Step-by-step connecting Xiaomi smart watches to a smartphone: from pairing to fine-tuning

Why Xiaomi Smart Watches Don’t Connect to Your Phone the First Time

Xiaomi smartwatches are among the most popular wearables on the market due to their combination of functionality and affordable price. However, even with proven gadgets such as the Mi Band 8, Redmi Watch 3 Active or Xiaomi Watch S3, users often face problems when connecting for the first time, due to the unobvious Bluetooth settings, conflicts with other applications or outdated software.

In this article, we will look at all the synchronization steps, from preparing your phone to solving common errors like “device not found” or “connection interrupted.” We will focus on the difference between Android and iPhone, since the pairing algorithms for these platforms are significantly different, and you will learn how to properly configure notifications, pedometers and other functions to make the watch work as efficiently as possible.

If you've tried to plug in a watch before and you've got a mistake, don't rush it to the factory settings, and 90 percent of the time, it's software-solved, without going to the service center, and we'll start with preparation.

Preparing the phone and watch for pairing

Before you start connecting, make sure your smartphone and watch meet the minimum requirements.

• 📱 Android 6.0+ or iOS 12.0+ (iPhone)
• 🔄 Bluetooth 4.2 or later (check in phone settings)
• 📶 Stable Internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data)
• 🔋 Charge the clock ≥ 20% (at low charge, the conjugation may be interrupted)

The phone must:

1. Remove old versions of Mi Fitness or Zepp Life (if they were installed earlier).
2. Turn off power saving mode for Bluetooth in the battery settings.
3. Temporarily disable VPN and antivirus – they can block the connection to Xiaomi servers.

💡

If you have an iPhone, turn on Settings → Privacy → Geolocation Services → Mi Fitness Always access before you connect. Without this, the watch will not be able to sync location data for training.

On the watch itself:

• 🔄 If the watch has already been paired with another phone, reset via Settings. → System system → Data resetting.
• 🔋 Make sure the watch is not in flight mode (on some models it is activated by a long press on the screen).
• 📱 Check the compatibility of the watch model with your phone on the official Xiaomi website.

Installation and configuration of the official application

To connect the Xiaomi watch, you need an official app, depending on the model, it can be:

• Mi Fitness is for the Mi Band and Redmi Watch budget models.
• Zepp Life – for Xiaomi Watch S2/S3 and premium devices.
• Xiaomi Wear – for some regional versions (for example, for the Indian market).

Download the application from official sources:

After installation:

1. Launch the app and sign up (or sign in) through your Xiaomi, Google, or Apple ID account.
2. Provide all permissions requested: Location access, Notifications, Contacts (for calls).
3. In the main menu, click Add Device and select your watch model.

Install the latest version of Mi Fitness/Zepp Life|Register with your Xiaomi account|Enable Bluetooth and geolocation|Remove old paired devices from the clock memory-->

Step-by-step instructions for connecting

When the app is ready, we start pairing. The algorithm is the same for most models, but there are nuances for the iPhone and older versions of Android.

For Android:

1. Open Mi Fitness and click Add Device → Select your model.
2. It'll appear on the clock. QR-Scan it through the app (or enter it). PIN-manual code if QR misspelled).
3. Confirm pairing on the phone and on the clock (click the tick on the device screen).
4. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 5 minutes).

For the iPhone:

1. In Mi Fitness, select Add Device and follow the instructions.
2. At the connection stage, go to the iPhone Settings → Bluetooth and find the watch in the device list. Confirm the pairing.
3. On your iPhone, be sure to turn on notifications for the Mi Fitness app in Settings → Notifications, otherwise the clock won’t vibrate when calling and texting.
4. Once connected, return to the app and wait for a firmware update (if available).

If the process is suspended during the "Connection" stage:

• 🔄 Re-launch the Mi Fitness app.
• 📱 Check if the connection is blocked by an antivirus (e.g. Avast or Kaspersky).
• 🔋 Make sure the clock is not running out during the process.

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On your iPhone, after you connect, be sure to allow the Mi Fitness app to access Bluetooth and Local Network in your privacy settings. Without that, the watch won’t be able to sync training data.

Configure notifications and basic functions

Once the connection is successful, you need to configure notifications and basic clock settings, which is done in the Device Profile section of the Mi Fitness app.

Notifications:

• 📱 Select applications that will duplicate notifications on the clock (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail).
• 🔔 Set the vibration: in the Notifications menu → Vibration can be selected by intensity and pattern.
• 📵 Turn on Do Not Disturb mode for sleep (automatically disable notifications from 23:00 to 7:00).

Fitness functions:

• 🏃‍♂️ Activate automatic training recognition in Settings → Monitoring of activity.
• ❤️‍🔥 Set your target pulse for exercise (zones: fat burning, cardio, peak load).
• 😴 Turn on sleep and daytime stress monitoring (available on Mi Band) 7/8 Xiaomi Watch S3).

For GPS models (e.g. Xiaomi Watch S3):

1. Enable the synchronization of location data in Settings → GPS.
2. Calibrate the compass for accuracy (instructions in the spoiler below).

If notifications do not arrive:

⚠️ Attention: On Android 12+ iOS 15+ The default apps are not allowed to show notifications in the background. → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Notifications and enable the option to Allow background activity.

Solving Typical Connection Errors

Even when you set it up properly, users are faced with errors, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

If the clock is switched on but is permanently switched off:

• 🔄 On Android, turn off Adaptive Battery Savings for the Mi Fitness app.
• 📱 On iPhone, check if the connection is blocking the Low Data Consumption function (in mobile network settings).
• 🔋 If the clock is discharged too quickly, turn off constant monitoring of heart rhythm in the background.

⚠️ Note: If after updating the firmware clock stopped synchronizing, reset through Settings → System system → Reset the data but don't restore the backup - it could return the error.Plug the watch as a new device.

Optimizing the hours after connection

To ensure that the clock is stable and not discharged in a day, follow these tips:

Battery savings:

• 🔋 Turn off the wrist lift to activate the screen (saves up to 20% charge).
• 🌙 Use dark dials on the AMOLED-screens (for example, on Xiaomi Watch) S3).
• ⏱ Reduce your pulse rate to every 10 minutes (instead of constant monitoring).

Thin tuning:

• 🎵 Download additional dials via Mi Fitness → Dials (there are animated and thematic options).
• 🔊 Configure quick responses to messages (available on Xiaomi Watch) S2/S3).
• 🏠 Activate Mi Home Smart Home control right from the clock (if you have compatible devices).

For Mi Band 8 owners:

Synchronization with other services:

Xiaomi watches can be integrated with:

• 🏃 Google Fit (for Android) – training data will be duplicated.
• 🍎 Apple Health (for iPhone) – synchronization of steps, sleep and pulse.
• 🌍 Strava – Automatic loading of training.

To enable synchronization:

1. In Mi Fitness, go to Profile → Settings → Data Synchronization.
2. Choose the service and log in.
3. Set the synchronization frequency (every hour is recommended).

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Xiaomi smartwatches