How to find out the time in the applications on Android Xiaomi: all the ways

Have you ever noticed that when you immerse yourself in a game or watch a video on YouTube on Xiaomi, you lose track of time? or wanted to know how much you already sit on Telegram without leaving the application? On Xiaomi smartphones with a MIUI shell, there are several ways to see the current time right inside the applications — from standard features to hidden chips. In this article, we will analyze all the options, including those that are not written in the official instructions.

The problem is that many apps (especially games and media players) hide the top notification bar with a clock to increase the screen area. On Xiaomi, this is solved by both system settings and gestures that not all users know about. We tested all methods on devices with MIUI 14 (based on Android 13/14) and older versions — from Redmi Note 10 Pro to Xiaomi 13 Ultra. Spoiler: even if you have a budget model, all methods will work.

1. Quickly open the notification panel with a gesture

The most universal method is to call the notification bar, where the time is displayed without leaving the application. On Xiaomi, this is done by swiping down from the top of the screen.

• 📱 On new models (Xiaomi) 12/13/14, Redmi Note 12) Short enough swipe – the panel will appear on top of the application.
• ⚡ On older devices (Redmi 9, Poco) X3) You may need a double swipe (the first one opens the curtain, the second one opens the full panel).
• 🎮 In games (e.g. Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile, sometimes the gesture gets blocked, and then the swipe from the top right corner helps, which works 90 percent of the time.

If the gesture does not work, check the settings:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Gestures.
2. Make sure that the Notification Panel (or Notification Curtain in older versions of MIUI) is enabled.
3. If the option is disabled, activate it and restart the phone.

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On some models (for example, Poco F4), the gesture works only when the Full-screen Mode option is turned on → Automatically hide the navigation bar in the screen settings.

Floating time widget (only for MIUI 12 and later)

MIUI 12 and later introduced the Floating Can, a mini window with time that can be invoked in any application, which is especially useful for games or videos where the notification bar is hidden.

How to turn on:

1. Open Settings → Special features → Floating can.
2. Activate the switch and adjust the displayed elements (time, date, battery charge).
3. To call the widget, swipe from the right or left edge of the screen to the center (set up the gesture in the same menu).

Advantages of the method:

• ⏱️ Time is displayed on top of any content, even in full-screen games.
• 🔄 You can adjust the transparency and size of the canister.
• 📱 It works on all models of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco with MIUI 12+.

3. Use of side panel (Game Turbo)

If you play Xiaomi a lot, you know about Game Turbo, a gamer mode that optimizes performance and adds useful widgets, including a watch that can be displayed while playing.

How to set up:

1. Start a game (such as Call of Duty Mobile or Free Fire).
2. Swipe from left to right across the screen to open the Game Turbo sidebar.
3. Click on the icon. ⚙️ (Settings) and select Display Time.
4. Return to the game, the time will be shown in the top corner of the screen.

This method does not work in all applications, but only in games that support Game Turbo.

4. Voice Assistant (Google Assistant or Xiao AI)

If your hands are busy or your screen is locked, you can find out the time using the voice assistant. There are two options available on Xiaomi:

• 🤖 Google Assistant – works on all devices with Google Play Services, activated by voice command “OK, Google” or holding the Home button.
• 🧠 Xiao AI — Xiaomi's assistant, which understands Chinese and English (can be turned off on global firmware), is called by a long press on the power button or a voice ("Hey, Xiao"). AI").

Examples of teams:

• "Tell me what time it is?"
• What time is it in Moscow? (if you need time in another time zone)
• Remind me in 30 minutes (to keep track of the time in the app).

Important: for the work of voice assistants it is necessary:

1. Internet connection (for Google Assistant, Xiao AI is partially offline).
2. Enabled permissions for the microphone in Settings → Applications → Permissions.
3. Activated voice start function in the assistant settings.

Establish the language "Russian"|Enable voice launch "OK, Google"|Give access to the microphone|Update the Google App to the latest version-->

5. Desktop time widget (for quick access)

If you forget about time a lot, you can add a watch widget to the home screen, which doesn't help inside apps, but it speeds up the checkout.

How do I add:

1. Press and hold the empty space on the desktop.
2. Select Widgets from the bottom menu.
3. Scroll through the list to the Watch section and select your favorite style (analog, digital, date).
4. Drag the widget onto the screen and adjust its size.

Tips for choosing a widget:

• ⏰ Digital watches – show time in large print, convenient for a quick look.
• 🕒 Analog watches are aesthetically pleasing, but less informative.
• 📅 Date clocks are useful if you need to track not only the time, but also the day of the week.

On models with MIUI 14, dynamic widgets are available that change style depending on the time of day, for example, a dark theme automatically activates after 20:00.

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Watch widgets consume minimal energy, as they update time through system services, rather than constant requests.

6. Alternative methods (for advanced users)

If standard methods are not suitable, you can use third-party solutions:

• 📱 Overlay apps (like Floating Clock or Always On Time) create a floating window with time that you can see on top of any application.
• 🔧 ADB-For example, adb shell settings put global settings put global. policy_control immersive.full=* Warning: This will turn off full screen mode in all apps!
• ⚙️ Custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) often has advanced time display settings.

Warnings:

⚠️ Note: Overlay apps can conflict with games and banking applications (for example, Sberbank Online blocks work when floating windows are detected).

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB-Teams without experience can lead to failures MIUI. We recommend you to make a backup copy before experiments.

FAQ: Frequent questions about time in Xiaomi apps