How to connect Xiaomi Mi Band 5 to iPhone: full instructions with error solutions

Why iPhone Owners Choose Mi Band 5 and What Challenges They Face

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet remains one of the most popular health monitoring gadgets despite the release of new models, combining price, autonomy (up to 14 days of operation) and functionality – sleep tracking, heart rate, SpO₂ (The device's oxygenation, 11 sports modes, makes it attractive even to iPhone users, but connecting the bracelet to Apple's ecosystem often raises questions: Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit) works differently than Android, and iOS restrictions add complexity.

The main problems faced by users:

• 🔄 The bracelet is not on the list of devices for connection
• 📱 Mi Fitness App crashes or doesn’t open on iPhone
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge after synchronization with iOS
• 🔔 No notifications of calls and messages are received

In this article, we’ll take a look at the step-by-step connection instructions, typical bug fixes, and hidden settings that will help unlock the full potential of the Mi Band 5 on your iPhone. And if you already have a bracelet that doesn’t work correctly, at the end of the article, there’s an FAQ that answers a lot of questions.

What you need to connect Mi Band 5 to iPhone

Before you start syncing, make sure you have everything you need.

• 📱 iPhone with iOS 12.0 or later (check Settings) → Mainstream → About this device)
• 🔋 Charging cable for Mi Band 5 (includes) and charged bracelet (minimum 20%)
• 📲 Mi Fitness app (download in the App Store)
• 🌐 Stable Internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

Important: If you are upgrading from the Mi Band 4 or older model, untie the old bracelet in the Mi Fitness app before connecting the new one. Otherwise, synchronization conflicts may occur.

Charge Mi Band 5 to 50%|

Remove the old version of Mi Fit (if installed)|

Download Mi Fitness from the App Store|

Turn Bluetooth on iPhone|

Untie the previous bracelet (if it was)

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Step-by-step: how to connect Mi Band 5 to iPhone

Follow this algorithm to avoid synchronization errors:

1. Turn on the bracelet. Press the Mi Band 5 touch button (under the screen) and hold for 2-3 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
2. Activate Bluetooth on your iPhone: go to Settings → Bluetooth and turn on the switch. Leave this menu open so the connection will be established faster.
3. Launch Mi Fitness and sign up (or sign in to Xiaomi/Mi Account).If you don't have an account, create it via email or phone number.
4. Click Add Device (+ in the upper right corner). Select Bracelet → Mi Smart Band 5.
5. Bring the bracelet to the phone at a distance of less than 10 cm on the screen Mi Band 5 will appear confirmation code – compare it with the code in the application and click “Confirm”.
6. Wait for firmware updates (if available). Don't interrupt the process! It can take up to 5-10 minutes.

Once successfully connected, the bracelet vibrates, and the main control panel will appear in the application. If an error occurs at this stage, go to the "Problem Solutions" section.

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If the Mi Band 5 is not on the device list, reboot Bluetooth on your iPhone: turn it off for 10 seconds, then turn it on again.

Set up notifications and basic functions after connecting

By default, the Mi Band 5 shows only basic information: time, steps, pulse. To unlock its potential, adjust:

1. Notifications of calls and messages

• 📞 Go to Mi Fitness. → Profile → Mi Smart Band 5 → Notifications.
• 🔄 Turn on the Call Notifications switch and select apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Messages).
• ⚠️ iOS Limitation: The bracelet will only show the text of the notification, but will not allow you to respond to it (unlike Android).

2. Sleep and pulse tracking

• 😴 Include “Sleep Monitoring” in your Profile → Settings → Select Sensitive mode for accurate data.
• ❤️ Activate “Continuous monitoring of heart rate” (the battery will increase by a maximum of three hours). ~20%).

3. Sporting regimes

Add the right sports to Profile → Workouts. For example, to run, click "Running → Outdoors" and save the settings. During training, the bracelet will track the pace, pulse and calorie consumption.

Solving common connection problems

If the Mi Band 5 is not connecting to your iPhone or is crashing, use this table:

⚠️ Warning: If after updating the firmware bracelet stopped vibrating at notifications, check the sound settings in Mi Fitness → Profile → Vibration. Sometimes factory resets help you get back to the functional.

Update firmware Mi Band 5 via iPhone

The bracelet firmware updates automatically when you connect to Mi Fitness, but sometimes the process gets stuck. Here's how to manually update it:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to the profile of the bracelet.
2. Check for updates in the About Device → Firmware Update.
3. If the upgrade is available, plug the bracelet into charging and wait until it is completed (don’t turn off the cable!).
4. Once the bracelet is updated, it will restart.

The current firmware version for Mi Band 5 (May 2026) is 1.0.3.84. If your version is lower, we recommend you update to fix sync errors with iOS.

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Updating your firmware through an iPhone takes longer than it does on Android, due to the limitations of iOS, which takes an average of 10-15 minutes.

Mi Band 5 compatibility with iOS: limitations and workarounds

Due to Apple's policy, some of the features of the Mi Band 5 on the iPhone work differently than on Android.

• 🔗 No sync with Apple Health. Mi Fitness doesn't transmit steps, sleep and heart rate data to the standard Health app. Route bypass: use third-party services like Health Sync).
• 📱 Limited Notifications: On iPhone, the bracelet only shows text notifications, with no way to respond or control music.
• 🔄 Fewer widgets. You can add weather, calendar, etc. widgets on Android, and you can shorten the list on iOS.

However, the Mi Band 5 remains one of the best budget options for iPhone owners thanks to:

• 🔋 Long-term autonomy (up to 2 weeks with moderate use).
• 🩺 Precise pulse sensor and SpO₂ (Compared to competitors in the same price range).
• 💦 Defense 5 ATM — bracelet.

⚠️ Note: If you use the Mi Band 5 with iPhone and MacBook, the bracelet will not be able to unlock the laptop (this feature only works with Android smartphones and Windows-PC via Mi Bluetooth Unlock).

FAQ: answers to frequent questions about the Mi Band 5 and iPhone