How to Install and Set Up a Pedometer on Xiaomi Devices: The Complete Guide

The step counter on Xiaomi devices is one of the most popular tools for monitoring activity. Whether you use a Redmi smartphone, a Mi Band fitness bracelet or a Xiaomi Watch, the step counting feature is available on almost all modern gadgets of the brand, but not everyone knows how to properly activate, calibrate and synchronize the pedometer to get accurate data.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to install and configure a pedometer across Xiaomi devices, including smartphones, fitness bracelets and smartwatches, learn how to enable the feature manually, synchronize data with the Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit), and solve typical problems with incorrect step counting.

If you’ve just purchased the Mi Band 8 or Redmi Note 13 and want to make the most of the built-in pedometer, this guide will help you avoid common bugs and customize everything the first time. And for older models, we’ve prepared relevant solutions, taking into account the changes in Xiaomi’s firmware and applications over the past years.

What Xiaomi devices support pedometer

The step counting feature is available on most Xiaomi devices, but it is implemented differently depending on the type of gadget.

• 📱 Smartphones: all models of Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi (beginning with the MIUI 9) have a built-in accelerometer that can be used to count steps through applications like Google Fit or Mi Fitness.
• 🖥️ Fitness bracelets: the entire Mi Band line (from Mi Band 2 to Mi Band 8), as well as specialized models like Xiaomi Smart Band Pro.

It's important to understand that the accuracy of the counting depends not only on the model, but also on the correct setting. For example, the Mi Band 8 with an updated motion sensor shows more accurate results than the Redmi Note 10, where the pedometer works through the software processing of accelerometer data. Also some budget models (e.g. Redmi) A2) may not support background step counting without additional applications.

If you use multiple Xiaomi devices at the same time (e.g., a smartphone) + The bracelet, the data can be duplicated, and to avoid this, you can select the priority source of steps in the Mi Fitness settings, and we will explain this in detail in the synchronization section.

How to turn on the pedometer on the smartphone Xiaomi

On Xiaomi smartphones, the pedometer is not always activated by default. To turn it on, follow the following steps:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon).
2. Go to the Shagomer section (on some firmware it may be called Fitness or Health).
3. Activate the step count switch.
4. Allow the application to access physical activity and motion sensors in the system settings (if requested).

If the Shagomer section is not in the Security app, it means that your smartphone model does not support built-in firmware step counting, in which case you can use third-party applications:

• 📊 Google Fit – a universal solution with integration into the Google ecosystem.
• 🏃 Mi Fitness – the official application from Xiaomi, which syncs with bracelets and watches.
• 📈 Accupedo or Pacer – specialized pedometers with advanced analytics.

For maximum accuracy, it is recommended to calibrate the pedometer manually. You can do this in the settings of the Mi Fitness application (Section Profile). → Pedometer settings. You need to specify your height, weight and average stride length. The standard value is 70 cm for men and 60 cm for women, but for accuracy, you better measure it yourself.

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To measure a step length, walk 10 meters on a flat surface, count the number of steps, and divide 1,000 cm by that number. For example, if you've taken 14 steps, your step length is the length of the step. ≈ 71 cm.

Set up a pedometer on fitness bracelets Mi Band

Mi Band fitness bracelets (including the latest Mi Band 8 and Mi Band 7 Pro models) automatically count steps, but to work properly, they need to be configured correctly through the Mi Fitness app.

Download the Mi Fitness app from Google Play or App Store|

Sign up or sign in to your Xiaomi account|

Connect the bracelet via Bluetooth in the "Add device" section"|

Update the bracelet firmware (if an update is available)-->

After the bracelet is connected:

1. Open Mi Fitness and select your Mi Band from the device list.
2. Go to Profile. → Pedometer settings.
3. Specify height, weight and step length (how to measure - see tip above).
4. Activate the automatic step counting option.
5. In the Notifications section, you can include notifications about reaching the daily norm (usually 10,000 steps).

On the Mi Band 6 and later, there's a smart activity recognition feature that automatically detects whether you're walking, running or climbing stairs.

1. In Mi Fitness, go to Settings → Activity recognition.
2. Activate the switches for Walking, Running and climbing stairs.
3. Set the sensor sensitivity (Average for most users is recommended).

If the pedometer on the Mi Band shows inflated or understated values, try:

• 🔄 Reset bracelet settings (Settings) → Resetting at Mi Fitness).
• 📱 Reconnect the bracelet to the smartphone.
• 🔋 Check battery power (at levels below 20%, sensors may not work properly).

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For the accuracy of the pedometer on the Mi Band, it is important to wear a bracelet on a non-dominant hand (for right-handers - on the left, for left-handers - on the right) and tightly, but not squeezing the wrist.

Synchronize pedometer data with Mi Fitness and other services

One of the key features of the Xiaomi ecosystem is the ability to synchronize pedometer data with other services such as Google Fit, Apple Health (for iPhone) and Strava, which allows you to collect all the information about the activity in one place and analyze it in a comprehensive manner.

To set up synchronization:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to Profile → Settings → Data Synchronization.
2. Select a sync service (e.g. Google Fit).
3. Log in to the selected service and allow access to data.
4. Set the synchronization frequency (recommended automatically).

If you have multiple Xiaomi devices (such as a smartphone and bracelet), you can select a priority data source in the Mi Fitness settings:

Sometimes the pedometer data can be duplicated (for example, if both the smartphone and the bracelet are counting steps at the same time).

1. In Mi Fitness, go to Settings → Source of data.
2. Choose only a bracelet or only a smartphone depending on your preferences.
3. Turn off background step counting on your smartphone if you use a bracelet (in Security settings) → Stepper).

Solving Pedometer Problems on Xiaomi

Even after setting up the pedometer correctly on Xiaomi devices, it may not work properly. Let’s look at the typical problems and ways to solve them.

1.The stepmer does not count the steps or shows zeros

Causes and solutions:

• 🔋 Bracelet battery discharge: charge the device to 100%. At a charge level below 15%, the sensors are turned off.
• 📵 No phone connection: check that Bluetooth is on and the bracelet is connected to Mi Fitness.
• 🔄 Firmware failure: Update the bracelet firmware through Settings → Update in Mi Fitness.
• 🚫 Background mode for Mi Fitness is disabled: on your smartphone go to Settings → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Battery → Background activity and allow work in the background.

2.The stepmer shows inflated or understated values

This is most often related to:

• ⚖️ Incorrect step length: recheck the settings in Mi Fitness (Section Profile) → Pedometer settings).
• 👕 Improper wearing of the bracelet: wear it 2-3 fingers above the wrist, tightly, but not squeezing.
• 🚶 Extraneous movements: The bracelet can read hand gestures (such as when driving or working at a computer) as steps.

3. Pedometer data are not synchronized

Synchronization problems are usually solved as follows:

• 🔄 Reset the bracelet: Press the button on the bracelet for 10 seconds (for Mi Band 8 – touch area).
• 📱 Reinstall Mi Fitness: Remove the app, clear the cache and install it again.
• 🌐 Check the Internet connection: synchronization requires access to the network.
• 🔗 Untie and reconnect the bracelet in Mi Fitness.

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If after updating the firmware bracelet pedometer stopped working, try to roll back the version of the software. To do this, in Mi Fitness go to Settings → Update of the PO → Additionally. → Recoil (if available).

How to Reset Pedometer Data and Start Again

If the pedometer shows clearly incorrect data and the calibration doesn't help, it's sometimes easier to reset and start with a clean slate.

On a fitness bracelet, Mi Band

1. Open your Mi Fitness and select your bracelet.
2. Go to Settings. → Reset.
3. Confirm the reset (all data, including steps, will be deleted).
4. After resetting, reset the bracelet, indicating height, weight and step length.

On a Xiaomi smartphone

To reset pedometer data on a smartphone:

1. Open the Security app.
2. Go to Shagomer. → Settings (badge) ⚙️).
3. Choose Reset Data.
4. Confirm the action.

If you use Google Fit or another third-party app, the pedometer data can be reset in it:

1. In Google Fit, go to the Profile → Settings → Delete the data.
2. Select a date range (e.g., All Time) and confirm deletion.

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After the data reset, the pedometer may take 1-2 days to “train” and count correctly, during which time try to walk at a normal pace so that the algorithms adapt.

Comparison of pedometer accuracy on different Xiaomi devices

The accuracy of step counting depends on the type of sensors, processing algorithms, and even how you wear the device. We tested several popular Xiaomi gadgets and compared their accuracy when walking at a distance of 1 km (1,300 steps for the average person).

And you can see from the table that fitness bracelets are more accurate than smartphones, because they have specialized motion sensors (3D-archeometer + gyroscope, while smartphones rely on a standard accelerometer that is not optimized for step counting.

The accuracy also depends on:

• 📏 Device positions: the bracelet should fit tightly to the wrist, the smartphone - lie in your pocket or bag (not in your hand!).
• 🚶 Rate of walking: with slow walking, the error is higher than at a normal pace.
• 📱 Firmware versions: on older versions MIUI (Below 12) the pedometer on smartphones works worse.

FAQ: Frequent questions about pedometer on Xiaomi