Modern wearable gadgets from the Chinese manufacturer, such as the Mi Band, Xiaomi Watch or devices under the Amazfit brand, rarely require manual intervention in basic settings. However, users often face a situation when after buying, reconnecting or prolonged downtime accessory shows the wrong time, which causes discomfort, as the main feature of the device — fast reading of current information — stops working correctly.
In most cases, time synchronization is automatically done when you connect your gadget to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and if you don't, you've got a software failure or misdefined regional settings, and it's important to understand that the watch itself often doesn't have the ability to manually set the clock and minutes without the mobile app.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the configuration algorithms for different models, look at the causes of desynchronization, and offer solutions to the most common problems. You will learn how to get your device to show the exact time corresponding to your time zone, and what hidden functions can affect this process.
Principles of automatic synchronization
Xiaomi’s smartwatches are based on constant or periodic data exchange with your phone. A companion app, whether it’s Xiaomi Wear, Mi Fitness or Zepp Life, acts as a time server for a wearable device. Once you open the app and it connects to the gadget, the timestamps are checked.
If your smartphone has a time-hungry or a wrong time zone, the watch will mindlessly copy this incorrect data. That is why the initial diagnosis should always begin with checking the settings of the phone itself. Android or iOS sends a data packet that includes not only hours and minutes, but also the time format (12 or 24 hours), as well as the date settings.
Sometimes the automatic process fails because of energy saving, the phone's operating system can "sleep" the background process of the application, which prevents synchronization at the right time, in which case the user sees on the wrist time that is several hours or even days behind.
⚠️ Note: If the time on the clock has not been updated during the period of time after connecting to the phone 1-2 You can force the app to close and run it again, sometimes you need to pair the devices again through your Bluetooth settings.
It’s also worth noting that some models, especially budget fitness trackers, don’t have their own GPS module or a permanent Internet connection (except for the eSIM versions), they are completely dependent on the phone.
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Make sure your smartphone has Automatic Date and Time enabled over the network, which ensures that the watch receives a reference time, not locally misconfigured phone settings.
Setup via Mi Fitness and Zepp Life
The process of setting the time depends on what software you use to manage the device. For modern Xiaomi and Redmi models, the Mi Fitness app is relevant, while older models and devices of the Huami ecosystem are managed through Zepp Life (formerly Mi Fit) or Xiaomi Wear.
Consider the action algorithm for the current Mi Fitness application, and after installation and authorization, you need to add the device, and in the process of adding it, the system will request permission to access geolocation and contacts, which are mandatory requirements for the correct operation of functions, including time synchronization.
- 📱 Open the application and go to the “Profile” or “Device” tab».
- 🔗 Click on the name of your watch in the list of connected devices.
- ⚙️ Find the item "Device settings" or "System settings».
- 🌍 Check the Time Zone section – it should match your current location.
The logic is similar in the Zepp Life app, but the interface is different: you have to go to profile, select a tracker, and scroll down to Settings, and there's a lot of time zone, which you sometimes have to manually switch if the automatic detection fails.
The time format is a big concern, and many users get confused when the 12-hour format changes to 24-hour or vice versa after updating the firmware or changing the region in the app, and this setting is also broadcast from phone to watch, but in some versions of the software it can be changed directly to the device menu.
Manual setting of time on models with display
Full-fledged smartwatches like the Xiaomi Watch S1, Xiaomi Watch 2 or models running Wear OS have a more advanced operating system. Unlike simple trackers, they allow you to make changes to the time and date settings directly from the screen of the gadget, although synchronization with the smartphone remains a priority.
To navigate the settings menu on these devices, you usually need to swipe down to open the quick access curtain or click on the menu button (crown). Next, find the gear icon. The path can look like Settings → System → Date and time.
You can turn off the option "Auto" or "Sync with your phone" here, and then the fields of hours, minutes and dates will be active for editing, which is useful in situations where the phone is discharged, lost or out of reach, and you need to know the exact time.
⚠️ Note: When manually setting the time on the clock with the Wear OS OS You may need to reset your network settings if your device is trying to sync with the wrong Google time server.
For models without touch control, where navigation is carried out with a single button and touch bar (as on some versions of the Redmi Watch), manual adjustment may not be available. In such cases, the only solution is to search the menu for “Pair” or “Device Search”, which initiates a re-interchange with the phone.
If you have changed time zone (for example, flew on vacation), smart watches with the help of the user. GPS-The module can independently determine the change of location and suggest to update the time. GPS You will need to connect to a phone, which in turn will update data via a mobile network or Wi-Fi.
☑️ Checking settings before manual installation
Comparison of models and support of functions
Not all Xiaomi devices have the same functionality. The differences in operating systems (Proprietary OS, Wear OS, RTOS) dictate the rules of the game. Understanding what class your device belongs to will help avoid unnecessary efforts to find non-existent buttons.
Below is a table showing the differences in timing options for popular Xiaomi device categories and sub-brands.
| Type of device | Examples of models | Manual setting | Synchronization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness bracelets | Mi Band 6, 7, 8, 9 | No. | Only through the app |
| Budget hours | Redmi Watch 2 Lite, Active | Partially (format) | Automatic. |
| Flagship watch | Xiaomi Watch S1, S3 | Yes (full) | Auto + Manual |
| Wear OS | Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro | Yes (via Google) | Through a Google account |
As you can see from the table, for the Mi Band bracelets, trying to find the time menu on the device itself is pointless. All the logic is in conjunction with the phone. At the same time, Wear OS devices function as mini-smartphones and have their own date settings that can conflict with the phone's settings if time sources are not prioritized.
It's important to consider the firmware version, too. Early versions of Redmi Watch software may have lacked some options that were added later, so if you don't find the right menu item, it's worth checking for updates.
Why is time lost for 3-4 hours?
Solving problems with desynchronization
When the clock is constantly “going away” or showing an incorrect value after a reboot, requires deeper intervention, often the cause is not the gadget itself, but a conflict of software versions or a crowded cache of the application on the smartphone.
The first step is to update the software. Go to the companion app, find the device section, and check for new firmware. The firmware update often contains sync protocol bug fixes.
If the update doesn’t work, try the following steps:
- 🗑️ Remove the device from the app (break the pair).
- 📱 Clear the app cache in your phone settings or reinstall it.
- 🔄 Reset the clock to factory settings (usually via the device menu or by pressing a button).
- 🤝 Re-interconnect by closely monitoring permission requests.
Sometimes the problem is access rights. The application may be denied access to geolocation in the background, which makes it impossible for it to determine the time zone when the phone screen is off. In Android settings, you need to allow the Mi Fitness or Zepp app to run in the background and access the location always.
⚠️ Warning: When you reset the clock to factory settings, all accumulated training data that is not synced to the server will be lost. Make sure you open the app and wait for the full statistics to be uploaded before resetting.
It's also worth checking the system time on the phone itself. If there's a manual time set, turn it off and turn on "Use Network Time." The watch copies the error from the phone, and no drum dancing around the watch itself will help until the data source is incorrect.
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90% of the time problems on Xiaomi are solved by completely re-binding the device: removing from the app -> resetting the clock -> new pairing with the GPS on the phone.
Setting up the time and date format
In addition to accuracy, users are often concerned about the format of the display. 12-hourly format (with designation) AM/PM) or 24-Xiaomi allows you to flexibly configure this setting, but sometimes the settings are scattered across different menus.
On most models, the format change is automatic depending on the region selected in the application. For example, when choosing a region "USA" or "UK", the watch can switch to a 12-hour format. To return to the usual look, you just need to change the region in the application settings to "Russia" or "Germany".
However, some models, such as the Mi Band 7 Pro or Redmi Watch 3, have the option of selecting the format directly from the device menu.
- Go to Settings on the clock.
- Select System or Time and Language.
- Find the 24-hour format item and switch the switch.
If you don't have a clock on your device and the format is not displayed correctly, try changing the language of the clock system. Switching from English to Russian often forcibly changes the format of the time to 24-hour, since in Russification the 12-hour format is rarely used.
Also worth mentioning is the date settings. You can choose the display order (day-month or month-day) and separators from the app. These changes only apply after successful synchronization, so be sure to wait for the vibration or update notification on the clock after changing the settings in the app.
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If you use a third-party dial, it can ignore the system settings for the time format, and in such cases, the format can only be changed by replacing the dial with a standard or compatible one.