How to connect Gear S3 to Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

The combination of a flagship smartphone from a Chinese manufacturer and a classic smartwatch from a Korean giant may not seem obvious, but thousands of users have successfully exploited this bundle for years.The question of how to connect the Gear S3 to Xiaomi remains one of the most frequent in enthusiastic communities, as the standard pairing process often faces aggressive policies of energy saving shell MIUI or HyperOS. The Android system on Xiaomi devices has deep roots of modifications that by default limit the background operation of third-party applications, which is critical for the stable operation of wearable electronics.

The main difficulty lies not in the Bluetooth pairing process itself, which is standard, but in the subsequent configuration of access rights and permissions for system services. Xiaomi owners need to understand that without the right configuration, the watch will constantly turn off, notifications will stop coming, or the Galaxy Wearable application will be forcibly closed by the system. This is not a hardware defect, but a feature of the battery optimizer, which seeks to keep the smartphone charged at any cost, sometimes at the expense of the functionality of accessories.

In this article, we will take a look at all the steps of setting up, from choosing the right software to the finer settings in the engineering menu. You will learn why standard Samsung Health may not work on some versions of Android, and what alternative software will ensure maximum compatibility. Proper preparation of the device before the procedure will save you time and nerves, ensuring stable synchronization of health data and instant delivery of notifications.

Selection of interface software

The first and most important step is to install the right intermediary app. For a long time, the main tool was the Galaxy Wearable app (formerly Samsung Gear), but with the release of new versions of Android and the update of Xiaomi shells, its work has become less stable. For many users, the optimal solution is to use alternative clients, such as Notify for Galaxy or Galaxy Watch Manager, which are better optimized for working in the face of severe limitations of background processes.

If you decide to use the official Galaxy Wearable app, make sure to download it from a proven source, such as the Google Play store or the trusted APK repository. On Xiaomi devices, there is often a problem when the default app store (GetApps) offers outdated versions of the software that may not support new security protocols or have the necessary permissions to work with Bluetooth Low Energy.

⚠️ Attention: When installed APK-Files from Third Party Sources MIUI This is standard protection, but if you check files through VirusTotal and download from Samsung's official website, the risk is minimal. Ignoring the installation can make it impossible to start the search process for the watch.

For advanced users who want full control of notifications and actions, Notify for Galaxy is virtually a must-in.It takes on notification management features that in standard bundle often work incorrectly due to Xiaomi killing the Samsung Gear process.This app allows you to flexibly configure filters, create automations and even install third-party dials, which expands the functionality of the watch.

Preparation of Xiaomi smartphone to work with the clock

Before you try to find a watch on the Bluetooth list, you need to prepare your smartphone operating system. The aggressive energy saver MIUI defaults to disabling background processes, so you need to manually create exceptions for all the necessary components. This is a critical step, without which the connection will either not take place or will be unstable.

First, look for the battery section in the settings, and then go to the application management, and you'll need to find not only the main app for the watch, but also a few system services that make it work, and you'll need to change the energy saving mode for each.

• 📱 Find in the list of Galaxy Wearable apps and go to its battery settings.
• 🔋 Select the option No restrictions to prevent the system from closing the application.
• 🛡️ Enable Autostart for Samsung’s main app and related services.
• 🔒 Block applications in the menu of running tasks so that they do not unload from RAM.

You should also pay attention to permissions. When you first run, the app will request access to location, contacts, phone and microphone. To work correctly with Bluetooth on Android 12 and above, access to location is mandatory, even if you are not using it. GPS-Without this permission, scanning devices may not start at all.

The process of initial pairing of devices

The process of connecting the Gear S3 to a Xiaomi smartphone is technically not much different from connecting to any other Android device, but it has its own nuances in the sequence of actions. Start by making sure that the watch is charged at least 20% of the battery and is in pairing mode. If the watch is new, it will enter this mode automatically when turned on. If the used watch may need to reset through the watch menu.

Launch the Galaxy Wearable app on your smartphone and press the Start button. The system will ask you to turn on Bluetooth if it is turned off. Unlike the standard Bluetooth menu in Android settings, searching through the Samsung app is more accurate and allows you to correctly register the necessary service profiles that are not visible during normal pairing.

During the process of installing plugins and software updates, the watch screen may go out, and the phone may show freezing. Do not interrupt the process or try to restart the devices. The data protocol is very sensitive at this point, and a break in the connection can lead to an installation error, after which you will have to start the procedure again.

Configure notifications and permissions in MIUI

Once paired successfully, users often face a situation where the clock is running but notifications are not coming.This is the most common problem of the Gear S3 and Xiaomi bundle.The MIUI system requires explicit permission for every app you want to see notifications from on your wrist.In addition, the Galaxy Wearable app itself must be allowed to read notifications from other apps.

Go to the clock settings through the app and find the Notifications section. Here you will see a list of all the programs installed on the phone. You need to manually activate the switches for those applications that are important for messages: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, SMS, calls. If the application is not on the list, check the privacy settings of the phone itself.

⚠️ Note: Some versions of HyperOS and MIUI There is a bug where the list of notification apps is empty, in which case you need to find the "Applications" section in the phone settings" → "Permits" → "Access to notifications and force it to be enabled for the Samsung Accessory Service plugin and the main Wearable application.

It is also important to configure the display of notification content. If you have screen locking or content hiding enabled in Xiaomi’s privacy settings, the watch can only show the name of the app, not the text of the message. To solve this problem, you need to allow the display of notification details on the locked screen in the smartphone security settings.

Solving background work and communication gaps

Even after carefully configuring permissions, Android can periodically “kill” the communication process, especially if the phone is experiencing a shortage of RAM. To minimize the risk of connection breakage, it is recommended to use the application lock function in the task manager. Open the menu of running applications, find the Galaxy Wearable and Samsung Accessory Service, and pull them down to show the lock icon.

Another important setup is Bluetooth management, which in some cases helps disable the option “Bluetooth Scan” in advanced Bluetooth settings if it is active, which prevents constant background search of devices by other applications, which can conflict with a stable connection of the clock.

• 🔌 Turn off the option of "Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning" in the "Geodata" or "Additional settings" section".
• 🧹 Clean the cache of the Samsung Accessory Service app regularly if you notice twitching interfaces.
• 📶 Make sure the clock does not include the “In the plane” mode, which could have been activated accidentally.

If the connection breaks happen all the time, it’s worth checking if there’s any aggressive Cleaner or antivirus that can force the process to be terminated. Xiaomi’s built-in cleaner is quite effective, but third-party utilities like CCleaner can be overzealous in the fight for memory.

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Useful tip: If the watch is still off, try installing the Notify for Galaxy app and enabling the "Keep service alive" option in its settings. This app can run a quiet audio file in the background, which formally prevents the Android system from falling asleep and shutting down the communication process.

Additional features and setting up dials

Once the basic setup is complete, it’s worth looking at personalization.The native Galaxy Wearable app offers a limited set of dials, and many of them may not display Cyrillic fonts correctly. To expand the options, it’s recommended to use third-party dial stores like Facer or WatchMaker, which work great on the Xiaomi and Gear S3 bundle.

When you install third-party dials, remember that complex animated watch faces can consume battery faster. The Gear S3 is an AMOLED screen device, and static black dials are not only aesthetically pleasing, but energy efficient. Experiment with brightness and time settings.