Previous articleMissing Watches from Xiaomi Screen: 7 Ways to Return the Time Widget to MIUI

You've turned on a Xiaomi smartphone, but you don't have a regular watch on the home screen? This problem is common among MIUI 12-14 users on models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 13 Ultra. The time widget can disappear after a system update, reset or even casual touch. In 80% of cases, the problem is solved in 2-3 minutes without complex manipulation.

In this article, we'll give you step-by-step instructions for all firmware versions, including hidden settings that aren't shown in the official documentation, and we'll look at the causes of the watch's disappearance (from MIUI bugs to design conflicts) and give you unique solutions for cases where standard methods don't work. If you've tried rebooting your phone, read on: one of the lesser-known ways is likely to help you.

Why Xiaomi Watches Are Lost: 5 Reasons

The MIUI time widget is not just a piece of jewelry, it's a system element tied to the shell, and its disappearance is almost always due to changes in settings or crashes.

  • 🔄 Update MIUI: After installing a new firmware version (especially with the MIUI 12.5 on MIUI 14) the desktop settings are reset, the watch can be “hidden” under the layer of widgets or deactivated altogether.
  • 🎨 Design themes conflict: Installing a custom theme from Mi Themes sometimes breaks the system widget display, especially if the theme isn't optimized for your model.
  • 🧹 Clearing the launcher cache: Forced data cleanup of the Lawnchair application (or standard launcher) MIUI) drops off the location of icons and widgets.
  • 🔧 Security settings fail: In rare cases, the watch disappears after Private Mode or Second Space is activated.
  • 📱 Hardware limitations: On some models (e.g, POCO F3 s MIUI for POCO) The default watch widget is disabled due to firmware features.

Before you start rebuilding, check if the clock is hidden under other elements. Try scrolling through the desktop left/right — sometimes the widget moves to the second screen. If that doesn't work, go to the methods below.

📊 What is your Xiaomi model?
Redmi Note 10/11/12
Xiaomi 11/12/13 series
POCO F3/F4/F5
Redmi 9/10/11
Another model

Method 1: Recovery through desktop settings

The fastest method is to return the watch through the widget menu, which works on 90% of devices with MIUI 12-14:

  1. Click and hold the empty space on the home screen (not on the icon!).
  2. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a toolbar, and you'll tap the Widget icon.
  3. Scroll down the list and find the Watch widget (or Clock on English firmware).
  4. Drag it to the main screen. If the widget is not active, click on it and select Add to the screen.

If the Watch widget is not listed, it's disabled at the system level, and resetting the launcher settings will help.

  1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
  2. Find the Lawnchair app (or MIUI Launcher) and select Warehouse.
  3. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache, then restart the phone.

☑️ Preparation for launcher reset

Done: 0 / 4

Important: After the launcher is reset, all icons and widgets will return to factory settings. You will have to reconfigure the desktop.

Method 2: Checking system time settings

Sometimes the clock is lost due to a failure in the system settings of date and time, this is true for devices with MIUI 13+, where time is synced through Google or Xiaomi Cloud.

To check the settings:

  1. Open Settings → Additional → Date and time.
  2. Make sure that options are included: ⏱️ Autodetermining date and time 🌍 Time zone autodetermination

If the options are disabled, activate them and restart the phone.

If the clock doesn’t show up after that, try to manually update the time:

  1. Turn off date and time autodetermination.
  2. Click Set a date and select the current date manually.
  3. Go back and turn on the automatic definition again.
What to do if time is lost after rebooting?
If the phone is reset after each turn on, it indicates a battery problem (on older models) or a failure in the RTC (Real-Time Clock) module, in which case only flashing or replacing the battery will help.

Method 3: Reset the themes (if the clock is missing after changing the theme)

Custom themes from Mi Themes often conflict with system widgets. If the watch has disappeared after installing a new theme, follow the following steps:

  1. Open Settings → Themes.
  2. Choose My Subjects → Standard (or Default).
  3. Confirm the use of the standard theme and restart the device.

💡

If you like a custom theme but it breaks your clock, try using it without widgets. To do this, turn off the "Use widgets" option in the theme settings.

Method 4: Recovery through Safe Mode

If the clock is lost after installing a third-party application (such as another launcher or optimizer), check the system in safe mode.

How to start safe mode:

  1. Press and hold the power button until the off menu appears.
  2. Slip and hold the option to turn off (or turn off power).
  3. Confirm the transition to safe mode (the Safe mode will appear at the bottom of the screen).

In safe mode:

  • Check if the watch is coming up. If so, there's a problem in one of the apps installed.
  • Remove recently installed programs (especially launchers, optimizers, or interface customization apps).
  • Restart your phone in normal mode.

⚠️ Warning: Safe Mode disabled all third-party apps, including Google Play Services. Do not try to update systems or install new programs in this mode.

Method 5: Manually add widgets via ADB (for power users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try to force the watch widget to activate via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for advanced users and requires a computer.

Instructions:

  1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version.

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

adb shell am start -n com.miui.home/.launcher.Launcher

After restarting the launcher, try adding the watch widget again.

If the widget is still missing, try resetting the launcher settings via ADB:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

⚠️ Note: pm clear will completely reset your desktop settings, including folders and icon locations.

Method 6: Reinstall the system clock (if the widget is damaged)

In rare cases, the system application files of the Watch (com.android.deskclock) are corrupted, which can occur after a failed update or manual intervention in system files.

  1. Download the APK system clock for your version of MIUI from a reliable source (e.g., APKMirror).
  2. Install APK through any file manager (unknown sources will require installation rights).
  3. Restart your phone and check for a widget.

Resetting instructions:

  1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
  2. Choose to erase all data and confirm the action.
  3. After restarting, set your phone as new.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) After the reset, you may need to re-activate the bootloader.Make sure you have access to the Mi Account linked to the device.

💡

Before reset, check if the phone is tied to a Xiaomi account.If you forget your password, unlocking after reset can take up to 72 hours.

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing watches on Xiaomi

❓ Why After Updating MIUI The clock has become smaller/changed style?
With the new MIUI 13-14, Xiaomi has redesigned its system widgets, now displaying a flat or shadowless watch, and returning the old look is only possible through a custom theme or firmware rollback.
❓ Can I return the watch if it is missing after unlocking the bootloader?
Yes, but you need to flash your phone over Fastboot using the official ROM. Unlocking the bootloader often resets system applications, including the watch widget. The firmware instructions are on Xiaomi's official website.
❓ The watch only appears on a closed screen?
This is not a glitch, but a feature of MIUI. On some models (Xiaomi 11 Lite, Redmi Note 10S), the clock on the home screen is disabled by default. To return them, add a widget manually (see Method 1).
❓ After the launcher was dropped, the clock is back, but now there's no weather?
The weather and clock widgets in MIUI are linked. If the weather is gone, check the location settings (Settings → Privacy → Permits → Location) and make sure that the weather app has access to geodata enabled.
❓ Nana POCO F3 There's no watch widget on the list?
Yes. Some MIUI devices for POCO have the default watch widget disabled, instead using the POCO Launcher widget. To return a standard watch, install the MIUI launcher from APKMirror.