Xiaomi Mi Band 5: How to turn on the bracelet and set it up in 10 minutes

Before the first turn on: what to prepare

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet is one of the most popular wearables thanks to its combination of functionality and affordable price. But even with such a simple gadget, beginners often have questions about how to turn it on, connect it to a smartphone and customize it for their needs. This article will help you understand everything from unpacking to fine-tuning notifications and training modes.

Before you start setting up, make sure you have everything you need: a bracelet (full charge), a smartphone on Android 5.0+ or iOS 10.0+ and the Mi Fit app (or Zepp Life for newer versions). If you are upgrading with Mi Band 4, note that the data sync process may be different — we’ll talk about this separately.

Important: The bracelet comes with a partial battery charge, but for the first turn on it is recommended to charge it to 100%. Full charging time is about 1.5-2 hours. Use the original cable (included), as third-party chargers can damage the contacts.

How to turn on Xiaomi Mi Band 5: step-by-step instructions

It takes less than a minute to turn on the bracelet, but many users miss important details.

1. Connect the bracelet to charge. Even if the indicator shows a charge, hold it on charging for 10-15 minutes - this ensures stable operation on the first turn on.
2. Press and hold the touch button (the round area under the screen) for 3-5 seconds until the Mi logo appears.
3. Wait for the download. The screen will show up in turn the download animation, the welcome message and the request to connect to the phone.

If the bracelet does not respond to pressing:

• 🔋 Check the charge level – at a discharge below 5%, the screen will not turn on.
• 🔌 Try another one. USB-port or charger (sometimes the problem is insufficient current).
• 🛠️ If the bracelet still does not turn on, reset to factory settings (press the button on 20).+ seconds).

Once successfully turned on, the bracelet will automatically go to standby mode, and now it needs to be connected to a smartphone, which will be discussed in the next section.

Synchronization with the phone: installing Mi Fit and connecting

Without syncing with a smartphone, the Mi Band 5 will only work as a pedometer and alarm clock. To unlock all functions (notifications, sleep monitoring, pulse monitor), you need to install an official application:

1. Download Mi Fit from Google Play or the App Store. Alternatively, the Zepp Life app (for new Xiaomi models).
2. Sign up or sign in through your Xiaomi, Google, Facebook account.
3. Click Add Device and select Mi Smart Band 5 from the list.
4. Allow access to notifications, contacts and geodata (this is necessary for the functions to function correctly).

When you connect, the bracelet vibrates, and the confirmation code appears on the screen, and if the code doesn't match what's shown in the app, reset the bracelet and try again, which is a common mistake when you first connect.

After successful synchronization, the app will prompt you to update your firmware. Always agree to an update, which fixes bugs and adds new features (e.g. support for new types of workouts). The update takes 5-10 minutes, don't interrupt the process!

Basic settings: time, notifications and user profile

Now that the bracelet is plugged in, it's time to customize it for you.

• ⏰ Time and date: Automatically synced to your smartphone, but if you crash, you can manually update to your Device Profile. → Time settings.
• 🔔 Notifications, turn on alerts for calls, SMS And apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) You can set up vibration and display notification text in Mi Fit.
• 👤 User profile: Gender, age, weight and height, all for calorie accuracy and sleep analysis.
• 🌙 Activate automatic sleep tracking in bracelet settings.

Pay special attention to the notification settings. By default, the bracelet vibrates with each message, but this can be changed:

Mi Fit → Profile → Mi Smart Band 5 → Call and App Notifications

Here you can choose which apps to show notifications from, and even set the "Do Not Disturb" mode for a certain time.

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If notifications don’t come, check the permissions for Mi Fit in the phone settings (Applications → Permissions section).

It is also helpful to set up quick actions:

• 🔄 Raise your hand gesture, turns on the screen when you raise your hand (saves battery power).
• 🔍 Phone search. Double-pressing the bracelet button makes the phone make a sound.
• 🔋 Charge display. You can add a battery widget to the main screen of the bracelet.

Set up training and health monitoring

Mi Band 5 supports 11 training regimes, including running, cycling, swimming and even yoga.

1. Open Mi Fit and go to Profile → Mi Smart Band 5 → Training Modes.
2. Choose the right sports and place them in order of priority (they will appear in the bracelet menu).
3. Activate autodetection of workouts (for example, for running or walking).

For accurate pulse tracking:

• 🩺 Turn on continuous heart rate monitoring (once every 1–30 minutes) in bracelet settings.
• 📊 Set up high/low pulse warnings (good for people with heart problems).
• 💤 Activate blood oxygen monitoring (SpO₂) — function is available in the latest firmware.

Important: for swimming, the bracelet has 5 ATM water protection, but after contact with water, it is recommended to wash it with fresh water and dry it.

For advanced users, setting activity goals is available:

Mi Fit → Profile → Targets

Here you can set individual goals for steps, calories and activity time.

Additional features: alarm clocks, weather and music control

In addition to fitness features, the Mi Band 5 can:

And the music control feature is especially useful, because you don't have to take your phone out while you're jogging.

1. Run the player on your phone.
2. Swipe up on the bracelet screen.
3. Use the "Play/Pause", "Next" and "Previous" buttons.

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To properly unlock your phone through the bracelet, disable other unlocking methods (such as Smart Lock) – they can conflict.

If a function does not work, check:

• 📱 Compatibility of your smartphone (the list of supported models is available on the Xiaomi website).
• 🔄 Bracelet firmware version (update via Mi Fit).
• 🔋 Charge level (some functions are turned off when the charge is low).

Problems and Solutions: What to Do When Something Doesn't Work

Even with a reliable device like the Mi Band 5, there are some problems that can happen, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

⚠️ Warning: If the bracelet stopped syncing after updating the firmware, remove it from Mi Fit and reconnect it. This will reset the settings, but will save the data history in the account.

If the bracelet does not respond to touch, try:

• 🧼 Clean the screen of sweat or cream (use soft cloth).
• 🔄 Reset the bracelet (hold the button for 10 seconds).
• 🛠️ Reset to factory settings (hold the button for 20 seconds).

⚠️ Note: When you reset your settings, all data on the bracelet will be deleted, but the history in your Mi Fit account will remain.To avoid data loss, sync the bracelet before resetting.

If the problem is not resolved, contact Xiaomi via the Mi Fit app (Feedback section).

• The bracelet model (Mi Band 5 or XMSH10HM) is the full name.
• The firmware version (you can see in Mi Fit → Device Profile → About the program).
• Description of the problem with an indication of when it appeared.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions