How to Set and Sync Time on Xiaomi Fitness Bracelet: From Mi Band 3 to Smart Band 8

Xiaomi fitness bracelets are some of the most popular activity tracking gadgets, but even they sometimes get lost in time. Mi Band or Smart Band watches can cause missed notifications, incorrect sleep or workouts. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to adjust time, from automatic synchronization through the application to manual adjustments when crashes.

The problem is usually three things: incorrect time zone settings in your smartphone, lack of sync with the Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit), or hardware failure of the bracelet. We will look at solutions for all current models, from the Mi Band 3/4/5 to the Smart Band 7/8, including features of firmware and regional versions. If your bracelet shows time several hours late or is completely frozen on one value, the following instructions will help to return accuracy.

Why is Xiaomi’s fitness bracelet the wrong time?

Before you start setting up, it's important to understand the root of the problem, and in 90% of cases, it's not the faults, but the software nuances:

• 📱 Unsynchronized time on a smartphone. The bracelet takes time and date data from the Mi Fitness app, which in turn focuses on the phone's settings. If the smartphone has the wrong time zone, the bracelet will lie».
• 🔄 No connection to the application. After restarting the phone or bracelet, the sync may be interrupted, for example, if you turn off Bluetooth or the application closed in the background.
• 🌍 Time zone failure: When traveling to another country, the bracelet does not automatically update the zone, especially for Mi Band 5 and older models.
• ⚙️ Outdated firmware. In rare cases, bugs in the bracelet software cause time to freeze. For example, the Smart Band 7 Pro had a problem with synchronization after upgrading to version 1.16.0.14.

Another common reason is manually changing the time on the phone (without using automatic settings), in which case the bracelet may be “backlogged” by several minutes or hours, since the synchronization is not in real time, but the next time you connect to the application.

⚠️ Note: If the bracelet shows the time with a difference in 3–4 Check the time format settings on your phone. In some regions (for example, in Russia) the default can be set 12-clock-form (AM/PM), skew.

Method 1: Automatic synchronization with Mi Fitness

The most reliable method is to let the bracelet automatically get time from the Mi Fitness app.

1. Open the Mi Fitness app on your smartphone and make sure the bracelet is connected (the Bluetooth icon in the upper right corner should be active).
2. Go to the profile of the device: tap the icon of the bracelet on the home screen.
3. Select Device Settings → Date and time (in some versions of the application – Additional → Time Synchronization).
4. Activate Automatic Sync (or Use Phone Time)
5. Wait for the message about the successful synchronization (usually takes 5-10 seconds).

If the option is already on, but the time is still incorrect, try forced synchronization:

• 🔄 Reset the bracelet (press the touch button for 10-15 seconds before the Mi logo appears).
• 📱 Close the Mi Fitness app in the background (swipe up on Android or through Task Manager) and run it again.
• 🔗 Disable and reconnect the bracelet in the Bluetooth settings of the smartphone.

Check time zone on phone |Enable Bluetooth and GPS|Update Mi Fitness|Reboot bracelet-->

After these actions, the time should be automatically updated. If not, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Manual time setting (for older models)

The Mi Band 3/4 and some regional versions of the Mi Band 5 have the option to set the time manually without relying on a smartphone, which is true if the automatic synchronization is not working or you are using the bracelet without a phone (for example, for training).

Instructions for Mi Band 3/4:

1. On the bracelet screen, swipe up to open the menu.
2. Select More (or More in English firmware).
3. Slip the Settings (cog) icon.
4. Find the Time and Date section (also known as Time & Date).
5. Turn off Auto Sync and manually set the current time, date and time zone.

For the Mi Band 5/6/7 and Smart Band 7/8, there is no manual time setting – these models are completely dependent on synchronization with a smartphone. If the automatic method does not work, you need to look for the reason in the phone settings or the bracelet firmware.

Time zone problems: how to fix them?

If the bracelet shows a time several hours apart (for example, instead of 15:00 it displays 12:00 or 18:00), the problem lies in the wrong time zone.

• 🌎 After the flight to another country (the bracelet does not automatically update the zone).
• 📵 In the case of VPN on the phone (some of them) VPN change geolocation, which disrupts synchronization).
• 🔧 After resetting the phone or bracelet settings.

Decision:

1. On the phone go to Settings → System → Date and time.
2. Make sure you have the options: Automatic date and time (using network data) Automatic time zone (determined by geolocation).

UTC+3

Mi Fitness

If the problem persists, check the regional settings in the Mi Fitness app:

1. Open the profile in the application (user icon in the upper right corner).
2. Go to Settings. → Region.
3. Choose your country (for example, Russia or Ukraine).
4. Save the changes and wait for the synchronization.

Update the bracelet firmware to fix time failures

Some Xiaomi firmware versions of the bracelets had bugs that caused time to freeze, such as:

To update the firmware:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to the profile of the bracelet.
2. Select the device settings → Update the firmware.
3. If a new version is available, click Update and wait for the process to be completed (the bracelet will reboot).

⚠️ Warning: Do not interrupt the firmware update or disable Bluetooth. If the process is interrupted, the bracelet may stop turning on. In this case, you will need a hardware reset (pressing the button at 30).+ seconds).

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Before upgrading the firmware, charge the bracelet to 50% or more. Low charge can cause the process to fail.

Resetting the bracelet to factory settings

If none of these things work, it's a complete reset, and it'll remove all the data from the bracelet (steps, training, alarm clocks), but it often solves the time problems.

1. On the Mi Band 3/4/5: Go to Settings → More → Reset. Confirm action (bracelet vibrates and resets).
2. On Smart Band 7/8: In the Mi Fitness app, select Device Settings → Untie the device. Confirm the untie, then reconnect the bracelet as a new device.

After discharge:

• 🔄 The bracelet automatically syncs time with the phone.
• 📲 You will have to reconfigure notifications, alarms and user profiles.
• 🔋 Battery charge may temporarily decrease (this is normal after resetting).

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Resetting to factory settings is a last resort. Before you do that, try rebooting your bracelet and phone, and upgrading your firmware.

Frequent questions and decisions

Let’s look at the typical situations faced by Xiaomi users:

Additional tips for accurate time operation

To avoid problems in the future, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Update your bracelet firmware and Mi Fitness app regularly. New versions often include sync fixes.
• 📶 Don't turn off Bluetooth on your phone for long. The bracelet only syncs time when you're actively connected.
• ⏱️ Check time zones after flights or changing your phone settings.
• 🔄 Reload the bracelet once a week (press the button for 10 seconds.

If the time problem is a regular occurrence, try changing the region in the bracelet settings. For example, some Smart Band 7 users have solved the time-crash problem by choosing Hong Kong or Singapore over Russia in Mi Fitness.

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If the bracelet often loses touch with your phone, try turning off Bluetooth power saving mode in your phone settings. On Android, this is done in Connected Devices → Bluetooth Settings → Energy Saving.