Xiaomi Smart Watch: How to Use Your Phone – From Connection to Fine Settings

Xiaomi smartwatches have long ceased to be just an accessory — they have become a full-fledged assistant for health, sports and everyday tasks. But to unlock the full potential of the device, it must be properly linked to a smartphone. Many users face problems at the connection stage: the Mi Fitness app does not see the watch, notifications do not come, the step data is synchronized with the delay. In this article, we will analyze not only basic synchronization, but also hidden functions that the manufacturer does not always advertise.

The Xiaomi ecosystem is that even budget watches like the Mi Band 8 or Redmi Watch 3 support most of the flagship features, provided you have the right setup, and owners of Wear OS devices like the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro also have access to Google Play, which opens up new possibilities.

What Xiaomi Smart Watches Are Compatible With Your Phone

Before you buy or try to connect a watch, check compatibility. Most Xiaomi models work with Android 6.0+ or iOS 10.0+ phones, but there are nuances:

• 📱 Mi Band 7/8, Redmi Watch 3/4 – require Mi Fitness (Android) or Zepp Life (iOS). On iPhones, some features may be limited (e.g., quick notification responses).
• ⌚ Xiaomi Watch S3/S4, Watch 2 Pro — supports Wear OS and connects via Google Wear OS app (Android) or Zepp (iOS). On iPhone, some apps from the Play Market won't work.
• 🔄 Outdated models (Mi Band 5 and earlier) – may not support the latest firmware versions and may have synchronization problems on new smartphones.

Important: Even if your phone is formally compatible, on custom firmware devices like LineageOS, Mi Fitness may not work due to a lack of Google services, in which case you will have to install Gapps or use alternative applications like Notify & Fitness.

⚠️ Warning: On Huawei phones without Google services (e.g., on EMUI without GMS), the Mi Fitness app will not install.The solution is to use APK from third-party sources or buy watches that support Huawei Health (e.g., Huawei Watch GT).

Step-by-step: how to connect a smart watch to a Xiaomi phone

The synchronization process differs depending on the watch model and the phone’s operating system. We will look at the universal algorithm for most Xiaomi devices, with the Mi Band 8 and the MIUI smartphone.

1. Install the Android app, download Mi Fitness from Google Play or AppGallery (for Huawei). iPhone – Zepp Life from the App Store.
2. Turn on Bluetooth On your phone, activate Bluetooth and allow the app to access geodata (required to work correctly!). On the clock, turn on pairing mode - usually you need to press a button or swipe down on the screen.
3. Sign up for a Mi Account (or create a new one). Without an account, your watch will be limited to a limited mode, without cloud synchronization.
4. Add the device In the app, click Profile → Add the device and select your model. The watch should appear in the list of available devices.
5. Confirm the pairing, and the code will appear on the watch screen -- compare it to what the phone shows -- and then sync will start after the confirmation.

Download the official app (not beta)

Enable Bluetooth and geolocation on your phone

Charge the watch to at least 50%

Make sure the watch is the latest firmware (checked in Mi Fitness)

Shut down. VPN (It can block Xiaomi servers)-->

If the clock is not set, try:

• 🔄 Reboot both the watch and the phone.
• 📱 Remove the Mi Fitness app cache in your phone settings.
• 🔌 Connect the watch to another phone (to check the health of the phone).

Mi Band 8

Redmi Watch 3/4

Xiaomi Watch S3/S4

Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro

Another model-->

Set up notifications: to avoid missing anything

By default, Xiaomi smart watches only show notifications from standard applications (calls, SMS). To receive alerts from messengers, social networks and other services, you need to configure them manually.

Open Mi Fitness → Profile → Notifications and:

1. Activate the Notification Switch.
2. In the Applications section, select the alerts you want to see on your watch (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram, VK).
3. Configure the Notification Style – you can turn on the text of the message or only the name of the sender.
4. For Android: In your phone settings, give Mi Fitness permission to Show over other windows and Auto Run (otherwise notifications may not arrive).

On the iPhone, the process is more complicated due to the limitations of iOS:

• 📱 In iPhone Settings, go to Notifications → Zepp Life and enable Allow Notifications.
• 🔄 In the Zepp Life app itself, allow notifications for each messenger separately.
• ⚠️ You can’t respond to messages directly from the clock on your iPhone (only view).

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If notifications come with a delay, turn off the power saving mode on your phone for the Mi Fitness app. On Xiaomi, this is done in Settings → Battery → Application Selection → Mi Fitness → No Limits

⚠️ Warning: On some watch models (e.g. Mi Band 7), Viber and Skype notifications may not be displayed due to the way these messengers work, the solution is to use alternative clients (e.g. Viber Lite) or enable Developer Mode on the watch.

Synchronizing Health and Fitness Data

One of the main functions of a smartwatch is to track activity, but to keep your pace, sleep and heart rate data correctly, you need to:

1. In Mi Fitness, specify your weight, height, age and gender, depending on calories, sleep standards and training recommendations.
2. Turn on continuous monitoring Go to Profile → Heart Monitor and activate Continuous (not Intelligent) if you want round-the-clock heart rate monitoring. Note that this reduces battery life.
3. Sync with Google Fit/Apple Health In the app settings, find the Connected Accounts section and link it to Google Fit (Android) or Apple Health (iOS) to allow you to export data to other fitness apps.

If the data is not synchronized:

• 🔄 Reconnect the clock to the phone.
• 📱 Update the watch firmware through Mi Fitness → Profile → Software Update.
• 🔋 Check if the clock is under 15%, in which case the synchronization is blocked.

Managing the phone’s music and camera from the clock

Many people don’t know that Xiaomi smartwatches can work like a remote for a phone, for example, on the Mi Band 8 and Redmi Watch 4 you can:

• 🎵 Control music: switch tracks, adjust volume, pause. Works with Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and the standard player.
• 📸 Control the camera: Take pictures remotely (useful for selfies or group photos). The feature is available in Mi Fitness → Device → Camera Control.
• 🔍 Search for a phone: If your smartphone is lost at home, you can make it emit a loud signal right from the clock.

How to set it up:

1. Open Mi Fitness → Device → Functions.
2. Activate the Music Control and Camera Control switches.
3. For the camera, give the app permission to use the phone’s camera (in iOS/Android settings).

On a Wear OS watch (such as the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro), the possibilities are wider:

• You can install full-fledged applications (for example, Shazam or Google Maps).
• There is a voice assistant Google Assistant.
• Gestures are supported (for example, shaking your hand to turn on the screen).

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On models with NFC (for example, Xiaomi Watch S3) you can tie a bank card and pay for hours – you need to install the bank application on your phone and add the card to Google Pay (Android) or Apple Pay (iOS).

Battery savings: how to extend the life of hours without recharging

Xiaomi’s smartwatch ranges from 5 days (Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro) to 16 days (Mi Band 8).

• 🔋 Turn off continuous heart monitoring (leave Intelligent Mode).
• 🌙 Reduce the brightness of the screen and reduce the backlight time.
• 📵 Disable notifications from unnecessary applications.
• 🔄 Update your firmware – newer versions often optimize power consumption.

If the watch is discharged too quickly (less than 2 days), check:

• 🔌 Is the charging cable original (may be undercharged)?
• 📱 Whether background processes (e.g., constant synchronization with Strava) are running.
• 🔍 Is there any physical damage to the battery (blowning, overheating).

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On models with AMOLED- screen (for example, Xiaomi Watch S3) turn on Always On Display only if necessary - it eats up to 20% of charge per day.

Extended functions: what is silent instructions

The manufacturer doesn't always talk about the full capabilities of their devices.

• 🔐 Do Not Disturb Mode: You can set up to automatically turn off notifications on your watch at certain times (e.g. at night). → Notifications → Don't disturb mode.
• 🏃 Training without phone: on the Xiaomi Watch S3 and later has built-in GPS — you can run or ride a bike, leaving the phone at home. The data is then synchronized.
• 🎮 Watch games: Mi Band 8 has 2048 hidden in it — swipe left on the home screen until the end to open it.
• 🔧 Developer Mode: activated via Mi Fitness → About device → Software version (click 5 times) gives access to debugging functions, such as sensor logs.

For models on Wear OS, there are even more options:

• You can install launchers (such as Wear Launcher) to customize the interface.
• Google Pay (if you have NFC) support.
• You can connect a keyboard to respond to messages (for example, Wear Keyboard).

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when you're connected properly, you can have problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If nothing helps, try:

1. Reset the watch to factory settings (in Mi Fitness → Device → Reset).
2. Remove and reinstall the Mi Fitness app.
3. Contact Xiaomi via the official website (attach the error log from the developer mode).

⚠️ Warning: If the watch stops turning on after the firmware update, don't try to stitch it yourself through ADB, which may permanently disable the device.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions