Connecting Xiaomi Mi Band 5 to Samsung phone: full instruction with error solutions

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet remains one of the most popular wearables due to its combination of functionality and affordable price. However, Samsung smartphone owners often face difficulties when connecting for the first time, from lack of Bluetooth response to errors in the Mi Fit application. In this article, we will discuss not only the standard pairing procedure, but also the nuances relevant to the Samsung ecosystem (including models on the One UI 5/6), and give recommendations for optimizing the bracelet after connection.

It’s important to understand that the Mi Band 5 uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, which on Samsung devices can conflict with branded services like Samsung Health or Knox. We tested the instructions on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy A54 and Galaxy Z Flip5 phones – all the steps are relevant for Android 13/14 with the latest security updates from May 2026. If your bracelet has already been paired with another phone, remember to reset it to factory settings (instruction below).

Samsung phone to connect Mi Band 5

Before you start pairing, make sure your smartphone meets the minimum requirements:

• 📱 Android version: 6.0 and higher (on Samsung - One UI 2.0+). Android 10+ is recommended for stable operation.
• 🔄 Bluetooth: version 4.2 or later. Check Settings → Connections → Bluetooth → Additional.
• 📶 Internet: stable Wi-Fi or mobile network connection (required to download the bracelet firmware).
• 🔋 Bracelet charge: at least 20%. At levels below 15%, the Mi Band 5 may be turned off during synchronization.

Pay particular attention to permissions for the Mi Fit app. On Samsung, with One UI, the default block is the background processes of third-party apps, which can interrupt synchronization.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Mi Fit → Permissions.
2. Enable all permissions, including Location, Phone (for notifications) and Warehouse.
3. In Battery Optimization, select Not Optimize.
4. In Settings → Connections → Bluetooth, turn off the option Automatic Bluetooth Disconnection when inactive.

⚠️ Warning: If your Samsung Health app is installed on your Samsung, temporarily disable its autorun.Both apps (Mi Fit and Samsung Health) may be in conflict over access to the pedometer and pulsemeter sensors.

Installation and configuration of the Mi Fit application

The official Mi Fit app is available on Google Play, but Samsung recommends using an alternative version, Zepp Life (formerly Mi Fit for the global market), which is better optimized for non-Chinese devices and supports Russian without additional manipulation.

Download Zepp Life here and follow the steps:

1. Launch the app and select Register (you can use Google, Facebook or phone number).
2. Enter Xiaomi account details (if not, create a new one). Importantly, link your account to the same region as your bracelet (for example, if the bracelet is purchased in Russia, choose Russia).
3. After authorization, click Add Device → Bracelet → Mi Smart Band 5.
4. Allow the app to access Notices and Locations (required for GPS to work properly).

If the app does not find the bracelet, check:

• 🔍 Visibility of the Mi Band 5 in the phone's Bluetooth menu (should be displayed as MI Band 5_XXXX).
• 🔄 Reboot the phone’s Bluetooth module: turn it off and turn it on again via the notification panel.
• 📱 Make sure that the phone doesn’t have an active VPN or firewall (e.g., Samsung Knox can block the connection).

Connecting Mi Band 5 to Samsung

When the preparation is completed, start pairing:

1. Activate Bluetooth on your phone and make sure the Mi Band 5 is charged and turned on (the bracelet screen should display the time or Bluetooth icon).
2. In the Zepp Life app, click Connect and wait until the bracelet appears in the list of available devices.
3. Select the Mi Band 5 from the list. If you request a PIN- code, type in 0000 (standard code for new bracelets).
4. Confirm the pairing on the phone and on the bracelet (click on its screen tick or touch button).
5. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 2-3 minutes). The screen of the bracelet will show a tick ✓.

If the process is stuck in the “Connection...” stage, follow the following steps:

Reboot your phone and bracelet (on Mi Band 5 hold the touch button for 10 seconds)

Remove the bracelet from the list of associated devices in Settings → Bluetooth

Turn off battery savings for the Zepp Life app in Settings → Device Care → Battery

Try connecting via another app (e.g. Notify & Fitness for Mi Band)

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Samsung phones with One UI 5/6 may experience a "failed to connect to the device" error due to background activity limitations.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Zepp Life → Permissions → More.
2. Enable the option to Allow background activity.
3. In Settings → Device Care → Battery → Background restrictions add Zepp Life to exceptions.

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If the bracelet is plugged in but not synchronizing data, try manually updating the firmware: in Zepp Life, go to Profile → Mi Band 5 → Firmware Update. This often solves problems with the pedometer and pulsemeter.

Configure notifications and basic functions

After successful connection, we will configure the key parameters:

1. Notifications from the phone

To allow Mi Band 5 to show incoming calls and messages:

1. In Zepp Life, go to Profile → Mi Band 5 → Notifications.
2. Turn on the Notification switch.
3. Click Notification Management and select apps (such as WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS).
4. In Phone Settings → Notifications → Additionally, make sure that Pop-up notifications are enabled for the selected applications.

Samsung may need additional customization:

• 📵 Open Settings → Notifications → Advanced Settings → Access to Notifications.
• 🔧 Find Zepp Life on the list and allow access.
• 🔔 Enable the option to Show the contents of notifications (otherwise the bracelet will vibrate without text).

2. Monitoring of sleep and activity

For accurate tracking:

• 🛌 In Zepp Life, go to Profile → Sleep Settings and enable Automatic Monitoring.
• 🏃 For training, add widgets to the bracelet screen: Profile → Mi Band 5 → Screens → Screen settings.
• ❤️ To keep the pulsemeter running in the background, turn on Continuous Heart rate Monitoring (reduces battery life).

Solving common problems

Even after a successful connection, Samsung users may encounter errors.

1. The bracelet connects but does not synchronize data

Causes and solutions:

• 🔄 App cache: Clear Zepp Life cache in Settings → Apps → Storage → Clear cache.
• 📵 Samsung Health Conflict: Turn off step sync in Samsung Health (Settings → Accounts & Backups → Accounts → Samsung Health → Sync Steps).
• 🔋 Battery savings: Add Zepp Life to optimization exceptions (Settings → Device Care → Battery → Background restrictions).

2.The bracelet shuts down in a few minutes

This is a typical problem for Samsung due to aggressive One UI optimization.

• 🔌 Enable Permanent Notification for Zepp Life in the app settings.
• 📱 In Settings → Applications → Zepp Life → Battery, select Do Not Limit.
• 🔄 Reconnect the bracelet manually: remove it from Zepp Life and add it again.

⚠️ Warning: If the bracelet stops connecting after the One UI update, reset it. To do this, hold the touch button for 15 seconds on the Mi Band 5 until the vibration and the Mi logo appear.

3. Notifications from messengers do not work

The problem is often with Zepp Life permissions:

1. Check that in Settings → Notifications → Additional → Access to Notifications for Zepp Life is enabled.
2. In Zepp Life itself, go to Profile → Mi Band 5 → Notifications and re-select apps.
3. For WhatsApp and Telegram, in their settings, enable the option to Show notifications on a locked screen.

Optimizing the work of the bracelet with Samsung

To ensure that the Mi Band 5 works stably and economically consumes the charge:

• 🔋 Battery: Turn off the Hand Raising to activate the screen if you don't use it all the time. This will add 2-3 days of battery life.
• 📶 Sync: In Zepp Life, enable Wi-Fi-only Auto Sync (Profile → Mi Band 5 → Auto Sync).
• 🏃 Training: For accurate GPS use your phone as your primary data source (in your workout settings, select Phone instead of Bracelet).
• 🔄 Updates: Check the bracelet firmware updates in Zepp Life regularly – they often fix Samsung compatibility bugs.

For owners of Galaxy Watch or other wearable devices, Samsung is advised to disable duplicate features (such as pedometer) in Samsung Health to avoid data conflicts.

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If the bracelet continues to shut down after all the manipulations, try using the Notify & Fitness for Mi Band alternative app, which works better with the Samsung ecosystem by by bypassing some of the limitations of One UI.

Alternative apps for Mi Band 5 on Samsung

If Zepp Life is not working well, consider these options:

To install alternative applications:

1. Remove Zepp Life and reset the bracelet (instruction above).
2. Download the selected application from Google Play.
3. When you first start, provide all the permissions requested.
4. Connect the bracelet through the new app, following its instructions.

Important: When using third-party apps, some features (such as Mi Pay or PAI) may not be available, and problems with synchronizing sleep and exercise data may also be possible.

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Mi Band 5 to Samsung