Stepmer in Xiaomi phone: where is it located, how to set up and fix errors

Xiaomi’s step counting feature has become an integral part of the Mi Fitness ecosystem, but many users still don’t know where the pedometer is stored, how it works, and why it sometimes shows inaccurate data. In this article, we’ll look at everything from the location of the feature on the menu to hidden settings and calibration methods.

Xiaomi

MIUI

Mi Fit

Health

Mi Health

It's important to understand that the pedometer in Xiaomi is not a separate application, but a system service that interacts with phone sensors and third-party fitness trackers, so you should look for it not in the app menu, but in the smartphone settings or in branded utilities. Below we will show all possible ways of access, from the obvious to the hidden.

If you have never used this feature, after reading the article you can not only find a pedometer, but also customize it to suit your needs: from adjusting the sensitivity to synchronizing with Google Fit or Apple Health (for iPhone users).

Where in the phone Xiaomi stored pedometer: 3 main places

Depending on the smartphone model and version MIUI The pedometer can be in different sections, and we'll list all the options, including hidden menus that are not even written about in the official documentation.

Let's start with the most obvious way, through the standard Health app (or Mi Health on older devices), which is the main hub for all fitness functions, including step counting, heart rate measurement, and sleep monitoring.

• 📱 Health app: usually preinstalled on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. The icon is a green cross on a white background. If it's not there, download it from Google Play (name: Mi Health or Xiaomi Health).
• ⚙️ System settings: in some firmware pedometer duplicated in the menu Settings → Memory and productivity → Battery → Energy conservation → Sensors.
• 🔍 Home Screen Widget: Add Steps or Activity widget via long-click on desktop → Widgets.

If you don't find the Health app, check the Google folder or Tools in the app menu. on some models (e.g., Google Tools, POCO F5 Redmi Note 12 may be hidden under the name Health or Fitness.

Another nuance: on devices with MIUI 14+ The pedometer can be integrated into the control panel, and swipe down from the top of the screen and find the icon with the little man and the heart, which is quick access to activity data.

How to turn on or off a pedometer on Xiaomi

By default, the pedometer is activated on all Xiaomi smartphones, but sometimes it can turn off after resetting settings or updating the firmware. To make sure the feature works, follow the following steps:

Method 1: Through the Health App

1. Open Health (or Mi Health)
2. Go to the Profile tab (the human icon in the lower right corner).
3. Click on Privacy Settings → Sensor management.
4. Make sure the Shagomer switch is on (the slider must be green).

Method 2: Through system settings

If the Health app is missing or not working, check the system settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Health or Mi Health and open it.
3. Press permissions and make sure it is enabled: 📍 Physical activity (required!) 🔋 Background work 📱 Auto-start

If the pedometer still does not work, try resetting the app cache:

1. In the Health app settings, click Storage.
2. Select Clear Cache (not Data!).
3. Reboot the phone.

Why the pedometer on Xiaomi lies: 5 reasons and solutions

Many users complain that the pedometer shows inflated or understated data, due to the peculiarities of the accelerometer and Xiaomi algorithms, and consider the main reasons for the inaccuracies and how to fix them.

1. Incorrect calibration of the sensor

The accelerometer in the smartphone needs periodic calibration, especially after drops or software updates.

1. Open the Compass app (pre-installed on all Xiaomis).
2. Follow the instructions on the screen: place the phone on a flat surface and rotate it in a circle.
3. Reset the device.

2.Found applications interfere with work

Some programs (especially battery optimizers or antiviruses) can block Health from accessing sensors to fix this:

• 🛡️ Add Health to the list of Secured Apps (Settings) → Battery. → Energy conservation).
• 🚫 Turn off Health Optimization in Battery Settings.

3.The phone is in your pocket or bag

The accelerometer records any movement, including shaking in a vehicle or random wiggles in a bag, to reduce the error:

• 👖 Carry the phone in your chest pocket or on your hand (if possible).
• 🚗 In transport, turn off the pedometer manually through a widget or control panel.

4.Outdated version of Health app

In older versions of Mi Health (until 2022), the steps algorithms were less accurate. Update the app via Google Play or App Gallery (for models without Google services).

5. Hardware fault of the sensor

If none of these methods worked, the accelerometer may have been damaged, and you can check it with the engineering menu.

1. Dial in the dialer ##4636##.
2. Select Sensors and look at the Accelerometer graph.
3. If the graph does not change when the phone moves, the sensor is faulty.

💡

For pedometer accuracy, use a fitness bracelet (like the Mi Band), which synchronizes with Health and gives more accurate data with a separate accelerometer.

How to see the history of steps and export data

All the physical activity data is stored in the Health app, but not all users know how to view it correctly or migrate it to another device.

View of statistics

To see the history of the steps:

1. Open Health and go to the Home tab (house icon).
2. Scroll down to Activity or Steps block.
3. Click on the chart to see the details by day, week or month.

Export of data

If you want to save a step history (for example, for a doctor or transfer to another phone), do the following:

1. In Health go to Profile → Settings → Export of data.
2. Select a period (maximum 1 year).
3. Click Export and save the file in.zip or.csv format.

Synchronization with other services

The pedometer data can be automatically transmitted to Google Fit or Apple Health:

• 🤖 For Android: Health Settings → Accounts → Add a Google account.
• 🍎 For iPhone: Use the Mi Fit app (not Health!) and enable Apple Health sync in its settings.

Important: When you reset your phone to factory settings, the step history is permanently deleted unless it was exported in advance.

Hidden Pedometer Functions: What Health Can Do, What You Didn't Know

Xiaomi’s Health app is far more functional than it first appears, and besides basic steps, it can:

• 📊 Analyze walking pace: shows average speed and compares it with WHO standards.
• 🏆 Set goals: You can set an individual step norm (e.g., 8,000 instead of the standard 10,000).
• 🚶 Recognize the types of activity: automatically determines walking, running, cycling (on models with a MIUI 13+).
• 📅 Remind you of inactivity: If you sit too long, a notification comes: “Time to stretch out".
• 👟 Calories burned: based on steps, weight and height (input in profile).

One of the most useful hidden features is the Sensor Battery Savings mode, which allows the pedometer to run in the background with minimal charge consumption.

1. Open Health and go to Profile → Settings.
2. Select Battery Management.
3. Activate the option to optimize energy consumption.

Another life hack: if you're doing sports, you can manually run exercise tracking.

1. At Health, click on the icon + lower-right.
2. Choose the type of activity (walking, running, cycling, etc.).
3. Press Start – the phone will start recording the route, pulse (if there is a sensor) and steps with increased accuracy.

The stepmer does not work: diagnosis and repair

If the pedometer stopped counting steps at all, the causes could be both software and hardware, and we'll figure out how to diagnose the problem and what to do in each case.

Programmatic failures

First, check the basic settings:

• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes it solves the problem.
• 📥 Update Health and MIUI last-minute.
• 🛠️ Clear the cache and data of Health apps (but remember, this will delete the history!).

If the pedometer still doesn’t work, try resetting the sensor settings:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset App Settings (not a full reset!).
3. After the reboot, turn the pedometer back on to Health.

Hardware malfunctions

If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be in the accelerometer itself.

1. Install a third-party sensor testing app (such as Sensor Test or Phyphox).
2. Run the accelerometer test – if the graph does not respond to movements, the sensor is faulty.
3. Try connecting the Mi Band – if it counts steps and the phone doesn’t, the problem is precisely the hardware.

⚠️ Note: If the accelerometer fails, it can only be replaced at the service center, and self-repair will result in loss of warranty and may damage other components of the phone.

On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50) The pedometer may conflict with the In-Pack function, which locks the screen when you carry your phone in your pocket:

1. Go to Settings. → Screen. → Locking in your pocket.
2. Turn off the option or add Health to the exceptions.

Xiaomi pedometer comparison with fitness bracelets and Apple Health

Many users are questioning whether the pedometer data on the phone can be trusted, especially when compared to its sleepy fitness trackers, and we tested the accuracy of step counting on different devices, and here's what we found:

As you can see from the table, the built-in pedometer in the Xiaomi phone loses in accuracy to fitness bracelets, but wins in convenience - you do not need to carry an additional device. + synchronize it with the Mi Band.

⚠️ Note: if you use a pedometer for medical purposes (for example, rehabilitation after an injury), the data from the phone cannot be considered accurate.

Interesting fact: Xiaomi uses machine learning algorithms to adjust the pedometer data, for example, if you often walk with your phone in your hand, the system eventually learns to filter the extra movements, but this requires that the function be turned on for at least 2 weeks.

FAQ: Frequent questions about pedometer in Xiaomi