How to connect Xiaomi Smart Band 8 to a smartphone: full instructions with pictures and tips

The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 fitness bracelet has become one of the most popular health monitoring gadgets thanks to its combination of affordable prices, stylish design and advanced features. However, many users face difficulties already at the stage of first connecting to a phone. In this article, we will discuss not only the standard pairing procedure through the official Mi Fitness application, but also the nuances for different operating systems, possible errors and ways to fix them.

The Smart Band 8 feature is support for both Android and iOS, but the connection and configuration algorithm may differ, for example, on an iPhone you will need to pre-allow manual notifications, and on Android devices you sometimes have to manually turn on Bluetooth Low Energy. We will also explain how to avoid common problems such as the “invisibility” of the bracelet in the list of devices or sync failures after a firmware update.

1.What you need to connect Xiaomi Smart Band 8

Before you start pairing, make sure you have everything you need. Here's the minimum set:

• 📱 Smartphone on Android 6.0+ or iOS 12.0+ Bluetooth 5.0 support (recommended)
• 🔋 Xiaomi Smart Band 8 with a charge level of at least 20% (at low charge, the bracelet may not appear in the list of devices)
• 🌐 Stable Internet connection (for downloading the application and updating the bracelet firmware)
• 📲 The official Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit) – downloadable from Google Play or App Store

If you have an Android smartphone, check the Bluetooth version in settings: go to Settings → About Phone → Bluetooth Version. For Smart Band 8, version 5.0 or higher is optimal - this guarantees stable communication and minimal battery consumption of the bracelet. On iPhone, the Bluetooth version does not matter, since Apple uses a unified protocol.

Important! If you are upgrading from Smart Band 7 or older, remove the old version of the Mi Fit app and install Mi Fitness – it supports all current Xiaomi devices, including Band 8. Data from the old app will be transferred automatically when you first sign in to a new account.

2. Installation and configuration of the Mi Fitness application

The official Mi Fitness app is the only way to fully connect and configure the Xiaomi Smart Band 8.

For Android:

1. Open the Mi Fitness page on Google Play and click "Install".
2. After installation, launch the application and allow all the permissions requested: 📍 Geolocation (for accurate jogging tracking) 📱 Notifications (to display incoming calls and messages on the bracelet) 📁 Storage (for export of training data)

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For iOS (iPhone):

1. Go to the App Store and download Mi Fitness.
2. After installation, open the application and allow: 🔔 Notifications (manually in iPhone Settings) → Mi Fitness → Notifications) 🔗 Bluetooth (required for pairing) 🏃 Health (optional, to synchronize data with Apple Health)

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If the app doesn’t open after installation, check if it blocks antivirus or system security settings. Android may need to allow installation from unknown sources (if APK is not downloaded from Google Play).

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On the iPhone, after installing Mi Fitness, restart your phone – this will help avoid Bluetooth connection problems in the early stages.

3. Step-by-step instructions for connecting Smart Band 8

Now, to the process of pairing, follow the instructions carefully to avoid errors.

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone. On Android, you can do this through the Quick Settings Panel or in Settings → Connections → Bluetooth. On iPhone, in Settings → Bluetooth.
2. Press the touch button on the Smart Band 8 for 3 seconds to turn on the bracelet. the Mi logo will appear on the screen.
3. Open Mi Fitness and click "Add device" (+ icon in the upper right corner).
4. In the list of devices, select "Bracelet" → "Smart Band 8".
5. Bring the bracelet to the phone at a distance less than 10 See and wait for the name Mi Band to appear 8_XXXX It's in the list of available devices.
6. Confirm the pairing on the bracelet by touching the touch button when a tick appears on the screen.
7. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 2 minutes).

If the bracelet is not listed, try:

• 🔄 Reboot Bluetooth on your phone (turn off/on).
• 🔋 Reboot Smart Band 8 (press the button 10 seconds before vibration).
• 📱 Delete the cache of the Mi Fitness app (on Android: Settings) → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Warehouse → Clear the cache).

- Bracelet charge > 20%

- Bluetooth on the phone.

Mi Fitness installed and updated

The bracelet is located next to the phone (< 10 cm)

- No active VPN firewall-->

Critical feature: Xiaomi Smart Band 8 supports simultaneous connection to only one device. If the bracelet was previously paired with another phone, it must first turn off in the settings of the previous device or reset to factory settings (see section 6).

4.Initial setting of the bracelet after connection

Once paired successfully, Mi Fitness will suggest you to perform the initial setup, and let’s look at the key steps:

1. Update: If a new version of the software is available, the app will prompt you to install it. Do not interrupt the process, this can cause the bracelet to fail. It takes 3-5 minutes to update, the bracelet will reboot automatically.
2. Set up notifications: In the Device Profile → Notifications section, select the applications whose alerts will be duplicated on the bracelet (calls, SMS, instant messengers). On iPhone, additionally allow notifications in the system settings.
3. Personal data: Specify your height, weight, age and gender – this is necessary for accurate calorie and step counting. The data can be changed later to Profile → Personal information.
4. Dials: In Screen → Dials, select screen design. Free options are limited, but you can download additional ones through the Mi Band Master (an informal app).

Once set up, we recommend you turn on automatic synchronization in Bracelet Settings → Data Synchronization, which will allow the bracelet to update statistics every 30 minutes without manually starting.

5. Common Problems and Their Solutions

Even with the right connection, users often encounter errors, and we've collected the most common problems and ways to fix them.

If after all the manipulations the bracelet does not connect, try:

• 📲 Remove the bracelet from the list of conjugate devices in the Bluetooth settings of the phone.
• 🔄 Reinstall the Mi Fitness app.
• 📡 Connect to the bracelet from another phone to check its performance.

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If the bracelet is connected but the data is not synchronized, check the date and time on the phone – incorrect settings can block data exchange with Xiaomi servers.

6. Additional settings and chips Smart Band 8

After the basic setup, you can activate the hidden features of Smart Band 8, which make it even more useful:

• 🎵 Music Management: Include bracelet settings → Managing music to switch tracks straight from the bracelet (works with Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music).
• 🔍 Phone Search: Activate in Settings → Phone search – the bracelet will vibrate when the phone is removed more than 10 meters away.
• 💤 Sleep monitoring: Turn on sleep modes → Smart monitoring for automatic sleep phase tracking (without manual triggering).
• 🏋️ Autodefinition of training: In Settings → Training. → Select the types of activity (walking, running, cycling) that the bracelet will recognize automatically.

For advanced users, Mi Fitness has a hidden developer mode to activate:

1. Open Profile. → The bracelet.
2. Slap 5 times on the firmware version number.
3. Return to the main menu – a new section will appear for developers with advanced log and debugging settings.

Attention! Do not change the settings in developer mode unnecessarily - this can cause malfunctions in the bracelet.

7 How to disconnect Smart Band 8 from your phone

If you want to connect the bracelet to another device or sell it, you first need to untie it properly from your current phone, and you can do this in two ways:

Method 1: Through the Mi Fitness app

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to Profile → Your Device.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Untie the device".
3. Confirm the action – the bracelet will be removed from your account.

Method 2: Reset the bracelet to factory settings

If you do not have access to the phone or application:

1. On the bracelet, go to Settings → System → Reset (scroll the screen with swipes).
2. Confirm the reset by touching the tick.
3. The bracelet will reset and be ready for a new connection.

After untie, all data from the bracelet will be deleted, including training history and dial settings, but the statistics in the Mi Fitness account will remain.

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If you are selling a bracelet, remember to log out of your Xiaomi account in the Mi Fitness app on your phone – this will prevent the new owner from accessing your data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi Smart Band 8