Xiaomi’s current smartphones and wearables have powerful built-in sensors that are ready to track your activity by default. However, many users are faced with a situation where the device is present and accurate distance traveled is missing or displayed incorrectly, often because standard privacy settings or the absence of a conjugated application block telemetry collection.
To make a pedometer a working health monitoring tool, you need to properly configure the software bundle between your phone and, if available, a smart bracelet or watch. The process varies depending on the device model and the version of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system. In this guide, we will break down all the nuances of activation and calibration.
Don’t ignore this feature, as it not only allows you to monitor your fitness, but also monitor your overall activity level throughout the day, and properly configured will eliminate data loss and ensure synchronization with cloud services.
Selecting the Right Application for Tracking
The first step to making the pedometer efficient is choosing the right software. Xiaomi's ecosystem has undergone significant changes in recent years, and there is no longer a single universal app for all devices.
For new devices released after 2021, the main tool is the Xiaomi Wear app or the international Mi Fitness. Older bracelets and watches are still served by the classic Zepp (formerly Mi Fit).
- 📱 Zepp – perfect for Mi Band 1-6, Amazfit Bip, GTS, GTR old-series.
- ⌚ Mi Fitness – Required for Mi Band 6 NFC (Chinese version, Mi Band 7, 8, 9 and Watch S1, S3.
- 🏃 Xiaomi Wear – used in China, for global versions often requires changing the region in the phone settings.
- 🔗 Google Fit / Yandex Health – serve as aggregators, where you can transfer data for complex statistics.
It is important to understand that installing multiple conflicting applications to control one device can cause a Bluetooth module to malfunction. For the pedometer to work properly, one main control application corresponding to the model of your device is enough.
⚠️ Note: When installing applications from third-party sources (APK-files) rather than through Google Play, the Android system can restrict the background operation of the program, which will stop the step counting.
Configure permissions and accesses in the Android system
Even after installing the right software, the MIUI-enclosed Android operating system can block access to motion sensors in the background to save energy. To make the pedometer independent of the open screen, you need to manually change the permission settings.
Go to the Settings section → Annexes → All applications and find the tracker installed (e.g. Zepp or Mi Fitness) that requires activation of the full range of permissions, including location access (for example, to access the location). GPS-Without this step, the phone will only count steps when the app is open on the screen.
Special attention should be paid to the “autostart” parameter. In the Xiaomi ecosystem, this is a critical setting. If it is disabled, the system will “kill” the process of counting steps immediately after turning off the screen or cleaning RAM.
☑️ Checklist of permission settings
It's also recommended that you stick the app to a list of recent tasks, so you can open the menu of running programs, find the tracker window and pull it down or press the lock to lock it, and that'll signal the system not to unload the process from memory.
The Mi Band bracelet and the Amazfit watch
If you want to use a wearable device for more accurate counting, the synchronization process requires following a certain sequence of actions. First, you need to turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone, but not trying to pair the bracelet through the phone's standard settings menu is a common mistake.
Launch the selected application (Zepp or Mi Fitness) and go to profile. Press the add-on button and wait for the system to detect your Mi Band or Amazfit. Confirm the pairing request that appears on the bracelet screen by clicking on the confirmation icon.
Once the connection is successful, the steps will be automatically transmitted, but if synchronization is not happening, try resetting the Bluetooth cache, and you need to delete previously saved devices in the developer menu or Bluetooth settings and search again.
| Model of the device | Recommended annex | Connection nuances | GPS accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Band 4 / 5 / 6 | Zepp (Mi Fit) | Requires a Xiaomi account | Through the phone. |
| Mi Band 7 / 8 | Mi Fitness | New communication protocol | Through the phone. |
| Amazfit GTS / GTR | Zepp | Built-in GPS (some of them) | Independent |
| Xiaomi Watch S1 | Mi Fitness | Support for eSIM | Independent |
⚠️ Warning: Do not connect the bracelet to two different phones or apps at the same time, causing the step counter to become out of sync and loss of activity history.
Calibration of the pedometer to improve accuracy
Standard step-counting algorithms can be misleading, especially if you have a non-standard step length or a specific gait. To make the pedometer as accurate as possible, it is recommended that you calibrate it, which is especially true for owners who use the phone in their pocket rather than in their hand.
Find a marked distance, such as a treadmill in the gym or a section of a known length of road (100 or 400 meters). Circle that section at a normal pace, holding the device the way you normally do. Compare the pedometer readings to the real distance.
In some advanced application settings or through the engineering menu (code # #6484##) you can find the accelerometer sensitivity settings, but for the average user, it is easiest to enter your anthropometric data in the application profile.
How to enter data for calibration
Regularly updating this data is important, as changing weight or shoes can affect the biomechanics of walking, and it is also worth noting that carrying your phone in different pockets (jeans, jacket, backpack) introduces different vibrational noises that the accelerometer can interpret in different ways.
Solving problems: pedometer does not work or resets
When the step meter suddenly resets or stops responding to movement, it is one of the most frequent complaints of users, most often due to the aggressive energy saving policy of MIUI. The system considers the constant use of sensors "hard" process and forcibly stops it.
Check the battery settings for the specific application. Set the No Limits or No Limits mode. This will allow the application to run in the background without any power consumption restrictions. Also make sure that the date and time on the device are set correctly and synchronized over the network.
If the problem persists, try clearing the app and data cache (making sure the history is saved in the cloud) and a complete reinstallation of the app with the residual files pre-cleaned through the file manager is a last resort.
- 🔋 Check the Flight mode - it turns off Bluetooth and GPS, work-related.
- 📡 Make sure that geolocation services are globally enabled for the system.
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone – it resets the suspended sensor services.
- 🛡️ Turn off Advanced Optimization in the Developer Settings (for advanced users).
⚠️ Warning: Resetting your settings to the factory (Hard Reset) will remove the entire step history locally.Be sure to sync with your Xiaomi or Google Fit account before doing so.
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For maximum accuracy, carry your phone in the front pocket of your trousers or use a wrist holder. In the bag or inner pocket of your jacket, the amplitude of your hand and body movements is extinguished, leading to undercounting of steps.
Synchronization of data and export of statistics
Once you've managed to make the pedometer stable, it's a question of saving and analyzing data. Local storage on the phone is not secure: if you lose your device, you lose your entire history of achievements. So setting up cloud synchronization is a must.
The Zepp and Mi Fitness apps have sections for linking to third-party health services, and it is recommended to connect Google Fit (for Android) or Apple Health (for iOS), which will create a single database where the metrics from all your devices, including scales and smartwatches from other manufacturers, will flow.
Regular analysis of statistics helps to adjust the load. If you notice a sharp spike or drop in activity, it can be a signal of both a technical failure and changes in health status. Exporting data in CSV or PDF format is available in web versions of services for detailed study.
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The stable operation of the pedometer depends on a set of measures: the correct choice of the application, removing battery restrictions and regular data synchronization.