How to connect the Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelet to the Samsung phone: full instruction

Why Mi Band and Samsung are sometimes not friends

The Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelets are among the most popular wearables on the market, thanks to a combination of price, functionality and long-term autonomy. However, Samsung smartphone owners often face problems when trying to connect the bracelet to a phone, the reasons may lie in different ecosystems (Mi Fit vs Samsung Health), firmware features or even Bluetooth settings.

In this article, we’ll break down all the current ways to sync the Mi Band (any model from 3 to 8) with Samsung Galaxy phones (including the new S23/S24 series and older models like the A50 or Note 10), learn how to avoid typical errors, what apps to use and what to do if the bracelet is “not visible” in the list of devices, and also the unique life hack of forced reset Mi Band through a hidden menu if the standard method does not work.

Whether you’re buying your first Mi Band or trying to reconnect your old bracelet to a new phone, this guide will help you solve the problem without going to a service center.

What Mi Band models are compatible with Samsung

All Xiaomi Mi Band bracelets (starting with Mi Band 2) officially support connection to Samsung phones based on Android 5.0 and later.

• 📱 Mi Band 3/4/5/6/7/8 — Full compatibility with Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit) on new Samsung models 13+) Additional permissions may be required for Bluetooth.
• ⚠️ Mi Band 1S Mi Band 2 is outdated models, they may not have enough resources on the flagship Galaxy (for example, the most recent model, S22 Ultra) due to Bluetooth 4.0 limitations.
• 🔄 Mi Band with NFC (For example, Mi Band 7 Pro – to pay through Mi Pay on Samsung, you will need a separate wallet setting (in Russia, the function may be limited).

Important: Even if your bracelet model is on the compatible list, problems may arise from:

• 🛠️ Custom firmware on your phone (such as LineageOS or unofficial versions of One) UI).
• 🔒 Manufacturer restrictions: some operators (such as MTS or Beeline) block background Bluetooth operation to save battery life.
• 📲 Conflicts with other fitness apps (Google Fit, Samsung Health, Huawei Health).

⚠️ Note: If you updated the bracelet firmware through Mi Fit and then it stopped connecting, try rolling back the app version to 4.6.0 - new versions have bugs with synchronization on Samsung.

Preparing Samsung Phone for Connection

Before you connect the Mi Band, you need to configure the smartphone itself, and often problems arise due to the limitations of the One UI system, which blocks the background of applications.

Follow this checklist:

Turn off the power saving mode|Remove other fitness apps (Samsung Health, Google Fit)|Update Bluetooth to the latest version|Allow Mi Fitness to auto-start and work in the background-->

Let's take a closer look at each item:

1. Power Savings Disconnect: Go to Settings → Device Maintenance → Battery → Power Saving Mode and Turn It Off. Also check if Mi Fitness has been added to the optimized list: Settings → Applications → Mi Fitness → Battery → Optimize battery usage (disable).
2. Conflict with other fitness apps: Samsung Health and Google Fit can block Mi Band connection. Uninstall them or at least disable auto-start in the app settings.
3. Bluetooth Update: On some Samsung models (such as the Galaxy A10 or J6), outdated Bluetooth drivers cause the “failed to connect” error. Update your phone’s firmware through Settings → Software Update.

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If your Samsung doesn’t see the Mi Band in the Bluetooth device list, try turning on Developer Mode and activating the Bluetooth debugging option in the developer settings, which sometimes helps with pairing problems.

Next Post How to Connect Mi Band to Samsung

Now, to the process of connecting, we're going to look at two ways: through the official Mi Fitness app, and an alternative method for cases where standard synchronization is not working.

Method 1: Standard connection via Mi Fitness

1. Download Mi Fitness from Google Play. Don’t use APKs from third-party sources – they may contain viruses or outdated versions.
2. Account Registration: Launch the app and sign up via Xiaomi Account, Google or Apple ID. If you already have a Mi Account, sign in.
3. Adding device: Click Add Device → Choose your Mi Band model → follow the instructions on the screen. The bracelet should flash and vibrate - meaning it's ready to pair.
4. Connection Confirmation: The phone will have a Bluetooth pairing request — confirm it. Then type in PIN-code (usually 0000 or 1234) if required.

If you have a “failed to connect” error at this point, try:

• 🔄 Reboot both the bracelet and the phone.
• 📱 Remove the bracelet from the list of Bluetooth devices on Samsung and try again.
• 🔧 In Mi Fitness settings, select “Connect Manually” instead of auto-search.

Method 2: Alternative Connection with Notify & Fitness

If Mi Fitness refuses to work, you can use the third-party app Notify & Fitness for Mi Band. It supports all models of bracelets and often saves in situations where official software is buggy.

1. Download Notify & Fitness from Google Play.
2. Open the app and allow all permissions (notifications, location, Bluetooth).
3. Click "Connect device" → select Mi Band → wait for pairing.
4. After connecting, set up the display of notifications and data synchronization.

⚠️ Note: When using Notify & Fitness, some features (e.g. measurement) SpO2 Mi Band 6/7) It can work incorrectly, and it's better to return the official software to work properly.

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If the bracelet is connected but the data is not synchronized (steps, pulse), check if the Samsung Knox is blocking access to the sensors.

Typical errors and their solutions

Even with the right connection, Samsung users often encounter bugs, and we've collected the most common issues and ways to fix them.

If none of the solutions worked, try a forced reset of the bracelet through a hidden menu:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to bracelet settings.
2. 5 times quickly click on the "Firmware Version" - the engineering menu will open.
3. Select "Unbind device" and confirm.
4. Reset the bracelet and reconnect.

Configure notifications and additional functions

Once successfully connected, you can customize the bracelet to suit your needs, and on Samsung, you can do this through both Mi Fitness and system settings.

1. Notifications of calls and messages

To make the bracelet vibrate when entering:

1. Open Mi Fitness → Profile → Notifications.
2. Turn on the "Call Notifications" and "Notifications from Applications" switch.
3. Select the apps you want to see notifications from (such as WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS).
4. On your phone, allow Mi Fitness to access notifications: Settings → Notifications → Additional settings → Access to notifications.

2. Setting up screens and dials

Mi Band supports interchangeable dials, but on Samsung, their installation is sometimes blocked due to the limitations of One UI.

• 🎨 Download the dial from the official store in Mi Fitness (section "Dials").
• 📲 If the dial is not installed, try using the Amazfit Watchfaces app (supports Mi Band). 5/6/7).
• ⚙️ For Mi Band 4 and older, you may need to install manually through the ADB (guideline).

3. Activation of additional functions

Depending on the model of the bracelet available:

• 🩺 Sleep and Stress Monitoring (on the Mi Band) 7/8) — turn on in the health settings.
• 🏃 Tracking Training – Choose Sports in Training Management".
• 🔋 Battery savings – Turn off unnecessary notifications and reduce sync frequency.
• 🔒 Screen lock – the bracelet can unlock Samsung (requires settings) → Biometrics and safety → Unlocking the Mi Band).

How to extend the life of the Mi Band battery when using Samsung

One of the main problems when connecting the Mi Band to Samsung is the fast battery drain of the bracelet, which is because One UI often wakes up Bluetooth for background tasks.

• 📵 Turn off automatic sync in Mi Fitness (set up manual mode).
• 🔔 Limit notifications to important apps only (calls, SMS, messengers).
• 🔄 Reduce your heart rate (in your health settings, select “Every 30 minutes” instead of “Continuously").
• 🌙 Use dark dials (on the Mi Band) 7/8 s AMOLED-This reduces the battery consumption on the 15-20%).

Also check if the bracelet is not discharged by the Mi Fitness app itself.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Mi Fitness → Battery.
2. Look at how much energy it consumes in the background.
3. If the consumption is high (more than 5%), turn off background activity for the application.

⚠️ Note: On some Samsung models (e.g. Galaxy) S20 one UI 5.0) there is a bug that doesn't shut down Bluetooth completely when you turn off the screen, which causes both devices to be discarded.

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Mi Band to Samsung