How to connect Xiaomi smart watches to a smartphone: from pairing to fine tuning

Xiaomi smartwatches and fitness bracelets have long been an integral part of the brand’s ecosystem, offering users advanced health monitoring, notification management, and even contactless payments. However, the first experience of connecting such devices to a phone is often accompanied by questions: why the app does not see the watch, how to sync data with Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit), and what to do if the connection is constantly broken.

We’ll look at not only the standard Bluetooth pairing procedure, but also alternative methods for non-NFC devices, features of working with iPhones (where functionality may be limited), as well as hidden settings that are not written about in the official instructions. For example, did you know that the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro requires a separate Wear OS application, not Zepp Life? or that some Redmi Watch models do not support Russian-language firmware out of the box?

1 Preparation before connecting: what to check on your phone and watch

Before you start pairing, make sure your smartphone and Xiaomi smartwatch meet the minimum requirements.This will eliminate 80% of typical connection errors.

Phone requirements:

• 📱 Android version: not lower than 6.0 (for full functionality - 8.0)+). iOS requires version 12.0 or later.
• 🔄 Bluetooth: version 4.2 or higher (for models with BLE 5.0 – for example, Xiaomi Watch S3 — You need Bluetooth 5.0 support on your phone).
• 📶 Internet: stable Wi-Fi or mobile network connection to download the app and update the firmware of the watch.
• 🔋 Battery charge: the watch must have at least 50% charge, otherwise the pairing process may be interrupted.

Requirements for smart watches:

• 🔄 Resetting: If the watch has already been used with another phone, reset via Settings → System system → Reset (or press the power button for 10 seconds for Mi Band).
• 📦 Firmware: check the relevance of the software through the official application. Outdated firmware can block pairing.
• 🔒 Region: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Watch) S1 Pro) tied to China – they will require a change of region in settings.

⚠️ Note: If you use custom ROM (For example, LineageOS on your phone, you may experience Google Play Services issues that are required for the Zepp Life app, in which case, install GApps before connecting or use alternative software like Notify & Fitness.

Installation and configuration of the official annex

Xiaomi will need an official app to connect its smartwatches, and since 2023, the brand has moved to Zepp Life (formerly Mi Fit), but some models (such as the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro) need additional software.

Step 1: Download the application

• 📥 For Android: Download Zepp Life from Google Play or Wear OS (For the Watch 2 Pro).
• 🍎 For iOS: the app is available in the App Store, but the functionality is limited (no answers to messages, limited set of dials).

Step 2: Registration of an account

When you first start up, Zepp Life will offer you an account.

• 🔑 Xiaomi Account (recommended for full synchronization with the Mi Home ecosystem).
• 📧 Google/Facebook (Simplified registration, but without access to certain functions).
• ☎ Phone number (suitable for China, may not work in other regions).

Step 3: Setup the permission

After registration, the application will request access to:

• 📍 Geolocations (for tracking runs).
• 📁 Files and media (to download dials).
• 🔊 Notifications (for synchronization) SMS messenger).
• 🏃 Health Data (for integration with Google Fit or Apple Health).

⚠️ Note: On iPhone, after providing access to notifications, you must manually enable synchronization for each application (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram) in the iOS settings: Settings → Notifications → Zepp Life → Allow notices.

3. Step-by-step instructions: how to connect the clock to the phone

When all the training is done, we move on to pairing, and the process may vary slightly depending on the model of the watch, but the overall pattern is the same.

For most models (Mi Band, Redmi Watch, Xiaomi Watch S1/S2):

1. Open the Zepp Life app and click Add Device (+ icon in the upper right corner).
2. Select your model from the list. If you don't have one, select Another device and type the name manually.
3. It'll appear on the clock. QR-code – scan it through the app (or enter a 6-digit PIN, if QR not displayed).
4. Confirm pairing on the phone and watch (on some models you need to press the button on the case).
5. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 5 minutes).

For Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro (on Wear OS):

1. Install the Wear OS app from Google.
2. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and watch.
3. In Wear OS, click Setup Device and select Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro.
4. Confirm the code on both devices.
5. Once connected, install Zepp Life for advanced health features.

Video instructions (if visualization is required):

For clarity, we recommend watching the official video from Xiaomi (available on the brand channel). QR-code – many users skip this step and try to connect only via Bluetooth, which leads to the error “Can not find the device".

💡

For models with NFC (e.g. Xiaomi Watch S2), activate the function in the watch settings before connecting: Settings → Contactless payments → Enable. This will allow you to use the watch to pay via Mi Pay after synchronization.

4. Notification setting and data synchronization

Once connected successfully, it’s time to set up notifications and integration with other services, a step that is often overlooked, leaving the watch with no incoming calls or messages.

How to enable notifications:

1. In Zepp Life, go to Device Profile → Notifications.
2. Activate the switch Enable notifications.
3. Select applications that must be duplicated on the clock (e.g. WhatsApp, Viber, Gmail).
4. On Android, check your phone settings further: Settings → Apps → Zepp Life → Notifications → Allow.

Synchronization with health services:

• 🏥 Google Fit: Go to Zepp Life Profile → Synchronization of data → Google Fit and connect your account.
• 🍏 Apple Health: the iPhone path is similar, but synchronized only steps, sleep and heart rate (data about training may not be transmitted).
• 🌍 Strava: Supported for Amazfit and Xiaomi Watch S3 through settings → Accounts → Strava.

Setting up the dials:

By default, Xiaomi watches offer 3-5 standard dials, but they can be replaced:

1. In Zepp Life, select Dials.
2. Check out the available options (there are both free and paid).
3. Click Install - the dial will load on the clock for 1-2 minutes.

⚠️ Note: On iPhone, dials with animation (such as the second hand) may slow down due to Apple's restrictions on the background of the applications.

💡

To ensure that call notifications are displayed with the subscriber’s name (not just the number), activate the “Show Contacts” option in the notification settings in Zepp Life.

5. Solving typical connection problems

Even if you follow the instructions accurately, you can have errors, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

If nothing helps:

• 🔄 Restart both devices (phone and clock).
• 📱 Remove and reinstall Zepp Life (sometimes the app cache interferes with the connection).
• 🔧 Update the watch firmware manually: Download the latest version of the software from the official website. Place the.bin file in the root of the phone's memory. In Zepp Life, select the firmware update. → Local file.

6. Additional settings: fitness tracker, payments, voice assistant

After basic setup, you can activate advanced features that make Xiaomi smartwatches truly “smart”.

Fitness and health:

• 🏃 Auto Tracking Training: In Zepp Life, enable Activity Auto Detection (recognizes walking, running, cycling).
• 💤 Sleep monitoring: activate a smart alarm clock – the clock will wake you up in the phase of light sleep.
• 🩺 Measurement SpO₂: available on Mi Band 7 Pro and later. Included in Settings → Health → Oxygen in the blood.