How to set time on Xiaomi fitness bracelet: 3 ways + problem solving

The mistime on the Xiaomi Mi Band is one of the most common problems that fitness bracelet owners face: Watches can rush, lag, or even reset after a device reboot. The reasons are rooted in synchronization settings, firmware failures, or even in the features of a particular model, such as the Mi Band 5 and later automatically tighten time from a smartphone, while older versions (Mi Band 3/4) require manual adjustment when changing the time zone.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to adjust time, from basic synchronization via Mi Fitness (formerly Zepp Life) to forced updates via Bluetooth, and learn why the bracelet can show the wrong time after a firmware update and how to fix it without resetting to factory settings.

If your Xiaomi Smart Band displays time with an error of several hours or minutes, do not rush to carry it to the service center. 90% of the time the problem is solved software – just follow the instructions below. And for owners of the Mi Band 7 Pro and Smart Band 8 Pro, we have prepared a separate section taking into account their unique features (for example, GPS support and battery life without a smartphone).

Before you start setting up, make sure that:

• 📱 The smartphone has the official application Mi Fitness (download: App Store / Google Play).
• 🔄 The bracelet is connected to the phone via Bluetooth and is displayed in the list of devices.
• ⚡ The charge level of the bracelet exceeds 20% (at low charge, synchronization may not work correctly).

1. Automatic time synchronization via Mi Fitness

The easiest way to set time on the Xiaomi Mi Band is to sync it with your smartphone data, which works for all models, including the Smart Band 8 Pro, but requires a stable connection to the Mi Fitness app.

Algorithm of action:

1. Open the Mi Fitness app on your smartphone.
2. Go to the Profile tab → My devices and choose your bracelet.
3. Slap the icon. ⚙️ Settings of the device.
4. Find the Date and Time section (newer versions of the app may call Time Synchronization).
5. Activate the Autosynchronization switch (if it is turned off).
6. Return to the home screen of the app and wait for automatic data updates (usually 10–30 seconds).

If the time is not updated, try forced synchronization:

• 🔄 Go to Profile. → My devices. → [Your bracelet] → Synchronize data.
• 📱 Reboot Bluetooth on your smartphone (turn off/on in the notification bar).
• ⏱️ Wait 1-2 minutes – the bracelet should “catch” the current time.

⚠️ Attention: On the Mi Band 3/4 Automatic synchronization may not work when changing time zones, in which case manual adjustment is required (see next section).

2. Manual time setting (for older models)

Owners of Mi Band 3, Mi Band 4 and some Mi Band 5 modifications sometimes have to adjust the time manually - especially if the bracelet is not synchronized with the smartphone.

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to the bracelet settings (Profile → My devices → [Your bracelet] → Settings).

2. Find the date and time item and turn off the autosynchronization option.

Manually set:

• 🌍 Time zone (select your region from the list).
• ⏰ Time format (12- or 24-hour).
• 📅 Date (if required).

4. Save the changes and wait for the vibration of the bracelet - this is a signal of successful application of the settings.

If manual adjustment doesn’t work, try an alternative method:

1. Untie the bracelet from the app (Profile → My devices → [Your bracelet] → Remove the device).
2. Reset the bracelet (press and hold the touch button for 10 seconds until the Mi logo appears).
3. Reconnect the bracelet by adding the device to Mi Fitness.

3. Features of setting up for Mi Band 7 Pro and Smart Band 8 Pro

Xiaomi’s flagship models – Mi Band 7 Pro and Smart Band 8 Pro – support autonomous operation without a smartphone thanks to the built-in GPS-This means that the time on them can be updated not only through Mi Fitness, but also through satellite data.

To adjust correctly:

1. Make sure that the bracelet is enabled GPS (Settings → GPS in the bracelet menu).
2. Sync with your smartphone (even if GPS is on, initial time-based timing is required).
3. Forcing time updates via satellite: 📡 Go to the open area (for the best signal). 🔄 In the bracelet menu, select Settings → Synchronization of time → Update on GPS.

The Smart Band 8 Pro also has a dual time zone option (good for travelers):

1. In Mi Fitness, go to Bracelet Settings → Additional → Second Time Zone.

2. Select a region and activate the second time display on the dial.

💡

If the time on Smart Band 8 Pro is lost after updating the firmware, try rolling back the software version through Mi Fitness (Firmware → Back to the previous version).

4. Problem Solving: Time is lost or not updated

If after all the manipulations the bracelet continues to show the wrong time, check the following points:

Problem 1: Time is lost after the reboot

• 🔋 Reason: Weak battery (at level) < 10% bracelet can reset settings).
• 🔄 Solution: Charge the bracelet to 100% and perform sync again.

Problem 2: The clock is in a hurry/minutes behind

• ⚙️ Cause: Failure of quartz generator (rare but encountered on Mi Band 4).
• 📱 Solution: Turn off autosynchronization, set the time manually, and check in 24 hours.

Problem 3: Time does not update after a time zone change

• 🌍 Reason: Mi Fitness app has not identified new location.
• 📍 Solution: Enable geolocation on your smartphone. in Mi Fitness update your profile (Profile) → Settings → Update location. Reset the bracelet.

⚠️ Warning: Mi Band 6 with firmware 1.0.6.54 has a bug that resets time when you connect to a new smartphone.

💡

If the bracelet shows the time with an error of several hours, first check the time zone settings on the smartphone itself - it is on them that the correctness of synchronization depends.

5. Update firmware to correct time errors

In some cases, the time display failures are due to outdated bracelet firmware. For example, Mi Band 5 version 1.0.1.14 had a bug that caused time to be lost when switching to winter/summer time.

To update the firmware:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to Profile → My Devices → [Your Bracelet].
2. Select firmware update (if the item is missing - firmware is already relevant).
3. Connect the bracelet to charge (charge level should be ≥50%).
4. Confirm the update and wait until it is completed (don’t turn off Bluetooth!).

If the automatic update doesn’t work, try the forced installation:

• 📥 Download the latest firmware version for your model from the official Xiaomi website (support section).
• 📁 Place the firmware file (usually with the.fw extension) in the root folder of the smartphone.
• 🔄 In Mi Fitness, select Manual Update and specify the path to the file.

Important: Forced firmware updates can result in a reset of all bracelet data (steps, sleep, settings). pre-backup through Profile → My Devices → Backup.

6. Alternative methods: setup through third-party applications

If standard methods do not help, you can use third-party utilities to manage the Xiaomi Mi Band.

• 📱 Notify & Fitness for Mi Band (Android) – allows you to manually adjust the time even if the official app doesn’t work.
• 🍎 Mi Band Master (iOS) – supports all bracelet models, including the Smart Band 8 Pro.
• 🖥️ Gadgetbridge (Android, open source) – for advanced users ready to configure a connection through ADB.

Instructions for Notify & Fitness:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Connect the bracelet through Add the device.
3. Go to Settings → Device → Date and time.
4. Turn off Auto Sync and set the time manually.
5. Save the changes and reset the bracelet.

⚠️ Warning: Third-party apps may conflict with official Mi Fitness. Untie the bracelet from Mi Fitness before using and remove it from the list of Bluetooth devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up time on Xiaomi Mi Band