Xiaomi Mi Band 4: how to set up the bracelet correctly - full instruction

The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 fitness bracelet remains one of the most popular activity tracking gadgets even years after its release, with its main advantages being affordable price, long battery life and a wide range of functionality from sleep monitoring to smartphone notifications. However, many users face difficulties when first setting up: the bracelet does not connect to the phone, does not sync data or does not work correctly.

In this article, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for setting up the Mi Band 4 from scratch, including connecting to an app, personalizing screens, setting up notifications and solving typical problems. We’ll also reveal hidden bracelet features that aren’t written about in official guides — like how to activate Do Not Disturb mode through gestures or configure weather display without a smartphone.

1. Preparation for setting up: what to do before connecting

Before you start syncing your bracelet to your phone, follow a few mandatory steps that will save you from most errors like “device fails” or “connection error.”

First, check your smartphone’s compatibility. Mi Band 4 works with Android 5.0 devices.+ or iOS 10.0+. If your phone is older, upgrade your firmware or use a different gadget. Secondly, make sure your phone is on Bluetooth 4.2.+ — Older versions may not support low-energy connections (BLE), bracelet.

• 🚫 Turn it off. VPN Firewalls – they can block the connection to Xiaomi servers.

If you have previously used another Xiaomi fitness bracelet (such as Mi Band 3), remove it from the app to avoid conflicts. → My devices and click "Delete." Also, we recommend rebooting your phone before connecting - this will reset the Bluetooth cache and increase the chances of successful synchronization.

2. Installation and configuration of the application: Mi Fit or Zepp Life?

Officially, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 supports two apps: Mi Fit (developed by Xiaomi) and Zepp Life (formerly Amazfit, now owned by Huami), both of which have the same functionality but differ in interface and additional features.

We recommend installing Zepp Life, as it is more developed and offers deeper analytics, but if you want to maximize compatibility with the Xiaomi ecosystem (for example, sync with Mi Home), choose Mi Fit.

• 📱 Mi Fit for Android
• 🍎 Mi Fit for iOS
• 📱 Zepp Life for Android
• 🍎 Zepp Life for iOS

After installing the app, sign up or sign in to your account. Use the same account as other Xiaomi devices (if you have one) so that the data syncs automatically. If you don't have an account, create it via email, phone number or Google/Facebook. Don’t miss this step – without an account, the bracelet will not be able to save data to the cloud.

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If the application requests access to Contacts or Locations, allow it to work properly for notifications and activity tracking.

3. Connecting the bracelet to the phone: step-by-step instructions

Now, to the most important thing, the Mi Band 4 connection to your phone, follow the instructions carefully, because skipping even one step can lead to an error.

1. Turn on the bracelet. To do this, click on the touch button below the screen and hold it for 2-3 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
2. Unlock the screen. If the bracelet is new, it will immediately go into pairing mode. If you've already used it, swipe right across the screen, find Settings. → Connect the device and confirm the choice.
3. Open the app (Mi Fit or Zepp Life) and click Add Device (Icon "+" top-right).
4. Select a model. In the list, find the Mi Smart Band 4 and tap it.
5. Confirm pairing. The phone will request Bluetooth connectivity — let me ask you. Then the bracelet will have a 6-digit code that you want to compare to the code in the app. If they match, click Confirm.
6. Wait for the firmware update. The app will automatically check the software's relevance and prompt you to update. Don't interrupt the process, it can take up to 10 minutes.

If the bracelet is not present, try the following:

• 🔄 Reboot Bluetooth on your phone (turn off and turn on again).
• 📱 Remove the bracelet from the list of conjugate devices in your phone settings (Bluetooth) → Mi Band 4 → Forget the device).
• 🔋 Reset the bracelet to factory settings: go to Settings → Reset on the device itself.
• 📲 Check the app’s permissions – it should have access to Bluetooth, Notifications, and Background Activity.

Make sure the bracelet is charged.|Update the application to the latest version|Enable Bluetooth and geolocation|Remove old devices from Mi Fit|Reboot the phone-->

Once the bracelet is successfully connected, it will prompt you to update your firmware. This is a must-do step, as new versions fix bugs and add features. If the update freezes by 0%, check your Internet connection and restart the process. In rare cases, changing your account region (for example, to China or Singapore) helps, since Xiaomi servers sometimes limit speed for some countries.

4. Personalization of the bracelet: dials, notifications and gestures

Once connected, you can set the Mi Band 4 to "you"; starting with changing the dial, which is the visual part that appears on the bracelet screen. → Mi Smart Band 4 → There are over 50 options available, including animated and themed (for example, with Disney or Star Wars characters).

To set a new dial:

1. Choose your favorite design and click Download.
2. After downloading, tap Install.
3. A notification will appear on the bracelet - confirm the change by pressing the touch button.

If you don't have enough standard dials, you can install custom dials through third-party services like AmazfitWatchFaces.

• 🖥️ Download the dial file (.bin) to your computer.
• 📁 Move it to the Mi folder. Fit/WatchFaces on your phone (create it manually if not).
• 🔄 Restart the Mi Fit app and update the dial list.

Notifications are one of the most useful features of the wristband. To set them up, go to Profile. → Mi Smart Band 4 → Call and application notifications:

• 📞 Enable incoming call alerts (the bracelet will vibrate and show the number).
• 📱 Select applications that will duplicate notifications on the bracelet (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail).
• 🔕 Set up “Do Not Disturb” on a schedule (for example, during sleep).
• 📝 Enable preview of messages (shows the first 30 characters of text).

The bracelet also supports gestures for quick control:

• 🙌 Raising your hand – turns on the screen (works only in daylight hours by default, but you can configure to constantly turn on).
• 👆 Double touch – switches dials or menus.
• 🔄 Wrist turning – turns off the alarm clock or timer.

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To ensure that notifications work correctly, allow the Mi app in the phone settings Fit/Zepp Life Access to Notifications and Auto Launch.

5. Set up activity and health tracking

Mi Band 4 can track steps, distance, calories burned, heart rate and sleep quality, but by default, many of the parameters are suboptimal. Let's figure out how to personalize them.

Stepper and activity:

• 👟 In the app, go to Profile → Mi Smart Band 4 → Steps and set a personal goal (the default is 10,000 steps) and we recommend starting with 6,000 to 8,000 to avoid disappointment.
• 📊 Enable activity tracking (Settings) → Monitor activity and select the sports you practice (walking, running, cycling, etc.).
• 🏃‍♂️ Set up activity autodetection – the bracelet will automatically recognize running or walking after 10 minutes of continuous movement.

Pulse and sleep:

• ❤️ Turn on continuous pulse monitoring (Settings) → Heart rate → Keep in mind that this reduces the bracelet's life by 1-2 days.
• 😴 Activate sleep tracking (Settings) → Sleeping) and setting a target sleep time (recommended 7–9 hours).
• 📉 Set up low/high pulse notifications (good for people with cardiovascular problems).

Additional health functions:

• 🧘‍♀️ Breathing – Bracelet can guide you in breathing exercises to reduce stress (Settings) → Breathing).
• 🩺 PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence – A personal activity index that measures your fitness based on your pulse and movement.
• 🚶‍♂️ Reminder of inactivity – the bracelet will vibrate if you sit in place for more than an hour.

To accurately track sleep, wear the wristband on your non-working hand (for right-handers on your left, for left-handers on your right) and place it 2-3 fingers above your wrist, which will reduce the effect of hand movements on sensors. If the wristband shows unrealistic data (for example, 20,000 steps per day without movement), reset it and recalibrate the pedometer:

1. Go to Settings. → Reset on the bracelet.
2. Walk 20-30 steps with your phone in your hand.
3. Compare the data on your phone and bracelet – if the difference is greater than 10%, repeat the calibration.

6. Hidden features and life hacks for Mi Band 4

Many users don’t even realize that the Mi Band 4 has much more than just counting steps, and here’s a list of hidden features that will make your interaction with the bracelet more convenient:

• 🔍 If you lose your smartphone, select the bracelet. → Find the phone – the gadget will start ringing at full volume, even if it was in silent mode.
• 🔋 Battery savings. Turn off continuous pulse monitoring (Settings) → Heart rate → Turn off) and reduce the brightness of the screen to 2-3 divisions – this will increase the operating time from 15 to 25 days.
• 🌦️ Weather on the bracelet.In the Zepp Life app, turn on the weather widget (Profile) → Mi Smart Band 4 → Now, when you synchronize, the bracelet will show temperature and forecast.
• 🎵 Music control: When playing tracks on your phone, you can switch songs directly from the bracelet (swipe left/right on the notification screen).
• 🔒 Lock your phone screen. In the Mi Fit settings, enable the screen lock option – now, when you move away from the phone, the bracelet will automatically block it (requires Android).
• 🏊‍♂️ Swimming mode. Activate swimming mode in front of the pool (More) → Swimming to keep track of stroking length and calories. After exercising, be sure to dry the bracelet - despite being waterproof (5) ATM), Salt and chlorine can damage the strap.

Another useful life hack is to change the interface language, and by default, the bracelet can be in Chinese or English, to change the language.

1. Go to Settings. → More. → Tongue on a bracelet.
2. Choose Russian (if not, update the firmware).
3. Confirm the choice by pressing the touch button.

If you don't have the standard features, you can install an informal firmware like the Mi Band 4 Custom Firmware.

• 🎨 More dials (including animated ones).
• 📊 Expanded training statistics.
• 🔧 Setting up vibration and brightness.

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware is warranty-free and can lead to unstable bracelet performance. Do this only if you are confident in your actions and ready for possible bugs.

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To quickly reset the bracelet, plug it into charging and press the touch button 10 times in a row, which helps if the screen is getting stuck or unresponsive to touch.

7. Solving common problems

Even after setting up the Mi Band correctly 4 It can malfunction. We've put together a top.-5 problems and ways of solving them:

If the bracelet is not turned on, try the following:

1. Connect it to charging for 30 minutes (even if the indicator is not on).
2. Press and hold the touch button for 15-20 seconds for a forced reboot.
3. If it doesn’t work, reset the settings via the charger: connect the bracelet to charging, then quickly tap the sensor 5 times.

⚠️ Warning: If the bracelet heats up while charging, disconnect it immediately from the mains! this may indicate a battery failure.

If none of these methods worked, please contact Xiaomi Service Center, in Russia and CIS countries, official support is provided through the website. mi.com/service. Before the visit, save a check or a warranty card - without them, repairs can be paid.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)