

Also, manual time is lost after each phone reboot, a feature of Android: If you need to temporarily “wind” the clock (for example, for playing), after completion, remember to return automatic sync.

3.Why is Xiaomi time strayed or not updated?

If automatic synchronization is enabled, but the time is still incorrect, the reasons may be as follows:

Especially often, the problem with time occurs after updating MIUI or resetting to factory settings, in which case forced synchronization helps: turn off and again turn on automatic timing, and then restart the phone.

Another common case is different times on the desktop and in the status bar, which happens when the watch widget on the lock screen takes data from another source (e.g., from the Google app or MIUI Clock), and to fix this, update the widget or reset its settings.

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If the time is only lost in roaming, check your mobile network settings. Some operators (for example, MTS or Beeline) block access to NTP servers in roaming, in which case use Wi-Fi for synchronization.

4. How to Change NTP Server to Xiaomi (For Power Users)

By default, Xiaomi smartphones use Google's NTP servers (time.google.com) or Xiaomi's (ntp.xiaomi.com). If they are not available (for example, due to a provider lockdown), you can manually specify an alternative server.

1. Install ClockSync from Google Play (or any other NTP-enabled app).
2. Open the app and select the server from the list (we recommend pool.ntp.org or time.cloudflare.com).
3. Press Sync to force sync.
4. Return to your phone settings and enable automatic timing.

For advanced users, there is a way to change the NTP server over ADB (developer rights required) and connect the phone to the PC and execute the command:

adb shell settings put global ntp_server pool.ntp.org

After that, restart the device. This method works on all versions of MIUI, but requires caution - the wrong ADB commands can disrupt the system.

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If you use custom firmware (e.g. PixelExperience or LineageOS), NTP servers may be different. Check the settings in the developer menu (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 taps to unlock).

5.Time is strayed after reboot - how to fix it?

If your Xiaomi clock resets after every shutdown or reboot, the problem lies in the RTC (Real-Time Clock) module, the chip responsible for keeping time off, which is a hardware malfunction, but sometimes it can be solved by software:

• 🔧 Update the firmware to the latest version MIUI — In new builds, bugs with RTC.
• 🔄 Reset settings through Settings → Recovery and Reset (Don’t forget to back up!).
• 🛠️ Flick your phone through the Mi Flash Tool – this will help if the failure is caused by corrupted system files.
• 📱 Take to the service - if the problem is hardware, you will need to replace the module RTC (cost ~1500–3000 ₽).

Redmi Note 8/9 and POCO X3 often have an RTC bug after battery replacement, which is because when the battery is turned off, the time module settings are reset, so you can calibrate the RTC through the engineering menu (#4636## → Battery information).

If the time reset only occurs when the battery is fully drained, it is normal behavior — the RTC module is powered by a small capacitor that discharges after 24 to 48 hours without power. To avoid this, do not let the phone discharge to 0%.

6. Features of setting the time on different models Xiaomi

Depending on the Xiaomi model and the MIUI version, the time settings menu may vary, and here are the key features for popular devices:

Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5:

• The date and time item is in Settings → Additional settings.
• Supports binding to the servers of Google and Xiaomi.
• MIUI 14+ has added the option of Exact Network Time for faster synchronization.

Mi 11/12/13, Mi Mix:

• Time settings are duplicated in the Google menu → Account Management → Synchronization.
• Supports alternative NTP servers via ADB.
• Some firmware has a bug with double time display in the status bar (corrected by resetting the widget settings).

Redmi 9/9A/9C, POCO M3/M4:

• The date and time menu may not be available in the quick settings – search for it through the search in the settings.
• On budget models, automatic synchronization is slower due to a weak processor.
• The time zone is sometimes lost when connected to some operators (e.g. Tele2).

On Xiaomi with global firmware (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Global), the time settings can be duplicated in the Google Services menu. If you notice time discrepancies between the system clock and the clock in Google apps, try turning off time synchronization in your Google account (Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync).

7. Additional tips and life hacks

Here are some useful tips to help you avoid time problems on Xiaomi:

• ⏳ Use the widget. MIUI Clock – it updates time regardless of the system clock and supports additional functions (alarm clock, timer, world time).
• 🌐 Set up. VPN — if NTP blocked by the provider, the connection through VPN (For example, ProtonVPN can solve the problem.
• 📡 Check your mobile network settings – if time is lost in roaming, turn on the option Use network time in the settings SIM-map.

If you travel frequently, install ClockSync or Atomic Clock, which lets you manually select NTP servers and force time synchronization. It’s also helpful to add a world time widget to the home screen: long-press on the desktop → Widgets → Watches → select a multi-time zone style.

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On models with Always-On Display (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or POCO F5), the time on the locked screen is updated less often to save battery. To forcefully update it, tap the screen twice or hold the phone to your ear (the proximity sensor will work).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up time on Xiaomi