How to customize music on Xiaomi Mi Watch: a detailed guide

Modern wearables have evolved from simple pedometers to full-fledged multimedia centers that can manage your leisure time during training. Customizing music on the Xiaomi Mi Watch gives you access to playback control on your smartphone and allows you to use the gadget as a Bluetooth headset to listen to tracks directly through connected wireless headphones. This eliminates the need to carry your phone with you, which is especially true for runners and active lifestyle enthusiasts.

Unlike some competitors, the Xiaomi ecosystem offers flexible use cases that depend on the specific watch model and operating system version. MIUI for Watch or Wear OS (depending on the region and model) provide various tools for working with audio files. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods, technical nuances and possible limitations that you may encounter during the configuration process.

Preparation of the device and pairing with the application

Before you go to set up the audio output, you need to make sure that the watch is properly connected to the smartphone. The basic condition for all functions is a stable connection via Bluetooth and the presence of a Xiaomi Wear or Mi Fitness branded application installed. Without this step, synchronizing playlists or managing the phone’s media library will not be possible.

The initial setup process takes a few minutes, but requires careful permission choices. Android or iOS can request access to a microphone, contacts and, critically for our task, media access. Denial of these rights can result in the watch seeing the phone but not being able to stream audio or control the player.

It is also important to check the firmware version of the device. Often manufacturers add support for new codecs or fix bugs with the audio stream in software updates. Go to the menu of the settings of the clock, find System → Update and make sure that the current version is installed.

Using a watch as a remote for a smartphone

The most common use case is (remote control) music played on the phone, which acts as a convenient remote control, allowing you to switch tracks, change volume and pause without taking your smartphone out of your pocket.

To activate the control, just unlock the watch screen and find the Music or Music Control widget. If the widget is not on the home screen, you can add it through the dial editing menu or in the application list. Once you open, you will see the album cover, track name and control buttons.

⚠️ Warning: If the music widget shows scrolls or doesn't respond to taps, check if any audio player is running on your smartphone. The remote doesn't create sound on its own, it just sends commands to the phone.

The functionality may vary depending on the player used. Standard applications like Google Play Music, Yandex.Music or Spotify support a full set of commands. However, some third-party players may not transmit metadata (the name of the track and artist), displaying only generic information.

Connect Bluetooth headphones directly to the clock

One of the key features of modern models such as the Xiaomi Watch S1, Xiaomi Watch 2 or Mi Watch Lite (depending on the region) is the ability to connect headphones directly. This allows for fully autonomous music listening without the smartphone.

To implement this scenario, your watch must support the A2DP Sink profile, the connection process is similar to that of any other device:

• 🎧 Put your Bluetooth headphones in pairing mode (usually by holding the power button).
• 📱 On the clock, go to Settings. → Bluetooth and click "Device Search».
• 🔗 Select your headphones from the list and confirm the pairing.
• ✅ After successful connection, the sound will switch to headphones.

The sound quality in this mode depends on the codecs supported. Most Xiaomi devices support the basic SBC codec, and more advanced models can work with AAC or even aptX. You can check the supported codecs in the technical documentation for a particular watch model.

Download and manage local files

To listen to music without a phone, you need to download audio files directly into the clock’s internal memory, a process that requires the use of a file manager and the correct file format, and supports MP3 and AAC formats with bitrates up to 320 kbps.

The boot procedure may vary depending on the clock's operating system.Wear-based models owners OS can use the Wear Transfer app or simply drag and drop files through the Explorer when connecting to the USB (if there is such a mode of debugging. MIUI For Watch often requires the use of a special plugin in the Xiaomi Wear app.

Folder structure also matters. For the watch player to display correctly, files should be placed in the root directory or in the Music folder. Chaotic placement of files in system folders can lead to the fact that the built-in player simply does not see them.

💡

Use files with the UTF-8 encoding tag so that the track titles in Russian are displayed correctly, not as Krakozyabr.

Configuring widgets and playback management

Ergonomics of music control while running or training is critical. You don't want to stop to find the right button. So adjusting widgets and control buttons properly becomes a top priority. Most Xiaomi models have quick settings (curtains) available.

You can put an icon for switching tracks or running the latest app on the top menu, and many models allow you to assign a long-term click on the functional button (the button under the wheel) to launch the music application, which speeds up access to the player several times.

Remember to control volume. In some interfaces, the volume slider is hidden in the notification curtain, in others it is accessible through a long press on the center button. Explore the Settings menu → Button management to adapt the gadget to your habits.

⚠️ Note: When using Bluetooth headphones and GPS-during training, the battery life of the clock is reduced in 2-3 Charge the device before long marathons.

Solutions (Frequent Problems and Their Resolve)

Even if set up correctly, users can experience technical failures, audio can be interrupted, metadata can not be displayed, and connection can be broken, most often the problem lies in the energy saving of a smartphone, which kills the background audio transmission process.

If the music is jerking, try turning off the Absolute Volume option in the Bluetooth developer menu (requires Android developer mode to be enabled), and cleaning the cache of the Xiaomi Wear app and re-pairing devices to delete old profiles also helps.

In case of problems with the display of Russian track names (krakozyabr instead of text), it is necessary to recode ID3-file tagging UTF-8 with software like Mp3tag on the computer before downloading in hours.

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If the watch stopped seeing the headphones after the software update, perform a full reset of network settings on the watch: Settings → System → Reset network settings.

Comparison of Opportunities in Different Xiaomi Models

Not all Xiaomi devices are the same. Budget models often lack the ability to store music locally and serve only as a remote, while flagship versions offer full support for memory cards or built-in large-capacity storage.

Redmi Watch series models are most often limited to remote functionality, while Xiaomi Watch S and Mi Watch (full-fledged) range provide advanced features. When choosing a device for music, be sure to check the presence of a microphone and speaker if you plan to take calls or listen to music without headphones (although the quality of the built-in speaker usually leaves much to be desired).

The table below compares the key audio characteristics of popular models:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)