How to bring a big watch to the screen Xiaomi: all the ways from standard to hidden

Do you want your Xiaomi screen time to be displayed in a larger format? You may have trouble looking at small numbers on your lock or desktop, or you just prefer a minimalist design with a focus on your watch. Fortunately, the manufacturer and third-party developers offer several ways to do this, from built-in MIUI features to installing specialized applications.

In this article, we will discuss 7 proven methods, including system settings, widgets, alternative launchers and even hidden firmware capabilities. Importantly, not all methods are equally effective for different models - for example, owners of POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12 have options that are not available on the old Mi A2.

Before you start, make sure your device has an up-to-date MIUI (at least 12th) version installed, some features may not be available on custom firmware or regional versions (for example, for India or China), and back up important data – some methods require a launcher reset.

1. Increase hours through lock settings

The easiest way is to use the built-in lock screen personalization options, which works on all devices with MIUI 12 and later, including the Xiaomi 13, Redmi Note 11 and POCO X5.

1. Open the Settings → Lock screen.
2. Select Style of Lock (or Themes in some versions).
3. Scroll down to the Watch section and tap it.
4. In the list of available styles, select options marked Large or XXL (e.g. Digital XXL or Analog Large).
5. Click Apply and check the result on the lock screen.

Note that in some themes, watches can look larger by reducing additional elements (date, notifications). If you want to maximize only time, choose styles without unnecessary visual details.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or POCO F4 GT) Too large a watch can cause pixels to burn out when displayed for a long time, and we recommend that you include the option to Shift the clock in the lock settings (if available), so that the numbers slightly shift over time.

2. Use of widgets on the desktop

If you want a big watch on the home screen, not just on lock, but on the home screen, use standard or third-party widgets. MIUI has a built-in watch widget, but it's limited. Let's look at both.

Standard MIUI widget

To add it:

1. Long press on the free space of the desktop → Widgets.
2. Find the Watch section (usually at the top of the list).
3. Drag the 4×2 Analog Watch or 4×1 Digital Watch widget onto the screen.
4. The size of the widget can be changed by pulling around corners (not available on all models).

The downside is that you have limited visual settings, and if you want more flexibility, you can go to third-party solutions.

Third-party widgets (recommendations)

• 🔹 Chronus supports customization of size, font and color. There is a free version with basic features.
• 🔹 UCCW (Ultimate Custom Clock Widget is for advanced users, and allows you to create watches of any size and style.
• 🔹 Another Widget is a minimalist widget with large numbers and support for a dark theme.
• 🔹 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker is for those willing to take the time to customize.The community gallery has ready-made presets with huge hours.

When installing third-party widgets, pay attention to permissions: some apps request access to Overlay over other apps.This is necessary for proper operation, but if you're worried about security, check the reviews on Google Play.

Make sure there is free space on the screen

Check the compatibility of the widget with the Android version

Download APK only from official sources (Google Play, APKMirror)

Reboot the device after installation (recommended)-->

3. Alternative launchers with support for large clocks

If the standard MIUI launcher doesn't suit you with flexibility, consider installing an alternative. Some are specifically optimized to display large interface elements, including watches.

To install an alternative launcher:

1. Download the selected application from Google Play.
2. When you first start, click Set as default launcher.
3. In the launcher settings, find the Home Screen or Widgets section.
4. Select the option to increase the hours (in Nova Launcher, for example, this is Settings → Icon/Widget Size).

⚠️ Note: On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) After the launcher change, system widgets may disappear MIUI, These can be returned by temporarily returning the standard launcher through Settings. → Annexes → By default.

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If the watch is not displayed correctly after installing the alternative launcher, try clearing the app cache in Settings → Applications → [launcher name] → Memory → Clear the cache.

4 Hidden MIUI settings to increase hours

MIUI has hidden parameters that allow you to resize system elements, including watches, which requires activation of developer mode and work with ADB, so it is only suitable for advanced users.

Here's how to do it:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Connect your phone to your PC, install it. ADB Tools and execute the command: adb shell settings put system font_scale 1.3 This command zooms in on the system's font, including the clock. 1.3 substitute 1.5 or 1.7 more effect.
4. Reset the device.

To return the standard size, use the command:

adb shell settings put system font_scale 1.0

This method affects ALL fonts in the system, not just the clock. On some devices (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11), this can lead to cropping text in the menu. If the interface becomes unreadable, reset the settings via Settings → System → Reset (select Reset interface settings).

5.Use of MIUI themes with large clocks

Xiaomi’s official Themes app contains thousands of free and paid themes, many of which offer increased lock and desktop hours.

1. Open the Themes app (if not, download it from Google Play).
2. In the search bar, enter the requests: 🔍 big clock 🔍 magnificence 🔍 minimalism 🔍 Aod big (for themes with Always-On Display)

View the results and select a theme that is at least 4.5. Pay attention to the screenshots - some topics only change the lock, not the desktop.

Click Apply and wait until downloaded (it may take up to 5 minutes).

Recommended topics for large hours:

• 🌙 Dark Clock XXL — A dark topic with huge white numbers.
• ☀️ Minimal Big Time – Minimal Big Time Design with Time Emphasis.
• 🔄 AOD Dynamic Big – Animated Watch for Always-On Display AMOLED-screen).

If the clock has not changed after the topic has been applied, check:

• 🔹 Compatibility of the theme with your model (indicated in the description).
• 🔹 Lock settings – sometimes you need to manually select the watch style in Settings → Lock screen.
• 🔹 Update theme app (go to Google Play and check for updates).

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Themes from the official MIUI store are safe, but some third-party themes (downloaded from APK) may contain ads or collect data.

6.Always-On Display (AOD) with a large watch

If your device supports Always-On Display, you can set up a large watch even when it's off. AMOLED-models such as:

• 📱 Xiaomi 13/13 Pro/13 Ultra
• 📱 Redmi K50/K60 series
• 📱 POCO F4/F5 GT
• 📱 Xiaomi Mi 11/11 Pro

To activate and configure AOD:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen → Always-On Display.
2. Turn on the Always-On Display slider.
3. Slip by Watch Style and select the option marked Big or XXL.
4. In the Schedule section, set the display time (for example, only at night or constantly).

For additional customization:

• 🔹 Use themes. AOD From the Topics app (see tags) AOD).
• 🔹 Install third-party applications like AOD Mirror or Always On AMOLED scaling-up.

⚠️ Continuous operation of Always-On Display increases battery consumption 1-3% on devices with a small battery (e.g., on devices with a small battery, POCO X3 NFC) This can reduce the time of autonomous operation on 10-15%. Track statistics in Settings → Battery.

7 Manual creation of large watches with KWGT

For those who are willing to spend time fine-tuning, KWGT Kustom Widget Maker offers limitless customization options, which can create watches of any size, style, or even animation.

1. Install KWGT and KLWP (for animated widgets) from Google Play.
2. Download the preset from the community: 🔹 KLWP Live Wallpaper (for background clocks). 🔹 Subreddit r/kustom (free-patterns).

Import the preset to KWGT and edit the watch size:

• 🔹 In the editor, select the layer with time (Time).
• 🔹 Increase the Size setting (e.g., to 200%).
• 🔹 Change the font to Bold for better readability.
• Save the widget and add it to the desktop.

Examples of presets for large watches:

• 🎨 Big Digital Clock – Full-screen digital watch.
• 🎨 Minimal AOD — Always-On Display with a long time.
• 🎨 Neon Big Time – Neon watch with glowing effect.

If you are new to KWGT, start with simple templates. To create a watch from scratch, you will need to learn the basic logic of Kustom (documentation is available on the official website).

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To watch in KWGT updated every second (not once per minute), add a time parameter to the formula $si(ms)$ (milliseconds).

FAQ: Frequent questions about big watches on Xiaomi