How to bring a pedometer to the screen of the phone Xiaomi: the full guide

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO have powerful physical activity tracking functionality that often stays hidden in the depths of the system menus. For many users, it is critical to see real-time progress without opening the Mi Fitness or Google Fit app every time. The ability to display a pedometer directly to the desktop or a locked screen turns the phone into a full-fledged sports tracker.

With MIUI and the new HyperOS, there are several ways to implement this feature, each with its own power consumption and visual features, and we’ll break down native widgets, third-party apps, and hidden lock screen settings so you can choose the best option for your device.

Before you start setting up, make sure your device has a motion sensor on and the necessary permissions for geolocation services to work, a basic requirement that no widget can properly display data without.

Using a native step counter widget

The easiest and most energy-efficient way to see the number of steps taken is to use the built-in widget system. shells MIUI and HyperOS by default contain the necessary tools that do not require the installation of additional software. However, its location in the widget menu can vary depending on the version of the firmware.

To add a counter to your desktop, you need to go to the interface editing mode. Make a long tap on the empty area of the screen or use a pinch with two fingers. In the menu that opens, select Widgets. In the list that opens, find the Tools or Systems category, where the desired item often hides.

⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may not have a standard pedometer widget, in which case the system will suggest installing the Mi Fitness app or using the Google widget.

If you find a Step Counter or Mi Fitness widget, drag it to your desktop. Once placed, it may require initial adjustment: select the displayed option (distance traveled, calories or steps) and the desired widget size.

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To save battery power, choose static widgets without animation, as they do not require constant updates to the graphical interface.

It is important to understand the difference between widgets. The Mi Fitness widget syncs with deep system data, while the Google widget can use its own counting algorithms, which sometimes leads to discrepancies in statistics.

Setup of the "Battery" widget with step display

The unique feature of the MIUI shell is a multifunction battery widget that can display not only the battery charge, but also the step counter. This solution is ideal for those who want to minimize the number of elements on the desktop by combining useful information in one unit.

To activate this feature, add the Battery widget to the home screen. By default, it only shows the percentage of charge and icons of running applications. Click on the widget itself or use a long tap to enter the settings. In the style menu that appears, select the option marked as a Shagomer or containing the icon of a running person.

• 🔋 Select the display style: digital or graphical indicator.
• 👣 Make sure the "Show Steps" switch is active.
• 🎨 Set up a color scheme under the wallpaper of your smartphone.

This widget is particularly convenient on low-resolution screens, where every pixel counts, and it automatically updates data in the background using a system accelerometer, which guarantees high accuracy.

Always On Display: A pedometer on a locked screen

The feature is Always on Display (AOD) allows you to display information on a switched-off screen AMOLED-On Xiaomi smartphones, this feature often allows you to display the step counter to see progress without even unlocking the device.

To set up, go to Settings → Screen is always on and lock. You need to activate the screen switch is always on. Next, choose the display style. Not all styles support step output, so you have to go through the available options. Look for styles with the caption "Steps" or visually check for numbers in the preview.

Some versions of HyperOS have the ability to create your own AOD style through the Wallpaper app, so you can add a Step widget to any point on the screen and adjust its size, which gives you maximum design flexibility.

⚠️ Always on Display increases battery consumption by 1-3% If you're critical to autonomy, use a schedule function, such as during the day.

It is worth noting that on IPS screens, AOD technology does not work physically, so this method is only available to owners of devices with AMOLED or Super AMOLED arrays.

Third-party applications for advanced tracking

If standard features aren’t enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, offering more flexible widget settings, synchronization with other services, and advanced statistics, but requiring careful setting of permissions to work in the background.

A popular solution is the Steps Widget app or Google Fit widgets. Once you install the app, you not only need to add a widget to the screen, but also give it access to a fitness tracker. Without this permission, the widget will show a zero value or not update.

The process of configuring a third-party widget is as follows:

1. Install the selected application from the store.
2. Add a widget to the desktop through the widget menu.
3. Click on the widget for the initial configuration.
4. Provide all the permissions requested in the system window.

The main advantage of third-party solutions is customization, you can change the font, color, add graphs or motivational words, and some apps even allow you to output a progress bar that fills up as you reach your day goal.

Fixing problems with updating widgets

A common problem with Xiaomi users is that widgets stop updating or show yesterday’s data, due to the aggressive energy saving policy of the MIUI system, which kills background processes to save charge. To make the pedometer widget work correctly, you need to remove the source application from the optimization list.

Go to Settings → Battery and Performance. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner to open the settings. Find the App item or go to App Management. Find the app the widget uses (e.g., Google Play Services, Mi Fitness or a third-party pedometer).

In the app menu, find Activity Control and select No Limits, which will prevent the system from suspending the process responsible for counting steps.

It’s also worth checking whether Ultra Battery Saver is enabled, and widgets are often limited or completely disabled to extend the life of the device.

Synchronization with Mi Band and other trackers

If you use a Mi Band fitness bracelet or an Amazfit watch, the logic of the widgets changes, in which case the smartphone can act only as a display, and the steps are counted by a wearable device. The correct display of the bracelet data on the smartphone widget requires the correct bunch of applications.

The main synchronization application is Mi Fitness (or Zepp Life for older models), and the desktop widget should take data from this application, not from the Android system counter. This will ensure accuracy, since the bracelet algorithms are often more accurate than the phone's accelerometer.

In the Mi Fitness app settings, make sure that sync with Google Fit or Apple Health (if you’re using an iPhone) is enabled if you plan to use Google ecosystem widgets.This will create a bridge between the tracker data and the on-screen widget.

⚠️ Note: Do not install Mi Fitness and Zepp Life on the same device at the same time, this can lead to data conflict and incorrect display of statistics on widgets.

For users seeking maximum autonomy, it is recommended that the widget be configured so that it only updates when the screen is unlocked or on schedule, rather than in real time.

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For stable operation of the pedometer widget, it is critically important to configure the exclusion of the source application from the system energy saving mode.