How to set time on Xiaomi sports watches

Xiaomi’s modern wearables have become an integral part of life for millions of health and activity users, but even the most advanced devices sometimes require user intervention, especially when it comes to basic features such as displaying the current time. Incorrectly displayed watches can lead to confusion in training statistics, alarm clocks and incorrect display of notifications from the smartphone.

Most times, time synchronization is automatic when you connect your gadget to your phone, but there are times when this mechanism fails. The user may find that the clock shows time in a different time zone or just lags behind for several hours. Understanding the operating system MIOS or Wear OS in conjunction with the Mi Fitness application will help to quickly eliminate this problem.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the possible ways to adjust the timing of your brand’s devices: you will learn why automatic settings sometimes don’t work, how to manually change the region and time zone, and what to do if your device stubbornly ignores the commands of your smartphone.

Principles of automatic time synchronization

Xiaomi’s smartwatches and fitness bracelets are based on a permanent connection to a mobile phone. The device doesn’t have its own cellular module (with the rare exception of eSIM models), so it relies on the smartphone as a reference time source. When you open the Mi Fitness or Zepp Life app, there’s data packets exchange, time zone correction, and daylight saving time.

Successful automatic synchronization requires that the appropriate permissions are turned on on on the smartphone. Often users forget that the background operation of the application can be limited to the power saving system of Android or iOS. If the application is “sleeping”, the watch will not receive a signal to update, and the time will remain the same, even if the phone shows the value.

It is important to note that the priority is always given to the settings of the phone. If the smartphone is set in the wrong time zone or the network synchronization is turned off, the watch will copy this error. So before troubleshooting the gadget, always check the settings → Date and time on the phone itself.

⚠️ Warning: If the time on the clock has not changed after the flight to another country, do not rush to reset the device. First check whether the time zone on your smartphone has updated, and try to force the data in the application to update.

There's also a nuance with time formats. Some models allow you to choose a 12- or 24-hour format, but this setting is often tightly tied to the system settings of the phone. Changing the format directly on the watch through the menu may not be possible without changing the system settings of the smartphone.

Manual settings through the Mi Fitness app

If the automatic mode doesn’t work, the only surefire solution is manually controlling parameters through the official app. Mi Fitness interface (formerly known as Zepp Life for older models) provides access to hidden settings that are not visible on the screen itself, and this is where the answer to the question of how to set the time if automation is stalling lies.

First, make sure the watch is connected to your phone via Bluetooth. Then open the app and go to the device profile. You'll need to find the section that handles general settings or system settings. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version and watch model, such as the Mi Watch or Mi Band.

The settings menu often lacks a direct “Set Time” button, instead offering the “Sync Time” option or requiring time zone changes. On Xiaomi devices, time is set solely by selecting the correct time zone, manual digit input is not usually provided, and this is done to avoid out-of-synchronization with the company’s servers.

• 📱 Open the Mi Fitness app on your smartphone and make sure the device is online.
• ⚙️ Go to Profile and select your watch from the list of connected devices.
• 🌍 Find the item "System settings" or "Time zone».
• 🔄 Click the Sync button or select your city manually from the list.

After doing this, the watch screen should blink and the values will be updated. If this does not happen, try turning off Bluetooth on the phone, wait 10 seconds and turn it on again, then repeat the sync procedure.

Setting up the time zone and summer time

One of the most common causes of wrong time is the wrong time zone. Xiaomi gadgets can confuse regions, especially if you are in a border zone or traveling. The system can automatically identify a city as a neighboring city, where time differs by an hour.

Daylight saving time is also a problem. Some countries have cancelled daylight saving time, others have it. If your watch is running away or is down by exactly an hour, it's probably the problem. The clock operating system may not be able to update the rules if the firmware is out of date.

To fix this, go to your phone's settings and find a list of time zones. Choose a city that is in the same time zone but has the right transition rules. Sometimes it helps to choose a nearby major metropolis. For example, if you're in a small town in an area, try choosing a regional capital.

Remember that changing the time zone on the phone should happen automatically when you move, if you turn on geolocation. On the clock, this process can take longer, because they do not poll the phone every second, but at a certain interval to save energy.

Solving problems with desynchronization

There are times when all the settings are correct, but the time on the watch and the phone is not the same, a phenomenon called desynchronization, and often the culprit is the app cache or a temporary Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) glitch, and simply reconnecting may not help, and more radical measures are needed.

The first step is to remove the device from the Bluetooth list of the phone itself, so you don't have to delete the account, you just have to forget the device, and then reboot the phone, and then re-search and pair the clock, and that will clear the old encryption keys.

If the problem persists, it may be the app version. Older versions of Mi Fitness may not work properly with new Android updates. Go to the app store (Google Play or AppStore) and check for updates. It's also worth clearing the app's cache in your phone's settings: Settings → Apps → Mi Fitness → Memory → Clear cache.

⚠️ Note: When cleaning the app data (not just the cache), you may lose the accumulated statistics if it wasn't synced to the Xiaomi cloud.Be careful and make sure the last workout is uploaded to the server.

Sometimes it helps to run a full clock. Leave the gadget on the table until it sits and turns off completely. Then put it on charge and turn it on. When you start up, the system often performs a full configuration check and pulls up the current time from the server.

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Useful tip: If time is constantly being lost, try turning off the “Energy Saving” feature in the Bluetooth settings on your phone, which will allow the watch to communicate more often with your smartphone and keep data up-to-date.

Updating firmware as a way to eliminate bugs

The software is the brain of your device. Xiaomi developers regularly release updates that fix bugs, including those related to timing and synchronization. If your watch has been showing the time wrong for a long time, chances are there is a bug in the current version of the firmware.

The Firmware Update process usually happens automatically if the corresponding option is enabled in the application, but it is better to check for the new version manually. Go to the device card in the application and find the item "Software Update" or "Firmware Version".

Before starting the upgrade, it is critical to charge the watch to a minimum of 50-60%. interruption of the upgrade process due to a dead battery can cause the device to turn into a brick and stop turning on. Also make sure that the phone is near the clock and has a stable Internet connection.

• 🔋 Charge the clock to a level of at least 60%.
• 📶 Connect your smartphone to a stable Wi-Fi network.
• 📲 Open the application and go to the device profile.
• ⬇️ Click on “Check Updates” and follow the instructions on the screen.

During the upgrade, the watch screen may go out and light up, the device may reboot. Don't try to press buttons or break the connection at this point. Wait for a successful installation message.

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Regular firmware updates are not only new dials, but also the correction of critical system errors, including the time module.

Resetting and reassigning the device

When all methods have been tried and time is still floating, the final argument is a full factory reset, which removes all user data, alarm settings, activity goals, and associated accounts, returning the device to the “out of the box” state.

There are two ways to reset: One is through the menu of the watch itself: find System or Settings, scroll to Reset or Factory Reset and confirm the action; the other is through the app, in the device management section, by selecting Untie or Delete the device.

Once reset, the watch will suggest that you re-interface the pairing process, which is a great time to create a new, clean connection without any accumulated errors, and when you first synchronize after reset, the watch will ask for time zone confirmation, and then check the city carefully.

⚠️ Warning: After resetting your settings, you will have to reset all notifications, alarms and pedometer targets.Make sure you remember account passwords if you need to re-authorize.

If, even after a complete reset and reset, the problem persists with time, there is a high probability of hardware failure, it can be a defect in the internal battery, which does not hold charge when the main battery is turned off, or damage to the motherboard, in which case it is worth contacting the service center.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)