You bought the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, but can’t find the standard Mi Health app for monitoring steps, sleep and heart rate? This problem is familiar to many Xiaomi smartphone owners — despite the fact that the health feature is built into the system, its icon is often hidden or missing from the menu. In this article, we will discuss 4 proven ways to find the application, including hidden system paths, alternative launchers and manual installation of APK.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro (codenamed begonia) is that Xiaomi has integrated health features into the overall MIUI ecosystem, but does not always bring them to the home screen. Moreover, in some regional firmware (for example, for Russia or Europe), the application can be disabled by default due to local restrictions on collecting biometric data, we will show how to circumvent these restrictions without risking the warranty or security of the device.
1. Standard Search: Where Should the Health Icon Be
Before digging deep into the settings, check the obvious places. On the Redmi Note 8 Pro with MIUI 12-14, the Health app can be in the following folders:
- 📱 Google folder – sometimes Xiaomi groupes system utilities with Google services (even if it is a native app) MIUI).
- 🏃 Fitness folder – if other fitness apps are installed on the device (such as Google Fit or S Health), the system can combine them.
- ⚙️ Tools folder – underutilized system utilities are often hidden here, including health monitoring.
If the icons are not in these folders, try:
- Scroll through all desktop screens – sometimes the app is placed on the last screen.
- Search the system: scroll down the home screen and type in a “Health” or “Health” query.
- Check Settings → Applications → Application Management and sort the list by system.
If the search didn’t yield results, move on to the next method – it’s likely that the application is disabled or hidden in MIUI.
2. Enable via hidden MIUI settings
Xiaomi often hides system apps in hidden menus to reduce clutter. There are two ways to bring back the Health icon for the Redmi Note 8 Pro:
Method 1: Through "Special Opportunities"
- Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
- Scroll down and select System Applications (or System Utilities in older versions of MIUI).
- Find the Health list and turn on the switch next to it.
- Restart the device – the icon should appear on the desktop.
Method 2: Through “Application Settings”
If the first method does not work:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System.
- In the search box, type “Health” or “Health”.
- Select the application and click Enable (if disabled) or Show on the desktop.
Is the system applications shown in Application Management enabled?
Have you checked the “Special Opportunities” menu?
Has the device been rebooted after the changes?
Have you tried to reset the cache of the Health App"?-->
Important! On some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global Stable for Europe), the app may be called "Mi Health" or "Xiaomi Wear" - they're the same thing.
Installation via APK: If the application is removed
If Health is not available at all (for example, after resetting or installing custom firmware), it can be installed manually.
- Download the original APK-Mi Health file from a verified source (recommended by APKMirror) The version should match yours MIUI (for example MIUI 13 is fine with com.mi.health v6.XX).
- Before installation, allow installation from unknown sources: Settings → Privacy → Special permissions → Installation of unknown applications.
- Install the APK and restart the device.
How to verify authenticity APK-file?
Warning: Installing APKs from unverified sources may lead to data leakage or conflicts with MIUI. Use only official versions!
| MIUI version | Compatible version of Mi Health | Size of APK | Is it necessary to root? |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI 12 | 5.8.1–6.2.3 | ~35MB | No. |
| MIUI 13 | 6.3.0–6.7.5 | ~42MB | No. |
| MIUI 14 | 7.0.0+ | ~48MB | No. |
| Brush firmware (LineageOS, Pixel Experience) | Patch required | — | Yes. |
4. Alternative methods: launchers and widgets
If standard methods don’t work, try circumventing the limitations of MIUI with third-party tools:
- 📱 Install an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher) that shows all installed applications, including hidden system ones:
The Stepmer widget.
- Long press on the desktop → Widgets.
- Find the "Steps" or "Fitness" widget.
- Add it to the screen – this will confirm that the application is installed.
- 🔍 ADB-command for forced display (requires PC):
💡
If you use Nova Launcher, turn on the “Show Hidden Apps” option in its settings (Settings → App Settings → Hidden Apps) to help you find even deep-hidden system utilities.
On some firmware, the pedometer widget may be called “Mi Fit” – don’t confuse it with the eponymous fitness bracelet app!
5 Problem Solving: When Nothing Works
If you tried all the ways, but the Health app never came along, the following reasons are possible:
- 🚫 Regional restrictions: On firmware for Europe (EEA) Some health functions are disabled due to GDPR. The solution is to switch the device region to India or China (but this can disrupt other services!).
- 🔄 Resetting: If the application was deleted incorrectly, reset via Settings → The phone. → Setting reset. Attention: it will delete all data!
- 📱 Incompatible firmware: On custom firmware (like LineageOS), Mi Health doesn't work without additional patches. MIUI.
Automatic synchronization between these services is not supported.