How to sync Xiaomi watch with Android phone: full instruction

Xiaomi’s smartwatches have become an integral part of the gadget ecosystem for millions of users, but even such advanced devices sometimes require manual adjustment. One of the most common problems is the time difference between the watch and the smartphone. The reasons can be several: from a banal synchronization failure to errors in time zone settings. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to synchronize time for Mi Band 7/8 Pro, Xiaomi Watch 2/3 and other devices based on Wear OS or proprietary firmware Mi Fitness.

The peculiarity of synchronization is that Xiaomi watches do not always automatically tighten the time from the phone - sometimes forced updating or even resetting is required. We will consider both standard methods through official applications, and alternative solutions for cases when synchronization does not work. It is important to consider that the algorithm may differ depending on the version of the watch firmware and the model of the smartphone.

If you find that the clock is not the right time, even though the phone is set up correctly, don't rush to bring the device to the service. In 90% of cases, the problem can be solved by yourself in 5-10 minutes, the main thing is to follow the instructions and check every step.

Why does Xiaomi watch show the wrong time?

Before you start setting up, it is important to understand the cause of the failure, and consider the main factors that affect time synchronization:

🔹 No phone connection: Xiaomi watches only update time when the Bluetooth connection is active with the phone. If communication is interrupted (for example, due to long distance or energy saving mode), the watch can “hang” on the last synchronized value.

🔹 Time zone settings are wrong. Even if the phone has the right belt, the watch can use its own settings — especially after resetting or updating the firmware.

🔹 An outdated version of the application: Mi Fitness or Wear applications OS They are regularly updated, and older versions may have bugs that affect synchronization.

🔹 Hardware constraints: Cheap models like the Mi Band Lite may not have automatic time synchronization, but they have to be manually run.

🔹 Conflict with other applications: Some battery-saving software (such as Greenify) can block background Mi Fitness activity, leading to failures.

⚠️ Note: If the Xiaomi Watch S3 Or Mi Band 8 Pro shows the time exactly 1-2 hours apart, the problem is almost always in the wrong time zone.

Method 1: Synchronize with Mi Fitness (for Mi Band and classic watches)

The official Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit) is the main tool for managing most Xiaomi devices.

1. Open Mi Fitness on your phone and make sure the watch is connected (the device icon must be active).

2. Go to Profile → Your Device → Device Settings.

3. Find the date and time item (in some versions - Time Synchronization).

4. Activate the Auto Sync switch or press Sync Now.

If the date and time item is not on the menu, then your watch model uses an alternative method of updating (see the next section).

📌 What to do if the sync button is inactive?

• 🔄 Restart the clock (press the power button for 10 seconds).
• 📱 Reinstall the Mi Fitness app.
• 🔗 Turn off and reconnect the clock in your phone’s Bluetooth settings.

Make sure that Bluetooth is on|Check the version of the Mi Fitness application (at least 5.6)|Disable the power saving mode for Mi Fitness|Restart the clock and phone-->

In Mi Band 7 and later, time synchronization occurs automatically whenever you connect to your phone, but only if the settings on the phone include the “Date and Time Autosynchronization” option (path: Settings → System → Date and Time).

Method 2: Manual time update on Xiaomi Watch (Wear OS)

The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, Watch S3 and other Wear OS smartwatches are synchronized differently, using Google’s standard mechanism, but with nuances:

1. On the clock, open Settings → System → Date and time.

2. Activate the option Automatically (over the network).

3. If the time is not updated, go to Settings → Connections → Bluetooth and turn off / connect the phone again.

🔧 For forced synchronization:

On the phone:


1. Open the Wear OS app.




2. Go to “Clock Settings” → “Additional” → “Sync Data.”

⚠️ Note: On some Wear firmware OS After upgrading to Android 13+ In this case, resetting the clock to the factory settings will help (but this is an extreme measure!).

Method 3: Synchronize with Zepp Life (for new models)

From 2023, Xiaomi will gradually migrate its devices to the Zepp Life platform (formerly Amazfit).If your watch supports this app (e.g. Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro), the algorithm will be as follows:

1. Install the Zepp Life app from Google Play.

2. Connect the watch to your account (if necessary, log in via Mi Account).

3. Go to Profile → Your Device → Settings → Date and Time.

4. Enable the option to Sync with the phone.

💡 Useful tip: If Zepp Life doesn't have a time sync point, try updating the watch firmware through the same app. Newer versions often fix these bugs.

📊 Comparison of synchronization methods:

Method 4: Manually adjusting time (if synchronization is not working)

If automatic methods don't work, you can set the time manually, which is a method that works for all models, but has a limitation: the watch won't update the time itself when it changes on the phone.

📱 For the Mi Band:

1. In the Mi Fitness app, go to Device Settings → Additional → Time.

2. Turn off Auto Sync and set the time manually.

⌚ For Xiaomi Watch (Wear) OS):

1. On the clock, open Settings → System → Date and time.

2. Turn off Automatically and set the time, date and time zone manually.

⚠️ Note: On Mi Band 5 and older models, manual timing may cause notifications to be lost, because the watch uses timestamps to sort events.

Problem Solving: The clock is not synchronized

If none of these methods worked, check the following points:

🔍 1. Bluetooth problems:

• 📵 Make sure your phone is Bluetooth enabled and your watch is displayed in the list of connected devices.
• 🔄 Reconnect the clock: Phone settings → Bluetooth → Forget the device, then plug in again.
• 🛠️ On some phones (for example, Xiaomi/Redmi) You need to manually allow Mi Fitness to use Bluetooth in the background.

🔍 2. Conflict with other applications:

• 🚫 Close your battery-saving software (e.g. Security Master, DU Battery Saver).
• 🔧 In your phone settings, add Mi Fitness to the exclusion list for optimization.

🔍 3. Resetting settings:

If nothing helps, reset your clock:

1. For Mi Band: in the Device Settings app → Reset.
2. For Xiaomi Watch: on the Settings Watch → System → Resetting settings.

After reset, the clock automatically synchronizes the time when you first connect.

💡

If the Xiaomi Watch S3 watch requests a password after reset, use the standard code 1234 or 0000. If this does not work, the password can be specified on the device box.

Additional settings for accurate synchronization

Some models require additional adjustments to keep the time updated without delay:

⚙️ 1. Time zone adjustment:

• 🌍 On the phone: Settings → System system → Date and time → Time zone (select manually if the automatic detector is not working properly).
• ⌚ On the clock (for Wear) OS): Settings → System system → Date and time → Time zone.

⚙️ 2. Firmware update:

Outdated firmware can cause malfunctions.

1. In Mi Fitness: Profile → Your Device → Software Update.
2. In Wear OS: Settings → System → System Update.

⚙️ 3. Sync through the Mi Account:

If the watch is tied to Mi Account, make sure the phone and watch share the same account.

💡

For NFC models (such as the Xiaomi Watch S3), you may need to re-link your bank cards after a reset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about time synchronization