The Xiaomi Mi Band is an activity bracelet that has a huge number of functions , some of them more hidden than others, so it is possible that not all users will use them. In addition, there are a series of tricks that we can take into account to get the most out of this wearable, while we wait to see what future versions of this successful smartband will bring us.
Among the different tricks that we will find in this article, we will see some related to saving battery, improving functions beyond what Xiaomi offers, customizing the Mi Band. That is, we can sometimes go a step beyond the widespread use to dive deep into the bracelet. All of them serve to make the most of a product that already offers a lot due to its good quality / price ratio.
Dive into the screen of your Mi Band
Change the dial of the bracelet
From the bracelet itself we can select funds for it. But it is within Mi Fit where we will find a greater selection of funds . To change it we will have to access our profile and select the bracelet. Once inside we touch on “Bracelet screen settings”.
Once inside we will see dozens of different screens. Once we have selected the one we like, we will only have to click on it to begin downloading it. Then we will have to choose it from the “My wristband screens” tab and it will be synchronized in a matter of seconds.
Larger texts
This trick is the one that many Mi Band users are waiting for. Unfortunately, the smartband or the Mi Fit app does not allow you to change the font size. Everything happens, to install the application that we have seen before “Notify & Fitness for Mi Band”. Among its options is the possibility of capitalizing the texts. This will make them look slightly larger, which helps to display them.
Own photo as wallpaper
The Mi Band also allows you to put your own photo as a wallpaper. It is an option that is a step beyond the customization that Xiaomi offers. This requires downloading the Watchface application and uploading our image to a specialized website in order to save it in the image format that is detected by the smart bracelet.
Activate Night Mode
It is a way to save battery, but it will also allow us to look at the bracelet more comfortably, since its brightness will not be so intense at night. To activate it we have to enter our profile within My Fit. Then inside the device we will see the option “Night Mode” . Once inside, we can configure its activation automatically, although we can also manually define the time to turn this function on and off.
Change the color of the time
The bracelet has recently been updated to allow changing the color of the watch. It is a very simple option but one that further increases the customization possibilities of the My SmartBand. To do this, we just have to go to the settings menu of My Fit and enter the customization of the screen. Once inside, we only have to choose our favorite color and click on “Synchronize watch appearance”
Change the order of the menus
From My Fit we can also reorganize the order of the menus that appear on the bracelet. It is possible that we enter more or less certain menus, so modifying their order can be vital for many. For this we will have to enter My Fit again and in the section of our Profile. Now click on Mi Band and then on Screen Settings.
Now we will see all the options present in the My Smartband and their order, which we can modify at will by moving the options higher or lower. Then it only remains to save the changes so that they take effect on the bracelet.
Improve the battery of the Xiaomi bracelet
Less vibration, more battery
An improvement that the Mi Band 4 introduced compared to the Mi Band 3 is the intensity of the vibration and it is something that remains to this day. In this way we can make it less annoying and consume less battery. On the contrary, if we need to be more attentive we can increase their strength. To be able to adjust this parameter we will have to go to the notification adjustment menu and select the vibration intensity option. Once inside we can touch on the screen or keep pressed until we find the desired intensity.
Turn off the Mi Band
The Mi Band’s battery can last for weeks. That is why many users forget to turn it off or do not even know how to do it. If we are going to spend a long time without using it or we simply want to give the system a break. Unfortunately there is no way to turn it off as if it were a mobile. The only way is to wait for your battery to run out, or to reset it. For this we will have to move through the menu within the bracelet and go to More / Settings / Restart .
“Passing” from Mi Fit
Mi Fit is the official app for Xiaomi bracelets and smartwatch for Android. But the trick that many do not know is that there are other compatible apps. Either because you have been bored with the Mi Fit interface or because you are looking for an alternative that may work better for you, we leave you just below with two of them. The first is Notify & Fitness for Mi Band , one of the most popular and that offers all the control within a very simple interface. The second is “Master of Mi Band” , which will delight lovers of darker tones and which offers a system of very interesting progress graphics.
Make the most of your Mi Band
Use Google Maps
Xiaomi has not conceived the bracelet to function as a GPS to guide us on a route. However, the magic of the developers makes magic possible. It is also one of the most useful and impressive tricks for xiaomi bracelet. Keep in mind that to achieve this we will have to spend 0.99 euros , so if you are not willing to scratch your pocket, it is better that you move on to the next trick.
With this trick, we can make the Mi Band show us the directions of a route established in Google Maps, without having to constantly look at the mobile. For this we will have to download Mi Band Maps from Google Play and pair the bracelet with the app. Once the notification permissions have been made and granted, we will see how the route appears on our wristband each time we start a route on Google Maps.
More accurate heart rate
The smartband of the Chinese firm can measure our heart rate in order to monitor our health and warn us in case of overexertion . There are several factors that influence greater or lesser precision, including that the bracelet is firmly in contact with our skin. A loose bracelet on the wrist will record less accurate data.
We can also adjust a parameter so that the detection of the heart rate is more accurate, although this will imply a greater consumption of the battery. For this we will have to go to My Fit / Profile / My Band / Heart rate detection / Detection method . Now we will have to choose a low value for the pulse measurement frequency. The available options are 1, 5, 10, or 30 minutes. Ideally, to increase accuracy is to place this value between 1 and 5 minutes.
Remote control
The Mi Band can act as a remote control for the TV when we run YouTube. For this we have to have the bracelet linked to the mobile. Now we will launch our favorite YouTube video to TV either via Chromecast or through the direct connection between television and smartphone via Wi-Fi. Once the video has started we can control the playback from the bracelet by sliding to the left. In this way we can easily stop, play or change video.
Find mobile
Another of the most useful tricks of smartbands will allow us to find our mobile. For this we will have to move between the menus of the bracelet until we find “More”. Once pressed, we move through the sub-menus again until “Find Device” appears . When we press our mobile, it will begin to emit an intermittent beep, which will allow us to find its location. We can only pause the beep from the Mi Band itself by pressing “Silence” or when we have the mobile in hand and turn it on.
Set a lock PIN
It is recommended on a smartphone and why it would not be the same on a wearable. Remember that the Mi Band can contain sensitive information from contacts or WhatsApp messages. It is not a bad idea therefore to set a lock PIN to keep it away from unwanted eyes. We will only have to enter the options of the bracelet within My Fit and select “Laboratory”. Now we will have to click on “Password”.
Now we will only have to establish a numerical combination between the digits 1 and 4. If we make calculations, we see that it is not an insurmountable method, since a person eager to find our key could unlock our Xiaomi smartband in 5,040 combinations. However, it will require supine patience and that our time away from the bracelet is sufficient. That is, at a rate of 2 seconds per attempt, the usurper would need to spend a maximum of 4 hours and 20 minutes introducing different combinations.
Use the Mi Band to take photos
This is another of the tricks born from the talent of the developers, who take advantage of the Mi Band 4 and the available technology to go a step beyond Xiaomi’s initial conception. Our bracelet can be used to take pictures remotely, without having to touch the mobile.
To do this we will have to download the “Mi Band Selfie” application from Google Play. Then we will have to go to the Mi Fit app and access the “Profile” section. Once inside we select the bracelet and go down to the end to see the Bluetooth address of the Mi Band, which we will have to press down to copy it.
Once the “Mi Band Selfie” app is installed, we enter and paste the Bluetooth address that we have previously pasted in the “Mac” field and click on “Connect”. Once done, the bracelet will vibrate to confirm the pairing.
If we have malfunctions with the native camera app, it is recommended to install an alternative camera application such as Open Camera , Circle Camera , Night Selfie Camera , Bacon Camera , or Free Camera .
If you have a Mi Band 5 or later this function is integrated into the bracelet itself.
Overexertion alert
Safe exercise is just as important as performing the exercise itself. Our smart bracelet can prevent us from scares related to the heart rate and warn us if it is too high. To do this, we open My Fit and click on “Training” . Then we go to “Settings” and activate the “High heart rate alert” switch. Finally, we must establish a value that will be the limit and with which we will receive the notice.
Change language on the Mi Band
As much as you go crazy, you will not find the option to change the language in the menu of the bracelet or within Mi Fit. The trick is to change the language of the mobile, since the Mi Band is synchronized with our device adopting the same language of the system. For this we will have to unlink the Xiaomi bracelet from the mobile and go to the language settings of our mobile. Once the language has been changed and the changes saved, we go back to Mi Fit and synchronize the bracelet that we have again. The language will have changed automatically.
Add to friends
The Mi Band has a social character that we can take advantage of to compete with friends, go out to do sports together and compare statistics or encourage others to start exercising. The bracelet lets us add friends in a simple way. There are two methods to do this:
- If you are with your friend: enter My Fit / Profile and click on “Friends”. Then let your friend scan the QR code on your bracelet or scan yours so you can be added to the list.
- If you are not with your friend : go to My Fit / Profile and click on “Friends” and on the contextual menu with three dots on the top right. Now we can add our friend through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or with his ID
Inactivity alert
The manufacturer’s smartband can function as a kind of personal trainer or inner voice that will tell us to move when we have not walked for a long time. This is ideal for people who work in front of a PC. In this option we can configure a time interval so that we are notified or mark a few hours as “Do not disturb”. To activate the Inactivity Alerts, we have to enter My Fit / Profile and click on our Mi Band model. Then we enter Inactivity Alerts and activate the switch to start receiving these notices.
Locate the Mi Band
In the same way that we have seen that the bracelet can help us find the mobile , the mobile can help us find the Mi Band It is not difficult that an object of such small dimensions can be lost at home. To find it easily we will have to open My Fit and enter our Profile. Once inside, click on our smartband and look for the option “Locate the bracelet”. When you touch, the bracelet will begin to emit a strong vibration that with a little ear, will allow us to find it.
Wake up service
The bracelet can be an excellent alarm clock. Sleeping with it can not only help us monitor sleep, but it can wake us up at the desired time. To configure an alarm we will have to go to My Fit / Profile / My Band and enter “Alarm” . Once inside, we can only set the hours, as with any other alarm clock.
Raise your wrist to turn on
This trick is the most comfortable way to see the information that the device shows us without having to take two steps. When off, it’s normal to turn your wrist and touch the screen to turn it on. Activating “Raise the wrist to see the information” will allow us to turn on the screen with the mere turn of the wrist without having to touch the screen. It is within the general settings of the bracelet.
Synchronize with Google Fit
Google Fit is an exercise app from Google. This software can be synchronized with the Mi Band to receive all the statistics of the bracelet and thus have an alternative control method to Mi Fit. To do so, just open My Fit and go to our Profile. Then click on “Add accounts” and choose Google Fit to make the link.
Hide the Mi Band
Once we have synchronized the Mi Band with all our applications and our mobile, it is absurd that it remains visible for detection by other apps or devices. In addition, we can save battery if we deactivate this option . For this we go to the My Fit application and enter our Profile. Then we click on our Xiaomi model. Within the profile of the bracelet we must uncheck the “Visible” option.
Make your friends’ bracelet vibrate
As we have seen before, adding friends in My Fit is a good way to try to improve ourselves. In addition, and in the style of the old Microsoft “Messenger”, we can send buzzes to our friends. To do this, we will have to click on the heart icon within the options of the friend we want to make the bracelet vibrate.
