Modern wearables from Xiaomi are famous for their autonomy and functionality, but often face the nuances of the initial setup. Time synchronization is a basic but critical step, without which it is impossible to fully use the activity tracker. Most users expect instant pairing, but sometimes the device requires manual intervention or specific actions to correctly display the clock.
If you’ve just unpacked the Mijia Watch or are facing a clock that’s lagging, this article will be a comprehensive guide to not only the standard algorithm for actions through the app, but also the hidden settings that affect accuracy.
In this article, you will find step-by-step instructions to help avoid typical connection errors. Whether you are using Android or iOS, the principles of Mi Home and Mi Fit (Zepp Life) remain similar, but have their own features in the interface.
Principles of working time synchronization
Xiaomi Mijia smartwatches don’t have their own module GSM or a permanent connection to the Internet in the classical sense (except for the LTE-This means that they can't get their own time data from the global network, and the main source of information for the gadget is your smartphone, which they're connected to via Bluetooth Low Energy.
The data exchange is done in the background, and when you open a companion app, a handshake procedure occurs, in which the watch checks its internal readings against the phone's system time, and if the difference exceeds the threshold, the data is automatically updated.
⚠️ Warning: If your smartphone has an incorrect time zone or manual time setting enabled, the watch will copy this erroneous data. Always check the date settings on the phone system.
It's important to understand that some models have an accelerometer and a processor that continue to count down even when the Bluetooth module is discharged, but their accuracy declines over time, so periodic synchronization is necessary to keep training data and notifications up to date.
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Turn on automatic time settings in your smartphone via GPS or operator network so that the watch always gets the right data.
Preparation for setting up: necessary applications
You need specialized software to manage your Mijia watch. Xiaomi's ecosystem uses multiple platforms, and the choice depends on the specific model of your device, most often the Mi Fit app (now renamed Zepp Life) or Mi Home.
Make sure your smartphone has the necessary permissions enabled. To properly synchronize time, the app needs access to geolocation and Bluetooth. Without this, the background service can be blocked by Android or iOS, leading to desynchronization.
- 📱 Download the official Zepp Life or Mi Home app from Google Play or App Store.
- 🔋 Charge the watch to at least 20% so it doesn’t turn off during the setup process.
- 📡 Turn on Bluetooth and GPS on the smartphone before starting to search for the device.
- 🆔 Register a Mi Account if required for your watch model.
After installation, be sure to add the app to the power saving exceptions, which will prevent the system from forcing the synchronization process to close, which is especially true for smartphones with aggressive battery optimization.
Step-by-step: synchronization via smartphone
The most reliable way to set the right time is to use automatic synchronization through the app, which eliminates the human factor and ensures that the clock will show the time with an accuracy of up to a second, which matches the atomic clock through the phone’s Internet channel.
To start, open the Zepp Life or Mi Home app on your smartphone. Go to your device profile by finding your watch in the list of connected gadgets. Usually, the connection status is displayed at the top of the screen or in the Profile menu.
☑️ Checking before synchronization
Follow the algorithm further:
- Click on the icon of your watch in the main menu of the app.
- Wait for the status of "Connected" or green indicator to appear.
- Pull the screen down to update the data (swipe down).
- In some models, you need to go to Settings → Device Settings → Time Synchronization.
After doing this, the numbers on the watch display should change, and if this does not happen immediately, try logging out of the app completely (close the background process) and running it again.
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Automatic synchronization when connected is the only way to get the exact time, taking into account leap years and daylight saving time transitions.
Manual time setting: when autosetting doesn't work
In rare cases, automatic configuration may fail due to software errors or firmware version features, so the user has to resort to manual installation, and it should be noted that not all Mijia models support this function directly through the menu on the device itself.
If your model allows manual control, it's usually done through a button combination or touch menu. Find the Settings section on the watch screen. Select "Time" or "Date & Time."
Using a side button or swipes across the screen, change the hours and minutes. Confirm the action by pressing. Remember, when you manually install, you lose the benefit of automatically switching to daylight saving time, and you have to adjust the clock yourself twice a year.
| Model clock | Auto-synchronization | Manual setting | Interface. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mijia Quartz Watch | Yes (via appendix) | No. | Analog + E-ink |
| Mijia Smart Watch | Yes. | Limited. | Colored IPS |
| Mijia Kids Watch | Yes (via GPS) | No. | Sensory |
| Mijia Lite | Yes. | No. | Monochrome |
The use of manual tuning is recommended only as a temporary solution. Constant reliance on manual time setting will lead to an accumulation of error, since quartz generators in budget devices can drift up to several seconds a day.
Solving problems with desynchronization
Often, users are faced with a situation where the clock starts to lag again a few hours after synchronization.This can be caused by a loss of Bluetooth connection. Check if the phone is too far from the clock, or if the phone has blocked the connection due to energy savings.
Another common cause is software version conflict. Make sure the latest firmware version is installed on the watch. The update often includes fixes for the real-time module (RTC). Go to the device menu in the app and select Check for updates.
If the problem persists, try to perform a full pairing reset. Remove the device from the Bluetooth list in the phone settings, then remove it from the app and add it again as a new device, which will clear the connection cache.
⚠️ Note: When you remove your device from the application, your current activity history may be lost if it was not uploaded to the server.
The influence of time zones and summer time
Travelers should be especially careful. Xiaomi Mijia watches usually take the time zone of a smartphone. If you moved to another city, but did not change the settings of the region on the phone, the watch will show the time of the previous location.
To work properly, you need to select the right region in the Zepp Life or Mi Home app, for example, if you are in Europe but you have China on your profile, some features and times may not work properly.
Automatic daylight saving time changes depending on your smartphone database, so if your phone is updated and has new rules, the clock will follow it when you first sync it, otherwise you will have to adjust the time manually (+1 or -1 hour).