Why Xiaomi is 16th on its calendar and how to get back the right date

You pick up your Xiaomi -- does it have the 16th on your lock screen or calendar, even though it's mid-month out? Or vice versa, is it two weeks behind, showing a date that was relevant in the last century? This problem is more common than it seems -- and it has a logical explanation. 90% of the time, it's not the smartphone that's broken or viruses that are to blame, but the trivial settings or synchronization failures.

In this article, we’ll look at 7 main reasons why Xiaomi’s calendar (including Redmi, POCO, Black Shark) might show 16 instead of the actual date — and give you step-by-step instructions on how to fix it, from simple steps like rebooting to deep system settings, and why the date sometimes gets stuck on January 1, 1970 — and what to do about it.

Spoiler: Most of the time, the problem is solved in 2-3 minutes without going to the service center, but if you've tried "everything you can" before, there's a section at the end of the article about hardware malfunctions that may need repair.

1. time synchronization failure over the network

The most common reason is the automatic time synchronization turned off. By default, Xiaomi smartphones receive the exact date and time from servers. NTP (Network Time Protocol, but sometimes this function is lost after a system update, change SIM-map or manual time zone change.

How it manifests itself:

• 📅 The date is “frozen” on the 16th (or other fixed date) and is not updated.
• ⏰ Time may be lagging behind or in a hurry for hours/days.
• 🔄 After the reset, the date is reset to default (for example, January 1, 2020).

To check and correct:

1. Open Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Make sure that the Date and Time Auto Setting and Time Zone Auto Switches are active (Slide Blue).
3. If they are turned off, turn on and wait for the updates (may take up to 1 minute).

If the date has not been updated after the synchronization has been enabled:

• 📶 Check your internet connection (mobile or Wi-Fi).
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 🌍 Manually select the correct time zone (for example, Moscow, GMT+3).

💡

If the date is reset to January 1, 1970, after autosynchronization is enabled, it is a sign of a failure in non-volatile memory (NVRAM).

2. error after MIUI update

Updates to MIUI firmware sometimes lead to a conflict of system data, which causes the calendar and the clock to “live their lives”, especially when:

• 📲 Switching to the new version MIUI (for example, 13 to 14).
• 🔄 «Dirty" Update installation (without pre-resetting cache).
• 📦 Use of custom (unofficial) firmware.

How to fix it:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select “Update Service Pack”** (if available).
3. If the problem persists, reset the date and time settings:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three points → Show system → Find “Clock” and “Calendar” → Storage → Clear data

If it doesn’t help, try to roll back to the previous version of MIUI (instructions in the spoiler below).

3. Conflict with the appendix "Calendar" or "Clock"

Sometimes it's not the system settings that are to blame, but the Calendar app itself, which crashes, and it can happen after:

• 📥 Updates to the app through Google Play.
• 🔧 Changes to calendar access permission.
• 🗑️ Cleaning cache manually or through “optimizers».

Diagnosis and solution:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the “Calendar” (or “Clock”) and click on it.
3. Select “Storage” → “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data”**.
4. Reboot the phone.

If the problem persists, try removing the updates for the app (the “Remove Updates” button in the same menu) and then the system will restore the factory version.

Clear cache | Clear data | Delete updates |Reboot phone | Check permissions

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If that doesn’t work, set an alternate calendar (like Google Calendar or Business Calendar) and check if it shows the correct date. If so, the problem is exactly in the Xiaomi system app.

4. Wrong time zone or daylight saving time

Sometimes the date gets lost due to a time zone or conflict with the summer/winter time transition, for example, if the phone thinks you are in GMT-12 (Baker Island) and you are in Moscow (GMT+3), the time difference can break the calendar display.

How to check:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Date and time.
2. Turn off "Time Zone Auto-Detection"**.
3. Manually select your region (for example, Moscow, Russia).
4. Turn on autodetermination back.

If the date is still incorrect, try manually setting the correct date and time, then turn on automatic synchronization again.

If the date is still lost after the time zone change, check if the phone has apps to change the region (for example, to bypass geolocking), they may conflict with system settings.

5. Resetting settings to factory (Hard Reset)

If none of the previous methods worked, you might need a full reset, which is a last resort, but it's guaranteed to bring the phone back to its original state, including the correct date and time.

⚠️ Warning: Reset will delete all data from your phone (photos, contacts, messages, apps). → The phone. → Backup or manually copy important files to your PC.

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Erase all data”.
3. Enter your password (if requested).
4. Confirm the reset.

After the reboot, the phone will suggest you set it up as new. At the date and time stage, make sure that:

• 🌍 Selected the right time zone.
• 🔄 Automatic synchronization enabled.
• 📶 Phone's connected to the Internet.

💡

Resetting solves 99% of software problems with date, but should only be used if other methods have not helped.

Hardware malfunctions

If all software methods have been tried and the screen date is still the 16th (or resets to January 1, 1970), the problem may be hardware.

• 🔋 Sat battery. RTC (Some Xiaomi models (especially older ones) have a separate battery that keeps the clock running when the phone is off.
• 🔌 Chip damage. RTC (Real-Time Clock: This can happen after a fall, moisture or overheating.
• 📱 Motherboard malfunction: In rare cases, a date failure is a symptom of a more serious failure (e.g., detached contacts).

How to diagnose a hardware problem:

1. Turn off the phone and remove it. SIM-memory-card.
2. Leave it off for 10-15 minutes, then turn it on.
3. If the date is reset to January 1, 1970 or another “default” date, it is a sign of malfunction. RTC-module.

Decision:

• 🔧 Contact Xiaomi Service Center for Diagnostics.
• 🔋 If the battery's the problem RTC — It can be replaced (cost) ~500-1500 ruble).
• 📱 If the chip is to blame, you will need to solder or replace the motherboard (expensive, but sometimes justified for flagship models).

7. Viruses or malware

In rare cases, an incorrect calendar date may be caused by malware. Some viruses change system settings, including date and time, to:

• 🕵️ Bypass security restrictions (for example, to install legacy applications).
• 📅 Block antivirus updates.
• 💰 Masking fraudulent transactions (if a virus steals bank card details).

Signs of infection:

• 📱 The phone slows down, warms up or discharges quickly.
• 📦 Unknown applications appear.
• 🔒 Antivirus issuing warnings.
• 📅 Date and time are lost even after manual installation.

How to check and clean your phone:

1. Install antivirus (for example, Dr.Web, Kaspersky, Malwarebytes).
2. Run a deep scan.
3. Remove any suspicious apps (especially those that request access to administrator settings).
4. Reset the settings to factory settings (see Section 5).

If the virus blocks the installation of the antivirus:

• 📱 Go to Safe Mode (click the power button) → long-press on "Switch off» → «Safe regime»).
• 🗑️ Remove suspicious applications manually.
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the lost date on Xiaomi