How to set time on the phone Xiaomi: all the ways

Setting up time on Xiaomi smartphones seems like a simple task, but many users face unexpected problems: the wrong time zone, the wrong clock after a reboot or the lack of automatic synchronization. This is especially true for travelers, owners of devices with custom firmware or those who recently updated MIUI to a new version. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to adjust time, from basic settings to hidden functions of the engineering menu.

It is important to understand that incorrect time settings affect not only the display of the clock in the status bar, but also the operation of alarm clocks, synchronization of notifications in messengers, the correctness of call logs and even the functioning of some banking applications. For example, SberBank Online can block the login if the system time on the phone differs from the server time by more than 5 minutes. Next, you will find step-by-step instructions for all versions of MIUI (including HyperOS), as well as solutions to typical errors.

Why Xiaomi is losing time: the main reasons

Before you start setting up, it’s worth figuring out why your Redmi or POCO watch might be showing incorrect data.

• 🔄 Disabled automatic synchronization is the most common problem after resetting settings or software updates.
• 🌍 Wrong time zone, especially if you have recently crossed a border or moved to another region.
• 🔋 Weak battery – at a deep discharge (below 3%), some models reset time to factory settings.
• 🛠️ Custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) where time synchronization module may not be available.
• 📡 Network problems – if the phone cannot get data from the tower (relevant for devices without the Internet).

In 80% of cases, the problem is solved by enabling automatic synchronization, but sometimes deeper manipulation is required. For example, some Xiaomi 12T and Redmi Note 11 models after upgrading to MIUI 14 experienced a bug with a constant time reset, which required resetting network settings to fix.

Method 1: Automatically adjusting time over a network

This is the simplest and most recommended method that works on all Xiaomi devices running MIUI or HyperOS.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the section Additional settings → Date and time.
3. Activate switches: Autodetermining date and time Autodetermining time zone

Time updated.

If the options are grey and inactive, it means that the phone has turned on developer mode with the sync turned off.

Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times)


Settings → Additional settings → For developers → Disable “Debugging by USB” and “Prohibit automatic synchronization”

Mobile Internet or Wi-Fi enabled

Both automatic definition options are activated

The phone is not in energy saving mode

No active VPN-connection-->

Method 2: Manually set date and time

If automatic synchronization doesn’t work (for example, because there’s no internet), you can set the time manually, and this method is also useful for testing applications that require imitation of a different date.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time.
2. Turn off the Auto-Date and Time option.
3. Click on the Set a date and Set a time to manually enter values.
4. For a time zone, select your region from the list (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3).

Important! With manual setting, time can get lost after rebooting or retrieving. SIM-To avoid this, once you set the correct values, turn on automatic synchronization again.

Method 3: Synchronize through the Engineering Menu (for advanced)

If standard methods don’t work, you can use a hidden engineering menu, which is suitable for Qualcomm Snapdragon-based devices (e.g. Xiaomi 11T, POCO F3). On phones with MediaTek (Helio, Dimensity) processors, the engineering menu may be missing or have a different interface.

Procedure:

1. Open the phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##
2. In the menu that appears, select Phone Information.
3. Scroll down to the Network Time block and click Update.

If the problem persists, try manually selecting the nearest city in the time zone settings, for example, Europe/Moscow is the best fit for Moscow, not Asia/Yekaterinburg, even if the time difference is the same.

Features of setting the time on Xiaomi smart watches

If you have a Mi Band or a Xiaomi Watch, the time on them is automatically synchronized with your smartphone, but sometimes there are discrepancies.

1. Open the Mi Fitness or Zepp Life app.
2. Go to Profile → My Devices → Device Settings.
3. Press Sync Time.
4. If the option is inactive, reconnect the watch to the phone.

On Mi Band 7 and later, the time is updated every 30 minutes, but with a weak Bluetooth signal, sync may be delayed.

• 🔄 Reset the clock (press the button for 10 seconds).
• 📱 Restart the Mi Fitness app and turn on Bluetooth.

💡

If your Xiaomi Watch S1 is 1 to 2 hours late, check the Summer Time settings in the app, which sometimes gets lost after updating the watch firmware.

What do you do if nothing helps?

If all of these methods fail, the problem may be at the system level.

1. Resetting settings: 🔧 Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Reset all settings (does not delete files). ⚠️ If it doesn’t help, reset to factory settings (deletes all data!).

Flip-over:

Download the official firmware for your model from the Xiaomi Firmware website and run through Fastboot or Recovery.

Battery replacement:

On older models (Redmi 4X, Mi A1), time is lost due to a dead RTC battery (real time).

⚠️ Note: Before resetting or firmware, back up your data via Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset, especially for owners. POCO F1 and Mi 9, where after reset, unlocking the bootloader may disappear.

💡

If time is only lost in airplane mode, the problem lies in the hardware (most often in the quartz resonator on the motherboard), in which case only the service center will help.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up time on Xiaomi