Previous articleMissing watch from the screen Xiaomi: how to return the time widget on MIUI and HyperOS

You turned on a Xiaomi smartphone, and the usual watch on the home screen as never happened? This problem is familiar to many users of devices on MIUI and the new HyperOS. The watch can disappear after a system update, a launcher failure or accidental removal of the widget. Fortunately, in 90% of cases, the situation can be fixed without complex manipulations, just know where to look for settings.

In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to return the watch to the screen, from the basic (add via the widget menu) to advanced (clear the Mi Launcher cache or reset settings). Particular attention will be paid to the nuances for different versions of the firmware: MIUI 12/13/14 and HyperOS, where the location of the options may differ. If you are not sure about your version of the system, check it in Settings → About the phone → MIUI version.

The causes of the disappearance of the watch are usually divided into three categories:

• 🔄 Software failures: launcher errors after update or reboot.
• 👆 User actions: Accidental removal of the widget or change of topics.
• 🛠️ System conflicts: damage to the cache or data of the Mi Launcher application.

1. Basic method: Adding hours through widget menu

The easiest method is to return to the standard watch widget through the screen settings, which works on all versions of MIUI and HyperOS, unless the launcher has been heavily modified.

Instructions:

1. Touch and hold the empty space on the main screen.
2. At the bottom of the screen will appear a panel with options – select Widgets.
3. Scroll down to the Watch section (or Clock on English firmware).
4. Choose your preferred time display style (analog or digital watch).
5. Drag the widget to a free space on the screen.

If there is no Watch section in the widget list, it could mean that the Clock system app is disabled or removed. Check this in Settings → Apps → Application Management → Watch.

2. Recovery through theme settings

On Xiaomi, the watch is often tied to the theme you're using, and if you've recently changed the theme or reset it to a standard one, the time widget might disappear.

Open Settings → Themes (or the Themes app on your desktop). Go to My Themes and select your current active theme. Scroll down to the Widgets block, where the available watch styles should be displayed. If they don't exist, try:

• 🔍 Apply another theme (e.g. standard Default) and return the previous one.
• 🔄 Update the theme through the Update Check button in its description.
• 📥 Download an alternative theme with a clock (search by theme type clock widget).

Important! Some custom themes may conflict with system widgets. If the watch never appears after the theme change, go back to the standard MIUI or HyperOS theme and repeat the steps from the first section.

3.Cache and data reset Mi Launcher

If the watch doesn’t show up even after adding it through widgets, the problem may be in the damaged launcher cache. Cleaning up the Mi Launcher cache and data (or Hyper Launcher in newer firmware) often solves the problem without completely resetting the phone.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Show All Apps.
3. In the search, enter the launcher (or I launcher in Russian).
4. Select the Mi Launcher (or Hyper Launcher) app.
5. Click Storage and select Clear Cache and Clear Data sequentially.
6. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Once the launcher data is cleaned, all the shortcuts and widgets on the home screen will reset. You'll have to reconfigure them! However, the watch should come as standard. If that doesn't happen, move on to the next method.

⚠️ On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X3) After clearing the launcher data, you may need to re-authorize in the Mi Account to synchronize widgets.

Verification of system permissions for the "Clock" application

Rarely, the watch widget does not appear due to the lack of necessary permissions from the system application, this is true for firmware with modified security settings (for example, after manual updating or using custom ROM).

You can check the permits as follows:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Watch.
2. Select Permissions.
3. Make sure the following options are included: 📍 Location access (required for automatic time zone determination). 📱 Display over other windows (important for widgets). 🔄 Auto-Run (allows the clock to update after rebooting).

If there are no permissions on the list, try updating the Watch app via Google Play (if available there) or resetting it to standard settings.

5. Alternative watch widgets from Google Play

If the standard watch never came back, you can install a third-party widget from Google Play, which is a temporary solution, but it will help you not lose functionality while you search for the cause of the problem.

Recommended annexes:

• ⏰ Digital Clock Widget – Minimalistic digital watch with font setting.
• 🕒 Chronus – advanced widget with weather and calendar.
• 🌍 World Clock Widget – to display time in different time zones.
• 🎨 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – to create custom watches (requires customization skills).

After installation:

1. Touch and hold the main screen. → Widgets.
2. Find the installed application (e.g. Digital Clock) in the list.
3. Drag the widget onto the screen and adjust its size/style.

⚠️ Some widgets from Google Play may conflict with the MIUI Optimization is a system process that manages power consumption. If the watch periodically disappears, add it to the battery exceptions: → Battery → Choice of applications → [widget] → No restrictions.

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Before installing third-party widgets, check reviews — some apps may show ads or collect data. Give preference to trusted developers with a rating above 4.5.

6. Resetting phone settings (last resort)

If none of the above methods worked, the problem could be deeper, such as corrupting system files after a failed update, in which case a factory reset would help, but only after backing up the data.

How to reset your settings:

1. Back up important data (contacts, photos, messages) through Settings → About Phone → Backup.
2. Go to Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset.
3. Select Reset and confirm the action.
4. After restarting, set your phone as new.

Important! On new HyperOS firmware, the path to reset may be different: Settings → Memory → Data Reset. Also note that the reset will delete:

• 📱 All installed applications and their data.
• 📁 Files in internal memory (photos, videos, documents).
• 🔑 Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth and accounts (except for Mi Account if it was tied).

If even after the reset, the watch does not appear, this may indicate a hardware problem (for example, damage to the memory partition) or an unofficial firmware with errors.

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Resetting is the last chance to return the watch without flashing it, and if the problem persists, either the firmware or the hardware is to blame.

7. Features for HyperOS: What has changed?

In the new HyperOS firmware that replaced MIUI, the logic of widgets has changed a little. If you have a device with HyperOS (for example, Xiaomi 14, Redmi K70 or POCO F6), consider the following nuances:

• 🔄 Widgets are now grouped into a separate Widget tab that opens with a swipe to the left of the main screen.
• 🎨 The watch is integrated into the system application Hyper Clock (instead of the old Clock).
• 🔧 Launcher settings moved to Settings → Main screen screen.
• 🚫 Some old widgets from MIUI may not be supported, alternatives will need to be established.

If you upgraded from MIUI to HyperOS and your watch is missing, try:

1. Remove the old watch widget (if it appears as an empty block).
2. Add a new widget via swipe to the left → Widgets → Hyper Clock
3. Update the Hyper Clock app via Google Play (if available).

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing watches on Xiaomi