The situation of lifting your wrist to check the time and the fitness tracker showing completely different numbers is familiar to many users of the Xiaomi ecosystem. Most often it happens after changing the time zone while traveling or after reinstalling the companion app on a new smartphone. Fortunately, unlike a mechanical watch, you don't need to twist the winding head here, since all the synchronization takes place in the digital space.
The basic principle of the Mi Band and Smart Band trackers is that they do not have their own independent real-time watch with long-term battery power in the classic sense. The device receives current time and date data exclusively from the connected smartphone via a Bluetooth channel. Which is why if your phone has a time shot down or the wrong region is exposed, the bracelet will inevitably copy this error.
In this guide, we'll not only break down the standard synchronization algorithm, but also delve into the subtle settings that are often hidden from the eyes of the average user: how to forcefully update data, what to do when desynchronizing, and how to configure time mapping in a 12- or 24-hour format, and understanding these processes will help you avoid wasting battery and nerves.
The principle of time synchronization in the Xiaomi ecosystem
Fundamentally, it's important to understand that the tracker itself can't "know" the exact time without outside help. It has a simple timer inside it that counts seconds, but it doesn't automatically adjust for leap years or daylight saving time without an outside command. The main conductor is the Mi Fitness app (formerly known as Zepp Life) or Xiaomi Wear.
When you open an app on your smartphone, it first connects to the company's servers to get the time, and then it transmits that data to the wearable device. If Bluetooth is turned off at that point or the connection is unstable, the bracelet will continue to show the old time it "remembered" in the last successful synchronization, which is the basic mechanism on which the entire logic of the gadget works.
⚠️ Note: If you have changed your region of residence, but the phone has an old time zone in your settings, the bracelet will show the time of your old place of residence, even if the Internet on your phone works correctly.
There's also a nuance to the time format. Many users are confused as to why the screen is displayed at 14:00 and they're used to 2:00 PM, or vice versa. This is governed by the system settings of the smartphone itself, which are broadcast to the accessory. In rare cases, when the firmware of the bracelet has bugs, it can ignore the system format of the phone, requiring manual intervention through the app menu.
Technical details of the synchronization protocol
Basic setup via Mi Fitness and Zepp Life app
To control most modern models, such as the Mi Smart Band 7, 8 or 9, and earlier versions, the Mi Fitness application is used. The time setting process here is as automated as possible, but requires a certain sequence of actions. First of all, make sure that the bracelet is charged at least 20% and is within a radius of 5-10 meters from the phone.
Go to the app and go to the Device tab. At the top of the screen, the connection status and the current time that is broadcast to the bracelet are usually displayed. If the phone time is correct and the bracelet is not, just pull the device list down for the update (swipe down), which initiates forced synchronization of all data, including the clock and calendar.
For older users who use the Zepp Life app (formerly Mi Fit), the algorithm is similar. You need to go to the device profile, where synchronization is also available. It is important to note that in some firmware versions, the time format setting (12/24 hours) may not be in the general settings of the phone, but directly in the app menu.
☑️ Checklist of correct synchronization
It is often the case that the visual update on the phone screen is instantaneous, but the numbers on the wrist change with a delay of 10-20 seconds.This is the normal behavior of the energy-saving Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, which prioritizes keeping the tracker battery charge over the speed of data packets.
Solving Time Dissynchronization Problems
Despite the mechanisms that have been worked out, there is sometimes a failure in which time on the bracelet is lagging or in a hurry. One of the common reasons is the aggressive energy saving in the Android operating system. The system can "kill" the background process of the Mi Fitness application, which causes constant background time synchronization to stop.
To fix this, you need to go to your smartphone settings, find the Apps section, select Mi Fitness, and go to Battery or Energy, and set Unlimited mode or allow auto-start, which will allow the app to constantly communicate with the wristband and adjust the time in the background even if the phone screen is off.
Another common problem is that you can desynchronize after you update the firmware on the bracelet itself, and in the process of updating the device, it reboots, and if you lose communication with the phone at that point, the timer can get lost, and in this situation, you can completely re-tether the device.
⚠️ Warning: Before you unbundle your device, make sure you remember the password from your Mi Account, as after a reset, the device may request owner confirmation to protect against theft.
If the software methods don't work, try the hard method. Untie the device in the app (Forget the device), then click "Forget this device" in the Bluetooth settings of the phone. After that, reset the bracelet to factory settings through the menu of the tracker itself (usually the System partition or More -> Unbind or Factory Reset).
Setting up the format of time and time zones
The issue of displaying time (AM/PM or 24-hour format) often confuses users, since a separate button "Time Format" in the bracelet application may not be. The logic of the Xiaomi system is tied to the system settings of the smartphone operating system. If the phone in the "Date and time" section is selected 24-hour format, then the Mi Band bracelet should display a similar format.
However, there are exceptions for some regions and firmware versions. The Zepp Life app sometimes has a separate "Time Format" switch in your device profile. If you change the settings on your phone but the bracelet continues to show a 12-hour format, try changing the language of your smartphone system. Switching from Russian to English and back sometimes triggers updating configuration files on your device.
Time zones are more complicated, and when traveling, the bracelet does not automatically switch when crossing the border unless the phone is automatically switching over the network, and it is recommended that you manually set the time of the country of arrival on the phone before flying, and then sync it through the app.
Below is a table of matching settings for different models and applications to make it easier for you to navigate:
| Model of the device | Annex | time-source | Manual setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Band 4-9 | Mi Fitness / Zepp Life | Automatically from the phone | No (only via phone) |
| Mi Watch Lite | Mi Fitness | Automatically from the phone | No. |
| Amazfit Bip | Zepp Life | Automatically from the phone | It's in the profile settings. |
| Mi Watch S1 | Mi Fitness | Automatically from the phone | No. |
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When traveling through several time zones on the plane, turn on the "In the plane" mode on the bracelet so that it does not try to catch the signal and does not land, and manually update the time immediately after landing and turning on the phone.
Problems with displaying time on different dials
Users often encounter a situation where time is only knocked down on a particular dial (dial), while the clock is running correctly on the system menu.This indicates an error in the cache of the graphics shell of a particular dial. Third-party dials downloaded from the store may contain bugs in the display code.
To solve the problem, try changing the dial to a standard one built into the system. If the time is displayed correctly on the standard dial, then the problem is the design of the previous one, in which case it is recommended to remove the problematic dial through the application and download it again or choose an alternative.
Also, consider that some complex dials with a second hand or live wallpaper consume more power and can cause micro-latency in updating data. If you notice that the seconds on the bracelet run forward or lag behind, try setting a static dial without animation.
If you set a custom dial with fine print, the time may look blurry or cropped, which is mistakenly perceived as an incorrect display.
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If the time is correct in the device menu but incorrect on the dial, the problem is in the dial graphic file, not in the bracelet synchronization system.