Where to look for a pedometer in a Xiaomi phone: a complete guide to setting up in 2026

Why Xiaomi’s pedometer can be hidden from the user

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphones often face a situation where the built-in pedometer seems to disappear from the menu, the reason lies in the MIUI architecture: the step counting function is integrated into the system application Health (formerly Mi Fit), but not always displayed on the home screen. Moreover, on budget models (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO M3) pedometer can be disabled by default to save battery power.

Another common problem is that the app icon doesn't exist, and many users don't realize that the pedometer is hidden in the Google Fit section (if sync is enabled) or in the Mi Account settings. And on the newer versions of MIUI 14/15, the path to the step counter has changed, so it can now be in Settings → Applications → System Services. Next, we'll look at all possible locations and activation methods.

Standard location of the pedometer in MIUI: 3 main seats

Depending on the firmware version and the phone model, the built-in pedometer can be in one of three places.

• 📱 Health app: green cross icon, if it's not on your desktop, check Google folder or Tools.
• ⚙️ System settings: the way of settings → Annexes → Application management → Systemic → Health.
• 🌐 Google Fit: If you use Google services, pedometer data can be duplicated here (synchronization required).

On the Xiaomi 12/13/14 series and flagships Redmi K50 pedometer is often built into the widget "Activity" on the home screen.

1. Press and hold the free space on the desktop.
2. Choose Widgets → Find Health or Fitness.
3. Drag the widget onto the screen and adjust the displayed data (steps, calories, distance).

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If the Health widget doesn’t appear on the list, update the Mi Health app via Google Play or the App Store (for global firmware versions).

How to turn on the pedometer if it is turned off: step-by-step instructions

If the step counter is not working or does not show data, the reason may be:

• 🔋 Battery savings: MIUI Blocks background activity of the Health App.
• 📵 Lack of permission to access motion sensors.
• 🔄 Sync failure with your Mi Account or Google account.

To activate the pedometer:

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → Health

Press Permissions and enable access to Physical Activity and Motion Sensors

Return to Settings → Battery → App selection and remove health restrictions

Restart your phone and check the meter after a 5-10 minute walk.-->

On models with a Snapdragon processor 4xx/6xx (For example, Redmi Note 10/11) The pedometer may not work without the switch on GPS — This is a feature of energy-saving chipsets, so add the Health app to the AutoRun list (Settings) → Annexes → Auto-start).

Pedometer problems: why he lies or does not count the steps

Users often complain that the pedometer on Xiaomi shows inaccurate data: it understates the number of steps, resets the counter or freezes.

Critical error: on some models (e.g., POCO X3 Pro), the pedometer stops working after upgrading to MIUI 14.

1. Remove updates for the Health app (Settings → Apps → Health → Remove updates).
2. Download the old version of APK (e.g. 6.12.10) from a trusted source (e.g. APKMirror).
3. Turn off automatic updates to the app in Google Play.

Alternative Ways to Track Steps on Xiaomi

If the built-in pedometer does not suit accuracy or functionality, consider alternatives:

• 🏃 Google Fit: syncs with Health, but offers more detailed statistics (pulse, cycling).
• 📊 Mi Band Tools (for Mi-bracelet users): allows you to calibrate the pedometer of the bracelet and phone at the same time.
• 🔄 S Health (Samsung): works on Xiaomi if installed via APK, but may conflict with MIUI.
• 💻 Pedometer (Leap Fitness): a lightweight application with a minimalist interface and low battery consumption.

For maximum accuracy, combine phone and fitness bracelet data (e.g., Xiaomi Smart Band 8).

1. Install the Mi Fitness app (formerly Mi Fit).
2. Connect the bracelet to your phone via Bluetooth.
3. In the bracelet settings, select Synchronization with Health.

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When using third-party apps (Google Fit, S Health), disable the built-in MIUI pedometer to avoid double-counting of sensor steps and conflicts.

Hidden Pedometer Features on Xiaomi: What the Health App Can Do

Few people know that Xiaomi’s standard Health app can do more than just count steps.

• 📈 Sleep analysis: if you put your phone next to your pillow, motion sensors track sleep phases (required to be enabled in settings).
• 🏋️ Non-exercise GPS: Calorie counting when walking, running or cycling according to Xiaomi algorithms.
• 🩺 Motion reminders: The phone vibrates if you sit still for more than an hour (configured in Profile) → Targeted reminders).
• 📱 Data export: you can upload activity history in the format CSV For analysis in Excel or Google Sheets.

To access these functions:

1. Open the Health app and go to Profile (the person icon below).
2. Press Settings (cog in the upper right corner).
3. Select Data Management → Data Export or Reminders.

Important: for sleep analysis, the phone must be downwards, so the sensors can better capture movement, with accuracy of ~70-80% compared to sleep trackers (such as Fitbit).

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To save battery power, turn off background sleep data collection if you are not using this feature. To do this, go to Settings → Battery → Background activity and limit the Health app.

How to reset pedometer data or transfer it to a new phone

If you want to start tracking activity from scratch or change your smartphone, use the instructions below. If you reset your data without syncing with your account, your entire activity history will be lost without recovery.

To reset the meter:

1. Open the Health app.
2. Go to Profile → Settings → Data Management.
3. Choose Clear Data and confirm the action.

To transfer data to a new phone:

1. On your old phone, log in to your Mi Account account in the Health app.
2. Enable synchronization (Settings → Data Synchronization).
3. On the new phone, set up Health, log in to the same account and wait for the story to load.

FAQ: Frequent questions about pedometer on Xiaomi