Modern Xiaomi devices — whether Redmi, POCO or Mi Band fitness bracelets — have a built-in pedometer that automatically tracks user activity. However, many owners face problems: data is not updated, the numbers are overstated or understated, and sometimes the function does not work at all. In this article, we will discuss how to properly turn on the pedometer on Xiaomi, calibrate it for maximum accuracy and integrate it with applications like Google Fit or Mi Fitness.
It's important to understand that the pedometer on Xiaomi works differently depending on the device. In smartphones, the accelerometer and special algorithms of the MIUI system are responsible for calculating steps, and in bracelets (Mi Band 7/8, Smart Band Pro) there is a separate low-energy sensor, we will consider both options, and also tell you why the pedometer sometimes "lies" and how to fix it.
How the pedometer works Xiaomi: principles and limitations
The stepmer in Xiaomi devices uses a combination of hardware and software solutions. In smartphones (Redmi Note 12, Xiaomi 13, etc.), the steps are counted by:
- 📱 Accelerometer - a sensor that captures the acceleration of the phone body when moving.
- 🤖 Algorithms MIUI — software processing to filter out false positives (for example, when the phone is in your pocket while driving a car).
- 🔄 Google Services (if Google Fit sync is enabled).
Fitness bracelets (Mi Band, Xiaomi Watch) use a separate low-power pedometer chip that works even without a phone connection.
- 👟 Proper fitting of the bracelet – if the device is dangling on the hand, the data will be inaccurate.
- 📏 Calibrations for your step - the default is the average step length (70 cm for men, 60 cm for women).
- 🔋 Firmware versions - in older versions of Mi Band 5 and below, the pedometer often "overstated" the performance.
The main limitation is that the pedometer on your smartphone doesn't work in energy saving mode. If you activate the Super Power Saving function in Settings → Battery, the steps will be suspended. On bracelets, this rule does not apply - they count the steps always until they run out.
⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14 and the newest pedometer is integrated by default into the Mi Fitness app (formerly Zepp Life).If you delete this app, the steps will no longer be stored in the system.
How to turn on the pedometer on the Xiaomi smartphone (MIUI)
On most smartphones, the Xiaomi pedometer is activated by default, but it can be turned on or off manually. Instructions are suitable for devices on MIUI 12-14 (Redmi Note 11, Xiaomi 12T, POCO X5, etc.):
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find the Shagomer (or Mi Fitness on the newer versions) in the list.
- Make sure the app is not disabled and has all the necessary permissions (access to sensors, background activity).
- Return to Settings → System and device → Additional → Stepmer.
- Activate the step count switch (if it is turned off).
If you don’t have Shagomer in your settings, your smartphone model doesn’t support this feature at the hardware level (like the budget Redmi A1 or POCO C50), in which case use a fitness bracelet or third-party apps like Google Fit.
Make sure the pedometer is not turned off in the settings |
Check the permissions for the Mi Fitness | application
Turn off the power saving mode |
Reboot your phone after the changes-->
To see the steps statistics:
- Open the Mi Fitness app (the icon with the running man).
- Go to the Statistics tab. → Activity.
- Here you can see the steps of the day, week and month, as well as the activity schedule.
⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI pedometer stopped working, reset the settings of the Mi Fitness application in Settings → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Warehouse → Clean up the data. It'll delete the stored statistics, but it'll restore functionality.
Setup pedometer on Xiaomi fitness bracelets (Mi Band, Smart Band)
Xiaomi fitness bracelets (Mi Band 6/7/8, Smart Band Pro) consider steps more accurate than smartphones thanks to a specialized sensor.
- 🔗 Sync your phone with your bracelet via Mi Fitness (formerly Zepp Life).
- 📏 Specify personal parameters (height, weight, gender) - this affects the calculation algorithms.
- 👟 Calibrate the step length (the default is the average value).
The following is a step-by-step guide for Mi Band 7/8:
- Open Mi Fitness on your phone and plug in the bracelet.
- Go to the device profile (slip to the bracelet icon at the top of the screen).
- Select Pedometer Settings → Step Length.
- Specify your step length (how to measure – see the next section) or select Autodetermination.
- Activate the 24/7 step count option (if you have one in your model).
On the Xiaomi Watch S3 and other smartwatches, the path is slightly different:
Mi Fitness → Device Profile → Activity → Step settings → Step length💡
If the bracelet counts steps even when you're riding a car or a bicycle, turn off the "Auto-Detect Activity" option in the Mi Fitness settings. This will reduce the number of false positives.
| Model bracelet | Pedometer support | Accuracy (by reviews) | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Band 6 | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (good-natured) | Requires manual step calibration |
| Mi Band 7/8 | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (fine) | Automatic Algorithm Adjustment |
| Smart Band Pro | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (good-natured) | GPS support for accuracy on the street |
| Xiaomi Watch S2 | ✅ Yes. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (fine) | Additional sensors for noise filtering |
Pedometer calibration: how to improve the accuracy of counting
Xiaomi pedometers use the standard step length by default: 70 cm for men and 60 cm for women. However, each person has a different setting, and the wrong setting can lead to errors of up to 20-30% in calculating the distance traveled.
- Measure your stride length: 📏 Walk 10 meters (you can use roulette or measure in steps). 👣 Count the number of steps you took to cover that distance. 🧮 Divide 1000 cm by the number of steps – get a length of one step in centimeters.
Enter the value in the settings:
- On the smartphone: Mi Fitness → Profile → Pedometer settings → Step length.
- On the bracelet: sync the data through the application.
For Apple Health (if you have an iPhone):
- 🍎 Install the Mi Fitness app from the App Store.
- 🔄 In the app settings, find the Apple Health section and activate synchronization.
- ⚠️ Note that on the iPhone, the Xiaomi pedometer works only through the bracelet - the Apple smartphone does not transfer data to Mi Fitness.
💡
Sync with Google Fit allows you to combine data from different devices (for example, steps from a Xiaomi smartphone and a bicycle ride with Garmin) in one place.
If the synchronization is not working:
- 🔄 Reconnect your Google account in Mi Fitness settings.
- 📱 Update the Google Fit app to the latest version.
- 🔋 Check if the power saving mode on the smartphone is turned on.