Xiaomi Mi Band 5 features: from basic to hidden features

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 fitness bracelet has become a real bestseller among wearable electronics thanks to its combination of affordable prices and rich functionality. Launched in 2020, the gadget is still a hot choice for those who want to control health, sports achievements and daily activities without overpaying for premium brands. But many owners use only a small part of the capabilities of the Mi Band 5, without even knowing about the hidden chips.

In this article, we will examine all the functions of the bracelet - from the obvious (stepometer, pulsemeter) to the little-known (managing presentations, searching for a phone by sound). 6/7, For example, advanced face personalization or specific exercise regimes, you will also learn how to properly configure the device through the Mi Fit app to get the most accurate health data.

Basic functions: pedometer, calories and activity

The main purpose of any fitness bracelet is to track physical activity. Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope that captures movements with high accuracy.

• 🚶 Walking is a step counter with adjustment for the length of your step (configured in Mi Fit).
• 🏃 Running - a separate mode taking into account the pace, distance and burned calories.
• 🚴 Riding a bicycle - is determined by the characteristic vibrations of the hand (more precisely, it works when manually starting the mode).

Important: the bracelet does not recognize swimming automatically – you need to manually activate the swimming mode → Pool/Open water in the device menu. Calorie accuracy depends on the correctly specified parameters in the profile (Age) → Paul → Weight. → If you haven't updated your data after your weight changes, your readings will be understated or overstated.

One of the hidden features is a sedentary reminder. The bracelet vibrates if you haven't moved for more than 50 minutes (the interval is adjustable). This is especially useful for office workers. To turn off the notification, go to Profile. → Mi Band 5 → A reminder of inactivity.

2. Health monitoring: pulse, sleep and stress

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is equipped with an optical heart rate sensor PPG, It measures your heart rate every 5 minutes in normal mode and continuously during exercise, and it's as accurate as a chest pulsemeter when you fit your bracelet properly:

• 🩺 Wear a bracelet 2-3 fingers above your wrist (not tightly, but not hanging around either).
• 🚫 Avoid tattoos – they distort the sensor signal.
• ❄️ Cold hands? Wave your hand for 10 seconds before measuring.

Mi Band 5’s unique function is to assess stress levels by heart rate variability (HRV). The bracelet analyzes the intervals between heartbeats and gives a score of 1 to 100, where:

• 1–30 – low stress (relaxed state)
• 31-70 - moderate stress (normal for the working day).
• 71-100 – High stress (recommended to take a break)

The bracelet uses a combination of motion and pulse sensors to monitor sleep, and it automatically detects:

• 🌙 Deep sleep (recovery of the body).
• 🌓 Light sleep (rapid eye movement phase, REM).
• 😴 Wake up (waking up in the middle of the night).

💡

To improve sleep accuracy, activate the Mi Fit option Sleep Mode → Sensitivity to sleep → It's going to reduce false awakenings, but it's going to slightly reduce battery life.

3.Sports modes: 11 types of training

The Mi Band 5 supports 11 specialized training modes, each with unique tracking metrics.

The Mi Band 5 features a Free Training mode that is suitable for non-standard activities (such as climbing or dancing), in which the bracelet only records time, pulse and calories, but does not try to recognize a particular sport.

To start the training:

1. Tap the bracelet screen and select Training.
2. Scroll down the list to the desired mode.
3. Click on the screen to start (double press for pause).

4.Smart Notifications and Phone Management

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 can show notifications from the phone, but with some restrictions.

• 📞 Calls – subscriber name or number (you can reset the swipe to the left).
• 💬 Communications — SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. (the first 30 characters are displayed).
• 📅 Calendar - Reminders of meetings.
• 🎵 Music - Managing reproduction (play/pause, track).

To set up notifications:

1. Open Mi Fit and go to Profile → Mi Band 5 → Notifications.
2. Turn on the Call Notification and Notifications from the apps switch.
3. Select the apps you want to see on your bracelet.

✅ Allow Mi Fit to send notifications in Android settings

✅ Disable battery optimization for Mi Fit

✅ Enable auto-start for Mi Fit (in phone settings)

✅ Reset the bracelet after changes-->

One of the most useful features is finding your phone. If you lose your smartphone, swipe down on the bracelet screen, select More. → Find the phone. The phone will vibrate and make sound (even if it's silent) and it'll work within a 10-15-meter radius.

💡

Notifications on Mi Band 5 only work when you have an active Bluetooth connection, and if the connection is interrupted (for example, the phone is dead), the bracelet will not vibrate when you make calls.

5. Personalization: dials, wallpapers and styles

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 offers more than 100 built-in dials, as well as support for custom downloads through apps like Amazfit Watch Faces or Notify & Fitness.

1. Touch the bracelet screen and hold for 2 seconds.
2. Scroll through the list of available swipe dials up/down.
3. Click on your favorite option for use.

Among the unique dials for the Mi Band 5:

• 🎨 "Anime" - thematic wallpaper with characters from popular TV series.
• 📊 "Statistics – displaying steps, pulse and weather on one screen.
• 🖼️ "Photos – the ability to upload your image as a background.

Important: Custom dials can increase battery consumption by 10 to 15 percent, especially if they are animated, and some third-party dials do not correctly display Cyrillic.

6. Additional chips: alarm clock, weather, NFC

In addition to the main features, the Mi Band 5 has a few useful little things:

• ⏰ Smart alarm clock — vibration at a given time (you can set up to 10 alarm clocks), Feature: if you wake up 30 minutes before the alarm clock, the bracelet will determine the phase of light sleep and wake you up earlier, so that waking up was less stressful.
• 🌦️ Weather – displays temperature, humidity and forecast for 3 days (data taken from the phone).
• 🔋 Phone Charge Level – shows the percentage of the smartphone battery right on the bracelet screen.
• 💳 NFC (version only NFC) — Support for contactless payments via Mi Pay (operates in Russia with restrictions).

To set up a smart alarm clock:

1. In Mi Fit go to Profile → Mi Band 5 → Alarm clock.
2. Click Add an alarm clock and specify the time.
3. Activate the Smart Alarm for a smooth awakening.

1. Is the alarm on in Mi Fit?

2. whether the bracelet fits tightly enough to the hand (vibration is weak).

3. Whether the phone is in "Do Not Disturb" mode (this turns off the alarm clock sync).-->

Version C NFC It allows you to link a bank card to pay for purchases up to 1000 rubles without entering a PIN code. However, in Russia this feature does not work with all banks.

7.Autonomy and charging: how to extend the life of the battery

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 battery-powered 125 mAh, which provides up to 14 days of operation in standard use (with permanently monitoring the pulse turned off) if all sensors (pulse) are activated. 24/7, stress, notifications, autonomy reduced to 5–7 days.

To extend the working hours:

• 🔄 Turn off auto-monitoring of the pulse (in Profile) → Mi Band 5 → Heart rate → Off.).
• 📴 Reduce the brightness of the screen to 2-3 divisions.
• 🚫 Deactivate notifications from unnecessary applications.
• 🌙 Use dark dials (AMOLED-screen uses less energy).

Charging takes about 1.5-2 hours. Use only the original cable - third-party charging can damage the contacts.

1. Clean the contacts on the bracelet and charger with an alcohol napkin.
2. Try another one. USB-port.
3. Reset the bracelet (hold the button for 10 seconds).

8.Comparison with Mi Band 6 and 7: What you lost and what you gained

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is still popular despite the release of new models.

What's better in Mi Band 5:

• 💰 Price – cheaper than new models with comparable basic functionality.
• 🔋 Autonomy – when disconnected “extra” sensors lasts longer Mi Band 7.
• 🎨 Personalization – More free custom dials.

What's missing:

• 🩺 SpO₂ — No measurement of blood oxygen levels.
• 🏊 Automatic Swimming Recognition (in the Mi Band) 6/7 eat).
• 📱 Quick responses to messages (new models can send templates) SMS straight off the bracelet).

💡

If you only need a pedometer, a pulsemeter and notifications, the Mi Band 5 is still the best choice (SpO₂, More sports modes are better in the direction of Mi Band 7.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi Mi Band 5