How to put wallpaper on Xiaomi Mi Band 5

Personalization of wearable electronics has long ceased to be the prerogative of expensive smart watches, and the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet became one of the first devices in the budget segment to receive full support for changing the dials. The ability to change the appearance of the screen allows you not only to stand out from the crowd, but also to optimize the display of the most important information for you, whether it is steps, pulse or time. Owners often underestimate the potential of this gadget using standard settings, although the functionality allows you to turn the screen into a unique tool for monitoring health.

The process of changing the design to the Mi Band 5 is radically different from installing normal pictures on a smartphone, since it uses a digital watchfaces system, which contain not only a static image, but also software code that determines the location of the widgets, animations when lifting the wrist and the operation of the sensors. Understanding the structure of these files is necessary in order to effectively manage the appearance of your device and avoid common errors during synchronization.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available ways to install new backgrounds, from the official library to advanced customization methods. You will learn how to activate the permanent display function, how to upload your own photo and what to do if the bracelet stops responding to the application commands. Deep immersion in the Mi Fit and Zepp Life settings will open the hidden capabilities of your tracker.

Official library of dials and their features

The easiest and most reliable way to change the look of the screen is to use the built-in store in the companion app. Since the release of the Mi Band 5, Xiaomi has significantly expanded the catalog of available designs, dividing them into free and paid. Free options are often updated and offer a wide range of styles, from minimalist classics to complex animated scenes.

Paid dials marked with a price icon are developed by independent designers and often feature higher detail and unique animation. When choosing a paid option, it is important to pay attention to the rating and number of downloads, since the quality of execution can vary. Payment is usually made through a linked account, and downloads occur automatically after confirmation of the transaction.

• 🎨 Animated dials: dynamic elements that respond to hand movement or time of day.
• 📊 Informative screens: display before 5-7 Health and activity indicators simultaneously.
• 🖼️ Photo dials: upload up to 6 photos for slideshows.
• 🌙 Night mode: Automatic switching to a dark topic at a given time.

⚠️ Attention: When installing heavy animated dials, the Mi Band battery discharge rate 5 may increase by 10-15% day due to increased load on the processor and screen AMOLED.

To install the chosen design, you need to ensure a stable Bluetooth connection. The synchronization process takes from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the complexity of the graphics. Interrupting the connection during data transfer can cause the bracelet to temporarily lose the image or require a reboot.

Preparation of the smartphone and applications for synchronization

The correct operation of all the functions of Xiaomi Mi Band 5 depends on the version of the installed application and the operating system of the smartphone. At the moment, the main application for management is Zepp Life (formerly known as Mi Fit), although some users continue to use older versions of the software.

It is important to give the app all the permissions it requests, including access to geolocation, notifications and background work. Without location permission, Android devices often block the ability to scan and connect Bluetooth devices, making it impossible to download new resources.

Also worth paying attention to energy saving: Some Android shells (such as MIUI or EMUI) can aggressively close the background processes, which leads to a connection break during long loading of graphics, you need to add the application to the exclusion list or “unrestricted access” in the battery settings.

If you’re using iOS, make sure your Bluetooth settings connect the device to “Input Device” or have full access. Sometimes you need to re-conjugate the bracelet by removing it from your phone’s device list and re-assigning it through the app.

Step-by-step: installation of standard and photo-dials

The process of installing a new design is intuitive, but has its own nuances depending on the type of dial you choose. First, open the Zepp Life app and go to your device profile. From the bracelet management menu, select "Dial Store" or "Dials".

Here you will see a catalog. If you want to set a standard design, just click on your favorite and select the "Install" button. The device will automatically start transmitting data. The progress indicator will be displayed on the smartphone screen. Once completed, the bracelet vibrates, and a new image will appear on the display.

For setting your own photo, the action algorithm is slightly different:

1. In the dials section, find the category “Photos” or “My photos”.
2. Click Add and select up to 6 images from your phone’s gallery.
3. Edit the position of the frame, cutting the extra edges so that the face or subject of the shooting is in the center.
4. Confirm the choice and wait for the synchronization to end.

⚠️ Note: When choosing a photo for the dial, avoid images with small details or contrasting lines in the center, as time will be superimposed on top of them, which can make it unreadable.

Special attention should be paid to the format and size of images. Although the application automatically crops the photo, the original quality affects the clarity of the picture on the AMOLED matrix.

💡

Use photos with dark backgrounds to save energy, as you can see the AMOLED-Black pixels do not consume electricity.

Always-on Display: Configure and Impact Battery

One of the key features of the Mi Band 5 is the introduction of the Always-on Display feature, which, unlike previous models, where the screen is completely gone, some of the pixels continue to glow, showing time in a simplified format, allowing you to look at time without making the characteristic gesture of raising your wrist.

You can activate this feature in the settings of the in-app dial. However, it is worth remembering that not all designs support Always-on mode. Usually these are specific dials with a minimalistic design, where the time is highlighted in large print. When this option is turned on, the bracelet goes into a special energy saving mode of the screen.

Users often wonder if it's worth keeping this feature on all the time. If every wrist movement is critical to you to turn on the screen, Always-on is a great solution. Otherwise, for maximum autonomy, it's better to use the standard wrist-lift mode.

Third-party dials and extended customization

The official store is not the only source of new products, enthusiasts create thousands of unique designs that often have functionality that is not available in stock versions, and third-party download apps such as Notify for Mi Band or specialized forums are used to install such dials.

The process of installing third-party files (.watchface) requires pre-loading the file to the smartphone. Once the file is opened through the bootloader application, the official installation procedure is emulated, which gives access to exclusive features such as displaying the phases of the moon, complex compasses or integrating with weather services in a non-standard format.

When using third-party resources, it is important to be careful:

• 📥 Source of the file: download dials only from trusted forums and sites.
• 🔋 Optimization: Third-party designs may not be optimized, leading to battery corn.
• 🛡️ Security: Avoid files from unverified sources to avoid bringing malicious code to your phone.

Some advanced users create dials themselves using custom editors on a PC, which allows you to achieve 100% of the design matching personal preferences, placing elements exactly where you want.

Solving problems when installing wallpaper

Despite the simplicity of the process, users of Xiaomi Mi Band 5 can face a number of technical difficulties. The most common problem is the freeze of the synchronization process by 99%. In this case, you should not panic or try to immediately restart the device. Often, just wait 2-3 minutes and the process will be completed successfully.

If the dial is installed but looks “broken” (incorrect colors, lack of elements), this may indicate that the file is damaged when downloading or that the firmware version of the bracelet is incompatible with the dial version, in which case it is recommended to delete the current dial through the application and try to install another one.

⚠️ Warning: If the bracelet stopped responding to touch after installing a new dial, complete a full reset via the device menu or app. This will return factory settings without losing training data stored in the cloud.

It is also possible that the in-app dial store is empty or not loading, often due to Xiaomi server problems or access locks in your area. DNS-server settings in the Wi-Fi router or use VPN China-Europe.

💡

Most installation problems are solved by simply restarting the bracelet (System -> Disconnect) and re-pairing the application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)