Setup Xiaomi Mi Band 3 on Android: a complete guide

Fitness trackers from the Chinese giant Xiaomi have long established themselves as an affordable and functional solution for everyday health monitoring. Mi Band 3 model became a real hit thanks to improved screen and advanced functionality, but many users have difficulty with the initial activation of the gadget.

You'll need the right software, because standard Bluetooth search methods don't work here, and synchronization is only possible through the official mobile app, which acts as an intermediary between the phone and the tracker, and ignoring this rule leads to the bracelet hanging on the list of available devices, but refuses to pair.

In this guide, we will take a look at all the nuances of communication installation, Russification installation, and fine-tuning notifications, and learn how to avoid common errors on the first start and make the device work to its fullest.

Preparation of the smartphone and choice of application

The first step is to prepare your smartphone’s operating system. Make sure your Android device has geolocation services (GPS) enabled. This is not a typo: the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol used in Xiaomi trackers requires access to location for the device scanner to work smoothly.

Next, you need to download the right software. At the moment, the best choice is the Mi Fit application, which can be found in Google Play Market or download. APK-File from proven resources, if in your region the store does not offer the desired version. After installation, launch the program and create an account or log into an existing Xiaomi profile.

Pay attention to the operating system versions. Android 5.0 and higher is required for proper operation, but for stable notifications it is better to use Android 7.0+. If you have a phone from Xiaomi with a MIUI shell, be sure to give the application all the permissions requested, including auto-start and work in the background, otherwise the system will “kill” the sync process.

The process of pairing through Mi Fit

Now, to the most important step, which is to make a pair, unlike headphones or other brands, you don't have to search through the standard Bluetooth menu in your phone settings, and if you've tried to do that and the device is stuck on the list, remove it from there, otherwise the app won't be able to find it.

Open the Mi Fit app, go to the Profile tab and click Add Device. Select the Bracelet category and find the Mi Band 3 list. The app will start scanning. At which point a vibration may appear on the tracker screen and the Bluetooth icon is the alert.

Once the device is found, the confirmation codes will appear on the smartphone screen and on the bracelet display. Click the Touch tick to confirm the pairing. The process can take 10 to 30 seconds. Once the connection is successful, the tracker will suggest updating the firmware — agree, as new versions often contain corrections for synchronization errors.

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If the search lasts too long, try restarting Bluetooth on your phone or restarting the app itself, not closing it completely, but unloading it from memory.

Installation of the Russian language interface

One of the main features of the global version of Mi Band 3 is the lack of built-in Russian, so that the menu, days of the week and notifications are displayed in Cyrillic, you need to perform an additional action, and fortunately, this is done by the regular means of the application without flashing.

Go to the bracelet settings inside the Mi Fit app. Find "Band settings." In the options list, look for "Language." By default, it can be English or Auto. Select "Russian." If there is no such option, make sure that the Mi Fit application itself is installed in Russian and has the current version.

Once you select a language, the tracker automatically loads the language pack, the screen can go out for a few seconds, and the device can vibrate. Don't interrupt this process and keep the phone close by. After you restart, the menu should become fully Russified.

⚠️ If after choosing Russian menu items turned into characters or squares, try to change the language in the settings of the smartphone in English, then again in Russian, and repeat the procedure in the application.

Set up notifications and calls

The full functionality of the tracker is only revealed when you set up push notifications correctly. In the Mi Fit app, go to the Notifications section in your device profile, and here you will see a list of all the apps installed on your phone: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, SMS and calls.

Activate sliders in front of the right programs. It's important to understand that the bracelet only broadcasts what comes into the "curtain" of Android notifications. If the phone is in "Do Not Disturb" mode and the screen goes out, the notification may not come to the wrist. For stable operation, you need to allow the Mi Fit application to access notifications in the phone's system settings.

Calls are more functional: you can not only see the number or name of the contact, but also reject incoming calls with vibration (the feature is not available on all smartphone models), and the option “Reminders of goals” is available, which will vibrate if you sit for a long time without movement.

Compatibility table and main characteristics

Understanding the technical limitations will help avoid frustration. While the bracelet is versatile, some features vary depending on the Android version and the specific smartphone model. Below is a summary of the device's capabilities.

As you can see from the table, the device has good autonomy, but relies on a smartphone to determine the route. GPS-tracks are built on the phone, and the bracelet only displays statistics in real time.

Solution and resetting of settings

You can have situations when the bracelet stops responding or the data stops syncing, and the first thing you can do is try to break the connection in the application and recreate it, and if that doesn't work, you need to reset completely.

On the bracelet itself, scroll through the menu to the end and find Unbind or Reset. Confirm the action. After that, the device will return to factory settings. In the Mi Fit application, you can also find the Delete Device button in the tracker profile.

If the bracelet sets in 2-3 days instead of two weeks, check whether the wrist lift function is activated with high sensitivity, or if the notification vibration does not come too often.

⚠️ Warning: If you reset the bracelet, all the data that you have accumulated for the current day that you have not synced with the cloud will be lost.

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The stable operation of the Mi Band 3 is 90% dependent on the correct power saving settings in Android, not on the malfunction of the gadget itself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)