How to change the time on the fitness bracelet Xiaomi Mi Band 5 (M5): 3 proven ways

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet (codenamed M5) automatically syncs time with your smartphone via the Mi Fit or Zepp app. However, sometimes the watch on the device starts to lag, rush or even get knocked down — especially after resetting, changing the battery or connection issues. In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to change the time on the Mi Band 5, including forced synchronization, manual adjustment through hidden menus and solving typical errors.

It's important to understand that the wristband doesn't have its own interface for manually changing time (unlike a smartwatch), all the adjustments are made through a smartphone or special commands. If your Mi Band 5 is showing the wrong time, first check the phone's settings - that's what the accuracy of the display depends on. Next, we'll go through each method in detail, from the simplest to the most advanced.

1. Automatic time synchronization through Mi Fit/Zepp

The main way to update time on Mi Band 5 is to sync with the app, which works 90% of the time and doesn't require any technical skills.

1. Open the Mi Fit app (or Zepp for newer versions) on your smartphone.
2. Make sure the bracelet is connected to your phone via Bluetooth (the connection icon should be green).
3. Go to the Profile section → Your device. → Mi Smart Band 5.
4. Pull the screen down to update the data – this will trigger synchronization.

If the time is not updated, try the following steps:

• 🔄 Reset the bracelet: Press the touch button for 10 seconds until vibration appears.
• 📱 Update the app: Older versions of Mi Fit may not sync data correctly.
• 🔌 Enable automatic synchronization in the application settings (Profile) → Settings → Autosynchronization).

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If the bracelet is 1-2 minutes behind, the problem may be the time settings on the smartphone itself, check if the Automatic Date and Time option is enabled in the phone settings.

Synchronization usually takes 5-10 seconds. If the process is delayed, check the stability of the Internet connection - the application checks the time with Xiaomi servers.

1. In the app, go to Profile → Mi Smart Band 5.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Disable the device.
3. Reconnect the bracelet through Add the device.

2 Manual time change through hidden menu (for advanced)

The Mi Band 5 has a hidden engineering menu that allows you to force the time to update without syncing with your smartphone, which is suitable if the automatic synchronization is not working or the bracelet is not connected to the phone.

Instructions for entering the hidden menu:

Press the touch button on the bracelet for 5 seconds until the vibration appears |Swipe up the screen 3 times in a row |Push the touch button 2 times quickly |Select "Engineer Mode" (if the menu is in English) or "Engineer Mode" (if in Russian)

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In the engineering menu, look for the Time Settings section. Here you can:

• ⏱️ Manually Update Time: Select Sync Time and Confirm Action.
• 🌍 Change the time zone: if the bracelet shows the time of another region.
• 🔧 Resetting time settings: useful for constant failures.

After the change in the engineering menu, the bracelet will automatically restart. Check if the time has been updated. If the problem persists, move on to the next method.

3. Reset bracelet settings to correct time

If neither synchronization nor manual adjustment helps, it may be a software failure, in which case a complete reset of the bracelet to factory settings will help, all data (steps, pulse, alarm settings) will be deleted, but the problem with time is most often solved.

Resetting instructions:

1. Open on your smartphone Mi Fit or Zepp.
2. Go to Profile → Mi Smart Band 5 → Device settings.
3. Select Reset Settings (or Unpair in English).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.

After discharge:

• 🔗 Connect the bracelet to the phone again via Add the device.
• 🕒 Wait for automatic time synchronization (can take up to 1 minute).
• ⚙️ Set up the basic settings (alarm clocks, notifications, lock screen).

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If the time is still incorrect after the reset, the problem may lie in the firmware of the bracelet. Check the relevance of the software in the Profile → In-app software update. Outdated firmware often causes synchronization errors.

4.Time problems after battery replacement or repair

After battery replacement or repair, the Mi Band 5 may lose its time-reference, which is because when the power is turned off, the internal clock of the device resets, in which case the standard synchronization may not work and additional actions will be required.

What to do:

1. Connect the bracelet to charge for 30 minutes – sometimes this restores communication with Xiaomi servers.
2. Update your firmware through Mi Fit, even if the version seems relevant.
3. Use an alternative app, such as Notify & Fitness for Mi Band (available on Google Play), which allows you to force time synchronization.

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After the battery is replaced, the bracelet may require re-association with your Xiaomi account.Make sure you are logged in to the same account the device was previously linked to.

If the bracelet after repair does not turn on or does not respond to the connection, the problem may be damage to the contacts or controller. In this case, we recommend contacting the Xiaomi service center. Self-repair without experience can lead to final failure of the device.

5. Frequent errors and their solutions

We will analyze typical situations when the time on the Mi Band 5 is lost or not updated, and how to eliminate them.

If neither of these methods worked, try linking the bracelet to another smartphone. Sometimes the problem is with a particular phone model or Android/iOS version. For example, some Huawei devices with EMUI 12+ have problems syncing due to limitations in the background activity of the applications.

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On your iPhone, before connecting Mi Band 5, turn off Low Power Mode and allow Mi Fit to use Bluetooth in the background (Settings → Mi Fit → Bluetooth).

6. Alternative methods: third-party applications and ADB

For experienced users, there is an option to change the time on the Mi Band 5 via the ADB-This method is suitable if the standard methods do not work, but requires technical knowledge.

Instructions for ADB:

1. Install ADB Tools on your computer and connect your smartphone via USB (with debugging enabled).
2. Execute the command to force synchronization: adb shell am start -n com.xiaomi.hm.health/com.xiaomi.hm.health.SyncActivity
3. Reset the bracelet (press the button for 10 seconds).

Among the third-party applications for managing Mi Band 5 stand out:

• 📱 Tools & Mi Band – lets you manually set time and date.
• 🔧 Mi Band Master - Advanced Synchronization settings.
• ⚙️ Amazfit Bip & Mi Band – Support for Hidden Features.

Before using third-party utilities, disable the original Mi Fit app to avoid conflicts. Also make sure the app supports your bracelet model - some utilities only work with Mi Band 4 or Mi Band 6.

7.Time disruption prevention on Mi Band 5

To avoid future problems with time, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Regularly update the bracelet firmware through Mi Fit. Xiaomi releases patches that fix synchronization errors.
• 📶 Do not turn off Bluetooth on your smartphone for a long time – the bracelet loses communication with time servers.
• ⚡ Charge to 100% at least once a week – low charge can cause malfunctions.
• 🔄 Reload the bracelet once a month (press the button for 10 seconds).

If you travel frequently, turn on the Auto Time Zone option in your smartphone settings, which will allow the bracelet to automatically adjust to local time, and it is also useful to turn off battery savings for the Mi Fit app so that sync is done without delay.

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The most common cause of time failures is the conflict between the settings of the smartphone and the bracelet. Always check whether the time zone and the time format (12/24 hours) are the same on both devices.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions