How to Show a Watch on a Xiaomi Smart TV: 3 Ways + Problem Solving

Why Xiaomi TV doesn’t have a default clock and how to add it

Xiaomi Smart TVs (including the Mi TV 4/5/6 series, Redmi Smart TV and Xiaomi TV A/Q) do not display time on the home screen out of the box. This is due to the PatchWall interface philosophy - the manufacturer believes that constant watches are distracting from viewing content. However, many users are used to seeing the current time in the corner of the screen, especially if the TV replaces a PC monitor or is used in the office.

There are three ways to enable the display of the watch: through screen settings, widgets or third-party apps. Importantly, on some models (such as the Mi TV 5 Pro 2020-2021), the function of the watch is hidden in deep menus, and in new firmwares (starting with MIUI TV 3.0), it has been moved to the Smart Home section, and we will analyze all current methods, including bypassing restrictions for outdated versions of the software.

If you have previously tried to turn on the watch, but it disappeared after the reboot or did not appear at all, the problem may lie in:

• 🔄 Conflict with the theme of the design (for example, a dark theme hides light numbers)
• ⚙️ Disabled system widgets in PatchWall settings
• 📡 Unsynchronized time (TV not connected to the Internet or using the wrong time zone)

Before you start setting up, make sure your TV is connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet — without it, the watch may not be showing the right time or not updating. Also check the firmware version in the Settings → About TV menu. If it is older than MIUI TV 2.5, update the system first.

Method 1: Enable the clock through screen settings (for MIUI TV 3.0 and later)

This is the simplest method, which works on most modern models, and is relevant for MIUI TV 3.0-4.2 firmware (2022-2026).

Steps to display the clock:

1. On the remote, press the button Settings (cogs) or Menu.
2. Go to the Settings section → Screen and sound → Screen.
3. Scroll down to the "Clock on Screen" item (or "Display Time" on English firmware).
4. Activate the slider and select the position: Upper left corner, Upper right corner or Lower right corner.
5. Press OK to save the changes.

If the "Clock on Screen" item is not on the menu, then your model is using the old version of the interface. Try method 2 or update the firmware through Settings → About TV → System Update.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Mi) TV 4A Redmi Smart TV X50) When the watch is turned on, the screensaver animation may disappear. → Screen. → Select the screensaver and select the option "Dynamic».

Method 2: Adding the watch widget to the PatchWall home screen

If the screen settings don't have an option to display time, you can add the watch as a widget to the home screen, which works on all models, but requires a pre-setting time synchronization.

Instructions:

1. Make sure the settings are the correct time zone: Settings → Date and time → Time zone (select your region, for example, Moscow, GMT+3).
2. Return to the PatchWall home screen and scroll right to the Widgets section (or Smart Home on the new firmware).
3. Find the Watch widget (the icon with the dial) and click Add to the screen.
4. Drag the widget to the right place (for example, the upper right corner) and lock with the OK button.

The watch widget supports two display formats:

• 🕒 Digital (24-hourly 12-sentry AM/PM)
• ⏰ Analog (diale with arrows)

To change the format, hover over the widget, press Menu on the remote and select Settings → Time Format.

💡

If the watch widget doesn’t show up, try resetting PatchWall: Settings → Apps → PatchWall → Clear the data. After that, the widgets will return to their original state.

Method 3: Install a third-party app with a clock

If the system clock is not satisfied (for example, it takes seconds or a custom font), you can install a third-party application from Google Play (available on Android TV models) or through APK.

Recommended annexes:

• ⏱️ Digital Clock Widget – Minimalist watch with color and size settings.
• 🌍 World Clock & Weather – displays time in different time zones.
• 🎨 Floating Clock – a floating clock that can be moved around the screen.

How to determine:

1. Open Google Play on your TV (or upload the APK to your flash drive).
2. Find one of the apps above and install it.
3. Launch the app and follow the setup instructions (usually permission to display over other windows is required).
4. Return to the main screen, the watch will appear in the selected location.

⚠️ Attention: Installation APK from unknown sources may disrupt the TV. Use only verified files (e.g., from APKMirror). → Security → Unknown sources.

Problem Solving: The clock doesn't show or shows the wrong time

If the watch does not appear after setting up or displays the wrong time, check the following points:

1. Time synchronization

The TV must be connected to the Internet to automatically synchronize time, so that it can be updated by force.

1. Go to Settings. → Date and time.
2. Turn off and turn on the “Autosynchronization” option again.
3. If time is lost, set the time zone manually (for example, GMT+3 for Moscow).

2. Conflict with the subject of design

On dark subjects, the light clock can blend in with the background, to change the color.

• For system clocks: Settings → Screen → Watch on screen → Text color.
• For widget: hover over the clock → Settings → Style.

3.Reset PatchWall settings

If the clock is missing after the update, reset the interface cache:

Settings → Applications → PatchWall → Clear the cache

After that, the widgets and clock settings will return to the factory.

💡

If none of these things work, reset the TV to factory settings (Settings → About TV → Reset) and delete all the data, but restore the system functions.

Additional settings: time format, transparency, position

Once the watch is on, you can customize it to your needs, and the options available depend on the model and the firmware version.

Reformatting

The default format is 24-hour, and to switch to 12-hour (AM/PM):

Settings → System → Date and time → Time format

2. Transparency setting

On models Xiaomi TV A2/Q2 and Mi TV 6, you can make the background of the clock translucent:

1. Open the Settings → Screen → Watch on the screen.
2. Select “Style” and move the “Transparency” slider.

3. Moving the clock around the screen

The system clock is fixed in the corner, but you can drag and drop the widget.

1. Hover over the clock widget.
2. Press the OK button on the remote and hold for 2 seconds.
3. Move the widget to the right place and release the button.

On models with MIUI TV 4.0+ firmware, the watch can be attached to the notification panel – it will hide when watching video and appear when getting stuck the cursor on the upper edge of the screen.

Frequent questions about the watch on Xiaomi Smart TV