Connecting Xiaomi fitness bracelet to Huawei phone: full instruction with problem solving

Why you should sync Mi Band with Huawei and what you need to do

Xiaomi fitness bracelets (Mi Band, Smart Band, Watch series) have long been the standard for tracking activity, sleep and notifications, but Huawei smartphone owners sometimes face difficulties connecting due to the features of EMUI firmware, restrictions of Google Mobile Services (GMS), or conflicts with the company’s Huawei Health app.

Before you start, check out three key points:

• 🔋 Bracelet charge: Battery level must be at least 20%.When the discharge is below this threshold, the Mi Band can turn off during synchronization.
• 📱 Android Version: Huawei should have Android 8.0 or later installed.Older versions (Android) 7.x and below do not support the latest versions of the Mi Fitness app.
• 🌐 Internet connection: To download the application and update the bracelet firmware, you will need stable Wi-Fi or mobile Internet.

Pay special attention to your bracelet models. For example, the Mi Band 7 Pro and Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro require a firmware update on the first connection, while the Mi Band 6 or 5 can work without it. If you are not sure about the model, look at it on the box or in the device settings (About the bracelet in the gadget menu).

Step 1: Install the Right App for Huawei

The main mistake users make is trying to connect Mi Band through Huawei Health or Google Fit. These applications are not compatible with Xiaomi bracelets. You need to install official software from Xiaomi, but there is a caveat: depending on the region and the phone model, different versions are available:

• 📲 Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit) is the main app for all bracelets except the Mi Band 8 and later.Available in AppGallery and APKMirror.
• 🔄 Xiaomi Wear is a replacement for Mi Fitness for the latest models (Mi Band 8, Smart Band 8 Pro), officially distributed through Google Play, but on Huawei without the help of the new model. GMS You'll have to install it manually.
• ⚠️ Zepp Life is an alternative software for some regions (e.g. Europe) and is identical to Mi Fitness, but the interface is different.

On Huawei phones without Google Play (models after 2019) download APK-file from Xiaomi's official website or a trusted source like APKMirror. Don't use third-party stores - they often distribute outdated or modified versions that may not work properly with the bracelet.

⚠️ Note: If your Huawei is running on HarmonyOS (not Android), the standard APK-In this case, use AppGallery or Petal Search to find a compatible version of Mi Fitness.

Step 2: Prepare Huawei’s phone for connectivity

Before syncing, you need to configure your phone to avoid problems with Bluetooth, permissions and the background of the application.

Enable Bluetooth in the Quick Access Panel

Allow Mi Fitness to access location (mandatory for Android 10+)

Turn off power saving mode for Mi Fitness in Settings → Apps

Add Mi Fitness to the list of "Secure Applications" (Settings → Battery)

Reboot your phone (recommended for resetting your Bluetooth cache)-->

Pay special attention to permissions. Huawei with EMUI 10+ application Mi Fitness requires the following rights:

• 📍 Location: Needed to search for a Bluetooth bracelet LE.
• 📱 Notifications: To have the bracelet show incoming calls and messages.
• 🔋 Auto-Run: Otherwise, the application will close when the screen is locked.

If you are using Huawei with HarmonyOS, check out:

1. Open Settings → Security and Privacy → Application Permissions.
2. Find Mi Fitness and turn on all the switches, especially Bluetooth and Background activity.
3. In Settings → Battery → Launch applications select for Mi Fitness mode Managed manually.

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If the bracelet isn't there, try turning off Bluetooth, restarting the phone and turning on Bluetooth again.This resets the connection cache and often solves the problem.

Step 3: Step-by-step connecting the bracelet to Huawei

Once the app is installed and the phone is configured, start syncing.The instructions are universal for all Mi Band models, but there are nuances for the Mi Band 7 Pro and later (they require a firmware update in the first stage).

1. Launch Mi Fitness or Xiaomi Wear and click Add Device ("+" icon) in the upper right corner.

For the Mi Band 7 Pro and Smart Band 8 Pro, make sure to update the firmware through the bracelet menu (Settings → Firmware Update) after you connect. Without this, some features (such as SpO2 or GPS) may not work.

If the bracelet is not connected, check:

• 🔄 Reboot Bluetooth: Turn it off and on again on your phone.
• 📱 Compatibility: Make sure your Mi Band model is supported by the current version of the app (the compatibility list is available on the Xiaomi website).
• 🔋 Bracelet charge: At levels below 15%, the connection may be interrupted.

Step 4: Set up notifications and synchronize data

After a successful connection, set up notification display and data sync with your Xiaomi or Google Fit account. This will allow you to save statistics even when changing your phone.

How to enable notifications:

1. In the Mi Fitness app, go to Profile → Notification settings.
2. Turn on the switches for Calls, Messages and Applications.
3. Click Permissions Management and allow the app to access notifications in Huawei settings.

Sync with Google Fit or Apple Health:

• 🔄 In Mi Fitness, open a profile → Settings → Synchronization of data.
• 📱 Select Google Fit and log in via Google account (on Huawei without Google account). GMS skip this step).
• ⚠️ If sync doesn’t work, check if Huawei is blocking background activity from Google Play Services.

⚠️ Note: On Huawei with HarmonyOS, sync with Google Fit is not possible due to the lack of Google Mobile Services. instead, use your Xiaomi account to back up your data.

Solving Typical Connection Problems

Even with the right setup, you can get errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods helped, try to reset the bracelet to the factory settings:

1. On the bracelet, go to Settings → About the bracelet → Reset.
2. Confirm the action by clicking the tick.
3. Repeat the connection process from scratch.

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90% of connection problems are solved by resetting the bracelet and reinstalling the app, and if the error is repeated, check that the bracelet model is compatible with your EMUI version.

Additional features: what can be configured after connecting

Once you've successfully synchronized, unlock the full potential of the bracelet. Here's what you should set up first:

• 🏃 Activity tracking: Enable automatic recognition of walking, running and cycling in Profile → Settings → Monitoring of activity.
• 💤 Sleep Control: Activate Smart Alarm and Sleep Phase for more accurate data.
• 🔊 Music Management: In Bracelet Settings → Lock screen turn on player control.
• 🔒 Screen lock: Set up unlocking your phone through the bracelet in Settings → Security.

For models with NFC (Mi Band 7 Pro, Smart Band 8 Pro) additionally:

1. Add a transport card or bank card through Mi Fitness → Wallet.
2. Set up Quick Payments for Payments without Phone.

Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro also supports GPS for accurate route tracking.

1. Open the bracelet settings → GPS.
2. Select High Accuracy (increases battery consumption) mode.
3. Sync your data with Strava or Google Fit to analyze your routes.

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Mi Band to Huawei