Xiaomi Mi Band 2: How to turn on Bluetooth and connect to a smartphone

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is one of the most popular fitness bracelets, but even such a simple device sometimes has problems with connection. Most often users are faced with the fact that the gadget is not detected by the phone via Bluetooth, although the battery is charged and the indicator flashes.

Unlike current models (such as the Mi Band 7 or Mi Smart Band 8), the second version of the bracelet has a more modest functionality and requires manual Bluetooth activation through a specific sequence of actions. If you first set up the device or after reset it stopped synchronizing, this instruction will help to return to work without contacting the service center.

It’s important to understand that the Mi Band 2 doesn’t have a separate button to activate Bluetooth — the module is automatically activated when paired with the phone, but sometimes a forced reset or reboot is required. Below we’ll look at all possible scenarios, from basic setup to solving non-standard errors.

Preparing for Connection: What to Check Before Turning On Bluetooth

Before you try to activate Bluetooth on the Mi Band 2, make sure all the prerequisites are met. Often the problem lies not in the bracelet itself, but in the wrong settings of the smartphone or the lack of necessary permissions.

Here is the mandatory checklist before pairing:

Install Mi Fit (or Zepp Life for newer versions)| Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone | Charge the bracelet to at least 20% | Allow the app to access geodata and notifications | Make sure the bracelet is not connected to another device-->

Pay special attention to application permissions. On Android 10+ and iOS 14+, systems block background work of Mi Fit if you do not give access to:

• 📍 Geolocation (required for proper synchronization of steps)
• 🔔 Notifications (to make the bracelet vibrate when calling)
• 📱 Contacts (to display the name of the caller)

If you use an iPhone, check what is in Bluetooth settings (Settings) → Bluetooth) no active connections to other fitness bracelets. iOS sometimes "forgets" to disable old devices, which prevents new pairing.

💡

On Android, before connecting, turn off the power saving mode for the Mi Fit application – this will prevent communication breaks.

Method 1: Standard Bluetooth enabled via the Mi Fit app

In most cases, Bluetooth on the Mi Band 2 is activated automatically when you first connect to your phone, but if the bracelet has previously been paired with another device or has been reset, you will need to reconfigure.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Mi Fit app and go to Profile → Add the device.
2. Select the Mi Band 2 model from the list. If it's not available, click the Other device and type the name manually.
3. Click on the bracelet screen (touch button under the display) – a confirmation code (4-digit number) should appear.
4. Enter this code in the Mi Fit app and wait for the synchronization to complete.

If the bracelet screen doesn't show the code, then the Bluetooth module is not activated, and in this case, a forced reboot will help:

• 🔄 Connect the bracelet to the charger.
• 📱 Hold the touch button for 10 seconds until you feel the vibration.
• 🔋 Turn off charging and try again to connect.

Method 2: Forced Bluetooth to be enabled through resetting settings

If the standard connection does not work, it is likely that the bracelet has stored data about the previous device in memory, in which case a hard reset will help, which will return the Mi Band 2 to the factory settings and activate Bluetooth again.

How to perform the reset:

1. Disable the bracelet from your phone in the Mi Fit app (Profile → Mi Band 2 → Disable).
2. Connect the Mi Band 2 to the charger.
3. Hold the touch button for 20–25 seconds until the vibration and flashing of the indicator appear.
4. Disconnect from charging - the bracelet will reboot and will be ready for a new pairing.

After resetting, all data (steps, sleep history) will be deleted. To avoid loss, pre-sync the bracelet with the application.

Once a month for stable operation | Only in case of connection errors |Never reset |I don't know how to do it-->

Attention! Some Mi Band 2 firmware may not work the first time, if the bracelet doesn't reconnect after the reboot:

⚠️ Try repeating the procedure by pre-removing the Mi Band 2 from the list of Bluetooth devices in your phone settings (Settings) → Bluetooth → Forget the device. Also check that the phone is turned off Charge Saving mode - it can block background work Mi Fit.

Solving the problem: why Bluetooth is not turned on or off

Even after successful pairing, the Mi Band 2 may lose connection to the phone, and consider the typical causes and ways to address them:

If none of these methods helped, try updating the bracelet firmware:

1. Open Mi Fit and go to Profile → Mi Band 2 → Firmware Update.
2. Connect the bracelet to charging and wait for the process to complete (do not turn it off!).
3. After the update, re-conjugate.

💡

Updating your firmware through Mi Fit is the only official way to fix Bluetooth bugs: Do not use third-party utilities (like Notify & Fitness) unless you are sure they are secure.

Alternative Connection Methods for Experienced Users

If the standard methods didn’t work, you can try manually connecting through the phone’s system settings, a method that is suitable for Android devices where the Mi Fit doesn’t recognize the bracelet.

Instructions for Android:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. Click Add a new device and select Mi Band 2 from the list.
3. If the bracelet is not displayed, hold the button on it for 5 seconds until the indicator blinks.
4. Enter the code 0000 or 1234 (standard) PIN-codes for Xiaomi).

For iPhones, manual connectivity is not possible, only through Mi Fit. If the app doesn't see the bracelet, try:

• 📲 Remove and reinstall Mi Fit.
• 🔄 Reboot iPhone and bracelet.
• 🌐 Connect to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes geolocation locking interferes with synchronization).

Important: Some Mi Band 2 firmware may not have notifications and data synchronization after manually connecting via the phone settings, in which case you will have to reset the bracelet and connect it via Mi Fit.

Compatibility with other devices: can you connect Mi Band 2 to a tablet or PC?

Officially, Mi Band 2 supports connection only to smartphones on Android 4.4+ or iOS 9.0+. However, with the help of third-party utilities (for example, Gadgetbridge or Mi Band Master), you can synchronize the bracelet with:

• 🖥️ Android tablets (root access required for full functionality).
• 💻 PC with Bluetooth adapter (only for basic statistics viewing).
• 📺 Smart TVs (such as Mi) TV), but without notice.

To connect to Windows or MacOS, you will need:

1. Install Gadgetbridge or Mi Band Tools.
2. Turn on Bluetooth on your PC and start searching for devices.
3. Select Mi Band 2 from the list and enter PIN-code.

Please note: this connection will not work:

• 🔔 Notifications of calls and messages.
• 📊 Automatic data synchronization with Mi Fit.
• 🔋 Displaying the battery level.

💡

For full work with the PC, it is better to use an Android emulator (for example, BlueStacks) and install Mi Fit in it.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even after a successful connection, Mi Band 2 users face typical Bluetooth problems, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

⚠️ If the bracelet plugs in but shuts down after a few minutes, check the power saving settings on the phone. Xiaomi, Samsung and Huawei can default to battery optimization for Mi Fit, which kills background processes:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Mi Fit → Battery.
2. Choose No Limits or Allow background activity.
3. Reboot the phone.

Another common mistake is that the bracelet vibrates but doesn't synchronize the data.

• 📵 Bad Bluetooth signal (bring phone closer to bracelet).
• 📥 Insufficient space in the memory of the bracelet (reset statistics in Mi Fit).
• 🔄 Conflict with other fitness apps (e.g. Google Fit).

If the Mi Band 2 stopped connecting after the phone upgrade (like Android 13 or iOS 16), try:

1. Delete the cache of the Mi Fit application (Settings → Applications → Mi Fit → Memory → Clear the cache).
2. Reverse the Mi Fit version to the previous one (download APK with APKCombo).
3. Reset network settings on your phone (Settings → System → Reset → Network settings reset).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions about Bluetooth in Mi Band 2