How to set the time for the fitness bracelet Xiaomi Mi Band: all ways

The Xiaomi Mi Band fitness bracelets have long been indispensable for millions of users, but even such simple devices sometimes throw surprises. One of the most common questions is why the bracelet displays the wrong time or date, and how to fix it. There are several reasons: from banal synchronization failure to incorrect time zone settings in the smartphone.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to adjust time on Mi Band 3/4/5/6/7/8 bracelets, including manual adjustment through the application and automatic synchronization. Particular attention will be paid to the typical errors that cause time to “get lost” after updating a firmware or changing your phone. If your bracelet shows 00:00 or a date from the last century, here you will find a solution.

Important: The instructions are valid for the official Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit) and Zepp Life (newer models) apps. If you use third-party programs like Notify & Fitness or Tools & Mi Band, the algorithm may differ.

Why Mi Band is in the wrong time: the main reasons

Before you start setting up, you should understand why the bracelet is showing the wrong time. 90% of the time, the problem is not the device itself, but the associated smartphone or software.

• 📱 The bracelet takes data from the phone, and if it's in the wrong time zone or date, the Mi Band will display the same values.
• 🔄 Synchronization failure: Sometimes communication between the bracelet and the application is interrupted (for example, due to Bluetooth disabled or background optimization of Android).
• 🔋 Battery discharge: At a charge level below 10%, the bracelet can "forget" settings, including time.
• 📲 Older versions of the Mi Band software had bugs with automatic time synchronization (relevant to Mi Band models). 3/4).
• ⚡ Hard reset: Once reset to factory settings, the bracelet resets and time.

Less commonly, the problem is hardware failure (e.g., real-time RTC damage), in which case time will be lost even after manual adjustment, and if none of the methods below worked, the bracelet may need repair.

⚠️ Attention: On Mi Band models 7/8 Time failures often occur after updating the firmware through third-party applications (for example, Mi Band Master), in which case only a full reset and re-binding to the official application will help.

Method 1: Automatic time synchronization with Mi Fitness/Zepp Life

The simplest and most recommended method is to synchronize time through the official app, which automatically pulls data from the smartphone every time you connect.

1. Make sure your smartphone has the right time. Go to Settings → System → Date and time and turn on the option Automatic (network time).
2. Activate Bluetooth and open the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp Life for Mi Band 7/8).
3. Wait until the bracelet connects (the icon will appear at the top of the screen). 🔵).
4. Go to the profile of the device (stamp the icon of the bracelet in the main menu).
5. Check the Data Sync section – if time is not updated, pull the screen down for forced sync.

On new models (Mi Band 6/7/8), synchronization is done in the background every 30 minutes.

- Is Bluetooth on the phone?

- Is location access allowed for the Mi Fitness app

- Is the battery saving for the application turned off (in Android settings)

- Is the application updated to the latest version?-->

For iPhone users: Due to iOS limitations, sync may not work smoothly, in which case manual adjustment (see next section) or reconnecting the bracelet (Settings → Disable Device → Reconnect) will help.

Method 2: Manual timing (if automatic synchronization is not working)

If the bracelet persists in showing the wrong time despite all attempts at synchronization, you can set it manually, which is a method that works for all models, but the interface may be slightly different.

For the Mi Band 3/4/5:

1. Open the Mi Fitness app and go to the bracelet profile.
2. Slip on the device settings → Additional → Date and time.
3. Turn off the autosynchronization option and enter the time manually.
4. Save the changes and wait for the synchronization (the bracelet vibrates when the upgrade is successful).

For Mi Band 6/7/8 (Zepp Life app):

1. In the device profile, select Settings → System → Date and time.
2. Turn off Sync with your smartphone.
3. Set the time zone manually (e.g. GMT+3 for Moscow).
4. Enter the current time and save it.

⚠️ Note: The Mi Band 8 may require a manual time setting (press the button for 10 seconds) to restart the bracelet, otherwise the changes will only apply after the next synchronization.

💡

If you're manually adjusting the time again, try rolling back the bracelet firmware to the previous version, and you can find instructions on the 4PDA forums on your model.

Method 3: Resetting the bracelet to factory settings

If neither automatic nor manual adjustments work, it's a hard reset, which will return the bracelet to its original state, but delete all the data (steps, pulse, alarm settings).

1. On the bracelet, go to Settings → About Device → Reset (for Mi Band 3/4/5, the path may be different).
2. Confirm the action by clicking on the icon ✓.
3. After the reboot, reconnect the bracelet through the Mi Fitness/Zepp Life app.

For models without touch screen (Mi Band 1/2):

1. Connect the bracelet to the charger.
2. Press and hold the button for 20 seconds until you feel the vibration.
3. Release the button and the bracelet will drop.

Once reset, the bracelet automatically syncs the time with the smartphone when you first connect, and if the problem persists, check your phone’s time zone settings or try connecting the bracelet to another device.

Method 4: Update the bracelet firmware

Outdated software is a common cause of time failures, especially on the Mi Band 3/4. The manufacturer regularly releases updates that fix synchronization bugs.

1. Open Mi Fitness/Zepp Life and go to the profile of the bracelet.
2. Select Settings → Update firmware.
3. If a new version is available, click Update and wait until it is completed (the bracelet will reboot).

Important:

• 🔋 The bracelet should be above 50%.
• 📶 Connect your phone to stable Wi-Fi (update weighs 10–50MB).
• ⏳ Don't interrupt! This can lead to the bracelet being "brickled.

Solving Time Zone and Summer Time Problems

Many users find that the wristband does not take into account the transition to winter/summer time or shows the time with a difference of several hours, this is due to time zone settings.

For Android:

1. Go to Settings → System → Date and time.
2. Turn on Automatically determine the time zone.
3. If the option is already enabled, turn it off, manually select the time zone (e.g. Moscow, GMT+3), then turn on the automatic determination again.

For the iPhone:

1. Open Settings → Main → Date and time.
2. Activate the car in the Time Zone section.
3. If the problem persists, turn off the Auto, manually select the city (for example, Moscow), then turn on the automatic mode again.

The Mi Band 7/8 can also be configured for a time format (12/24 hours):

1. In the Zepp Life app, go to Device Profile → Settings → Display.
2. Select the time format and set the desired option.

💡

If the bracelet shows the time with a difference of exactly 1-3 hours, in 99% of cases the problem lies in the wrong time zone on the smartphone, and not in the Mi Band itself.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting the time on Mi Band, users often make the same mistakes.-5 Failures and how not to repeat them:

• 🚫 Ignoring app updates. Older versions of Mi Fitness may not sync time correctly. Always update the software through Google Play or the App Store.
• 🚫 Background activity shutdown: On Android, many battery "optimizers" (e.g, MIUI Optimizer on Xiaomi smartphones block Mi Fitness in the background. Add the app to the exceptions.
• 🚫 Use of third-party launchers. Some shells (like Nova Launcher) interfere with Bluetooth's proper operation.
• 🚫 Reset the bracelet without disconnecting from the phone. Before a hard reset, always forget the device in the Bluetooth settings, otherwise conflicts may arise when reconnecting.
• 🚫 Set the time on the discharged bracelet. At a charge level below 20%, the Mi Band may not save the change. Charge the device to at least 50%.

Another common problem is that the bracelet shows the time, but it doesn't update the date, because the date is synchronized less often than the time (once a day) to force the date to be updated:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to the profile of the bracelet.
2. Tap on the synchronization icon (🔄) top-right.
3. If it doesn’t work, reset the bracelet.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions