Transferring Xiaomi smartwatches to another phone: full instructions with solutions to typical problems

Switching to a new smartphone is always an exciting process, especially if you are actively using the Xiaomi ecosystem. Band/Xiaomi Watch stores data about your activity, sleep and health, and losing that information can be a nasty surprise. Fortunately, moving your device to another phone is a doable, but nuanced, task.

The main difficulty is that the manufacturer did not provide a direct mechanism for “moving” the gadget between accounts, the clock is tied to the phone through the application Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit), and simply connect them to the new device will not work. In this article, we will analyze a unique algorithm for the models of 2020-2026, which will help to save the history of data and avoid synchronization errors.

It’s important to understand that the procedure is different depending on whether you stay in the Xiaomi ecosystem (for example, switch from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14) or change the platform (from Android to iPhone or vice versa).

1.Preparation for the transfer: what to do before turning off the clock

Before you break the connection between your watch and your old phone, take a few critical steps to keep you from losing data and make it easier to connect.

Step 1. Sync all the data in the Mi Fitness app. Open it, wait for the sync to complete (the cloud icon in the upper right corner should stop rotating).

• 📊 Sleep statistics for the last 30 days
• 🏃 Data on training and steps
• ❤️ Measurements of pulse and stress levels
• 🔋 Information about battery charge (useful for diagnostics)

Step 2: Export history manually. Unfortunately, Mi Fitness doesn't support full-fledged exports to.csv or.json, but you can take screenshots of key screens or use third-party services like Google Fit to duplicate data.

1. In Mi Fitness, go to Profile → Settings → Accounts and Sync.
2. Connect Google Fit or Apple Health (for iOS).
3. Start synchronization and wait until it is completed.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Xiaomi Watch S3 or more recently, ECG data and SpO₂ They are not transferred to third-party services due to manufacturer restrictions, and can only be saved through screenshots.

Synchronize data in Mi Fitness|Exporting History to Google Fit/Apple Health|Record the current version of the watch firmware|Check the battery charge (minimum) 50%)|Remove the watch from the list of trusted devices in the phone settings-->

2. Uncoupling smart watches from old phone: step-by-step algorithm

Now you need to properly break the connection between the watch and the previous smartphone. You can’t just delete the application, this will lead to “hang” of the clock in the memory of Xiaomi servers, and connect them to the new phone will be more difficult.

Instructions for Android:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to Profile → My Devices.
2. Select your watch (e.g. Mi Band 8 or Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro).
3. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Remove the device.
4. Confirm the action and wait for notification of successful unbundling.

For iPhone, the process is similar, but after removing the device, you need to additionally:

• 🔄 Restart the clock (press the power button for 10 seconds).
• 📱 Go to the iPhone Settings → Bluetooth and forget about Mi Band device.
• 🗑️ Remove the cache of the Mi Fitness app in iOS settings.

⚠️ Warning: If the watch does not turn on or react to touch after unbending, connect them to charging on the 30 Mi Band models. 7/8 They may go into “sleep mode” when the connection is broken.

Mi Band 7/8|Xiaomi Watch S2/S3|Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro|Redmi Watch 3|Another model-->

3. Connecting the clock to a new phone: nuances for Android and iOS

The process of connecting to a new device depends on the operating system. Let's look at both.

For Android:

1. Install the latest version of Mi Fitness from Google Play.
2. Sign in to the same Xiaomi account as your old phone.
3. Turn on Bluetooth and geolocation (required!).
4. In the app, click Add Device and select a model of your watch.
5. Follow the instructions on the screen. The watch should vibrate when connected successfully.

For iOS: the algorithm is similar, but there are critical differences:

• 📱 The Mi Fitness app on the iPhone has a stripped-down functionality, for example, for the Xiaomi Watch. S3 Some screen settings are not available.
• 🔗 You may need to reset your watch to factory settings (press the button for 20 seconds before the Mi logo appears).
• 🔄 After connecting, synchronize data manually through Profile → Synchronize.

If the clock is not set, check:

• 🔋 Charge level (minimum 30%).
• 📶 Internet connection stability (necessary for authorization).
• 🛠️ The firmware version of the watch (update through Settings) → About the device).

4. Data transfer between accounts: can history be saved?

One of the most painful issues is keeping your activity history when you change your Xiaomi account, and unfortunately, there are no official tools to do that, but there are workarounds.

Method 1. Synchronization via Google Fit (for Android):

1. On an old phone, connect Mi Fitness to Google Fit.
2. Wait for full synchronization (can take up to 24 hours).
3. On your new phone, log in to Google Fit and connect Mi Fitness to it.
4. Run manual synchronization in both applications.

Method 2: Manual export through screenshots (universally):

• 📸 Take screenshots of all key screens in Mi Fitness (sleep statistics, exercise, pulse).
• 📁 Save them to the cloud (Google Photos, iCloud).
• 📊 Use services like Excel or Google Sheets to manually enter data.

⚠️ Note: When you change your Xiaomi account region (e.g. from Russia to Europe), your activity history is completely reset.

5. Solving typical connection errors

Even with the right instructions, there can be failures, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Error 1: "I failed to connect to the device"

• 🔄 Restart the clock and phone.
• 📱 Remove the watch from the list of Bluetooth devices in the phone settings.
• 🛠️ Update the firmware of the watch through Settings → About the device → Update of the PO.
• 📡 Check if the connection is blocked by antivirus or VPN.

Error 2: "Device not supported" (on iOS)

This error occurs if:

• 📱 iOS version below 15.0 (update phone).
• 🛠️ The firmware of the watch is outdated (update via Android).
• 🌍 Xiaomi’s account region does not match the App Store region.

Error 3: The clock is connected but not synchronized

The problem is often related to:

• 📶 Unstable Internet (switch to Wi-Fi).
• ⏳ Large data volume (synchronization can take up to an hour).
• 🔋 Discharged battery (connect the watch to charging).

💡

If the Mi Band 8 watch is not detected after reset, try connecting it to your phone via the Mi Home app (temporarily).

6. Features for specific watch models

Some Xiaomi models have unique connectivity nuances. Let's look at the most popular.

Mi Band 7/8:

• 🔄 To reset, press the touch button 15 seconds before vibration.
• 📱 Supports fast connection through NFC (Android only).
• ⚡ Require firmware updates when switching to iOS.

Xiaomi Watch S3:

• 🎯 It has dual Bluetooth (5.2). + BLE), What can cause conflicts with certain phones.
• 🔋 When connecting to your iPhone, turn off battery optimization for the Mi Fitness app.

Redmi Watch 3:

• 📶 Have problems connecting to Android 13 phones+ because of the outdated protocol.
• 🔄 Solution: Update your firmware via Mi Fitness to version 1.4.5.8 or higher.
• ⚠️ Do not support ECG on iOS.

💡

For Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and newer models, be sure to use the original charger when you first connect to a new phone. Non-original cables can block sync due to an authentication error.

7. Alternative methods of connection (if nothing works)

If the standard methods don’t work, try one of these methods.

Method 1. Connection via Mi Home

1. Install the Mi Home app and log in.
2. Click Add Device → Wearable Devices.
3. Select a watch model and follow the instructions.
4. Once connected, return to Mi Fitness and sync the data.

Method 2: Notify for Mi Band (for iOS)

This third-party app supports more features than the official one:

• 📱 Download Notify for Mi Band from the App Store.
• 🔗 Connect the watch through Settings → Connect Band.
• 🛠️ Set up notifications and sync manually.

Method 3: Hand-held firmware through ADB (advanced)

If the watch freezes after reset, you can reflash it through Android Debug Bridge:

adb devices


adb shell am start -n com.xiaomi.hm.health/com.xiaomi.hm.health.device.AddDeviceActivity

This method requires an unlocked bootloader on the phone and experience with the ADB.

8 Frequently Asked Questions