How to change the time on Xiaomi fitness watch: 3 ways + problem solving

Xiaomi fitness watches are some of the most popular wearables on the market, but even power users sometimes have difficulty configuring basic features. One of the common problems is not displaying the screen time correctly. This can happen after resetting, changing the battery or syncing failure with the smartphone. Unlike classic watches, where time is manually adjusted, smart wristbands Mi Band, Amazfit or Xiaomi Watch are usually synchronized automatically through the app. But what if the synchronization is not working and time on the clock is lagging or in a hurry?

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways Xiaomi can change time, from standard synchronization via Mi Fitness/Zepp Life to manually adjusting on devices without a phone connection. You’ll also learn why watches can show incorrect times and how to fix them without going to the service center. The instructions are suitable for most models: Mi Band 3/4/5/6/7, Amazfit Bip U/GTR/GTS, Xiaomi Watch S1/S2 and others.

Why is Xiaomi’s fitness watch showing the wrong time?

Before you change the time manually, it's important to understand the cause of the failure, and 90 percent of the time, it's just a simple synchronization, but sometimes you need a deeper setup.

• 📱 Lack of sync with the smartphone – the watch takes time from the phone, and if the connection is interrupted, can “hang” on old data.
• ⚡ Battery discharge – with a low charge (less than 10%) the device can reset settings, including date and time.
• 🌍 Wrong time zone – if the phone or clock has the wrong region, time will shift.
• 🔄 Firmware failure – after updating the software or resetting to factory settings, the watch may lose its time binding.
• 📶 Problems with GPS — Some models (such as the Amazfit T-Rex) adjust time over satellites, and if the signal is bad, they can make mistakes.

If your watch is hours or days apart, check your phone connection and charge level first. In most cases, that's enough. But if the problem persists, read on.

Method 1: Time synchronization with Mi Fitness/Zepp Life

The easiest and most recommended way is to automatically sync through the official app, and the algorithm is the same for all models, but the names of the apps are different:

• For the Mi Band 3-7, Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit) is a new title.

Step instructions:

1. Open the app (Mi Fitness/Zepp Life) on your smartphone.
2. Make sure the watch is connected to the phone via Bluetooth (the connection icon must be green).
3. Go to the Profile section → My devices. → [The name of your watch].
4. Find the data sync or update time (depending on the model).
5. Wait until the process is completed (usually 5-10 seconds).

If there is no sync button, try reconnecting the clock:

1. In the application, select Disable the device.
2. Turn off Bluetooth on your phone, then turn it on again.
3. Connect the watch again through Add the device.

Make sure Bluetooth is on on your phone | Check the charge level of the watch (minimum 20%) | Update the Mi Fitness/Zepp Life app to the latest version |Reboot the smartphone if the synchronization does not pass-->

Important! On some models (such as the Mi Band 7), the time is automatically updated every time you connect to your phone. If that doesn't happen, check the app's permissions in your smartphone settings - it should have access to the exact location and automatic date/time.

Method 2: Manual time setting (if synchronization is not working)

Not all Xiaomi models support manual timing, but in some cases it is possible. For example, on the Amazfit Bip U or Xiaomi Watch S1, you can manually adjust time zones, which indirectly affects time.

For the Mi Band 3-6:

1. On the clock screen, swipe up to open the menu.
2. Find the item More → Settings → Time (on some firmwares, the path may differ).
3. Select the time zone and set the correct one (for example, UTC+3 for Moscow).
4. Go back, time should be updated automatically.

For the Amazfit GTR/GTS and Xiaomi Watch:

1. Press the screen for 2 seconds to open the main menu.
2. Go to Settings → System → Date and time.
3. Turn off the Auto Update option (if any).
4. Manually set the time zone and time format (12/24 hours).
5. Save the changes and restart the clock (press the power button for 10 seconds).

On models without a display (such as the Mi Band 2), you can't change the time manually - only through synchronization with your smartphone.

Method 3: Resetting and re-synchronization

If neither synchronization nor manual adjustment works, the last option is a complete clock reset, which will delete all data (steps, pulse, notifications), but often solves problems with time.

For the Mi Band:

1. In the Mi Fitness app, go to Profile → My Devices.
2. Select your watch and press Disable the device.
3. On the watch itself, press the touch button for 10-15 seconds until the vibration and Mi logo appear.
4. Connect the watch again through Add the device.

For the Amazfit and Xiaomi Watch:

1. In the Zepp Life app, select Profile → Device → Reset settings.
2. Then, check the clock (if necessary).
3. After restarting, connect the device as new.

After reset, the watch automatically syncs the time with the phone. If the problem persists, check the phone's settings:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → System system → Date and time.
• Make sure you have enabled the option to automatically set the date and time.
• Check the time zone – it should fit your region.

💡

If the clock is still showing the wrong time after reset, try connecting it to another smartphone (such as friends or relatives) to help determine if the problem is in your watch or phone.

Table: Compatibility of Xiaomi models with time setting methods

If your model is not in the table, check the instructions in the official app or on the Xiaomi website. For rare models (for example, Mi Band 1S), you may need firmware via PC.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting up a fitness watch, users often make the same mistakes, and here are the most common ones and how to fix them:

⚠️ Attention! If you use Mi Band with your iPhone, make sure that your iOS settings for the Mi Fitness app enable Bluetooth and Notifications. Without that, time synchronization won't work.

• 🔋 Ignoring low charge - if the battery is under 15%, the clock may not sync. Charge the device to 50% before setting up.
• 📵 Bluetooth disabled – even if the clock is connected, temporary synchronization requires an active connection. Check that Bluetooth does not turn off in the background (on Android: Settings) → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Battery → Allow work in the background).
• 🌐 Wrong time zone on your phone — if the smartphone has the wrong region, the clock will show the time with a shift.
• 🔄 Interrupt sync – do not close the application or turn off Bluetooth during the time update.

Another common problem is that the clock and phone are different after synchronization, and this can be due to:

• Time zone differences (e.g., phone on UTC+3 and watch on UTC+2)
• Failure in the firmware of the clock (solved by software update).
• Conflict with other fitness tracker apps (remove duplicate programs).

💡

If the clock is a few minutes apart rather than hours apart, the problem is probably inaccurate synchronization over the network: Try manually updating the time in the app or restarting both devices.

Updating the firmware as a solution to the problem with time

If none of these things worked, maybe your watch has an outdated firmware, and the software update can fix time synchronization errors. Here's how to do it:

For the Mi Band:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to Profile → My Devices → [Your Watch].
2. Click Firmware Update (if available).
3. Confirm the download and wait until it is completed (don’t turn off Bluetooth!).

For Amazfit:

1. In the Zepp Life app, select Profile → Device → Firmware Update.
2. Download the latest version and install it.
3. After the update, restart the clock.

If the update does not appear, check:

• 📶 Stable Internet connection (preferably Wi-Fi).
• 🔋 Charging the watch battery (minimum 50%).
• 📱 The latest version of the application (Mi) Fitness/Zepp Life).

⚠️ Attention! Do not interrupt the firmware update process, it can cause the clock to break. If the update is 0% over 10 minutes, restart the clock and try again.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions