How to reboot the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 fitness bracelet: 3 proven ways

The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 fitness bracelet is one of the most popular wearables, but even it sometimes fails: it stops responding to touch, doesn’t sync with a smartphone, or just hangs on the logo. Most of the time, a simple reboot solves the problem, but not everyone knows how to do it correctly. Unlike smartphones, smart wristbands don’t have an on/off button, so the process requires knowing hidden combinations or using an app.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can reboot the Mi Band 8, from soft reset to full factory reset, and when a simple reboot is enough and when a more radical solution is needed, such as a Mi Fitness reset, and explain why the bracelet might not respond to a reboot, and what to do in such cases, and if your gadget suddenly stopped working after a firmware update or mechanical impact, here you’ll find the answers.

Why should Mi Band 8 be rebooted?

The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 is powered by its own operating system, and like any software, it is not immune to crashes. Here are the most common reasons why the device needs to restart:

• 🔄 Interface freeze: the screen does not respond to touch, or the reaction is delayed by a few seconds, often after prolonged use without restarting.
• 📱 Synchronization issues – the bracelet doesn’t connect to Mi Fitness or Zepp Life app despite having a stable Bluetooth connection.
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge – if the battery goes down in a few hours, it may be due to software failure rather than physical wear and tear.
• 🚨 Cyclical reboot – the bracelet is constantly turned on and off, without reaching the desktop screen.
• 📲 Errors after updates – new firmware versions sometimes contain bugs that lead to unstable work.

It is important to understand that rebooting will not help if the problem is related to physical damage, for example, after a bracelet falls or moisture enters the body, in such cases, a diagnosis is required at the service center. However, in 80% of cases, the failures are programmatic and are fixed by one of the methods described below.

Method 1: Soft reboot (without data reset)

This is the most gentle method that does not delete user data (steps, settings, notifications) and is similar to rebooting a smartphone and helps in most cases when the bracelet is simply “hung”.

To perform a soft reboot of the Mi Band 8, follow the instructions:

1. Make sure the bracelet is at least 20% charged – with a low charge, the reboot may not work.
2. Press and hold the touch button (the area under the screen) for 10-15 seconds.
3. Wait until the screen goes out and then the Mi logo appears again.
4. The bracelet will reset automatically, taking about 30 to 60 seconds to process.

If the problem persists after the reboot, try repeating the procedure 2-3 times, sometimes it takes several cycles for the system to stabilize, this method does not affect the stored data, so it can be used regularly, for example, once a week for prevention.

Method 2: Forced reset (if the bracelet does not respond)

If the soft reboot doesn't work or the bracelet freezes completely (no touch response, no screen turns on), a forced reset is required, a slightly more aggressive method, but it also doesn't delete user data.

Here's how to do it:

1. Connect the bracelet to the charger (even if it's charged), which is important because forced reboot requires steady power.
2. Press and hold the touch button for 20 to 25 seconds. Nothing may happen on the screen — that's normal.
3. After 20 to 30 seconds, the bracelet should vibrate and reset. If that doesn't happen, try again.
4. After you restart, check your health. If the screen is still not turning on, move on to the next method.

This method often helps when the Mi Band 8 bracelet is “going into cycle” — constantly restarting or showing a white screen. If the forced reboot failed, most likely the problem lies in the firmware or hardware.

Method 3: Reset to factory settings (full reboot)

If the first two methods didn't work, the last option is a complete reset, which deletes all user data (steps, settings, notifications), but returns the bracelet to its original state, which is recommended if:

• 🔄 The bracelet is cyclically rebooted and does not reach the desktop.
• 📵 Cannot connect to the Mi Fitness app even after a few reboots.
• 🚫 The screen displays artifacts or firmware errors.

For reset to factory settings:

1. Connect the bracelet to the charger.
2. Press and hold the touch button for 30 seconds.
3. After 20 to 25 seconds, the bracelet vibrates, and the screen will say Reset or Erase. Don't let go of the button!
4. Keep holding for another 5-10 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
5. The bracelet will reboot and return to factory settings, and now it needs to be reconnected to the app.

After the reset, all data will be deleted, so it is recommended to synchronize the bracelet with the application before the procedure to save the activity history.

💡

Before resetting to factory settings, open the Mi Fitness app and manually save data: go to Profile → Mi Band 8 → Export data. This will allow you to recover the history after connecting.

What to do if the bracelet is not reloaded?

If none of these methods worked and the Mi Band 8 still doesn’t respond, the reasons may be:

If the bracelet is not showing signs of life (it does not vibrate, does not charge, the screen remains black), try the following:

1. Connect it to another charger (use the original Xiaomi cable).
2. Leave on charging for 3-4 hours – sometimes a deep discharge takes a long time to recover.
3. Try rebooting the bracelet by holding the button for 40-50 seconds (sometimes it helps with deep crashes).

💡

If the bracelet does not react to the reboot and does not charge, do not try to disassemble it yourself - this may lead to a loss of warranty.

How can we avoid disruptions in the future?

To minimize the risk of hanging out and the need to restart, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Regularly update your firmware through the Mi Fitness app. New versions often fix bugs from previous releases.
• 📱 Sync data at least once every 2-3 days to avoid losing your activity history.
• 🚫 Avoid mechanical damage – impacts and falls can damage internal components.
• 💧 Do not expose the bracelet to moisture despite the declared level of protection of 5 ATM. Salt and chlorine in water accelerate corrosion of contacts.
• 🔄 Reboot the bracelet once a week for prevention – this helps clear the cache of the system.

Some users are experiencing sync problems on devices with older versions of Android (below 8.0) or iOS (below 12.0), which can help to update the phone’s operating system or use an alternative application, such as Notify & Fitness.

Frequent questions about the Mi Band 8 reboot