How to sync your watch with your Xiaomi phone: a step-by-step guide

Modern wearables have become an integral part of the digital ecosystem, and pairing the device with the main smartphone is a critical step to fully use all functions. Xiaomi owners often face the need to combine health, notifications and activity data into a single system, which requires precise software configuration. The synchronization process ensures the transmission of statistics of steps, heart rate and sleep to the company’s servers, allowing you to analyze the dynamics of indicators through a user-friendly application interface.

However, automatic connection does not always go smoothly due to the peculiarities of the Android operating system and the aggressive energy saving policy in the shell of MIUI or HyperOS. Users need to understand the difference between a simple Bluetooth connection and full authorization in an account through specialized software. Ignoring some system permissions can lead to permanent connection breaks or no notifications on the wrist.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions for successful integration of your activity tracker or smart watch with a mobile device. We will touch on the nuances of the operation of different versions of applications, such as Mi Fitness and Zepp Life, and also consider the typical errors that prevent stable operation of the gadget.

Preparation of the smartphone and watch for the first turn on

Before you start looking for devices, you need to make sure that both gadgets are ready to establish a secure communication channel. Charge your smartwatch to a minimum of 40-50%, as the process of initial setup and updating the firmware can require a significant amount of energy. Low battery power often leads to the device going to sleep in the middle of the mating procedure, which causes errors in the data exchange protocol.

On a Xiaomi smartphone, you should check the validity of the operating system version and the availability of all critical security updates. Open the Settings menu → About the phone and make sure that the date and time are set correctly, preferably automatically over the network. Time synchronization is a fundamental parameter without which security certificates will not allow you to establish a connection with authorization servers.

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Turn on geolocation (GPS) on your phone before you start searching for a watch – this is a mandatory requirement of the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol for scanning devices in Android 10 and above.

It is also recommended to clear the cache of Google Play and Bluetooth services if you have previously experienced problems connecting other accessories. This can be done through the Applications → All Apps → Show System Processes → Bluetooth, where you need to select Clear Data. This measure helps to reset possible addressing conflicts that sometimes occur after changing Wi-Fi passwords or resetting network settings.

Choosing the Right App for Device Management

Xiaomi’s ecosystem uses multiple platforms to work with wearable electronics, and the choice of a particular app depends on the model of your watch. Old Mi Band trackers (up to version 6 inclusive) and Amazfit watches have traditionally worked through the Zepp Life app (formerly known as Mi Fit).However, new devices such as the Mi Band 7/8, Watch S1, Watch S3 and the Redmi Watch lineup require the installation of a more modern Mi Fitness app (formerly Xiaomi Wear).

Installing inappropriate software is the most common error that leads to the inability to detect the device. If you are not sure which application you need, consult the instructions on the box or scan the device. QR-code printed on the back of a watch or in a user manual. In some cases, the same device can be supported by both applications, but the functionality in Mi Fitness is usually expanded and optimized for new algorithms.

Download applications exclusively from official sources: Google Play Market store, App Store or built-in app store GetApps on Xiaomi smartphones. APK-files from third-party resources may lead to leakage of personal health data or unstable operation of background services. Once installed, be sure to provide the application with all the permissions requested, especially access to location, notifications and background activity.

Bluetooth pairing process and authorization

The connection process itself is run exclusively from the inside of the app, not through the standard Bluetooth menu in the phone settings. If you try to pair the clock first through the Settings → Bluetooth system menu, this can block the ability to properly initialize them in the application, in which case you have to remove the device from the list of conjugated and start the procedure again, observing the correct sequence of actions.

Launch your chosen app (Mi Fitness or Zepp Life) and log in to your Mi Account. On the home screen, find the add button for a new device, which is usually located in the upper right corner or in the center of the interface. The app will start scanning the space, and in a few seconds an image of your watch will appear on the screen indicating the model and charge level.

Once you select the device, a digital confirmation code may appear on your smartphone screen and on the watch display. Make sure the codes match and click "Confirm" or "OK" on both devices. At this point, cryptographic keys are exchanged, and the watch is tied specifically to your account. The process can take from 30 seconds to 2-3 minutes, during which you should not move the phone far from the clock.

Configure permissions and background work in MIUI

The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS are known for aggressive power optimization, which often kills application background processes to save battery life. To keep messenger and call notifications steady, you need to manually configure the companion app. Without this setup, the watch can periodically lose touch with the phone or stop vibrating when incoming events occur.

Go to Settings → Applications → All apps, search Mi Fitness (or Zepp Life) and open Battery or Power. Select No Limits or No Limits mode so the system doesn’t block the application in the background. This is a critical step that many users ignore, wondering why the watch doesn’t sync data once the screen is unlocked.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling the "No Limits" mode may slightly increase the power consumption of the smartphone, but this is necessary to ensure constant communication with the wearable device and instant notification delivery.

Then you need to activate the auto-launch of the application. In the same app settings menu, find the "Outstart" option and turn it on. Also check the "Permissions" section and make sure the application is given access to contacts, call log, SMS and location (select "Always" or "When used"). Lack of access to contacts will result in the clock displaying only phone numbers, not callers names.

Synchronization of data and work with Mi Cloud

Once successfully connected, the initial synchronization of accumulated data begins if the watch has been previously used with another phone, or the download of basic profiles. The application will download dials, training settings and activity goals. It is important that at this point the smartphone has a stable Internet connection, preferably via Wi-Fi, since the amount of data transferred (especially when updating the firmware of the watch) can be large.

For full analysis of statistics, it is recommended to enable synchronization with the Mi Cloud cloud storage, which will allow you to save your activity history even in the event of loss or breakage of your watch, as well as when you switch to a new smartphone, and the data on steps, sleep and heart rate will be available on the web version of your account or on any device where you log in under your Mi Account.

You can set up the specific data you want to sync in the app settings, for example, you can turn off the download of detailed jogging route maps to save traffic, leaving only telemetry (distance, pace, pulse), and you can set the synchronization frequency here, where some apps allow you to choose manual or automatic mode when you open.

The following is a table illustrating the differences in synchronization functionality between the ecosystem’s major applications:

Solving Typical Connection Problems

Despite the fact that the process is fine, users may experience situations where the watch is not in place or is constantly turned off. One of the common reasons is the crowded list of paired devices in the memory of the Bluetooth module of the phone. If you previously had a lot of headphones, speakers or other trackers connected, try to remove old, unused devices from the memory of the phone.

Another common problem is time-date desynchronization, and if the clock is out of time, check if the phone is manually timed, and try temporarily switching the region in the app settings (e.g., from Russia to China or Singapore and back), which sometimes helps to “rock” the connection to the authorization servers.

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If the watch has stopped responding to presses and is not synced, perform a full reset via the menu of the watch itself, not through the app, then remove the device from the phone's Bluetooth list and create a new pair.

If the app says "Device is busy" or "Unconnected," do the following: turn off Bluetooth on your phone completely, turn it on again, restart your smartphone and then try to connect. If that doesn't work, you may need to reset the network settings on the phone itself, but remember that this will delete all stored Wi-Fi passwords.

⚠️ Warning: Do not force a connection if the watch displays a request to pair with another device. First, delete the old connections, otherwise the new phone will not be able to obtain administrator rights on the watch.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)