How to set time on the fitness bracelet Xiaomi Mi Band 3: 3 working ways

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 fitness bracelet remains a popular gadget even years after its release — it is valued for reliability, long battery life and wide functionality. However, many users face the problem: the time on the wristband screen does not match the real one or gets lost after disconnecting from the smartphone. In 90% of cases, this is solved in 2 minutes, but only if you know the right sequence of actions.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can synchronize time, from auto-tuning through the Mi Fit app to manually entering when you don’t have the internet, and why the bracelet can show the wrong time (spoiler: it’s not always the gadget itself) and how to avoid typical mistakes. If your Mi Band 3 is a few hours behind or even frozen on one value, read on.

Why is Xiaomi Mi Band 3 running out of time?

Before you set up your watch, it's important to understand the root of the problem: the wristband doesn't have its own GPS or time module, it depends entirely on the data that the smartphone transmits over Bluetooth. Here are the 5 most common causes of failure:

• 📵 No communication with the phone: If Bluetooth is disabled or the smartphone is out of range (more than 10 meters), the bracelet uses the last synchronized time stamp, which over time “gets obsolete».
• ⏳ Mi Band 3 takes time from there, not directly from the Internet.
• 🔄 Synchronization failure in Mi Fit. Sometimes data is not fully transmitted due to cache errors.
• 🔋 At a charge level below 10%, the bracelet can "save" energy by suspending the time update.
• 📱 Outdated firmware of a gadget or app. Older versions had time-stamped bugs.

Fun fact: The Mi Band 3 doesn’t have a built-in accelerometer to automatically adjust time (unlike the newer Mi Band 5/6 models).So if you’ve moved to a different time zone, the bracelet won’t update time on its own — you’ll need manual synchronization.

Method 1: Automatic synchronization via Mi Fit

This is the main and recommended method – the bracelet will pull up the current time from your smartphone.

Download the latest version of Mi Fit from the App Store/Google Play

Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone

Make sure the bracelet is charged (minimum 20%)

Unlock the phone screen (synchronization does not work in the background)

-->

Now, follow the steps:

1. Open the Mi Fit app and wait for the bracelet to connect (the Mi Band 3 icon with a tick will appear at the top of the screen).
2. Go to Profile → Your Device → Device Settings.
3. Scroll down and find Sync Time (or Update Time in older versions).
4. Slap it on – the bracelet vibrates, confirming a successful upgrade.

If time sync is not available, your version of Mi Fit is outdated, upgrade it through the app store or go manually.

💡

After synchronization, reboot the bracelet: press the touch button for 10 seconds until the Mi logo appears.

Method 2: Manual time setting (without phone)

If automatic synchronization doesn't work (e.g., no access to a smartphone or Bluetooth issues), you can set the time directly on the wristband, which works even without the Internet.

Warning: manual settings will reset the next time you connect to Mi Fit! Use it only as a temporary solution.

Step-by-step:

1. Wake up the bracelet screen (stomp it or raise your hand).
2. Swipe up to open the menu, then find the icon. ⚙️ Settings.
3. Scroll to the right until you see it. ⏰ Time (or Time on English firmware).
4. Slip on it - the manual configuration interface will open: 🕒 Clock: Swipes up/down for change. 🕓 Minutes: Confirm the clock by pressing, then adjust the minutes. 📅 Date: Some firmwares have a day/month adjustment available.

To save, hold the touch button for 2 seconds.

⚠️ Note: On bracelets with Chinese firmware (Mi Band 3) NFC) If there is no time, try updating the firmware through Mi Fit or use a third method.

Method 3: Resetting and re-synchronization

If the first two methods did not work, the problem may lie in the software failure of the bracelet, in which case a complete reset to the factory settings and subsequent tethering to the phone will help.

Warning: After the reset, all data from the bracelet (steps, pulse, alarm settings) will be deleted, but the information in the Mi Fit on the phone will remain intact.

How to Reset Mi Band 3:

1. Open the menu bracelet. ⚙️ Settings (see the instructions in Method 2).
2. Find Reset (or Reset) – it’s usually the last item on the list.
3. Confirm the action by holding the touch button. The bracelet vibrates and reboots.

Critical error: If you manually changed your smartphone time zone but forgot to update it to your Google account (Android) or iCloud (iOS), the bracelet may receive outdated data.

1. On Android: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync (enable date and time).
2. On iOS: Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → Show Everything (check the Watch).

⚠️ Warning: Some Mi Band 3 firmwares don't manually set the time, but they always reset.

Additional Tips for Precise Hours Operation

To ensure that the Mi Band 3 always shows the right time, follow these guidelines:

• 🔋 Charge the bracelet to 100% once 2 At low charge (<15%) possible synchronization failures.
• 📶 Update Mi Fit regularly. Newer versions fix time zone bugs.
• ✈️ When flying, first update the time zone on your smartphone, then synchronize the bracelet.

If you use the Mi Band 3 with multiple smartphones (e.g., a work and a personal), remember that the bracelet only syncs with the last device connected.

💡

Create a shortcut for quick synchronization: on Android, add the Mi Fit widget to the home screen, on iOS, use 3D Touch on the app icon (Sync).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions