Does the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 screen dim over time or seem too faded even after buying?The problem is familiar to many owners of this fitness bracelet.The reasons can be different from factory restrictions to wear and tear. OLED-But 90 percent of the time, you can increase the brightness without repair -- you just need to know where to look for the settings and how to get around the standard system constraints.
In this article, we will discuss all the working methods, from official (via the Mi Fit app) to little-known (for example, activating high brightness mode through ADB), and you will learn why the bracelet itself decreases brightness and how to prevent it. If you have tried to change the settings in the application, but the result did not work, do not close the page: there will be some non-obvious solutions.
Important: The techniques are suitable for original and custom firmware, but some features may not be available in the Chinese versions of the Mi Band 3 (marked as "Mi Band 3"). CN). Before changing, check the firmware version in Settings → About the device.
1. Basic brightness settings in Mi Fit
To start with, the basics are the official settings in the app, and even if you've tried this before, check again: newer versions of Mi Fit (4.6.0+) have additional options.
How to change the brightness through the app:
- Open the Mi Fit and connect to the bracelet.
- Go to Profile → Xiaomi Mi Band 3 → Screen settings.
- Find the brightness slider (in older versions it may be called lighting).
- Move the slider to the right to the stop (maximum - 5 divisions).
- Save the changes and sync the bracelet.
⚠️ Note: If the slider is missing or inactive, update the app to the latest version.In Mi Fit 4.5.0 and below, brightness settings may have been hidden for some regions.
What to do if the brightness is still insufficient:
- 🔄 Reset the bracelet: Press the touch button 10 seconds before the Mi logo appears. Sometimes a cache reset returns factory brightness settings.
- 📱 Check the firmware version: In Settings → The device must be at least 1.5.0.34, if below, update via Mi Fit.
- 🌓 Turn off automatic adjustment: In the same screen settings, find the Auto Brightness option and deactivate it.
2. Hidden brightness settings via ADB
If standard methods don't work, it's time to move on to advanced ones. ADB-Android Debug Bridge can unlock hidden brightness parameters that Xiaomi has limited in bulk firmware, which requires an Android smartphone and 5 minutes of time.
Step-by-step:
- Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone and click on the Build Number 7 times.
- Go back to Settings → System → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
- Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB-tools, and check the connection with the command: adb devices (the serial number of your device should appear).
- Run the command to unlock hidden settings: adb shell am start -n com.xiaomi.hm.health/com.xiaomi.hm.health.settings.DeviceSettingsActivity
- In the menu that opens, find the Display Settings section and set Max Brightness to 255 (default: 200).
⚠️ Note: Not all versions of the Mi Band 3 support this method. If an Activity not found error occurs after you type in a command, then your firmware is not compatible with the system. ADB-In this case, move on to the next method.
Install ADB-tools on PC|
Enable debugging over USB on your phone |
Connect Mi Band 3 to your phone via Bluetooth|
Check the bracelet firmware version (should be) ≥1.3.0.0)-->
3. Use of alternative firmware
Xiaomi’s official software often limits the functionality of the wristbands to save battery life. Alternative firmware (such as Amazfit Mod or Notify & Fitness) removes these limitations, including the ability to manually adjust brightness to 100%.
The advantages of custom firmware:
- 🔦 Screen brightness up to 300 nits (versus 200 nits in the drain).
- 🔋 Optimized power consumption (despite brightness, the battery is slower to run down).
- 🎨 Additional dials and animations.
- 🚫 Removing regional restrictions (for example, for Chinese versions) CN).
How to Switch Mi Band 3 to Alternative Software:
- Download the firmware from amazfitwatchfaces.com (we recommend Notify & Fitness for beginners).
- Install the Mi Band Master app (available on 4PDA).
- In the application, select File → Install firmware and specify the downloaded.fw file.
- Wait for the process to be completed (the bracelet will reboot 2-3 times).
⚠️ Note: Firmware through informal tools voids the warranty. If the bracelet stops turning on, it can only be restored through Mi Fit (Factory Restore.
What happens if you interrupt the firmware?
4. Optimization of screen illumination time
Brightness is perceived subjectively: if the screen goes out too quickly, it seems to be dull. In the Mi Band 3, you can increase the backlight time to 10 seconds (by default - 5 seconds), which visually improves readability.
How to change the lighting time:
- Open Mi Fit and go to Profile → Xiaomi Mi Band 3 → Screen settings.
- Find the backlight time (or Screen timeout in English).
- Set the value of 10 seconds.
- Activate the option to raise your hand to turn on (if it is disabled).
Comparison of lighting time and battery consumption:
| Lighting time. | Battery consumption (per day) | Readability |
|---|---|---|
| 5 seconds | ~12% | Low (the screen goes out too quickly) |
| 7 seconds | ~15% | Average (optimal balance) |
| 10 seconds. | ~18% | High (comfortable to read notifications) |
💡 Useful tip: If the battery goes down too quickly, set the backlight time to 7 seconds and activate the hand-raising gesture.
5. Screen and light sensor cleaning
Dust, sweat, or residues of cream on the Mi Band 3 screen can create a "fog" effect, which makes it seem that the brightness has dropped, especially in bright sunlight, and regular cleaning will restore the original clarity.
How to clean the screen correctly:
- 🧼 Use a microfiber wipe (for example, for glasses) and isopropyl alcohol 70%. Do not use wet wipes or household chemicals!
- 💧 Remove moisture from the speaker: If the bracelet is wet, put it in rice for 12 hours or use silica gel (go in shoe boxes).
- 🔍 Check the light sensor: It's on the right of the screen. Wipe it with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
⚠️ Note: Do not use abrasive materials (such as paper wipes) – they scratch. OLED-If there are microcracks on the screen, the brightness in these areas will constantly decrease due to damage to the pixels.
💡
To remove greasy spots from the screen, mix isopropyl alcohol with distilled water in a 1:1 ratio. Apply the solution on a napkin (not on a bracelet!) and gently wipe the surface.
6. Hardware causes of low brightness
If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be the hardware. Here are the most common hardware reasons for the Mi Band 3's dim screen:
Wearing OLED-Matrices: Over time, organic LEDs degrade, especially if the bracelet was often under direct sunlight. The average life of the matrix is 3-4 years when used actively. Signs of wear: uneven brightness (one part of the screen is lighter than the other) or “burned out” pixels.
Trouble with the plume: If the bracelet fell or was subjected to mechanical stress, the plume connecting the screen to the board could be damaged.
Battery discharge below 10%: At a critical charge level, the system automatically reduces brightness to 30% to save energy.The solution is to charge the bracelet to 100% and check the brightness again.
How to diagnose a hardware problem:
- Connect the bracelet to charge and check the brightness at 100% charge.
- Light a flashlight on the screen at an angle - if you see dark spots, the matrix is damaged.
- Shake the bracelet: If the screen flashes, the problem is in the plume or contacts.
💡 Key conclusion: If the brightness dropped sharply (in 1-2 days) and does not recover after resetting, most likely, the fault is hardware.
7. Alternative solutions: dials and gestures
If you can’t increase the brightness, you can improve the visibility of information in other ways:
High contrast dials: In Mi Fit or Amazfit, select a dial with a black background and white numerals (e.g. Digital Black or Minimal White). OLED-The screen is not black, so the contrast increases.
Gestures for quick activation: Activate in the settings:
- 👋 Raising your hand – the screen lights up when you move.
- 🔄 Double touch – double tap the screen to turn on.
- 📱 Notifications from the phone – the bracelet vibrates and illuminates when an incoming call is made/SMS.
Voice assistants: If the screen is not visible at all, set up alerts via Google Assistant or Alice. For example, you can set a notification: "OK Google, tell Mi Band to show the time" - the bracelet vibrates and turns on the backlight for 5 seconds.
💡
Animated dials (such as Fire Watchface) consume 20 to 30 percent more power, but provide better visibility in the dark due to dynamic backlighting.