Why Xiaomi fitness bracelet disconnects from smartphone: a full analysis of problems and solutions

You just bought a new Mi Band. 8 Or have you been using Mi Band for years? 5, But faced with an annoying problem: the bracelet is constantly losing touch with the phone Xiaomi (or any other). Android/iOS-The connection disappears through the 5 And when you're in the middle of a minute, you don't want to connect at all, even though Bluetooth is on, and it gets worse if you use the bracelet to pay for your purchases, notifications, or workouts, because the constant disconnection of the connection negates all the benefits of the smart accessory.

In this article, we will not just list the possible causes, but analyze them from a technical point of view: from banal user errors to hidden firmware bugs. You will learn how to distinguish hardware malfunctions from software failures, which settings must be checked first, and what to do if the bracelet turns off even after being reset to factory settings. 3/4) We have prepared a separate section with nuances related to outdated Bluetooth. 4.0.

We warn you right away that some solutions will require you to manually adjust the developer settings on your phone, or even flash the bracelet, but don't worry, we'll give you step-by-step instructions with pictures (in text format) and explain each step, starting with the simplest and gradually getting to the most complex manipulations.

1. Bluetooth problems: from basic settings to hidden bugs

In 80 percent of cases, it's the Bluetooth module, either on the phone or on the wristband itself, but don't be quick to blame the hardware, because protocol conflicts or power saving constraints are often the problem.

• 📱 Is Bluetooth on but not visible? Make sure your phone has Visibility on all devices (in Bluetooth settings.
• 🔄 The bracelet plugs in but immediately falls off? Try forgetting the device in your phone's Bluetooth settings, then reboot both gadgets and perform re-pairing.
• 🔋 Energy saving kills the connection. MIUI Go to Settings. → Battery → Battery mode and disable Optimization for Mi Fitness app.
• 📶 If you have wireless headphones, smartwatches or speakers, try turning them off — some Mi Band models don't like Bluetooth neighbors.

If the basic manipulations didn't work, it's time to dig deeper. MIUI 12/13/14) There's a hidden function called Adaptive Bluetooth, which automatically disables the connection to "underused" devices to deactivate it:

1. Open Settings → About the phone and tap the MIUI version 5 times to activate the developer mode.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the Adaptive Bluetooth option and turn it off.
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI This item can be called Automatic Bluetooth Shutdown or hidden in the Network Settings submenu. If you don't find it, check by searching for settings (the magnifier icon at the top).

For Mi Band owners 7/8 Bluetooth 5.2 There's another caveat: these models support dual connectivity (to the phone and headphones simultaneously), but sometimes this mode is unstable:

Open Mi Fitness → Profile → Your Bracelet → Settings → Additional → Disable “Dual Bluetooth Connection”

Mi Fitness application bugs: from cache to server failures

Mi Fitness (formerly Mi Fit) is the main intermediary between the wristband and the phone, and it is the one that is most often to blame for spontaneous communication breaks, and the problem can lie in both local data on your phone and on Xiaomi servers.

The first thing you need to do is update the app to the latest version, and even if it says there are no updates on Google Play or the App Store, check the version manually.

• 📱 On Android: Settings → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Version (current at the time of writing – 5.12.0 or newer).
• 🍎 On iOS: Open the App Store, find Mi Fitness and see if the update is available.

If the update didn't work, try clearing the app's cache and data.It's safe - your workouts and statistics are stored on Xiaomi servers, not locally.

Settings → Applications → Mi Fitness → Storage → Clear the cache → Clear the data

After that:

1. Close the app (make sure it doesn’t hang in the background).
2. Reboot the phone.
3. Open Mi Fitness and reconnect the bracelet.

⚠️ Note: On iPhone, cleaning the application data leads to a complete reset of the bracelet settings (you will have to reset notifications, alarms, etc.). → Settings → Export of data.

If the bracelet is still off, the problem may be server sync.

• 🌐 Is the phone connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔒 Does firewall/antivirus block access to Xiaomi servers (domains api.mi.com, account.xiaomi.com).
• ⏳ Does Mi Fitness have the words "Synchronization" for more than 5 minutes.

To diagnose server problems:

1. Open Mi Fitness and try manually running sync (swipe down on the home screen).
2. If an error occurs, take a photo of the code (e.g. 10008) and check it in the official error database.
3. Try to log into your Xiaomi account through your browser – if there is also a bug, the problem is on the server side.

3. Hardware malfunctions: how to distinguish a failure from a breakdown

If the software methods didn't work, it's time to think about the physical malfunctions, and fortunately, most of the time, the problem is solved without repair, like replacing the accessories or resetting the settings.

The most common hardware causes of shutdowns:

Pay special attention to charging cables. Cheap, unoriginal cables can not only charge poorly, but also damage the power controller of the bracelet. The original cable for the Mi Band has:

• 🔌 Magnetic mount with two contacts (on fakes, often one contact does not work).
• 📏 The cable length is exactly 20 cm (for fakes can be 15 or 25 cm).
• 🏷 The package must have a serial number and a hologram Xiaomi.

If the bracelet has fallen from a height or been in water (even if the model is waterproof), check it for microcracks.

1. Light a flashlight on the body - cracks will cast shadow.
2. Shake the bracelet near your ear – if you hear a foreign noise (such as rattling), it is a sign of damage to internal components.

⚠️ Note: If the Mi Band bracelet 5/6/7/8 You stopped connecting after you upgraded your firmware, don't try to roll back to the old version through third-party utilities. This can permanently block the Bluetooth module.

4.Firmware conflicts: when the bracelet software is to blame

Xiaomi fitness bracelets are automatically updated, but sometimes these updates bring more problems than good. For example, in firmware 1.16.0.14 for the Mi Band 7 there was a bug that caused the bracelet to turn off every 30 minutes. and in the Mi Band 6 after upgrading to 1.10.1.18, compatibility with some Android 12 phones was lost.

To check the bracelet firmware version:

1. Open Mi Fitness.
2. Go to the profile of the bracelet.
3. Tap on Settings → The bracelet. → Firmware version.

If the firmware version is older than 6 months, try updating it manually:

• 🔄 In Mi Fitness go to Bracelet Profile → Firmware update.
• 📥 If the update is not available, check your internet connection or try another Wi-Fi.
• ⚙ If the update freezes at 0%, restart your phone and bracelet, then try again.

For advanced users: if the official update doesn’t solve the problem, you can try an alternative firmware (for example, Amazfit Mod for Mi Band). 5/6). But keep in mind:

If you still decide on custom firmware, follow this checklist:

Make sure the bracelet is 100-charged%|Only download the firmware from verified sources (for example, 4PDA)|Turn off the antivirus on your phone|Use the original cable to connect|Make a data backup with Mi Fitness-->

For the firmware of the Mi Band 4/5/6 Mi Band Tools (available on GitHub) is a common tool, but remember that firmware through third-party tools voids the warranty and can cause permanent damage to the Bluetooth module if the process is interrupted.

5. Features of the old models: Mi Band 3/4 and their “childhood diseases"

If you have a Mi Band 3 or Mi Band 4, the problem may be with the outdated Bluetooth 4.0.These models don't work well with modern Android 11 smartphones.+ or iOS 15+, because:

• 📱 New OS restricts background activity for Bluetooth 4.0 devices.
• 🔋 Modern phones aggressively optimize power consumption, breaking the connection with the “old” gadgets.
• 🚫 Some features (such as real-time notifications) are simply not supported.

What can be done:

1. Turn off battery optimization for Mi Fitness (instructions were in the first section).
2. Use the older version of Mi Fitness (e.g. 4.6.0 for Mi Band 3 is more stable than the newer version).
3. Try alternative software like Notify & Fitness for Mi Band (available on Google Play).
4. Reset the bracelet to factory settings: On the bracelet: Settings → Additionally. → Reset → Confirm

For the Mi Band 4, there is another life hack: if the bracelet turns off during training, try turning off real-time data synchronization:

Mi Fitness → Profile → Your Bracelet → Settings → Data Synchronization → Manually Only

This will reduce the load on Bluetooth, and the connection will be more stable (although the training data will be written into the application only after it is completed).

6.Chatia account issues: synchronization and regional restrictions

Few people know, but linking a bracelet to a Xiaomi account can affect the stability of the connection.

• 🌍 Use the bracelet in a region other than the region of the account (bought in China, and the account is Russian).
• 🔄 Switching between accounts on the same phone.
• 🚫 Your account is blocked or restricted (for example, for suspicious activity).

To check the status of the account:

1. Go to account.xiaomi.com.
2. Sign in and check the Security section – there should be no warnings.
3. Make sure that your bracelet is shown as active in the Devices section.

If the bracelet is not tied to the account or is displayed with an error, re-assign:

Mi Fitness → Profile → Your Bracelet → Untie the Device → Confirm → Reconnect

For users who bought the bracelet in China, changing the region of the account can help:

1. In Mi Fitness go to Profile → Settings → Region.
2. Choose China (if the bracelet is Chinese) or your real region.
3. Reboot your phone and reconnect.

⚠️ Note: Changing your account region may result in a loss of warranty if you purchased it from your country’s official store, and some features (such as Xiaomi Pay) may become unavailable.

If you have a Mi Band. 7/8 s NFC, If the bracelet is disabled when you try to pay, the problem may be a mismatch between the region of the account and the bank card. For example, if the account is tied to Russia and the card is issued in Kazakhstan, the payment system can block the transaction, which leads to a break in the connection.

7 External interference: how the environment affects the connection

Sometimes the problem isn't with the bracelet or the phone, it's with external factors.

• 📡 Overloaded Bluetooth channels, dozens of Bluetooth devices running simultaneously in offices, shopping malls or transportation, causing interference.
• 🔌 Electromagnetic tips.
• 🏙 Architectural obstacles: Concrete walls, metal structures, or even the human body can shield the signal.

To check the effects of interference:

1. Go out into an open space (such as outdoors) and check the stability of the connection.
2. If the bracelet is working properly, the problem is the interference.

For the Mi Band. 7/8 Bluetooth 5.2 And there's another trick: these models support adaptive reconnection rates:

Mi Fitness → Profile → Your Bracelet → Settings → Additional → Connection Frequency → Select “High”

This will increase the interval between connection checks, which will reduce the impact of interference (but slightly increase the battery consumption of the bracelet).

If you notice that the bracelet only turns off in a certain place (for example, at home or at work), try:

• 🔌 Reconnect the Wi-Fi router to another channel (e.g., from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz).
• 📱 Turn off Wi-Fi Direct and Smart Network Switch (in Wi-Fi settings).
• 🔋 Check if the phone is near sources of interference (e.g. wireless charging or USB-hub).

8.Extreme measures: resetting, flashing and contacting the service

If none of these things worked, we should start with radical measures, starting with the most innocuous thing, which is to completely reset the bracelet.

For the Mi Band 5/6/7/8:

On the bracelet: Settings → System → Resetting → Confirm

For the Mi Band 3/4:

On the bracelet: Settings → Additional → Reset → Confirm

After discharge:

1. Don’t connect the bracelet to your phone right away – let it lie down. 5-10 minute.
2. Remove Mi Fitness and install again (do not update, namely delete and download the latest version).
3. Connect the bracelet as a new device.

If the reset didn’t help, try a forced firmware update via Mi Fitness:

1. Connect the bracelet to charge and make sure the charge is >50%.
2. In Mi Fitness go to Profile → Firmware update.
3. If the update is not available, click on the icon. ⚙ → Compulsory inspection.

If the bracelet does not respond to the connection at all (does not vibrate, does not turn on), try an emergency reboot:

• For the Mi Band. 3/4/5: Put the bracelet on charge and hold the button. 15-20 seconds.
• For the Mi Band. 6/7/8: Connect to charging and tap on the screen 5 Once in a row, then hold your finger. 10 seconds.

If nothing helps, there are two options:

1. Contact the service center (if the bracelet is warranty).
2. Buy a new bracelet (if the model is outdated, for example, the Mi Band 3 is no longer supported by the latest Mi Fitness versions).

💡

Before contacting the service, check whether the warranty period has expired (usually 12 months from the date of purchase).

For owners of Mi Band 8 with NFC There is another caveat: if the bracelet turns off when you try to pay, the problem may be incompatibility with the bank.

FAQ: Frequent questions about shutting down Xiaomi fitness bracelet