How to connect Samsung Galaxy Watch to Xiaomi smartphone: all ways + problem solving

Synchronizing the Samsung Galaxy Watch with a Xiaomi phone is a task that seems simple at first glance, but in practice it faces technical nuances, because ecosystem manufacturers (Samsung and Xiaomi) are not initially focused on cross-platform compatibility, especially when it comes to wearable devices. However, this does not mean that connectivity is impossible: there are both official workarounds through Wear OS and semi-official methods using third-party applications.

In this guide, we will discuss all the current ways of connecting (including the Galaxy Watch 4/5/6 and Watch Active models), how to work with different versions of MIUI, as well as typical errors and their solutions. Special attention will be paid to the issues of synchronizing notifications, fitness data and music management – these are the features that most often “refuse” to work with interbrand bundling. If you have already tried to connect a watch and received an error like “Device is not supported” or “Required Samsung phone” – do not close the page: there are solutions.

Why are Xiaomi and Samsung not friends?

The main problem lies in the policy of manufacturers: Samsung develops Galaxy Wearable and Samsung Health exclusively for its ecosystem, and Xiaomi does the same with Mi Fitness and Zepp Life.

• 🔄 The official Galaxy Wearable app blocks the connection to phones-Samsung device-model-testing.
• 🔗 Health data (HR, steps, sleep) may be duplicated or not synced with Mi Fitness without additional settings.

However, the Wear OS-based Galaxy Watch models (starting with the Watch 4) are technically capable of working with any Android smartphone, including Xiaomi. The main thing is to know the sequence of actions and possible workarounds. Older watches (such as the Galaxy Watch 3 or the Watch Active 2) will require additional manipulations, which we will discuss below.

Method 1: Connect via Wear OS (for Watch 4/5/6)

If your watch runs on Wear OS (all models since the Galaxy Watch 4), the most reliable way to do this is to use Google’s standard Wear OS app, which is officially supported by Google but is subject to restrictions from Samsung.

Instructions:

1. Install the Wear OS app from Google Play on your Xiaomi.

After successful connection, you will be able to:

• 📲 Get notifications from your phone (calls, SMS, messengers).
• 🎵 Manage music on your phone in hours.
• 🏃‍♂️ Synchronize basic activity data (steps, calories).

Limitations:

• ❌ Samsung Health won’t work – health data (HR, sleep, stress) won’t sync.
• ❌ Some dials and features (such as Samsung Pay) will be blocked.

Method 2: Bypassing restrictions through ADB (for all models)

If Wear OS refuses to connect the watch and you see a message saying, "This device is not supported," you can use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) bypass, which works for all Galaxy Watch models, but requires the development mode on the phone to be enabled.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on MIUI Version until the notification “You’ve become a Developer” appears. Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers and activate “Debugging on USB”.

Galaxy Wearable

Samsung Health

Google Play (even if it doesn’t run)

Connect your phone to your PC

adb shell pm grant com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager android.permission.BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE

Then:

adb shell pm grant com.samsung.android.app.watchmanager android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Reboot the phone.

Galaxy Wearable

⚠️ Note: This method may not work on all versions MIUI. On some firmware (for example, MIUI 14+) Samsung blocks connection at the server level, and bypasses ADB It doesn't help. In that case, you just have to use third-party apps.

Method 3: Use of third-party applications (Notify & Fitness, Gadgetbridge)

If official methods don’t work, third-party apps come to the rescue that emulate the Galaxy Wearable or connect to the watch through alternative protocols.

• 🔗 Notify & Fitness for Wear OS — It allows you to receive notifications, manage music and sync health data with Google Fit.
• 🔗 Gadgetbridge is an open source software for working with wearable devices. Supports basic functions (stepmer, heart rate, notifications), but may not work consistently with the latest Galaxy Watch models.

How to set up Notify & Fitness:

1. Install the app on Xiaomi.
2. Turn on the developer mode on the watch (click 7 times on the “Build Number” in Settings → About the clock).
3. Activate “ADB debugging” and “Bluetoothbug” in the clock settings.
4. In Notify & Fitness, select “Connect New Watches” and follow the instructions.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party apps, health data may be duplicated (e.g., steps will be taken into account in both Google Fit and Mi Fitness). To avoid confusion, disable automatic synchronization on one of the services.

Solving Typical Errors When Connecting

Even if you do everything according to the instructions, there may be errors, and let's look at the most common ways to correct them:

• 🚫 Error: "Device not supported" in Galaxy Wearable Solution: Try bypassing through ADB or install the old version of the application (e.g. 2.2.05.221). APK You can find it on APKMirror.
• 🔄 The watch is connected, but immediately disable Solution: Disable Bluetooth Energy Saving in Xiaomi Settings (Settings) → Battery → Power saving mode. Also check if the connection is blocking. MIUI Optimization (in the developer settings, disable “Optimization” MIUI»).

💡

If the watch is connected but your health data is not synced, try manually exporting it from Samsung Health to Google Fit via the app settings. To do this, go to Settings → Connected Services and activate sync with Google Fit.

Synchronizing Health Data with Mi Fitness

One of the main disadvantages of connecting the Galaxy Watch to Xiaomi is the lack of automatic synchronization of health data with Mi Fitness (or Zepp Life).

1. Export through Google Fit: Set up Samsung Health → Google Fit sync (in Samsung Health settings). In Mi Fitness, connect Google Fit as a data source (Profile → Settings → Connected apps).

Manual input:

Mi Fitness

Third-party services:

Health Sync

link

Samsung Health

Google Fit

Mi Fitness

⚠️ Note: When syncing through Google Fit, data loss may occur (e.g., sleep schedules may not be displayed correctly). Before setting up, back up your data to Samsung Health (Settings). → Account and backup).

💡

The most reliable way to synchronize data is to use Google Fit as an intermediary between Samsung Health and Mi Fitness, but keep in mind that some metrics (such as stress or oxygen levels in the blood) may not be properly tolerated.

Alternatives: Should I consider a different watch?

If the battle to connect the Galaxy Watch to Xiaomi seems too difficult, it’s worth considering alternative wearables that initially integrate better with the Xiaomi ecosystem:

• 📌 Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro – full compatibility with Mi Fitness, Wear support OS, NFC pay.
• 📌 Amazfit GTR 4 or GTS 4 - working for Zepp OS, Excellent autonomy, full synchronization with Zepp Life.
• 📌 Huawei Watch GT 4 – If you’re happy with Huawei Health, this watch offers the best value for money.

However, if you are fundamentally important branded Samsung features (for example, Samsung Pay, exclusive dials or integration with SmartThings), then you should either accept the restrictions when connecting to Xiaomi, or consider buying a Samsung smartphone for a full-fledged watch.

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting the Galaxy Watch to Xiaomi