The transition to a new mobile device is always accompanied by a lot of pleasant emotions, but for wearable electronics owners, this process often turns into a real quest. This is especially true for popular fitness trackers, which require a stable connection to a smartphone for full operation. If you are thinking about how to connect the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 to a new phone, you should know that simply switching Bluetooth here will not be enough.
The problem is the Mi Fit (or Zepp Life) ecosystem architecture, which tightly ties the device to a particular account and smartphone. Trying to simply find a tracker through the Bluetooth settings on a new gadget is doomed to failure, since the bracelet will be busy connecting to the old device. To avoid synchronization errors and loss of accumulated statistics, you need to perform the procedure of disconnecting the connection correctly.
In this guide, we'll take every step of the data transfer process, learn how to untie the device correctly, clear the app cache, and set up sync from scratch. It's critical not to try to connect the Mi Band 4 to a new phone without removing it from the app on your old device, or you'll encounter a device-occupied error. Let's prepare for a fast and seamless migration.
Preparing an old smartphone and cleaning the binding
The first and most important step is to work with an old device that the tracker was previously connected to. Many users make the mistake of immediately starting to look for the bracelet on the new gadget, negating the need to break the old connection. The detachment procedure should be carried out exclusively through the application interface, not through the Bluetooth system settings.
Open the Zepp Life app (formerly Mi Fit) or Mi Fitness on your old smartphone. Go to the device profile, usually the Profile tab below, then select your Mi Band 4 from my device list. Here you need to find the Unplug or Unpair button. After clicking, the system will alert you if the connection is broken.
It's important to understand that once you've untie the data on the bracelet itself can be reset to the factory, but the history in the cloud of the account will remain. If you plan to sell an old phone or give the bracelet to another person, that's enough, but you better do an additional cleaning to transfer it to your new phone.
- 📱 Open the Zepp Life app and go to the tracker profile.
- 🔗 Click the Unpair button and confirm the action.
- 🗑️ Go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings, find Mi Band 4 and select Forget Device».
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone to reset the cache of Bluetooth services.
⚠️ Warning: Do not remove the Zepp Life app from your old phone until the bracelet is fully detached.If you delete the app sooner, the tracker will remain locked on your old account and the new phone won't see it.
Once these steps are done, the old phone will no longer qualify for fitness bracelet control.Now the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is on standby and ready to find a new host. Make sure the old device in Bluetooth settings has no more records of your tracker.
Installation and configuration of the application on a new device
Now, the new smartphone, the Mi Band 4 requires the installation of official software to work properly, and depending on the region and the firmware version of the bracelet, it can be the Zepp Life app (for global versions) or Mi Fitness (for new regions and China), most often the Zepp Life is relevant for the fourth model.
Download the app from the official Google Play or App Store. avoid installing modified versions (Mod) or APK-files from third-party resources, as they may contain malicious code or work with synchronization protocols incorrectly. After installation, launch the application and log in to your Xiaomi Account, Mi Account or WeChat account.
If you're using Android, it can request a number of permissions right after you first run. Don't ignore them, because without them, the tracker won't be able to transmit pulse, steps, and notifications. Pay particular attention to background permits and geolocation access.
☑️ Checking before connection
An important nuance for Android users is the need to enable geolocation.Bluetooth Low Energy Protocol (BLE), The Mi Band 4 is an active band. GPS-Without the geolocation enabled, the app will not find your bracelet, even if it is in pairing mode.
- 📥 Download the Zepp Life app from the official store.
- 🔐 Sign in to your account (the same one you had on your old phone to save your history).
- 📍 Turn it on. GPS Bluetooth in the notification curtain.
- 🛡️ Provide all requested permissions at the first launch.
Once you've logged in, you'll be on the app's home screen, and if you're logged in to the same account as before, your steps and sleep statistics will be downloaded from the cloud, and the interface is now ready to look for new hardware.
The pairing process and device search
The most important thing is to connect directly. Unlike normal Bluetooth headsets, the Mi Band 4 is not searched through the phone's system menu, but is searched within the app interface. Go to the Profile tab and click on the plus or Add Device button.
In the list of available devices, select Mi Band 4. The application will start the scanning process. At this point, make sure that the bracelet is located next to the smartphone (no more than 1-2 meters), If the bracelet was previously untied correctly, it should be quickly determined by the system.
The tracker screen will display vibration and a request for confirmation of pairing (Bluetooth icon with pulsation). Press the touch button of the bracelet to confirm the action. On the smartphone screen, a request for pairing may also appear - it also needs to be confirmed.
Sequence of action:
1. Open Zepp Life → Profile
2.Click "Add device"
3.Select Mi Band 4
4. Confirm by pressing the bracelet screenThe synchronization process can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes, during which time the progress bar will be displayed on the phone screen. Interrupting this process can lead to the device remaining in a “semi-connected” state, and the procedure will have to start again.
What to do if the search does not begin?
Solving Typical Connection Problems
Even if you follow all the instructions, users can face technical difficulties. The most common problem is that the phone sees many devices, but does not find your Mi Band 4. This is often due to the fact that the phone's operating system has "remembered" the old connection and tries to restore it in the background by blocking the new one.
To solve this problem, you need to completely clear the list of paired devices. Go to your smartphone's Bluetooth settings, find all the records containing "Mi Band", "Band 4" or "Mi Smart Band" in the list, and click "Forget" or "Delete." After that, restart the phone.
Another common cause of failure is the outdated firmware version of the bracelet itself or the app. Before trying to reconnect, check for updates in the app store. Also make sure that the phone does not run other fitness apps (such as from Huawei or Samsung) that can intercept Bluetooth control.
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| No bracelet found. | GPS or Bluetooth cache turned off | Enable geolocation, reboot the phone |
| The pairing error | The device is occupied by another phone | Untie the app on an old phone |
| No data synchronization | No permissions in Android | Give all rights in the application settings |
| The bracelet vibrates but does not connect | Conflict of versions | Update the Zepp Life app |
⚠️ Note: If you use an iPhone (iOS), make sure that there is no record of the Mi Band in the Bluetooth settings under My Devices. If it is and has a “Not Connected” status, delete it (click “i” and select “Forget Device”) before you start searching the app.
Set up notifications and access rights in Android and iOS
Once the connection is successful, the main work is just beginning, and for the Mi Band 4 to function properly, it needs to be allowed access to messenger notifications and calls, and without this setup, the bracelet will only work as a clock and pedometer, ignoring incoming messages.
In Android, this requires manual adjustment for each application. Go to the Zepp Life app, select your bracelet, go to Notifications and Application Notifications, and you activate the switches for WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, and other programs, and the system can issue a security alert, which you need to log and allow access.
For iOS (iPhone) users, the situation is easier thanks to a more stringent but centralized permission system: just turn on Notifications and Application Notifications in the wristband menu, and then make sure that permissions for Zepp Life are enabled in the iPhone system settings. However, if notifications do not arrive, check the Screen Time settings.
- 📲 Open your bracelet profile in the Zepp Life app.
- 🔔 Go to the section "Application Notifications».
- ✅ Turn on the switches for the desired messengers (WhatsApp, SMS, Calls).
- 🛡️ In the phone settings, allow the app to access notifications.
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If the notifications are late, go to the phone battery settings, find the Zepp Life app, and set the "No Limits" or "No Power Saving" mode to prevent the system from killing the process.
It is important to note that for notifications to work, the Zepp Life application must be allowed to work in the background. Modern Android shells (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS) aggressively unload background processes to save energy.
History preservation and data synchronization
One of the biggest fears of changing phones is losing your activity history. Fortunately, Xiaomi Account is built so that all data is stored in the cloud. If you log in on a new phone with the same account as your old phone, your steps, sleep and heart rate will automatically load after the first sync.
However, if you decide to change your account (for example, switch from Mi Account to Google or WeChat), the history from the previous account will not transfer, in which case the Mi Band 4 will start keeping statistics from scratch.
For users who want to have a full backup, there is a data export feature, but it is more available for analysis in third-party services. The main data array is securely attached to your login. Make sure that after connecting you wait for full synchronization (usually the indicator in the application stops rotating).
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Your data history is tied to your account, not your phone, and logging into the same account on your new device will automatically restore all your statistics.
In some cases, if sync doesn’t happen, you can try manually pulling the screen down in the application for a forced update, and check if sync with Google Fit or Apple Health is enabled in your profile settings if you use these platforms to aggregate data.