Xiaomi Mi Watch: 15 non-obvious features that you didn’t know

The Xiaomi Mi Watch has long since ceased to be just an accessory for tracking time, and has become a full-fledged assistant in everyday life, combining the functions of a fitness tracker, a medical assistant and even a miniature smartphone. 20-30% their capabilities, even without knowing about the hidden options that can radically change the experience of interaction with the gadget.

In this article, we will not just list the standard features like pedometers or notifications, we will reveal professional use cases that are not written in the official instructions, from fine-tuning sensors to integrating with the Mi Home smart home, you will learn how to turn your Mi Watch into a tool for productivity, monitoring sleep at the level of medical devices and even emergency communication, and for those who are just planning a purchase, we will give a comparative analysis with competitors in the format of “what can Xiaomi and others can’t”.

1. Medical monitoring: more than pulse and steps

Xiaomi Mi Watch sensors can capture up to 12 biometrics at a time, but most users are limited to basic metrics, and interpreting these data correctly can prevent health problems.

A key feature is heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, which is more accurate than heart rate, reflecting stress and fatigue levels, to activate extended monitoring:

1. Go to Mi Fitness. → Profile → Settings of the device
2. Choose Heart Monitoring → Frequency of measurements → Every 10 minutes.
3. Activate the option HRV Analysis (available on firmware above 1.4.72)

Important: for accurate readings, the watch must fit tightly to the wrist (gap is not more than 1 mm). PPG will fix artifacts of movement.

💡

Before bed, turn on the "Do Not Disturb" mode through Settings → Regimes → Sleep – This Will Prevent False Motion Sensor Operations During Sleep.

• 🩺 ECG scan (available on certified models): captures atrial fibrillation with an accuracy of 93% (according to clinical trials Xiaomi 2022)
• 🛌 Sleep phase analysis: recognizes not only deep/surface sleep, but also phases REM (rapid eye movement, critical for brain repair
• 💧 Blood oxygen levels (SpO₂): Automatic measurements every 30 minutes when activating the Monitoring mode SpO₂ → Automobile
• 🧘 Stress level: calculated by a combination of HRV, pulse and activity (threshold values are adjusted manually)

2.A smart home control from the wrist

Xiaomi Mi Watch may be the central control for the Mi Home ecosystem, but it needs to be properly configured integration. + The light bulb works for everyone, but the control of a robot vacuum cleaner or air conditioner requires additional manipulations.

Algorithm of settings:

1. Make sure all Mi Home devices are linked to one Xiaomi account
2. In the Mi Fitness app, go to Profile → Mi Home → Synchronization of devices
3. Select the gadgets that should be displayed on the watch (maximum 10 pieces)
4. On the clock, swipe down to open the quick access panel and tap on the Smart Home icon.

The unique feature of the Mi Watch is that you can control the devices by gesture, for example, you can set up a double touch of the screen to turn on the light or shake your hand to start the vacuum cleaner. → Gestures → Smart home management and only works on firmware above 1.5.88.

Lamps and lamps|Robot vacuum cleaner|Air conditioning/heater|Surveillance cameras|Security sensors|Nothing, I don't use it.-->

3. Hidden functions for productivity

Few people know that the Mi Watch can replace the Pomodoro timer, a notebook for quick notes, and even a translator, which are not advertised, but greatly simplify the workflow.

• ⏱️ Pomodoro timer: activated by voice command "Hey Mi, launch the pomodoro" (requires a smartphone connection). → Timers. → Focus mode.
• 📝 Voice Notes: Hold the button for 3 seconds → select "Note" → dictate the text (save in Mi Cloud with time reference)
• 🌍 Offline translator: supports 12 languages (including Chinese and Japanese) activated by swipe left on the home screen → widget "Translator"
• 📊 Water balance tracking: Reminds you to drink water every 45 minutes (threshold adjusts to health) → Water balance)

Business users can use the "Showcase Mode" feature when activated (Settings) → Display. → Presentation mode) hours:

• Turn off all notifications except the alarm clock.
• Activate the gesture of "show time" (raise of the hand)
• Increase the brightness of the screen to maximum
• Include vibrations when incoming calls (3 short signals)

Activate the Pomodoro-timer|Add the translator widget to the main screen|Set up voice notes|Disable unnecessary notifications|Synchronize your calendar with Google-->

⚠️ Warning: Voice notes and translators only work when connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth. In offline mode, these features will not be available, but previously stored data will remain on the clock.

4.Chips for athletes: from running to diving

The Mi Watch sports modes go far beyond standard tracking, such as the watch being able to analyze running techniques by 7 parameters: stride length, vertical oscillations, ground contact time, and others, which help prevent injuries and improve results.

To activate advanced analytics:

1. Select "Run" mode on the clock
2. Hold the screen for 2 seconds before starting.
3. In the menu that appears, activate the Analysis of the technique
4. After the run, the data will be available in Mi Fitness in the Analytics section. → Running technique

For divers, the Freediving mode is useful, which tracks:

• 🌊 Immersion depth (up to 30 meters)
• ⏱️ Time of apnea (maximum respiratory retention)
• ⚠️ Warning of too rapid rise (risk of coffer disease)

⚠️ Attention: To activate the freediving mode, you must manually enable the option of Diving mode in Settings → Sport → And without this setting, the clock won't be able to correctly record the pressure at the depth.

5. Autonomous capabilities: what works without a smartphone

Many people mistakenly believe that the Mi Watch is useless without a phone connection.In fact, the watch can run autonomously for up to 5 days (depending on the model), retaining basic features.

List of autonomous capabilities:

• 📞 eSIM calls: models with eSIM support (e.g. Mi Watch) S1 Pro) allows you to make calls without a phone. → SIM-map → Add eSIM
• 🎵 Music Offline: You can download it before 500 song formats MP3/AAC) via Mi Fitness → Music. → Local tracks
• 📍 Navigation: built-in GPS tracks down 3 Meters (data exported to the GPX/KML)
• 💳 Contactless payments: via Mi Pay (works in Russia with Mir cards, in Europe - with Mir cards) Mastercard/Visa)

For maximum autonomy:

1. Turn off background weather update (Settings) → Annexes → Weather. → Background update)
2. Set the data synchronization interval on "Manual" (Settings) → Synchronization → Savings regime)
3. Activate the "Time Only" mode for the night (Settings) → Display. → Sleep regimen)

💡

In offline mode, the clock is consumed to 30% You can have less energy if you turn off your constant heart rate monitoring. 2-3 Once a day to maintain the accuracy of the data.

Integration with third-party services: beyond the Xiaomi ecosystem

Despite the closed ecosystem of Xiaomi, the Mi Watch can be integrated with third-party services through workarounds, opening up new opportunities for users who use products from other brands.

Methods of integration:

• 📱 Synchronoss: syncs data with Google Fit and Apple Health. Requires the installation of the application on the smartphone and account binding
• 🏃 Strava: Exporting training through Mi Fitness → "Exports" → "Strava.' 18 sports are supported
• 💼 Notion/Google Calendar: Event notifications are duplicated for hours through Settings → Notifications → Calendar
• 🎧 Spotify Control: Playthrough widget management (Spotify Premium Account Requires)

Xiaomi Wearable is available for developers SDK, So, you can create custom watch apps, for example, you can develop a custom watch:

• Widget for displaying the rate of cryptocurrencies
• Control of the smartphone camera (timer selfie)
• Integration with Home Servers (Domoticz, Home Assistant)

⚠️ Note: When using third-party data sync applications (such as Mi Bandage or Notify & Fitness), disable the official Mi Fitness app to avoid conflicts.

7. Secret Codes and Engineering Menu

Like Xiaomi smartphones, the Mi Watch has a hidden engineering menu with advanced settings, which opens up additional options for fine-tuning the device.

Methods of entry:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 10 times on the line with the model number
3. Enter the code ##3644633## (runs on firmware up to 2.0.45)

The engineering menu is available:

• 📡 Communication test: checking signal strength Bluetooth/Wi-Fi
• 🔋 Battery calibration: discharge counter reset (useful in case of incorrect display of charge)
• 🎛️ Sensor tuning: manual calibration of the accelerometer and gyroscope
• 🖥️ System logs: export of journals for diagnosis (file) miwatch_log.txt)

To reset to factory settings through the engineering menu:

Select the "Factory Reset" option.


Enter the confirmation code: 12345678




Confirm the action with a long tap (3 seconds)

8 Repair and upgrade: what you can do yourself

The Xiaomi Mi Watch design is modular, which allows you to perform some repair work without contacting the service center.

The most common procedures are:

• 🔋 Battery replacement: Battery fits BL-42 (420 mAh capacity. To disassemble, you need a plastic mediator and a hair dryer (heating to 60 mAh).°C for softening glue)
• 🖥️ Replacement of the display: the original screen XM-WT01> (permit 454×454). It is important to keep the lighting plume during dismantling
• 📶 Installation of eSIM: a module is required XM-SIM02 and activation through the operator (supported by MTS, Beeline, Tele2)
• 🔊 Replacement speaker: fits speaker from Amazfit GTR 2 (diameter 20 mm, resistance 32 ohms)

To diagnose malfunctions, use the test menu:

1. Reset the clock with 15 seconds button holding
2. When the Mi logo appears, press the button 3 times in a row.
3. Select Hardware Test to check all components

⚠️ Warning: When replacing the battery, be sure to use heat glue to lock in the new battery. Regular superglue can damage the charging controller. After replacing, calibrate the battery through the Battery Engineering Menu. → Calibration).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions