Owning wearable electronics from a popular Chinese brand often puts users in complete control of the device. The question of how to turn off a Xiaomi watch can arise in a variety of situations, from the banal savings of battery power during a long hike to the need to flash or sell a gadget. Understanding the right sequence of actions is critical, since improper handling of electronics can lead to software failures or even damage to the battery.
Modern models, whether Mi Band trackers or full-fledged Mi Watch, are based on specialized operating systems that require proper shutdown. Simply waiting for a battery to run to zero is not the optimal solution and can adversely affect the chemical structure of the battery. In this article, we will discuss all available methods, including regular shutdown, forced reboot and full reset to factory settings.
It’s important to note right away that the procedure can vary significantly depending on your device’s specific model and the version of the firmware installed. Some budget activity trackers don’t have a classic off button on the menu, as their architecture is sharpened to work in the background. Below are generic solutions that cover most wearable gadget scenarios from the Xiaomi ecosystem.
State shutdown through the device menu
The safest and most appropriate way to complete the device is to use embedded software, which ensures that all system processes are stopped correctly and data is stored or transmitted to a paired smartphone, and first wake up the device screen by touching it or pressing a single touch button if it is designed by your model.
Next, you'll find the system settings item, and depending on the MIUI for Watch shell or HyperOS, the path may look different, and you'll usually scroll through the app list or swipe down to open the control panel where the gear icon is, and that's where the main power controls of the device are hidden.
Why can the off button be missing?
Inside the settings menu, you need to find a section that is often labeled System or About. Scroll down and you'll see the "Switch Off" or "Power Off" option, and clicking on it will trigger a countdown timer or require swipe confirmation, which is protection against accidental shutdowns during training or an important notification.
Remember, after a regular shutdown, the device goes into deep sleep, it will require a long press of a button or connection to the charger, if the screen does not respond, it may be that the battery has gone into deep discharge, and it will take a few minutes on the charging cable to activate the power controller.
Forced reset when getting stuck
When a smartwatch fails to respond to touch and commands, it is not as rare as we would like it to be, it can be caused by an operating system failure, a cache overflow or Bluetooth connection conflict, in which case the standard menu is not available, and requires the use of a forced reboot method, which is similar to taking out the battery in older phones.
To implement this method on most Xiaomi and Amazfit models, you need to press a single physical button (or touch zone if there is no physical button) and hold it for a long time. Usually the process takes from 10 to 30 seconds. The screen can go out and light up, vibrate, but you need to release the button only after the appearance of the brand logo.
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If the watch has only touch control and does not respond to touch, put it on wireless charging (if supported) or connect it to a wired charger.The current supply often causes the controller to reboot.
In some models, such as the Mi Watch Lite or Redmi Watch, the combination of actions may differ. For example, sometimes double-pressing is required followed by long-term retention. If the standard method does not work, try connecting the device to charge while holding the button. This can change the priority of interruption and start the system reboot process.
It is important not to panic if the process takes longer than usual. System files can be checked for integrity before starting. If after all the manipulations the screen remains black, leave the device on charge for 30-60 minutes. Perhaps the power controller has locked down due to critically low energy levels and it needs time to accumulate a minimum charge.
Full reset to factory settings
If your goal is not just to shut down temporarily, but to prepare the device for sale or fix serious software errors, you will need a full reset (Hard Reset), which deletes all user data, settings, stored training and pairings, returning the gadget to the state in which it was when it left the factory conveyor.
There are two main ways to reset: the first and most convenient way is through a companion app on your smartphone (Mi Fitness or Zepp Life), the second way is directly through the menu of the watch itself, if it functions at least partially, and you have to go to the device profile, scroll down to "Untie" or "Reset" and confirm the action.
☑️ Preparation for full discharge
When resetting through the clock menu, the path usually looks like: Settings → System → Reset. The device will alert you that all data will be deleted. Once confirmed, the internal memory formatting process will begin, which can take from one to five minutes, at which time the screen can flash or show the progress bar.
⚠️ Warning: Before performing a full reset, make sure all important health and training data is synchronized with the cloud server.
Disabling notifications and features to save energy
Often users are looking for a way to “turn off” the clock, meaning not to turn off the power, but to stop intrusive notifications or reduce power consumption at night. Completely turning off the gadget deprives you of the alarm clock and sleep tracking, so it is wiser to use energy saving or “Do not disturb” modes.
Do Not Disturb (DND) mode blocks the vibration and backlight of the screen when incoming calls and messages, activated via a quick swipe in the watch menu or through an app on the phone, which allows you to "disable" information noise, while keeping the fitness tracker and watch in the background.
To maximize charge savings, such as on a hike when recharging is impossible for several days, it is recommended to turn off all permanent measurements. This includes a pulsemeter, stress monitoring, SpO2 and constant Bluetooth search. Leaving only the display of time, you can extend the autonomy of the device several times.
Also worth considering is turning off the "Wrist Raise to Turn on the Screen" feature, which is a constant power drain on the gyroscope and the processor, and if you turn it off, the screen will only light up with Explicit touch or push of a button, which will significantly reduce the load on the battery.
| Function | Impact on the battery | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent pulsemeter | High. | Set the interval to 30 minutes |
| Sleep monitoring | Average. | Leave it on. |
| Notifications (WhatsApp, Telegram) | Average. | Disable unnecessary |
| Lighting up | Low/Mediocre | Turn off at night |
The Mi Fitness and Zepp Life app
Watch health management is impossible without understanding how the binder software works on a smartphone. Mi Fitness (for new models) and Zepp Life (for old trackers) are the control centers, and that's where the initial setup, firmware updates and, importantly for our topic, connection breaks occur.
If you want to temporarily disconnect the watch from your phone so that it doesn't disturb you but keeps recording steps, you just need to find the device in your Bluetooth smartphone settings and select "Disable" (not "Forget"). However, to completely break the connection, you need to use the menu inside the application itself, which ensures that the synchronization is completed correctly.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting the app from your phone does not turn off the watch or reset it. The watch will continue to write data until the memory is overflowing or the battery dies.
You can also set up automatic actions in the app, such as setting a Do Not Disturb schedule so that the watch itself goes to sleep at night, eliminating the need to manually turn off functions every day, and the flexibility of settings allows you to adapt the device to any rhythm of life.
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A companion app is a remote control. Most of the deep settings, including firmware updates and detailed resets, are only available through the smartphone, not through the watch itself.
Problem Solving: What to Do When the Watch is Not Turned Off
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the device does not respond to any commands, the screen is lit, but the buttons do not work, or the device hangs indefinitely on the logo when booting, this may indicate damage to system files or “bricking” after a failed update.
First, try to drain the device completely. Leave the watch on with an active screen (if it's on) or just rest until the battery runs out. Once the gadget goes out, put it on charge and immediately try a forced reboot combination. Often this helps to get out of the bootloop cycle.
If software methods don't work, it may be the hardware that's the problem, so a wet button, oxidized contacts, or a bloated battery can interfere with normal operation, and then self-opening is not recommended because it will break the tightness of the housing.
For advanced users, there is a method of firmware through an engineering menu or special utilities on a PC, but this requires specific knowledge and cables. In most cases, if the watch is warranty, it is better to contact an authorized service center for diagnosis.