How to tie the Xiaomi bracelet to another phone: instructions with nuances

Transferring the Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelet to a new phone seems like a simple task — until you encounter sync errors, missing data or sudden device discharge. Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to simply install the Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit) on a new gadget and repeat the pairing procedure. In practice, the process requires preparation: from backing up statistics to resetting the bracelet if the previous phone is not available.

In this article, we will look at all the ways of binding, from standard transfer through a Xiaomi account to manually reset the bracelet in case of problems, focus on the hidden settings in Mi Fitness, which avoid losing activity history when changing phones, and find out why the bracelet can “refuse” to work with iOS devices after Android (and vice versa) and how to fix it.

If you’re planning to sell an old phone or just upgrade your gadget, don’t rush to remove the Mi Fitness app from your old device, which can deprive you of access to the archive of training, sleep and heart rate over the past months, and then step-by-step instructions with different scenarios, from the perfect one (both phones at hand) to the emergency one (old phone is lost or broken).

1.Preparation for transfer: what to do before binding to a new phone

The first step is to save data from your old phone, and even if you don't plan on using your workout history, you can use a backup to restore your bracelet settings (such as alarm clocks or notifications).

✅ Sync data in Mi Fitness. Open the app on your old phone, wait for automatic sync (the cloud icon at the top of the screen should stop rotating). If sync is frozen, restart the application or reconnect the bracelet through the Device Profile. → Update the data.

✅ Export history (optional). In Mi Fitness, go to Profile → Settings → Data export. The system will generate a file with data from the last year (.zip format) and save it to the cloud or to the computer, which is the only way to get raw data on steps, sleep and pulse.

💡

If the bracelet Xiaomi Mi Band 7/8 not synced, try to turn off Bluetooth on your phone 10 So, for a second, then turn it back on.

⚠️ Warning: If you use a multi-account bracelet (e.g., family access), make sure that the main account is the one you want to work with next before transferring.

• 📱 For Android: Check out the Mi Fitness version on Google Play. If it's older than 5.6.0, update - new versions have patched data portability bugs.
• 🍎 For iOS: Make sure your iPhone settings enable Health (Settings) → Privacy → Health → Without it, the bracelet will not be able to transmit pulse data.
• 🔄 For everyone: Write down or take a picture of the bracelet's current settings (alarm clocks, notifications, screen order) and then reset them.

2. Standard method: binding through a Xiaomi account

This is the most reliable method if you have access to an old phone, it guarantees the preservation of all data and minimal risk of errors.

1. Install Mi Fitness on your new phone and log in with the same Xiaomi account as your old device.

2.On your old phone, open Mi Fitness, go to Profile → Mi Band → Untie the device. Confirm the action.

3. On the new phone in Mi Fitness, click Add Device and select your bracelet model. Follow the on-screen instructions (turn on Bluetooth, allow notifications).

4. Hold the bracelet to your phone, you should see a pairing notification. Press the button on the bracelet (or tap the screen on the Mi Band). 6/7/8) confirm.

✅ How to check the success of the transfer:

• 📊 Open the statistics for the past days – the data should match the old phone.
• ⚙️ Check alarm settings and notifications – they should be transferred automatically.
• 🔋 Make sure the bracelet is at least 30% charged, and at a level below 15%, the synchronization may be interrupted.

Install Mi Fitness on a new phone|Sign in to the same Xiaomi account|Untie the bracelet on an old phone|Enable Bluetooth and geolocation on your new phone|Charge the bracelet to at least 30%-->

⚠️ Note: If the message "Device not supported" is displayed in Mi Fitness after binding, check:

1. The bracelet model is compatible with your phone (see table below).
2. Xiaomi Account Region – Some features (e.g. Xiaomi Pay) only work in China.
3. Bracelet firmware version: update it through Device Profile → Update of the PO.

3. Compatibility table of Xiaomi bracelets with phones

Not all Mi Band models work equally well with different smartphones. Below are the latest data on compatibility for 2026.

🔍 What to do if your model is not supported? For older bracelets (Mi Band 3 and earlier) try:

• 📱 Use compatibility mode in Bluetooth settings (on Android: Settings) → System system → Developer mode → Turn off Bluetooth A2DP hardware offload).
• 🔄 Install an older version of Mi Fitness (e.g. 4.6.0 for Mi Band 2). APK via APKCombo.
• 🔌 Use alternative firmware (e.g. Amazfit Tools for Mi Band 4) Risk.

Mi Band 8|Mi Band 7|Mi Band 6|Mi Band 5|Another model-->

4.Tie without old phone: resetting the bracelet to factory settings

If you don't have access to your previous phone (lost, broken, sold), you'll have to manually reset the bracelet, which is suitable for all models, but has two important drawbacks:

1. You will lose unsynchronized data (steps, sleep, workouts in the last 7 days if they do not have time to download to the cloud).
2. The bracelet settings (alarm clocks, notifications) will have to be reconfigured.

🔧 Resetting instructions:

1. Charge the bracelet to at least 50% – resetting when charged low can lead to errors.
2. On the Mi Band. 5/6/7/8: Go to Bracelet Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Confirm your choice. 4 and older: Hold the touch button 10–15 seconds until the vibrations appear.
3. After resetting the bracelet will reset (the Mi logo will appear).
4. Install Mi Fitness on your new phone, log in and add the bracelet as a new device.

⚠️ Note: Mi Band 8 may require a firmware update after reset.If the bracelet is not identified, check for updates in Device Profile → Software update. The firmware weighs. ~10MB, so use a stable Wi-Fi connection.

5. Solving common binding errors

Even if the instructions are followed correctly, the Xiaomi bracelet may not connect. Let’s consider the typical problems and ways to fix them:

🔴 Error: “Unable to connect to the device"

• 📱 Reason 1: Bluetooth Conflict Solution: Turn off Bluetooth on all nearby devices (laptop, tablet), reboot your phone and bracelet.
• 🔋 Reason 2: Low charge bracelet Solution: Charge to 100% and try again.
• 📲 Reason 3: Outdated firmware. Solution: Update your bracelet software via Mi Fitness on another phone (borrow from a friend).

🔴 Error: The device is already linked to another account"

This happens if the bracelet has not been properly untied from the old phone.

1. Reset the bracelet (see section 4).
2. If the reset didn’t help, contact Xiaomi support via Mi Fitness (Profile) → Help and feedback) and request removal of the device from your account.
3. For the Mi Band 8, try getting attached through Zepp Life - sometimes it bypasses lockdown.

🔴 Error: “Incompatible version of the application"

Relevant for new bracelets (Mi Band) 7/8) On old phones. Solutions:

• 📲 Update Mi Fitness to the latest version.
• 🔄 If the update is not possible (for example, on Android 5.0), install APK-Modification (e.g., Mi Fitness Mod from the forum) 4PDA).
• 📱 For iPhones with iOS below 12.0, use Amazfit instead of Mi Fitness.

💡

If the Xiaomi Mi Band 8 bracelet doesn't tie to an iPhone, first update its firmware through an Android phone.Apple limits features for uncertified devices.

6. Data transfer between iOS and Android: the nuances of cross-platform binding

The transition from Android to iPhone (or vice versa) is often accompanied by problems due to ecosystem differences.

🍎 From Android to iOS:

• 📱 Problem: iPhone does not carry notification settings from Android applications (for example, WhatsApp or Telegram).
• ⚠️ Limitation: Xiaomi Pay feature on bracelet will turn off – it does not work on iOS.

🤖 From iOS to Android:

• 📲 Problem: Health data (pulse, sleep) may not be transferred from Apple Health.
• 🔄 Solution: Export data from Health in.xml format and import it to Google Fit via third-party services (e.g. Health Auto Export).

🔍 Advice for Mi Band 8 owners:

This model supports dual binding — you can sync the bracelet at the same time with Android and iOS (but the data will be duplicated).

7. Alternative ways to control the bracelet without an official application

If Mi Fitness refuses to work (for example, due to regional restrictions), you can use third-party tools.

🛠️ 1. Notify & Fitness for Mi Band (Android)

• 📌 Support for old bracelets (Mi Band) 2/3), Extended notification settings.

🛠️ 2. Zepp Life (Amazfit) (Android/iOS)

• 📊 Pros: Works with Mi Band 4-8, better visualizes sleep data.
• 🔄 Nuance: Requires registration with Zepp (separable from Xiaomi account).
• 📥 Download: Official website.

🛠️ 3. Gadgetbridge (Android, open source)

• 🔓 Pros: Full control of the bracelet, support for unofficial firmware.
• ⚠️ Cons: Complex interface, no cloud synchronization.
• 💻 Githab: gadgetbridge.org.

⚠️ Warning: When using third-party apps, turn off automatic sync in Mi Fitness to avoid conflicts. Otherwise, the bracelet may start to "hang" or quickly discharge.

8. Frequent questions about Xiaomi bracelet binding