How to return the watch to the home screen Xiaomi Redmi 9: all working ways

You've turned on the Xiaomi Redmi 9 and you don't have the usual display of time on the home screen? This problem is familiar to many MIUI users - the watch widget can disappear after a system update, change of wallpaper or accidental removal. Unlike iOS, where the watch always appears in the status bar, on Android devices, the display of time on the desktop depends on the launcher settings and the shell version.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to return the watch to the home screen of Redmi 9 – from basic actions in settings to deep changes in system parameters. You will learn why the widget can disappear, how to prevent its re-deletion and what to do if standard methods do not work. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 12/13/14 and adapted to the features of the Redmi 9 firmware (models M2003J15SC, M2003J15SS, etc.).

Why did the watch on the main screen disappear?

Before you restore the widget, it is important to understand the reason for its disappearance. On Xiaomi Redmi 9, the clock can be lost due to:

• 🔄 Updates MIUI — Newer versions of the shell often reset desktop settings, including widgets.
• 🎨 Changes in wallpaper or themes – some topics MIUI Automatically remove standard widgets.
• 👆 Accidental Deletion – Long-term pressing of the clock and selecting “Delete” removes the widget from the screen.
• 📱 Launcher Reset – After cleaning the data of the com.miui.home application, all desktop settings are reset.
• 🔧 Disabling system widgets - in the settings MIUI You can deactivate the display of time on the lock screen and desktop.

If the watch is missing after a firmware update, first check the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. For Redmi 9, current versions are MIUI 14.0.4 (Android 12) and later. On older builds (for example, MIUI 12.5), bugs with widget display can occur.

Method 1: Adding a watch widget through desktop settings

The easiest way is to return the watch as a widget. On Redmi 9, this is done through the menu of adding items to the home screen:

1. Touch the empty space on your desktop and hold your finger for 1-2 seconds.
2. In the menu that appears, select “Widgets” (icon with squares).
3. Scroll through the list to the Watch section (or Clock in English firmware).
4. Select the display style (analog, digital, date) and drag the widget to the screen.

If the Watch section is not in the widget list, then the com.android.deskclock system application is disabled or removed.

Make sure the Watch app is not disabled in Settings → Applications → Application Management

Check for updates to the Watch app on Google Play

Restart your phone if the widget doesn’t appear after adding-->

Important! On some Redmi 9 firmware, the watch widget may conflict with wallpaper. If you don't display numbers after adding time, try changing the wallpaper to the standard (Settings → Wallpaper).

Method 2: Recovery through MIUI settings

If a widget is added but the watch is not displayed, the problem may be the shell settings. MIUI has hidden parameters that affect the display of time:

1. Open the Settings. → Desktop.
2. Go to “Advanced settings” (or Advanced settings).
3. Find the item “Show the clock on the desktop” and activate it.
4. If there is no such item, check the "System Widgets" section and turn on the display of time.

On MIUI 13+ firmware, the path may differ: Settings → Screen → Desktop → Widget settings → Watch.

Method 3: Resetting the settings of the MIUI launcher

If previous methods failed, the system launcher could have malfunctioned, resetting the system settings would return the standard widget layout, including the clock:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, enter com.miui.home (launcher) MIUI).
3. Select the app and click on “Storage”.
4. Click on “Clear Data” and confirm the action.
5. Reboot the phone.

Once reset, all widgets and shortcuts on the desktop will be removed and reconfigured, a method that is recommended if other methods have not worked.

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Before resetting the launcher, take screenshots of the current location of the shortcuts on the desktop, which will help quickly restore the usual appearance after cleaning the data.

⚠️ Attention! On some Redmi 9 firmware, a launcher reset may cause app folders to disappear.To avoid this, export the backup through Settings before clearing the data → Additionally. → Backup.

Method 4: Installation of a third-party launcher

If the system clock refuses to display, the alternative is to use a third-party launcher (for example, Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher), which will not only return time to the screen, but also customize its display:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play (recommended Nova Launcher).
2. Launch the app and select it as the default launcher.
3. Add the watch widget to your desktop (in Nova Launcher: long press → “Widgets” → “Clock”).
4. Set up the display style (size, color, time format).

The advantages of third-party launchers for Redmi 9:

• 🎨 More options for the design of watches (transparency, fonts, animations).
• 🔧 The ability to place the widget anywhere on the screen.
• 📱 Absence of bugs MIUI vanishing.

Disadvantage: Some MIUI system features (e.g., Super Wallpaper or Global Search) may not work properly.

Method 5: Manual editing of system settings (for experienced)

If the watch is lost after the update and is not restored by standard methods, the problem may lie in system files. This method requires root rights and is only suitable for advanced users!

Instructions for root devices:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
2. Go to /data/system/users/0/
3. Find the file com.miui.home.preferences.xml and open it in the text editor.
4. Find the line with the parameter show_clock_on_homescreen and change the meaning to true.
5. Save the file and restart the phone.

⚠️ Attention! Incorrect editing of system files can cause the phone to reboot cyclically. Before making changes, back up the file. If Redmi 9 doesn't turn on after editing, reset via Recovery Mode (press Power). + Volume Up when downloading).

For devices without root, an alternative method is the use of ADB-Connect the phone to the PC and do it:

adb shell settings put global show_clock_on_homescreen 1

How can we prevent the clock from disappearing in the future?

To ensure that the Redmi 9 watch doesn’t go missing after updates or changing themes, follow these tips:

• 🔒 Turn off automatic theme updates in Settings → Theme → Settings → Auto-update themes.
• 📱 Use desktop backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.
• 🛠️ Do not clear the launcher data unnecessarily (app com.miui.home).
• 🔄 Before the update MIUI Check user reviews on forums (for example, 4PDA or Xiaomi Community) for bugs with widgets.

If you change wallpaper or theme frequently, install a third-party watch widget (like Digital Clock Widget or Chronus) that is less dependent on MIUI system settings and less likely to disappear.

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Check regularly for updates to the Google Play system app, “Clock” and even if you don’t use it directly, it’s responsible for displaying time on your desktop.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Redmi watches 9