Set up notifications on Xiaomi Mi Band 5: from SMS to instant messengers

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet has become one of the most popular activity tracking gadgets due to its combination of affordable price and wide functionality. However, many users have difficulty setting notifications — alerts either do not arrive at all, are duplicated or displayed incorrectly. In this article, we will analyze all possible ways to configure notifications, including hidden settings that the manufacturer does not advertise.

The main problem lies in the interaction of the bracelet with the Mi Fit application (or its alternatives like Zepp Life), as well as in the limitations of the smartphone operating system. We will look at not only the basic steps, but also the nuances for Android and iOS devices, as well as solutions for cases when notifications stop working after a firmware update, VK standard SMS/Calls – This Instruction is for You.

Preparation: What to do before setting up notifications

Before you start configuring alerts, make sure that the basic conditions are met:

• 📱 The official app is Mi Fit (for old firmware) or Zepp Life (for newer versions), and alternative apps like Notify & Fitness can run unstablely.
• 🔗 The bracelet is paired with the smartphone via Bluetooth. Check that the settings on the phone show the Mi Band 5 as a connected device.
• 📋 App permissions – on Android, you need to give Mi Fit access to notifications, contacts and SMS (if you need notifications about messages).
• 🔄 Firmware updates - check the relevance of the bracelet software in the Profile section → Mi Smart Band 5 → Firmware update.

Pay special attention to the power saving settings on your smartphone. On Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO devices, the default battery optimization mode can be activated, which blocks the background work of the Mi Fit.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Fit.
2. Choose the Battery. → No restrictions.
3. Activate the Autostart option.

Basic notification settings in Mi Fit/Zepp Life

The main options for alerts are configured directly in the official application. Consider the process for Mi Fit (similar to Zepp Life):

1. Open the application and go to the Profile section → Mi Smart Band 5.
2. Select Notifications (or Notifications in new versions).
3. Activate the main switch of Call and Message Notifications.
4. Below will be a list of applications – include those alerts from which you want to see on the bracelet (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail).

Important: on Android, for the correct operation of notifications, you need additionally:

• 🔐 Allow access to notifications – in the phone settings go to the Apps → Mi Fit → Notifications and activate permission.
• 📵 Disable battery optimization for Mi Fit (instructions given above).
• 🔄 Reboot the bracelet after changes – press the touch button 10 seconds before the logo appears.

Bracelet connected to phone via Bluetooth|Application Mi Fit/Zepp Life updated|Notification permissions included|Energy saving for Mi Fit is disabled|The bracelet firmware is relevant-->

The process is more complicated on iOS due to Apple's limitations:

1. In Mi Fit, enable notifications for the desired applications.
2. In your iPhone settings, go to Notifications → Mi Fit and activate Allow Notifications.
3. For instant messengers (such as WhatsApp), additionally enable the option to Show Preview.

⚠️ Note: On iOS, the bracelet does not support notifications from Viber and some other messengers due to Apple restrictions.

Advanced Settings: Filtering and Prioritization of Notifications

By default, the Mi Band 5 shows all notifications in a row, which can be inconvenient. Fortunately, the app has filtering tools:

For advanced users, you can set up through Notify & Fitness for Mi Band (an alternative application).

• 🎨 Customize notification icons for each application.
• 🔕 Customize individual tunes (on Android).
• 📊 Filter notifications by regular expressions (e.g., ignore promotional mailings).

⚠️ Note: Using third-party apps can cause step counter resets and other synchronization errors.Before installing Notify & Fitness, back up your data to Mi Fit.

Solving the problem: Why notifications don’t come

If you have set everything to the instructions, but the alerts still do not appear, check the following points:

• 🔌 Bluetooth is constantly shutting down - on Android this could be due to power saving mode. add Mi Fit to the battery optimization exception list.
• 📵 Notifications are blocked by the system MIUI (Xiaomi firmware) go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Mi Fit → Other permissions and enable Show over other windows.
• 🔄 Conflict with other devices – if the bracelet was previously paired with another phone, reset: on the bracelet go to Settings → Reset (hold the touch button for 5 seconds).
• 📱 iOS restrictions – on iPhone bracelet does not support notifications from VK, Skype and some other apps due to Apple policy.

If the problem persists, try forced synchronization:

1. Open the Mi Fit and go to the bracelet section.
2. Pull the screen down to update the data.
3. On the bracelet, swipe down from the top edge of the screen – this will start a connection check.

💡

On Android, for stable notifications, turn off the Adaptive Battery feature in your phone settings. It can block background Mi Fit activity.

Set up notifications for specific applications

Let’s analyze the nuances of the configuration for popular messengers and services:

WhatsApp and Telegram

These applications require:

1. In Mi Fit, enable notifications for WhatsApp/Telegram.
2. In the settings of the messenger itself (Settings → Notifications), activate the option to Show Preview.
3. On Android, you can additionally allow Mi Fit to access the notifications of these apps in the system settings.

VK and OK

For social media:

• 🔄 Include notifications in the app itself VK/OK (Settings) → Notifications).
• 📵 On Android, check that the phone settings for Mi Fit allow you to access notifications from these apps.
• ⚠️ On iOS notifications from VK They may not be available due to Apple’s restrictions.

Gmail and email clients

For the post:

1. In Mi Fit, enable notifications for Gmail or your email client.
2. In Gmail, activate All Notifications (not just important notifications).
3. If you use Yandex Mail or Mail.ru, install their official applications – web versions are not supported.

💡

For stable notifications from email clients, disable Battery Optimization for both Mi Fit and the email app itself.

Hidden Features: How to Get Advanced Notifications

The Mi Band 5 supports a few non-obvious features that the manufacturer doesn’t report:

• 🔄 Sync with Google Assistant – if you configure Mi Fit as a notification device in Google, the bracelet will show reminders from the calendar and weather alerts.

To activate quick answers:

1. Install alternative software, such as Mi Band Master (requires root on some devices).
2. In the app settings, find the Quick Replies section and add response templates.
3. On the bracelet when you receive a message, the option Reply will appear.

⚠️ Note: Using unofficial firmware or modified applications may result in loss of warranty and unstable bracelet performance.Be sure to have a backup of the original firmware before experimenting.

Update firmware and reset settings

If notifications stop working after updating your bracelet or phone firmware, follow the following steps:

1. Check the bracelet software version: Profile → Mi Smart Band 5 → Update firmware Update Update at the time of 2026 – 1.0.3.84 (may vary depending on the region).
2. Reset the bracelet settings: On the bracelet: Settings → Reset → Confirm After reset, re-match the device with the phone.
3. Reinstall Mi Fit: Delete the app. Clear the cache and data in your phone settings (Settings → Apps → Mi Fit → Storage). Install the latest version from Google Play or the App Store.

If the problem persists, try rolling back the firmware to the previous version.

• Download the archive with firmware (for example, from the 4PDA forum).
• Use the Mi Band 5 Tools utility for firmware via Bluetooth.
• After the rollback, reset the settings.

FAQ: Frequent Notification Questions on Mi Band 5