How to connect Xiaomi watches to your phone: full instructions with pictures and tips

Xiaomi smartwatches are some of the most popular wearables on the market due to their combination of functionality, design and affordable price. However, even experienced users sometimes have difficulties connecting a device to a smartphone for the first time. This article will help you figure out how to properly pair a Mi Band watch, Xiaomi Watch or other models with a phone on Android or iOS, avoiding the typical mistakes.

We will look not only at the basic Bluetooth pairing procedure, but also at the nuances of setting up notifications, synchronizing health data, and solving common problems – from lack of connection to failures in the Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit).

If you've just unpacked a new watch or decided to reconfigure an old one, this will save you time, and for those who have tried to connect but have experienced errors, we've prepared a section on diagnosis and troubleshooting.

1.What Xiaomi watch can I connect to my phone?

Xiaomi has several smartwatch and fitness bracelet lines, each with its own pairing features, and these are the main categories of devices that support smartphone connectivity:

• 📱 Mi Band (1-8) – budget fitness bracelets with basic features (stepmeter, pulse, notifications). Support Android 6.0+ iOS 10.0+.
• ⌚ Xiaomi Watch (S1, S1 Pro, 2, 2 Pro – full-fledged smart watches with AMOLED-display, GPS And advanced health features. Require Android 8.0+ or iOS 12.0+.
• 🔴 Redmi Watch (1, 2, 3) – Simplified versions of the watch with a focus on design and basic fitness tracking.
• 🏃 Xiaomi Smart Band (Pro) is a hybrid of the bracelet and watch with an extended screen. Supports the same platforms, but may require updated software.

Important: Models older than the Mi Band 3 (2018) may not support the latest versions of the Mi Fitness app and require the installation of outdated software – we will discuss this in the section on bugs.

Before buying or connecting, check the compatibility of your smartphone. for example, some features of the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro (for example, SpO₂ Stress test may not be available on iPhone due to Apple restrictions.

2. Preparation of the phone before connection

To make the pairing process smooth, you need to follow a few preliminary steps on your smartphone, and neglecting them often leads to errors like “device fails” or “connection interrupted.”

First, make sure that on your phone:

• 🔄 Bluetooth enabled (Visibility Mode – For all devices").
• 📱 Allowed installation from unknown sources (for Android, if downloaded) APK not from Google Play).
• 🔋 Battery charge above 50% – this is important for stable synchronization.
• 📶 Active Internet connection (to download firmware updates of the clock).

For Android owners, it is also recommended:

1. Update Google Play to the latest version.
2. Clear the Mi Fitness app cache (if it is already installed).
3. Disable power saving modes that can block Bluetooth background operation.

On the iPhone, check out:

• 🔒 Notification permission for Mi Fitness in Settings → Notifications.
• 🔄 Permission to use Bluetooth in the background (Settings) → Mi Fitness → Bluetooth).

Turn on Bluetooth and make the device visible|

Update the Mi Fitness app to the latest version|

Check the battery charge of the phone (>50%)|

Disable Power Saving Modes (for Android)|

Allow notifications for Mi Fitness (for iOS)-->

If you've used a Xiaomi watch before and want to connect a new one, first untie the old device in the app, otherwise there may be a pairing conflict.

3. Step-by-step instructions: how to link the clock to the phone

Consider a universal connection algorithm for the Mi Band 8 and Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro. For other models, the steps may differ slightly (for example, there is no reset button in the Redmi Watch 3, and the old Mi Fit application is used in the Mi Band 4).

Step 1: Installation of the application

• For Android: Download Mi Fitness from Google Play.
• For iOS: install Mi Fitness from the App Store.

Step 2: Registration or login to your account

Launch the application and log in via:

• 📧 Xiaomi Account (recommended for synchronizing data between devices).
• 🔑 Google/Facebook (alternatives).

Step 3: Adding a device

1. Press Profile" → "Add the device".
2. Select your watch model from the list (e.g. Mi Smart Band 8).
3. Follow the instructions on the screen: Confirm the pairing in the phone’s Bluetooth settings.

Step 4: Set up the clock

After successful connection:

• 🔄 Update the firmware of the watch (if notification is available).
• ⚙️ Set up call notifications, SMS messenger.
• 🏃 Activate sleep, pulse and activity monitoring functions.

Attention! iPhones may require additional permission to access Notices and Health Data after pairing (c Settings) → Without this, the watch will not display incoming calls or messages.

4. Notification setting and data synchronization

Once you've successfully connected, it's time to set up notifications and synchronize health data, a stage that many users miss, and it's a waste of time to decide how useful your watch will be.

How to enable notifications:

1. Open Mi Fitness. → Choose your device → "Notifications".
2. Activate the "Enable notification" switch.
3. Select the apps you want to see on your watch (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Gmail).
4. Set up the display style: full text or only the app icon.

Synchronization of health data:

• 🩺 To track the pulse, SpO₂ And sleep, go to "Profile" → "Health data and activate the necessary options.
• 📊 To automatically export data to Google Fit or Apple Health, enable appropriate integration in the app settings.

On iOS, some features (such as continuous heart rate monitoring) may not work well due to operating system limitations, in which case only a switch to Android or manually running measurements will help.

💡

If notifications come with a delay, try turning off battery optimization for the Mi Fitness app (on Android: Settings) → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Battery → No restrictions).

5. Common mistakes and their solution

Even with the correct follow-up, users often face problems, and we have compiled the most common errors and ways to correct them, based on feedback from Xiaomi owners.

Error 1: The watch is not via Bluetooth

• 🔄 Reboot the watch (for Mi Band: press the touch button for 10 seconds; for Xiaomi Watch: Settings) → Reboot).
• 📱 Remove the watch from the list of associated devices in the phone settings and repeat the search.
• 🔋 Check the battery power of the watch (at a level below 20%, the connection may be interrupted).

Error 2: Mi Fitness app doesn't see device

• 📲 Update the application to the latest version.
• 🗑️ Clear the cache and data of Mi Fitness (on Android: Settings) → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Warehouse).
• 🌐 Check out regional settings: some models (e.g. Xiaomi Watch) S1) require the selection of the region "China" in the application profile.

Error 3: Data synchronization is interrupted

• 📶 Turn it off. VPN Proxy – they can block the connection to Xiaomi servers.
• 🔄 Reconnect the clock: "Profile" → "The device" → "Untie" → repeat.
• 📡 Check if the firewall or antivirus is blocking network access for Mi Fitness.

1. On the Mi Band: press the 30 seconds button.

2. On Xiaomi Watch: Settings → System system → Reset.-->

6. Additional functions after connection

After successfully pairing, Xiaomi watches offer access to advanced features that many users don’t even know about.

1. Music management

On Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and Redmi Watch 3, you can:

• 🎵 Switch tracks directly from the clock (swipe left/right on the player screen).
• 🔊 Adjust volume (buttons "+"/"–" side-panel).
• 🎧 Use your watch as a remote for Spotify or Apple Music.

2. Contactless payments

Xiaomi Watch models S1 Pro and Mi Band 7 Pro support NFC pay through:

• 💳 Mi Pay (works in China and some Asian countries).
• 🏦 Google Pay (requires card binding in the app).

3.Voice assistant

On a watch with a microphone (for example, Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro) available Xiao AI (Chinese equivalent of Google Assistant:

1. Press the button on the body.
2. Say the command in Chinese or English (e.g., "What's the weather today?").

Sporting regimes

Mi Fitness has over 150 activities, from yoga to climbing, to add a new mode:

1. Open the app. → "Training".
2. Click "Add" and select a sport.
3. Set your goals (time, calories, distance).

7. How do you untie the watch from the phone?

If you decide to sell a watch, transfer it to another person, or simply reset your settings, you need to properly untie the device from your account. Failure to do so could result in a lock on the watch for the new owner.

Method 1: Through the Mi Fitness app

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to the device profile.
2. Click "Untie the device" (or "Delete").
3. Confirm the action.

Method 2: Through the settings of the clock

For touch screen models (Xiaomi Watch, Redmi Watch 3):

1. Go to Settings → System → Reset.
2. Select "Untie the account."
3. Confirm the reset.

Method 3: Forced discharge

If the watch is unresponsive or blocked:

• For Mi Band: Press the touch button 30 seconds before vibration.
• For Xiaomi Watch: Press the physical button for 15 seconds.

Attention! After untie, all data from the watch will be deleted, including the history of training and settings. If you plan to use the watch again, back up the data to Mi Fitness (Profile) → Settings → Backup).

FAQ: Frequent questions about connecting Xiaomi watches