How to connect Xiaomi smart watch to your smartphone: full instruction 2026

Xiaomi smartwatches are not just an accessory, but a full-fledged assistant for tracking health, managing notifications and even paying for purchases. However, many users face difficulties already at the connection stage: the gadget does not find the phone, the application gives an error, or synchronization is interrupted. This article will help avoid typical errors and set up the watch as efficiently as possible, regardless of the model – whether it is Mi Band 8, Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro or Redmi Watch 3 Active.

We'll look at not only basic synchronization via Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit), but also alternative connectivity, common issues, and hidden features that are not covered in official instructions. For example, did you know that some Xiaomi models can be connected to an iPhone without losing functionality? Or that there is a way to bypass Mi Account registration for Chinese versions of watches?

If you've just unpacked a new watch and you see a Pair device or a flashing Bluetooth icon on your screen, don't rush to hit the buttons at random. The right sequence of actions will save you hours of reconnection and resetting. And for owners of the Xiaomi Watch. S3 Mi Band 7 Pro we have added some customization recommendations GPS and NFC — These functions often work incorrectly on the first connection.

1.Preparation for connection: what to do before synchronization

Before you start pairing your watch with your phone, make sure all the preconditions are met, and ignoring them is the main cause of 70% of connection errors.

Requirements for a smartphone:

• 📱 Operating system: Android 6.0 or newer / iOS 12.0 or newer. On older versions, Mi Fitness may not install or work with restrictions.
• 🔄 Bluetooth: version 4.2 or higher, check in the phone settings (Settings) → The phone. → Bluetooth version).
• 📶 Internet: stable Wi-Fi or mobile network connection (needed to download the watch firmware).
• 🔋 Battery charge: at least 50% on the watch, at least 30% on the phone, and at a charge level below 20%, some models (e.g. Xiaomi Watch) S2) refuse to synchronize.

Watch requirements:

• ⏱️ The watch must be unlocked (unless this is the first setup). To reset, hold the power button 10-15 seconds before vibration.
• 🔄 Turn on pairing mode: Most models need to swipe down the screen and select the Pair device or hold the touch button for 3 seconds.
• 📦 Make sure the watch has the latest firmware installed.Outdated versions of the software may conflict with new Mi Fitness versions.

If you connect a Xiaomi watch to an iPhone, note that the functionality will be limited.

• ❌ Notifications from third-party applications (except calls and SMS).
• ❌ Managing music on the phone.
• ❌ Some widgets (such as weather or calendar).

⚠️ Note: If you bought a watch in China or on AliExpress without global firmware, you may need to change the region in Mi Fitness settings before connecting, otherwise the watch will show time in Beijing time zone, and steps will be counted with an error of up to 30%.

2. Installation and configuration of the Mi Fitness application

The official Xiaomi watch management app is Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit and Zepp Life), which is free to download:

• 🤖 For Android: Google Play.
• 🍎 For iOS: App Store.

After installation, follow the following steps:

1. Open Mi Fitness and select the language (we recommend Russian or English).
2. Click Sign up or Sign in if you already have a Mi Account. Without registration, some features will not be available (for example, sync data to the cloud).
3. Fill out the profile: gender, age, weight and height, and these are the data you need to correctly calculate calories and pulse zones.
4. Allow all application requests: access to geolocation, notifications, contacts and storage.

If you already have a Xiaomi account but the app doesn’t accept the password:

• Try to reset your password through the official website.
• Make sure you enter data from your Mi Account, not from your Google or Apple account. ID.
• If you use two-factor authentication, check it out. SMS or email to the confirmation code.

⚠️ Note: When registering for a new Mi Account, use a real email, otherwise you will not be able to restore access to the data if the clock is reset or lost. VPN When registering, this can block the account.

After entering the application, click on the icon + In the top right corner, select Add device. In the list, find your watch model (e.g. Xiaomi Watch). S3) If your model is not listed, upgrade to the latest version of the Mi Fitness or try to choose a similar model (for example, for Redmi Watch 3, the Mi Watch Lite profile will suit).

Install Mi Fitness|Registering for Mi Account|Allow all requests of the application|Charge the clock to 50%+|Turn on Bluetooth on your phone-->

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

When the app and the watch are ready, we start pairing. The instructions are universal for most models, but for some devices (for example, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro) there is a nuance - they are listed separately.

Step 1: Activation of the pairing mode on the clock

• On the new watch, the mode will turn on automatically at the first start.
• If the watch has already been used, swipe down the screen and select the Pair device (or hold the touch button for 3 seconds).
• It'll appear on the clock screen. QR-code.

Step 2: Find the device in Mi Fitness

1. In the Mi Fitness app, click Add Device → Choose your model.
2. Press Hide and wait until the phone finds the clock: 🔄 Reboot Bluetooth on your phone (turn off and turn on again). 📱 Make sure that the watch and phone are no more than 1 meter apart. 🚫 Close all background apps that may use Bluetooth (e.g. Spotify or Google Maps).

Step 3: Confirmation of connection

• A confirmation code (e.g., 123456) will appear on the phone screen.
• The clock should show the same combination. If the codes match, click Confirm on both devices.
• If the codes don't match, restart the pairing process.

Step 4: Update the firmware

Once the device is successfully connected, Mi Fitness will suggest updating the watch firmware. Don't ignore this notification, as outdated software can cause sensor or notification malfunctions.

• 🔄 Click Update and wait until the process is complete (usually takes 5-10 minutes).
• ⚡ Do not turn off Bluetooth or leave the app during the update.
• 📱 Make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi – upgrades via mobile internet may be interrupted.

For models with NFC (For example, Xiaomi Watch S3) After updating the firmware, you may need to additionally configure contactless payments:

1. Open Mi Fitness. → Device profile → NFC.
2. Follow the instructions for linking a bank card (Mir, Visa, Mastercard are supported).
3. Check the work by bringing the watch to the payment terminal (for example, in a store).

4. Notification setting and data synchronization

Once connected, it’s time to set up notifications and syncs so that the watch shows incoming calls, messages and health data.

How to enable notifications:

1. In Mi Fitness, choose your watch. → Notifications.
2. Activate the Incoming Calls and Messages switch.
3. Click Notification Management and select the apps you want to see on your watch (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail).
4. For Android: in the phone settings go to the Applications → Mi Fitness → Notifications and allow display of notifications.

Problems with notifications and their solutions:

Synchronization of health data:

To ensure that the clock correctly tracks heart rate, sleep and activity, follow the following settings:

• 🩺 In Mi Fitness go to Profile → Health data and current parameters (weight, height, age).
• 🏃 Enable Auto-Tracking Activity (located in device settings).
• 💤 To accurately track sleep, wear for at least 4 hours straight before bedtime.
• ❤️ To reduce the error of the pulsemeter, tightly fasten the clock on the wrist (2-3 fingers above the bone).

⚠️ WARNING: If you use a watch to track oxygen in your blood (SpO2), Note that readings may be inaccurate when moving or having low arm temperature. For accurate measurements, sit still for 5 minutes before measurement.

💡

If notifications come with a delay, try turning off the power saving mode for the Mi Fitness app in the phone settings. On Xiaomi smartphones, it is done like this: Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime → Annexes → Find Mi Fitness and select Without Limits.

5. Alternative ways of connecting (without Mi Fitness)

Not everyone likes the official Mi Fitness app — it can slow down, not support some features, or collect extra data. Fortunately, there are alternatives.

1. Notify & Fitness app (for Android)

This third-party app supports most Xiaomi models and offers advanced settings:

• 🔔 Flexible notification settings (you can choose which apps to show and which ones not).
• 📊 Detailed statistics on steps, sleep and pulse.
• 🔧 Ability to change the synchronization frequency (e.g. every 5 minutes instead of the standard 30).

Download it to Google Play, and you’ll need to disable Mi Fitness and allow Notify & Fitness to access Bluetooth and notifications.

2. Gadgetbridge (for Android, open source)

It's an open source application that doesn't require registration and doesn't send data to the cloud.

Cons: No support NFC and some new models (for example, Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro.

3. Connect via Apple Health (for iPhone)

If you use an iPhone, you can sync your data to Apple Health:

Note: sync only works one way – from Mi Fitness to Apple Health, but not the other way around.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party applications (e.g. Notify & Fitness), the step counter may get lost, due to a data conflict between the two programs. To avoid this, disable automatic synchronization in Mi Fitness.

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The side of the application (such as Gadgetbridge) is suitable for power users, but may deprive you of guarantees. Official Mi Fitness software remains the most stable option for most tasks.

6. Solving common connection problems

Even if you set it up properly, you can have errors, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

1.The watch does not find the phone (or vice versa)

• 🔄 Reboot both devices.
• 📱 Make sure your phone is Bluetooth enabled and geolocated (required for some models).
• 🚫 Check if the watch is connected to another device. If so, reset it to factory settings.
• 🔧 Update Mi Fitness and Watch Firmware.

2. "Cannot connect to the device" error

This error often occurs due to:

• 🌐 Unstable Internet connection (check Wi-Fi or mobile network).
• 🔒 Block Mi Fitness with firewall or antivirus (turn them off temporarily).
• 🕒 Time Differences Between Watches and Phone (Sync Time Manually).

3.The clock is connected but not synchronized

4.The clock is constantly off

If the connection is broken in a few minutes:

• 🔋 Check the battery power on both devices.
• 📶 Make sure there are no obstacles between the watch and the phone (walls, metal objects).
• 🔄 Reconnect the watch to Mi Fitness (Device Profile) → Shut down. → Reconnect).

5.After the firmware update, the clock does not work

If the watch has stopped or stopped turning on after the update:

1. Connect the watch to charging and wait 10-15 minutes.
2. Press and hold the power button for 20-30 seconds to force reboot.
3. If it doesn’t work, reset through Mi Fitness (Device Profile) → Resetting settings).

7. Optimization of the hours after connection

To keep your watch stable and long, follow these guidelines:

1. Battery setup

• 🔋 Turn off the permanent pulse meter if you don’t need it (saves up to 30% charge).
• 🌙 Turn on Sleep Mode at Night – This Reduces Battery Consumption.
• 🔄 Update your firmware regularly: New versions often optimize power consumption.

Customization of dials

Standard dials get bored quickly, to set a new one:

1. In Mi Fitness, select the Device Profile → Dials.
2. Choose your favorite version from the collection or download yours through Amazon Watch Faces (for Android).
3. For models with Always-On Display (such as the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro), select a dial that supports this mode.

3. Adjustment of sports regimes

To ensure that the watch tracks the training:

• 🏃 In Mi Fitness, add frequently used sports to Favorites.
• 🎯 For running and cycling, turn on GPS (if the model supports).
• 📊 After a workout, check the data in the application – if the reading is clearly incorrect (for example, 10,000 steps in 10 minutes), reset the meter and repeat the workout.

4. Security and confidentiality

• 🔒 If you are selling or transferring a watch, be sure to reset through your Device Profile. → Resetting settings.
• 📱 Disable Mi Fitness access to contacts if you don’t use the call notification feature.
• 🌐 For models with NFC Set up the screen lock on the clock ( PIN-code).

💡

If you're a swimmer, check to see if your model is waterproof before diving. For example, Xiaomi Watch S3 5-proof ATM (It can withstand pressure up to 50 meters, and the Mi Band 8 can withstand only 1. ATM (spray-proof).

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)