Connecting Honor watches to Xiaomi phone: all the ways and nuances

Synchronizing Honor smartwatches with Xiaomi phones is a task that seems simple at first glance, but in practice often raises questions from users. The main difficulty is that both brands use their own ecosystems: Huawei Health for Honor devices and Mi Fitness/Xiaomi Wear for Xiaomi gadgets. However, this does not mean that connectivity is impossible, but just requires the right approach and knowledge of nuances.

In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to connect the Honor MagicWatch 2, Honor Watch GS 3, Honor Watch ES and other models with Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/13, POCO X5, etc. Particular attention will be paid to solving typical problems: the lack of a device in the list of available, connection errors and functionality limitations when using cross-platform. If you encounter the message “Device is not supported” – here you will find workarounds.

1.Preparation for connection: what to do before pairing

Before you start pairing your Honor watch with your Xiaomi phone, follow a few steps that will save you time and prevent most of the typical errors.

First, update the firmware on both devices. Outdated software often causes incompatibility. On Honor, check the version's relevance through the Settings menu → System → Software Update. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI. If updates are available, install them and restart the devices.

• 📱 On Xiaomi Phone: Remove the Bluetooth app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Bluetooth → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• ⚙️ On Honor: Reset your network settings (if you’ve previously connected to other devices) via Settings → System system → Reset → Resetting the network.
• 🔋 Charging: Make sure the battery power of the watch exceeds 50%. At low charge, the pairing process can be interrupted.

The second critical point is app permissions. Huawei Health (required for connection) requires access to Contacts, Locations, Warehouse and Phone. Manually provide all permissions in advance via Settings → Apps → Huawei Health → Permissions, otherwise synchronization of data (steps, pulse, notifications) will not work properly.

2. Method 1: Connect via the official Huawei Health app

The main and most reliable method is to use the Huawei Health app, which, although developed for the Huawei ecosystem, is fully compatible with Xiaomi Android phones.

1. Install Huawei Health from Google Play or AppGallery. Avoid third-party APKs - they may contain viruses.
2. Register a Huawei ID account (if not). To do this, click Log in → Register and follow the instructions. Without an account, data synchronization will be limited - the watch will not be able to keep an activity history longer than 7 days.
3. Activate Bluetooth on your phone and watch. On Honor, pair: press the power button → "Connect new device."
4. Add the device to Huawei Health: Open the Device tab → Add the device → select the watch model from the list.

If your watch model doesn’t appear in the list, try selecting “Other device” → “Smart watches.” Once successfully connected, the app will automatically determine the model and download the required drivers.

Install the latest version of Huawei Health|Register Huawei ID|Enable Bluetooth on both devices |Activate the pairing mode on the watch |Give all permissions to the app-->

⚠️ Warning: If the Honor watch doesn’t display notifications from Xiaomi phone after you connect, check your sync settings at Huawei Health → The device → Notification management: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) Block background app activity – add Huawei Health to the list of “Sunset” and “No battery restrictions".

Method 2: Alternative Connection via Notify & Fitness (for advanced users)

If the official Huawei Health app refuses to work with your watch or phone model, you can use a universal solution – the Notify & Fitness for Mi Band app. It supports most smartwatches, including Honor, and allows you to bypass the limitations of the ecosystem.

Installation and configuration:

1. Download Notify & Fitness from Google Play.
2. Enable Developer Mode on Honor: Settings → About the Watch → Build Number (click 7 times) Then activate “Bluetoothbug” in the developer menu.
3. In the Notify & Fitness app, select Connect Device → Honor Watch → Follow the Settings Wizard.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 Support for notifications from any applications (including Telegram, WhatsApp, VK).
• 📊 Extended activity statistics (steps, sleep, pulse) with exports to Google Fit.
• 🎨 Customization of dials (downloading third-party themes).

⚠️ Note: When using Notify & Fitness, turn off automatic sync in Huawei Health to avoid conflict, otherwise both apps will try to manage the clock at the same time, which will lead to crashes.

4. Solving Connection Problems: Errors and Their Causes

Even with the correct following of the instructions, users often encounter errors, and here is a table of the most common problems and ways to fix them:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the network settings on your Xiaomi phone:

→ SIM-maps and mobile networks → Resets Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings

This procedure will remove all saved Bluetooth devices, so after it you will have to reconnect not only the watch, but also headphones, fitness bracelets, etc.

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If the Honor watch is not determined by the Xiaomi phone even after reset, try connecting via another device (like an Android tablet) and then move the pairing back.

5. Limitations of functionality in cross-platform use

It is important to understand that when you connect your Honor watch to your Xiaomi phone, some features may not work properly or at all, due to the closed nature of the Huawei/Honor ecosystem.

• 🚫 Xiaomi Pay: Payment from Honor watches via Mi Pay is impossible. You can only link a bank card to the original Huawei Wallet app (not working on Xiaomi).
• 📞 Calls in the clock: feature available, but may require additional customization in Huawei Health → The device → On some Xiaomi models, the microphone of the clock does not transmit voice.
• 🎵 Music management: standard Mi Music player is not supported. Use YouTube Music or Spotify - they integrate correctly with Huawei Health.
• 🔄 Automatic Software Update: The Watch Cannot Be Updated by Air (OTA) without a Huawei phone, the firmware will have to be installed manually via HiSuite.

For owners of the Honor MagicWatch 2 and GS 3, there is good news: these models support the installation of third-party applications through Huawei AppGallery.This can compensate for the lack of some Xiaomi features, such as installing an alternative launcher or messenger directly on the watch.

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If you are critically interested in Mi Pay features or deep integration with MIUI, consider buying a Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro or Redmi Watch 3 Active.

6 How to transfer data from the Honor watch to the Xiaomi phone

After a successful connection, the question arises: how to export health data (steps, pulse, sleep) to Xiaomi applications, such as Mi Fitness or Google Fit? Unfortunately, direct export is impossible due to the closedness of the Huawei Health API, but there are workarounds:

Method 1: Using Google Fit

1. Open Huawei Health → Profile → Settings → Data Management → Data Export.
2. Select period and data types (steps, weight, pulse) → “Export to Google Fit”.
3. Confirm synchronization in your Google account.

Method 2: Using the Health Sync App

Install Health Sync from Google Play.This app allows you to automatically transfer data between Huawei Health, Google Fit, Samsung Health and Mi Fitness. 2-3 minute:

1. Choose the source (Huawei Health) and the target (Google Fit or Mi Fitness).
2. Sign in to both services.
3. Start sync.

Note: Health Sync is paid (there is a free trial period) and the free version limits the number of syncs per day.

7. Frequent questions and answers