Set up time on the Xiaomi Watch 2: synchronization, manual adjustment and troubleshooting

The Xiaomi Watch 2 automatically syncs time with the connected smartphone, but sometimes users experience discrepancies in readings or a complete failure of the date display. The problem can be incorrect time zone settings, Bluetooth disabled, outdated firmware or even hardware malfunctions of the accelerometer. In this article, we will discuss all the ways of setting time, from basic synchronization through Mi Fitness to manual adjustment and diagnosis of hardware failures.

We will focus on the nuances that the manufacturer does not mention in the official documentation, for example, why the watch can be 3-5 minutes behind after updating the firmware, or how to properly set the automatic transition to summer/winter time for regions where this practice is canceled, and you will learn what parameters in the settings of the smartphone directly affect the accuracy of the timekeeping of smart watches, and how to optimize them.

Preparing for the time setting: checking key parameters

Before you start syncing, make sure your Xiaomi Watch 2 and smartphone meet the minimum requirements for the correct operation of the time function.

First, check the watch version.

1. Swipe your finger down the watch screen to open the notification bar.
2. Tap the Settings icon (cog).
3. Go to About Watch → Software version.

The current version for 2026 is 2.XX.XX.XX (where the first two digits are at least 2.1). If your firmware is outdated, update it through the Mi Fitness app in the Profile → My Devices → Software Update.

Secondly, make sure that on your smartphone:

• 📱 Bluetooth 5.0+ is enabled (Bluetooth Bluetooth settings → Visibility mode).
• 🌐 Date and time synchronization over the network is activated (Settings → System → Date and Time → Autodetermination).
• 🔄 Background mode is allowed for the Mi Fitness application (Settings → Applications → Permissions → Auto Run).

Synchronization of time through the Mi Fitness app

The main way to set the time on the Xiaomi Watch 2 is to automatically sync with the phone through a proprietary app, which guarantees accuracy up to a second, if all the connection conditions are met.

Step instructions:

1. Open the Mi Fitness app on your smartphone.
2. Go to Profile → My Devices and select Xiaomi Watch 2.
3. Click on the Settings icon (three dots in the upper right corner) → Data Sync.
4. Activate the time-synchronization slider.
5. Wait for the process to be completed (the Time Synchronized notification will appear on the watch screen).

If the synchronization is not started:

• ⚡ Reset the clock (press the power button for 10 seconds).
• 🔄 Disable and reconnect the watch in Mi Fitness (Delete Device → Add New).
• 📶 Check the stability of the Internet connection on your phone (synchronization requires access to Xiaomi servers).

Important! After the first synchronization, the clock will update the time every 30 minutes (if the connection to the phone is active), in the background, the interval is increased to 2-4 hours to save battery power.

Manual time setting on Xiaomi Watch 2

If automatic synchronization is not available (for example, if you don’t have a smartphone), you can set the time manually, which is less accurate because the clock does not take into account the transitions to summer/winter time and can “go” for 1-2 minutes per month due to the hardware features of the quartz generator.

How to set it up manually:

1. On the clock go to Settings → System → Date and time.
2. Turn off the autosynchronization option.
3. Select Set Time and set hours/minutes using a wheel or touch screen.
4. In the Date section, specify the current date.
5. Select your region (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3).

Pay attention to the nuances:

• 🌍 When manually set up, the time zone must match the region in the smartphone settings, otherwise notifications will come with a shift.
• ⏳ If the watch is 5+ minutes behind manual installation, this may indicate a hardware defect in the RTC (Real-Time Clock) board, which requires a diagnosis at the service center.
• 🔋 Manual time adjustment is reset after firmware update.

Setting up the time zone and summer time

The Xiaomi Watch 2 automatically adapts to the smartphone’s time zone, but in some cases manual adjustment is required, such as when traveling to regions with a non-standard shift (for example, GMT+5:30 for India) or if the phone has disabled the Auto-Determination time zone option.

How to change the time zone:

1. In the Mi Fitness app, go to Profile → My Devices → Xiaomi Watch 2 → Settings of the watch.
2. Choose a time zone.
3. Enter the city name (e.g., “New York”) or select offset manually (e.g., GMT-5).

To adjust the summer time:

💡

If you travel frequently, add the Time Belt widget to the watch’s home screen. To do this, press your finger in the free space of the screen → “Add” → “World Clock”.

Resolving problems with wrong time

If the time on the Xiaomi Watch 2 is confused or displayed incorrectly, the reasons can be both software and hardware.

Problem 1: The clock is 1–2 minutes behind/hurried a day

• 🔄 Solution: Enable automatic synchronization in Mi Fitness and reboot the watch.
• 🛠️ If the problem persists, reset the clock settings to factory settings (Settings → System → Reset).

Problem 2: Time resets after disconnecting from your phone

• 📴 Solution: Check if the phone has Power Saving mode on for Mi Fitness (it can block background synchronization).
• 🔋 If the watch is under 10%, it goes into low power mode, which can be a time-consuming process. Charge the device to 50%+.

Problem 3: Wrong time zone after firmware update

• 🌐 Solution: Manually set the time zone in the clock settings, even if autosynchronization is enabled.
• 📱 Update the Mi Fitness app to the latest version in the Google Play/App Store.

💡

If the clock shows the time with an error of more than 5 minutes after all manipulations, this may indicate a failure of the RTC chip.

⚠️ Warning: Do not use third-party applications to force time synchronization (such as Watch Sync Master) that may conflict with Xiaomi's proprietary software and cause sensor malfunctions.

Additional settings: time format, stopwatch, timer

In addition to the main time, the Xiaomi Watch 2 allows you to adjust the display of seconds, format (12/24 hours) and control timers. These parameters do not affect the accuracy of timekeeping, but improve the user experience.

Time format:

• 🕒 To switch between 12-hour and 24-hour format, go to Settings → Screen → Time format.
• 🌙 In night mode (22:00 to 6:00) the clock automatically dims, but the format remains the same.

Stopwatch and timer:

• ⏱️ To start the stopwatch, swipe right on the main screen and select the Stopwatch icon.
• ⏲️ The timer is configured in the same menu, supporting up to 5 saved presets (e.g., for training or cooking).

Time widgets:

On the main screen you can add widgets with:

• 🌍 World time (up to 3 cities at a time).
• 📅 Calendar marked with the current date.
• 🕐 Moon phases and sunrise/sunset times (synchronized with GPS).

Tips for maintaining the accuracy of time

To avoid time issues on the Xiaomi Watch 2, follow these guidelines:

1. Update your firmware regularly. Xiaomi releases patches to fix synchronized bugs (especially after daylight/winter time transitions).
2. Use the original charger. Poor-quality cables can cause failures in the RTC chip due to unstable voltage.
3. Reset your clock periodically. Do a soft reset once a week (press the power button for 5 seconds) to reset the cache of system processes.
4. Set up exceptions for Mi Fitness in the battery optimizer. On Android: Settings → Battery → Optimization → All apps → Mi Fitness → No restrictions.

For travelers, if you cross time zones frequently, turn off automatic time synchronization on your phone and set it up manually on your watch, which will prevent conflict between devices.

⚠️ Warning: If, after upgrading to version 2.1.0.0 or higher, the watch has started to “hurr” for 10-15 minutes a day, this is a well-known bug. Solution: roll back to version 1.9.6.5 via Mi Fitness (Section Update → Return the previous version).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting the time