Set up incoming calls on Xiaomi Mi Band 5: a complete guide with solutions to typical errors

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet has become a real bestseller thanks to the combination of affordable price and advanced functionality. One of the most popular features of the device is to display incoming calls from a connected smartphone. However, many users face difficulties when first setting up this feature: notifications either do not arrive, or they come with a delay, or the bracelet vibrates without displaying the number. In this article, we will analyze all the stages of settings from basic connection to fine-tuning notifications, and also consider the unique nuances of Band Mi 5 with different versions of Android and iOS.

It’s important to understand that the Mi Band 5 is not a standalone device for calls, it only duplicates notifications from a smartphone, which means that the quality of the function depends on the stability of the communication between the wristband and phone, the firmware versions of both devices and the operating system settings. We analyzed user feedback and technical documentation to provide the most complete guide that will help even in non-standard situations.

Requirements for devices for correct operation of notifications

Before you start setting up, make sure your system meets the minimum requirements. Xiaomi Mi Band 5 officially supports:

• 📱 Android 5.0 and higher (recommended 7.0)+) with Google Play services
• 🍎 iOS 10.0 and higher for iPhone 5S newer)
• 📶 Bluetooth 4.2 LE (Low Energy - mandatory!
• 🔋 Bracelet charge at least 20% (at low charge, notification functions are turned off automatically)

The Mi Fit (or Zepp Life for new firmware) version is currently in use at the time of writing, and older versions (below 4.4.0) may not support full notification sync with Mi Band 5. You can check the current version in Settings → About the program inside the application.

⚠️ Note: On Huawei devices with HarmonyOS, the standard version of Mi Fit from Google Play does not work. You need to install a special build from AppGallery, otherwise synchronizing notifications will not be possible.

Step-by-step setting up call notifications in Mi Fit

The setup process can be divided into three main steps: connecting the bracelet to the phone, activating notifications in the application, and setting permissions in the operating system.

1. Connecting Mi Band 5 to a smartphone

If you have just purchased a bracelet, you must perform the initial binding:

1. Install Mi Fit (or Zepp Life) from the official store (Google) Play/App Store).
2. Register or log in to an existing account Xiaomi/Zepp.
3. Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone and place the bracelet next to you.
4. In the app, click Profile → Add the device → Mi Smart Band 5.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen by confirming pairing on both devices.

After a successful connection, a tab with your bracelet will appear in the main menu of the application. Make sure that the Connected status and battery level are displayed at the top of the screen.

2. Activation of call notifications

Now let’s move on to setting up specific notifications about incoming calls:

1. Open the tab of your Mi Band 5 in Mi Fit.
2. Go to Notifications. → Management of notifications.
3. Activate the incoming call slider.
4. Click on the Incoming Calls bar to open additional settings.
5. Put the boxes in front of you: 📞 Show the name of the contact (if you want to see the name of the caller) 🔔 Vibration when calling (it is recommended to include) 🔄 Repeat notifications (useful if you miss calls often)

Make sure that Bluetooth is on your phone|Check the version of the Mi Fit application (minimum) 4.4.0)|Activate Notification Permission in Settings Android/iOS|Enable the "Incoming Calls" option in Mi Fit|Check the charge level of the bracelet (minimum) 20%)-->

On Android devices, after activating notifications in Mi Fit, the system will request additional permission to access notifications. This step is mandatory! Without it, the bracelet will not be able to receive information about calls. On iPhone, such requests will not be — Apple processes notifications at the system level.

3. Configure permissions in the operating system

Even if all the settings in Mi Fit are done correctly, the operating system can block notifications.

For Android:

1. Go to Phone Settings → Applications → Mi Fit → Notifications.
2. Make sure that the Allow Notifications slider is active.
3. Enable the option to Show Notifications (or Important Notifications on some firmware).
4. In the Notification Categories section, find the Calls and activate it.

For iOS:

1. Open the settings → notifications → Mi Fit.
2. Activate Allow Notifications.
3. Turn on the Sounds, Badges and Banners.
4. Make sure that Immediate Delivery is selected in the Alerts section.

⚠️ Attention: On iPhone with iOS 14+ You need to additionally allow Mi Fit to work in the background. → Mi Fit → Background update and select Wi-Fi and cellular. Without this notification, they may be late or not coming at all.

Solving Typical Notification Problems

Even when you set it up properly, users often find that the bracelet doesn't show incoming calls, and let's look at the most common causes and ways to fix them.

1.The bracelet vibrates but does not show the number

If the Mi Band 5 vibrates when you call, but the screen is empty, the problem lies in the display settings:

• 🔍 Check if the option to Show contact name is enabled in Mi Fit notification settings.
• 📱 Make sure the contact is saved in the phone book of the smartphone (the bracelet does not show numbers that are not in the contacts).
• 🔄 Reset the bracelet: Press the touch button 10 seconds before the Mi logo appears.
• 📲 Update the bracelet firmware through the Device Profile → Update to Mi Fit.

If the problem persists, try resetting the bracelet settings to factory: Device profile → Additionally. → Remember that this will delete all stored data from the wristband (steps, pulse, etc.), but often helps to restore the correct operation of notifications.

2. Notifications come with a delay

Delayed call notifications are usually due to optimizing the power on your smartphone or an unstable Bluetooth connection.

• 🔋 Add Mi Fit to the battery optimization exception list: On Android: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → All applications → Mi Fit → Not optimized. Xiaomi/Redmi: Settings → Battery and productivity → Application power management → Mi Fit → No restrictions.
• 📶 Reconnect the bracelet: turn it off in Mi Fit, then pair it again.
• 🔄 Turn off the power saving mode on your smartphone while using the bracelet.
• 📱 On the iPhone, check what is in the Settings → Bluetooth Mi Band 5 is displayed as Connected, not just as a coupled device.

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If you are using a double SIM-Make sure that call notifications are allowed for both SIM On some Android firmware, the default notifications come only from the main one. SIM-map.

3.The bracelet doesn't vibrate when ringing

The lack of vibration can be due to both bracelet settings and hardware problems:

• 🔊 Check if vibration is enabled in the Mi Fit notification settings (Notifications) → Incoming calls → Vibration).
• 🔋 Make sure the bracelet charge level is above 15% – when the charge is low, the vibration is turned off.
• 🔧 Perform a vibration test: Device profile → Additionally. → Vibration test.
• 📲 If the vibration is not working at all, the vibrator may be damaged.

On some Mi Band 5 firmware, vibrations may conflict with other notifications (e.g. alarm clocks). → Notifications, leaving only calls.

No notifications of calls are coming.|They're late.|The bracelet vibrates but does not show the number.|Vibration's too weak.|It's working perfectly.-->

Additional settings for advanced users

If you don't like the basic settings, you can fine-tune the bracelet's behavior when you make incoming calls, and these options are hidden in the back of the menu and often go unnoticed.

1. Set up repeated notifications

By default, the Mi Band 5 vibrates once when an incoming call is made, but you can set up repeated reminders if you miss calls often:

1. Open Mi Fit and go to Device Profile → Notifications → Incoming calls.
2. Activate the option to Repeat Notification.
3. Select the repetition interval: Every 5 minutes or every 10 minutes.
4. Set the number of repetitions (maximum 5 times).

This feature is especially useful if you are often in noisy places or wearing a bracelet under your clothes, which may not make you feel the first vibration.

2. Filtering of contact notifications

If you are annoyed by call notifications from unwanted contacts (such as spam or ad calls), you can set up filtering:

• 📵 In Mi Fit, go to Notifications. → Blacklist.
• 🔍 Add numbers from which you do not want to receive notifications on the bracelet.
• 🔕 Alternatively, you can enable the Contact Only option so that the bracelet will only notify you of calls from numbers saved in the phone book.

Note that the blacklist only works for notifications on the bracelet – the calls to the phone will still come.

3. Change of vibration style

Mi Band 5 supports multiple vibration patterns for different types of notifications, and calls can be customized to distinguish them from messages:

1. Go to the Device Profile → Notifications → Vibration style.
2. Select Incoming Calls from the list.
3. Listen to the available options and choose the right one (e.g. Long Vibration or Intermittent).
4. Save the changes.

Comparison of notifications on Android and iOS

The Mi Band 5’s behavior in handling incoming calls varies significantly depending on the smartphone’s operating system, due to restrictions placed by Google and Apple on the background of apps.

On iOS, users often find that call notifications don't always come in, due to Apple's policy that limits background activity on third-party apps, to minimize problems:

• 🔄 Open the Mi Fit app regularly (at least once a day) so it stays active in memory.
• 📱 Turn off Low Consumption Mode in iPhone Settings.
• 🔋 Watch the charge level of the bracelet – on iOS notifications are more likely to disappear when the charge is low.

Android is better, but it's different, like Xiaomi, Redmi or smartphones. POCO shelled MIUI You need to manually add Mi Fit to the AutoRun list and No battery settings restrictions, otherwise the system can force the application to close, interrupting communication with the bracelet.

Updating the bracelet firmware to improve stability

If you’ve tried all the settings but call notifications still aren’t working properly, the problem may be with the bracelet’s outdated firmware. Xiaomi regularly releases updates that fix communication errors and optimize power consumption.

To update the firmware Mi Band 5:

1. Make sure the bracelet is connected to the phone and is charged at least 50%.
2. Open Mi Fit and go to Device Profile → Update of the PO.
3. If a new version is available, click Update.
4. Don't interrupt the process! Wait for a successful update.

After updating the firmware, it is recommended:

• 🔄 Reset the bracelet (clamb the button for 10 seconds).
• 📱 Reconnect it to your phone (forget the device in Bluetooth settings, then re-spoil it).
• 🔧 Reconfigure notifications in Mi Fit.

⚠️ Warning: If the connection between the bracelet and the phone is interrupted during the firmware update, the device may stop turning on, in which case only a forced reset will help: connect the bracelet to charging and hold the button. 20-30 It's just seconds before the logo appears, and the data is lost!

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Regular updates to the Mi Band 5 firmware not only improve notification stability, but also add new features, such as support for displaying emoji in notifications and improved sync with Google Fit.

Alternative ways to manage calls from a bracelet

In addition to the basic display of incoming calls, the Mi Band 5 supports several additional features that make it easier to work with phone calls.

1.Breaklet call deflection

You can drop unwanted calls right off the bracelet without taking out your phone:

1. When an incoming call is displayed on the Mi Band 5 screen, swipe left to right across the screen.
2. The bracelet vibrates once, confirming the call's rejection.

This feature only works if the phone is in Bluetooth range (usually up to 10 meters). on iOS, the deviation of a call from the bracelet may not work due to system limitations.

2. Quick response SMS misspelled

If you missed a call, you can send it quickly. SMS-message directly from the bracelet (the function is only available on Android):

1. After a missed call, a notification will appear on the bracelet screen.
2. Tap the notification, then swipe up the screen.
3. Select one of the pre-configured response templates (e.g., “I’ll return later” or “In a meeting, write to you”). SMS").
4. Confirm the shipment by clicking the tick.

The answer templates are configured in Mi Fit:

1. Go to the Device Profile → Notifications → Quick answers.
2. Edit existing templates or add new ones (maximum 5 pieces).

3. Synchronization with the "Phone" application

For closer integration with phone functions, you can link Mi Band 5 with the system application Phone:

• 📱 On Android go to Settings → Annexes → Phone. → Notifications and make sure that Mi Fit has access.
• 🔗 In Mi Fit, activate the Sync with your phone option in notification settings.
• 📞 Now the bracelet will not only show incoming calls, but also save the history of calls (the last 10 numbers).

On the iPhone, full sync is not possible due to Apple’s limitations, but the bracelet will still display incoming calls from the standard Phone app.

Frequently asked questions