How to set the time on the fitness bracelet Xiaomi Mi Band 3: instructions with pictures and tips

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 fitness bracelet remains a popular gadget even years after its release — its reliability, long battery life and basic functionality for tracking activity attract users. However, many people face the problem: the time on the bracelet is confused, does not sync with the phone or displays incorrectly. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to adjust the time on the Mi Band 3, including manual adjustment, automatic synchronization and solving typical errors.

It’s important to understand that the Mi Band 3 doesn’t have its own interface for changing time manually – all settings are made through the Mi Fit app (or its successor Zepp Life). If your bracelet shows the wrong time, the problem lies either in the settings of the smartphone or in the synchronization between devices. We will take a detailed look at each step so you can quickly fix the situation without unnecessary manipulation.

Why Mi Band 3 is the wrong time: the main reasons

Before we get to the setup, it's worth figuring out why the bracelet might be showing the wrong time.

• 📱 Lack of synchronization with the smartphone: the bracelet receives time from the phone, and if the connection is interrupted, the watch can “froze” on the last value.
• ⏰ Incorrect time zone on the phone: if the smartphone has the wrong time zone, Mi Band 3 will inherit this error.
• 🔄 Older versions of Mi Fit or Zepp Life may have sync bugs.
• 🔋 Bracelet firmware failure: rare, but it happens that after updating or discharging the battery time is lost.
• 📶 Bluetooth disabled: without active connection, the bracelet cannot receive current data.

If your Mi Band 3 shows a time several hours or minutes apart, check your smartphone time zone first, which is the most common cause of the problem, and make sure that the phone settings include Automatic Date and Time (the path may vary depending on the model).

⚠️ Warning: If the bracelet is 0% depleted and has been lying uncharged for a long time, its internal clock may reset.

Preparing for the timing: what to do in advance

Before you start changing the time, follow a few preparatory steps:

1. Make sure your smartphone has the Mi Fit app installed (for the first time). Android/iOS) or Zepp Life (the current version for new devices: 🤖 Mi Fit for Android 🍎 Mi Fit for iOS

Profile → Mi Band 3 → About the device

Bluetooth

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Mi Band 3

If you use Zepp Life instead of Mi Fit, the interface may be slightly different, but the timing is the same, so the key is to have the bracelet paired to the phone and displayed on the list of devices.

Method 1: Automatic time synchronization with Mi Fit/Zepp Life

The easiest and most recommended way is to let the bracelet automatically take time from your phone.

1. Open the Mi Fit or Zepp Life app.
2. Go to the Profile section → Mi Band 3.
3. Click on Device Settings (or Additional Settings in Zepp Life).
4. Find Time Sync or Auto Update and make sure the switch is active (on position).
5. Return to the home screen of the app and wait for sync (usually 10–30 seconds).

If the time sync item is missing, it means that your bracelet is already set to automatically update.

• 📲 Phone Settings: The Settings Path → System system → Date and time → The option must be automatically enabled.
• 🔄 App Update: Go to Google Play/App Store and check the relevance of the version.
• 🔗 Bluetooth Stability: Try to turn off and reconnect the bracelet.

Make sure your phone is Bluetooth enabled | Check the charge of Mi Band 3 (minimum 20%) | Update the Mi Fit/Zepp Life | Enable automatic date and time on your smartphone | Reboot the bracelet (press the 10 sec button)

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If after all the manipulations, the time on the bracelet is still incorrect, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Manual time adjustment through resetting settings

In some cases, automatic synchronization is not working because of software failures, and then resetting the bracelet to the factory settings and then re-binding will help.

1. On your phone, open Mi Fit and go to Profile → Mi Band 3 → Untie the device.
2. Confirm the junction (the bracelet will be removed from the list of devices).
3. On the Mi Band 3 itself, reset: 1. Press the touch button of the bracelet for 10-15 seconds. 2. Wait for the vibration and the appearance of the Mi. 3 logo. Release the button - the bracelet will reset.
4. Connect the bracelet again via the application: Mi Fit → Add device → Mi Band 3 → Follow the instructions.

Once re-bound, the bracelet automatically syncs the time to the phone. If the problem persists, check:

⚠️ Warning: Resetting the bracelet will delete all the data stored on it (steps, pulse, notifications). If this information is important, pre-synchronize it with the application.

Method 3: Manually adjust the time zone (if the automation doesn't work)

If your Mi Band 3 persistently shows the wrong time despite all attempts at synchronization, you can try to trick the system by temporarily changing the time zone on the phone, which is suitable if the bracelet “frozen” at the time of another region.

Instructions:

1. On the phone go to Settings → System → Date and time.
2. Turn off the option automatically (if enabled).
3. Manually select the time zone corresponding to the current time on the bracelet (for example, if the bracelet shows UTC+3 and you need UTC+5, install UTC+3 on the phone).
4. Return to Mi Fit and wait for sync.
5. After updating the time on the bracelet, return the correct time zone on the phone and turn on the automatic determination again.

This method works because the bracelet copies the time from the phone as is. If the difference is exactly a few hours (for example, 2 or 3), it is likely that the problem is in the time zone.

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If the time is lost again after manual setting, try calibrating the bracelet: in Mi Fit go to Profile → Mi Band 3 → Calibration and follow the instructions.

Problem Solving: Frequent Errors and Corrections

Even after setting the time on the Mi Band 3 may not work properly, let’s look at typical scenarios and how to fix them:

• ⏳ The time on the wristband is 1-2 minutes behind, which is normal behavior because of the timing. If the difference is more than 5 minutes, check the phone settings.
• 🌍 The bracelet shows the time of another city: the phone has automatic time zone determination on the network, but the operator transmits incorrect data.
• 🔄 After updating the firmware, time is lost: reset the bracelet (see Method 2) and re-synchronize.
• 📵 The bracelet does not sync at all: check whether the antivirus or energy saving mode blocks the work of Mi Fit.

If none of the methods worked and the bracelet continues to show the wrong time, the problem may lie in the hardware failure of the internal clock, in which case it is recommended to contact the Xiaomi service center or consider replacing the device.

More tips for working with Mi Band 3

To avoid problems with time and other bracelet functions, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Update your firmware regularly: Xiaomi releases patches that fix synchronization bugs. Check updates every 1-2 months.
• 📴 Do not turn off Bluetooth for a long time: if the bracelet is not connected to the phone for a long time (more than a day), time can get lost.
• 🌡️ Avoid extreme temperatures: Keeping your bracelet in the heat or cold can affect your internal clock.
• 🔄 Reload the bracelet once a week: this helps to reset temporary errors. To reboot, press the button for 10 seconds.

If you’re using Mi Band 3 on your iPhone, note that due to iOS limitations, some features may not work as well.

1. Install the Mi Fit app from the App Store (not beta).
2. In the iPhone settings, allow Mi Fit to access Bluetooth and Notifications.
3. Turn off Low Power Mode for the application.

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For stable operation of the Mi Band 3 with iPhone, it is recommended to keep the Mi Fit application constantly open in the background. iOS aggressively closes the background processes, which can interrupt synchronization.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up time on Mi Band 3