Set up time on Xiaomi fitness bracelet: synchronization, errors and solutions

Xiaomi fitness bracelets are some of the most popular wearables on the market, but even they sometimes fail users with such basic features as displaying accurate time. If your Mi Band 5/6/7/8 or Smart Band Pro shows the wrong clock, is behind a few minutes or completely lost after the update, do not rush to carry the gadget into the service. In 90% of cases, the problem is solved in 5 minutes through the Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit) or smartphone settings.

In this article, we will look at all the ways to synchronize time, including manual adjustment, automatic adjustment over the Internet and solutions for cases when the bracelet persistently “does not see” the right time, focusing on typical user errors such as disabled automatic time updates or conflict with phone settings, and learn why the bracelet can reset time after discharge and how to avoid this.

Instructions are relevant for all modern Xiaomi models: from budget Mi Band Lite to flagship Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro. If your model does not support this or that function, we will separately indicate this in the relevant section.

Why is Xiaomi’s fitness bracelet the wrong time?

Before you start setting up, it's important to understand the root of the problem, and here are the most common reasons why the bracelet is showing the wrong time:

• 📱 There is no sync with the smartphone. The bracelet receives time from the phone via Bluetooth, and if communication is interrupted (for example, due to a Bluetooth turned off or a malfunction in the application), the watch can “froze” at the last known value.
• ⚙️ Automatic time updates disabled. Mi Fitness or phone settings may deactivate the network time sync option.
• 🔋 Battery discharge: At critically low charge (below 5%), the bracelet enters energy-saving mode and can reset settings, including time.
• 📡 Incorrect time zone settings. If the phone has the wrong time zone, the bracelet picks up the error.
• 🔄 Failure after firmware updates. Sometimes software updates reset the time settings, especially if the update is interrupted.

Less commonly, the problem is hardware failure, such as when a quartz resonator is damaged (responsible for the internal clock of the device), in which case the bracelet will knock time even after full reboot and synchronization, but such cases are rare and usually occur on devices older than 3-4 years.

Method 1: Time synchronization through the Mi Fitness app

The main way to update the time is through the official Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit), which works for all bracelet models, including the Mi Band 3/4/5/6/7/8 and the Smart Band Pro.

1. Open the Mi Fitness app on your smartphone and make sure the bracelet is connected (the device icon with a tick should be displayed at the top of the screen).
2. Go to the Profile tab (the human icon in the lower right corner).
3. Select your bracelet from the list of devices.
4. Slip on Device Settings (or Device Management in newer versions of the app).
5. Find the Date and Time section (in some models it may be called Time Synchronization).
6. Activate the time-synchronization slider (if it is turned off).
7. Click the Sync Now button (or similar).

If the bracelet time has not been updated after this, try to force the device to restart: press the touch button on the bracelet screen for 10-15 seconds until it vibrates and reboots. After turning on, repeat the synchronization.

Method 2: Manual time change (if automatic synchronization is not working)

Some Xiaomi bracelets (such as the Mi Band 4 and older) allow you to manually set the time directly on the device. This is true if automatic synchronization is not available for some reason.

1. On the main screen of the bracelet, swipe up or down (depending on the model) to open the menu.
2. Find the Settings icon (cog) and tap it.
3. Select Date and Time (can be called Time or Time).
4. Turn off the autosynchronization option (if it is active).
5. Manually set the current time, date and time zone using the touch screen of the bracelet.
6. Save the changes and return to the main screen.

Important! After manual adjustment, turn back on automatic synchronization, otherwise the time on the bracelet will diverge from the real one in a few days (due to the drift of the internal clock).

⚠️ Attention: On the Mi Band bracelets 7/8 and Smart Band Pro, manual time setting may not be available — these models rely only on synchronization with a smartphone. If you don't see the corresponding item on the menu, use the Method 1 method 3.

Method 3: Checking your phone settings (time zone and automatic date)

Xiaomi bracelet takes time from the connected smartphone, so if the phone is set to the wrong date or time zone, the problem will duplicate on the gadget.

For Android:

1. Open the phone settings.
2. Go to System → Date and time (on some firmwares the path may differ: Additional → Date and time).
3. Make sure that options are included: 🔄 Automatic date and time (use network data) 🌍 Automatic time zone (determined by location)

If the options are disabled, activate them and wait for the time update (you may need to restart the phone).

For the iPhone:

1. Open Settings → Main → Date and time.
2. Activate the slider automatically.
3. Make sure your region is listed in the time zone field.

After adjusting the phone settings, force the bracelet to sync via Mi Fitness (see Method 1).

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If you travel frequently, turn off the automatic time zone on your phone and set it manually – this will prevent accidental time disruptions on the wristband when crossing borders.

Method 4: Resetting the bracelet to factory settings

If none of the previous methods worked, there may have been a software failure in the bracelet, in which case a full reset to factory settings will help. Attention: this procedure will delete all data from the device (steps, pulse, alarm settings), so pre-synchronize the history with the Mi Fitness application.

Resetting instructions:

1. Open the Settings menu (cogs) on the bracelet.
2. Scroll down and select Settings Reset (or Restore Factory Settings).
3. Confirm the action (usually you need to hold the button on the screen for 3-5 seconds).
4. Once you reboot, the bracelet will return to its original settings, reconnect it to your phone via Mi Fitness.

After reset, the time should be synchronized automatically. If the problem persists, check the firmware updates for the bracelet (see next section).

⚠️ Note: On Mi Band 3 and older, the reset is done differently: you need to tap the screen 5 times quickly in the About Device menu. If your model does not respond to a standard reset, refer to the instructions for the specific device.

Method 5: Update the bracelet firmware

Outdated firmware can cause time synchronization failures, especially after updating the operating system on the smartphone, to check the relevance of the bracelet software:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to your device profile.
2. Select the device settings → Update the firmware.
3. If a new version is available, click Update and wait for the process to be completed (the bracelet must be charged at least 50%).

Once the update is installed, the bracelet will reboot and the time should be synchronized automatically. If the problem persists, try untie and re-tether the bracelet in the Mi Fitness app:

1. In the profile of the device, click Untie the device.
2. Wait 1-2 minutes and re-add the bracelet through Add the device.

Table: Compatibility of time setting methods with Xiaomi models

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users face the same problems when setting up time on Xiaomi bracelets.-5 errors and ways of solving them:

• 🔌 The bracelet doesn't sync after it's discharged. When the battery is completely discharged, the device's internal clock resets. Solution: charge the bracelet to 100%, then force the time sync through Mi Fitness.
• 📲 The app doesn't see the bracelet. Check if the phone has Bluetooth enabled and location allowed for Mi Fitness (required to find devices.
• ⏰ Time is lost after the flight. If you've crossed multiple time zones, manually update the time zone on your phone, then sync the bracelet.
• 🔄 After updating the firmware, time is lost. This is normal behavior - reset the bracelet (see Method 4) and reconnect it.
• 🚫 Manual time setting does not work. Make sure your bracelet model supports this feature (see table above).

If none of the tips worked, check the bracelet on another smartphone. If the problem persists, the Bluetooth module or the device's internal clock may have malfunctioned - in which case, contact the Xiaomi service center.

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Before contacting the service, check the bracelet on another phone - this will help to exclude software errors and confirm hardware failure.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions