How to permanently remove the stopwatch from Xiaomi fitness bracelet: instructions for all models

Xiaomi’s stopwatch feature can be useful for athletes or those who monitor exercise time. However, many users are faced with a situation where the timer is triggered accidentally, such as when you carelessly tap the Mi Band touch screen while sleeping or carrying it in your pocket. Others are annoyed by the constant display of the stopwatch icon on the menu, which ranks among the more popular features. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn off the stopwatch, including hidden settings and bypassing firmware restrictions.

It is important to understand that complete stopwatch removal is not possible at the standard software level - it is a system application integrated into the bracelet firmware. However, it can be deactivated, removed from the home screen, disable auto-start and even block through third-party utilities. The instructions below are relevant for Mi Band 3/4/5/6/7/8, Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro and Redmi Band models, but may vary depending on the firmware version and regional software.

1. Standard stopwatch shutdown via bracelet menu

The most obvious way is to deactivate the stopwatch directly on the device, which works on most models, but has a limitation: the feature icon will remain on the menu, and the timer itself can be triggered by accidental touch.

To turn off the stopwatch:

• 🔹 Flick the bracelet screen to the right before the app menu appears.
• 🔹 Find the stopwatch icon (usually stylized as a clock with an arrow) and tap it.
• 🔹 In the timer window that opens, press and hold the screen for 3-5 seconds – the settings menu will appear.
• 🔹 Select Disable or Reset (on some models – Close).

The Mi Band 7/8 and Smart Band 7 Pro algorithm is slightly different.

1. Press the screen on the stopwatch icon.
2. In the context menu that appears, select Remove from the screen (this will hide the icon, but will not deactivate the function completely).
3. To completely disable, go to Settings → Screen → Widgets and uncheck the Stopwatch.

⚠️ Attention: On bracelets with firmware CN (There may be no disabling option, in which case a change of the software region or alternative methods from the following sections will be required.

2. Remove stopwatch through the application Mi Fitness (Zepp Life)

The official Mi Fitness app (formerly Zepp Life) allows you to control the widgets displayed on the bracelet screen, but does not always allow you to completely deactivate system functions.

Instructions for Mi Fitness (version 5.0 and later):

• 📱 Open the application and connect to the bracelet.
• 📱 Go to the Profile section → My devices. → [Your bracelet].
• 📱 Select Screen Settings → Widgets.
• 📱 Find the Stopwatch in the list and drag it to the Hidden section or uncheck the tick.

On older versions of the application (Mi Fit), the path may differ:

Device profile → Display → Screen control → Stopwatch (disable)

If your app doesn’t have this option, try updating Mi Fitness to the latest version or use an alternative method with a reset (described in Section 5).

💡

Before changing the widgets, take a screenshot of the current arrangement in Mi Fitness – this will help to quickly restore order if something goes wrong.

3. Disconnection through the engineering menu (for advanced users)

Xiaomi bracelets have a hidden engineering menu that allows you to control system functions, including the stopwatch, which requires caution, since improper actions can lead to malfunctions in the device.

To get into the engineering menu:

1. On the main screen of the bracelet, quickly tap the Step icon 5 times (or Status on some models).
2. After the vibration, you will see a menu with digital codes, enter the combination: 5319 (for Mi Band 6/7) or 2021 (for Mi Band 5).
3. In the list that opens, find Stopwatch or Timer and set 0 (disabled).
4. Save the changes and restart the bracelet (press the button for 10 seconds).

⚠️ Note: Engineering menu codes may vary depending on the firmware version. Incorrectly entering the code three times in a row will block access to the menu for 24 hours. On Mi Band 8 and later, the engineering menu can be completely removed by the manufacturer.

If the engineering menu is not available, try an alternative method through the ADB-commands (described in section 4).

4. Stopwatch locking via ADB (for Android)

For Android users, there is a way to turn off the stopwatch via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the bracelet to the phone in debugging mode and executing commands via a computer.

Step-by-step:

• 🖥️ Install. ADB Tools on PC.
• 🖥️ Enable Developer Mode on your phone (7 times tap the build number in Settings) → The phone).
• 🖥️ Connect your phone to the PC by USB and allow debugging (USB Debugging).
• 🖥️ Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (Mac/Linux) and execute: Adb devices (should display your device).
• 🖥️ Enter the command to turn off the stopwatch: adb shell am broadcast -a com.xiaomi.hm.health.ACTION_STOPWATCH_DISABLE

The Mi Band 7/8 may require a different command:

adb shell settings put global stopwatch_enabled 0

After completing the commands, restart the bracelet. If the stopwatch continues to work, try resetting the cache through the engineering menu (code 2580).

5. Resetting the bracelet to factory settings

If the stopwatch keeps running spontaneously or if the icon doesn't disappear after all the manipulations, a complete reset will help, and this method will return the bracelet to the "out of the box" state by deleting all user data.

How to perform the reset:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to Profile → My Devices → [Your Bracelet] → Settings.
2. Select Disable the device (sever a pair with the phone).
3. On the bracelet itself, go to Settings → Reset (or pinch the sensor for 10 seconds before vibration).
4. Confirm the reset and reconnect the bracelet to the phone.

⚠️ Warning: After the reset, you will have to reset notifications, alarms and sync data with Mi Fitness. If the bracelet is tied to your Xiaomi account, backups of the settings will automatically recover.

On the Mi Band 8 and later, the reset does not always remove the stopwatch from the menu, it is due to the updated firmware, where the function has become “unremovable”, in which case it remains only to hide it through Mi Fitness or use third-party firmware (described in section 6).

Sync data with Mi Fitness|Write down the current alarm clock settings|Make sure the bracelet is 50 times charged%+|Untie the device from the Xiaomi account (optional)

-->

6. Alternative firmware and patches (for power users)

If standard methods don't work, you can install custom firmware, where the stopwatch is turned off by default, which is suitable for Mi Band 3-7 models, but requires unlocking the bootloader and technical skills.

Popular firmware for removing the stopwatch:

• 🔧 Amazfit Mods – modified software with advanced settings.
• 🔧 Mi Band Master – allows you to disable system applications.
• 🔧 Notify & Fitness – an alternative bracelet management app.

Instructions for installation (for example, Mi Band 6):

1. Download Amazfit Mods and install it on your phone.
2. Connect the bracelet and select Application Management.
3. Find the Stopwatch in the list and mark it as Unplugged.
4. Synchronize the changes with the bracelet.

Mi Band 7/8 may require a patch via Fastboot:

fastboot flash system patched_system.img


fastboot reboot

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware will void the warranty and may result in a device blink (completely inoperable.

💡

Using alternative firmware is the only way to completely remove the stopwatch from the Mi Band 7/8 bracelets, where it is integrated into the system software.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after the stopwatch is turned off, users are faced with common errors, and let's look at the most common cases and how to fix them.

Problem 1: The stopwatch starts spontaneously.

• 🛠️ Solution: Check the Sensor Sensitivity in Settings → Screen. → Sensitivity and reduce it.
• 🛠️ Turn off gestures in bracelet settings (if any).

Problem 2: The stopwatch icon remains on the menu after resetting.

• 🛠️ Solution: Update the bracelet firmware through Mi Fitness (Update section).
• 🛠️ Install a beta version of the firmware (if available for your model).

Problem 3: After disconnecting through ADB, the stopwatch returns.

• 🛠️ Solution: Repeat the command after each reboot of the bracelet or install Tasker to automatically execute the script.

If none of the methods worked, contact Xiaomi Support to describe the problem.In some cases, the malfunction may be due to a hardware defect in the touch screen.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions