Owners of smartphones from the popular Xiaomi brand are lucky. Together with the new MIUI 12 firmware, it has become much easier to monitor your health. Those who have a Xiaomi flagship have probably seen the “Health” utility, which records daily activity, weight changes, and also helps improve sleep quality. And for all this you don't need to buy a fitness tracker. This application appeared in MIUI 11, but only on flagship devices. And now, with the release of MIUI 12, it has become available for all gadgets that have the appropriate sensors. From the article you will learn how to run a Xiaomi pedometer on your phone and how to set it up.
Steps are counted by reading the position of a special sensor while walking.
What is a pedometer and how does it work?
A pedometer is a built-in program that reads the number of steps taken.
Two sensors are responsible for tracking movements: an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The accelerometer measures acceleration and thus determines whether the hand is in motion. The gyroscope reacts to changes in the orientation angle in space. A simple algorithm in the pedometer's microprocessor analyzes whether the person is moving or simply waving their hand. A slightly more difficult task is to distinguish between walking and running.
The function is improved with each new model. So, in Mi Smart Band 4, for the first time we got a 3-axis gyroscope and the unpleasant error when the tracker counted hand waves and swaying as movements has practically disappeared. Compared to it, the pedometer in Mi Band 2 could no longer be called an accurate tool.
But even if the latest versions of the Xiaomi fitness bracelet cope with this task better, the error remains, of course, within adequate limits. The results will be closer to the truth if you specify height and weight in the Mi Fit settings.
Caring owners of Mi Band 6 tested the gadget while running and walking, generally determining the measurement error from 1% to 3.5%. It has been noticed that during the day the counter sometimes adds extra numbers, but then stabilizes. So it’s better not to draw conclusions during short-term testing (walking to the kitchen and back to the sofa).
Step counting cannot be disabled. Along with a heart rate monitor, alarm clock and calorie burn counter, a pedometer has accompanied Mi Band trackers since the first model. If this counter on the smartwatch screen is of no use to you, all you have to do is change the dial, choosing the option without unnecessary indicators.
Where can I buy
Xiaomi pedometers can be purchased both online and offline.
The following sites are popular for online shopping:
- Aliexpress. Chinese supplier, here you can find devices at a reduced price. But you need to order the product from a trusted seller, otherwise you are likely to buy a fake. Delivery will take up to 1.5 months.
- Xiaomi official website. Experts advise buying gadgets in this store so as not to stumble upon a fake.
- Ozon. The online store sells a wide range of Xiaomi products. In this case, delivery of goods is carried out within 2-7 days, depending on the region of residence.
Offline heart rate monitors can be purchased at Euroset, Svyaznoy, DNS, Eldorado. The cost of mi 2 varies between 2500 rubles. Mi 3 costs from 3,000 rubles.
Possible problems and their solutions
You can cope with a software failure if the Mi Band fitness bracelet has stopped counting or does not count steps well, undercounting or increasing their number several times, as follows:
- check for a new firmware version in Mi Fit: Profile > Mi Smart Band 5 (or other model) > Check for updates;
- Reset your smartwatch to factory settings via the app or the device’s built-in menu.
If you were unable to set up step counting yourself or if you suspect mechanical damage due to falls, you should contact a service center. When problems are noticed immediately after unpacking, connecting for the first time and installing available updates, most likely you have stumbled upon a defective product. The problem is resolved by returning the product under warranty.
How the pedometer works
This is the name of a measuring device that counts steps when walking/running. Pedometers are mechanical, electronic-mechanical and electronic. New varieties can count the distance traveled, record the route via GPS, total activity time, calories burned, etc.
An accelerometer, a special sensor, is responsible for recording movement. Athletes and scientists, for example, use professional-level pedometers that contain several accelerometers at once, which is necessary to increase the accuracy of measurements. Smartphones and fitness bracelets only have one sensor, which means it is subject to errors.
A pedometer is essentially software that works like this:
- The sensor (accelerometer) in the phone determines the person’s position in space.
- As you walk, the position changes and the sensor reads the change in location. During the movement, rhythmic vibrations occur, which are recorded.
- The electronic impulse caused by a change in body position is “seen” by the program.
- A person does not count impulses in any way, so on the smartphone screen he sees a number - the number of steps taken.
It is worth noting that for the pedometer to work, the phone must have a sensor - an accelerometer.
How to add steps to mi band
While some are dissatisfied with the way the Xiaomi tracker “sorries” them and adjusts for a greater result, others are looking for a way to increase the number of steps without proper activity. So, the Health app on the iPhone allows you to add data yourself, but Mi Fit and the tracker itself are strict in this matter.
However, everything is decided by imagination. And if you don't have a pet to attach the tracker to, consider a few other situations where the meter can be easily fooled:
- if you wear a fitness bracelet on your dominant, more active hand, the likelihood of false step counts will be higher;
- do household chores - during hand washing, ironing, washing dishes, Mi Band is unlikely to be able to ignore all movements that are not related to walking;
- hang out in the subway, ride in a car on a bumpy road;
- shake your hand or the removed tracker;
- Once you loosen the strap on your hand, the bracelet dangles, and by the end of the day, extra steps will accumulate.
How accurate is the meter?
Having tested it, we can confirm that it works, although it is true that tracking your steps can sometimes be higher than the steps we actually take. Even if we close the application or the mobile phone is locked, the smartphone and especially the application will continue to receive information about steps, relying on the gyroscope and sensors. Similar to how Google Fit or other alternative apps do it.
With this we can confirm that its reliability is the same as the competition, so it is a few steps behind the Mi Band (pun intended) or other alternative bracelets. It serves us as an approximation or gives us an idea of everything we have traveled while walking, but not as an additional measure of activity. Unfortunately, this tool doesn't have the ability to link data from the Mi Band or other apps to improve your step counter.
How to set up a pedometer on xiaomi mi band
You can immediately complete your search for instructions on how to set up a pedometer on your Mi Band yourself: this function does not require any separate machinations, as in the case of notifications. Step counting starts immediately after synchronizing the bracelet with the smartphone.
The Mi account also stores all the indicators for the past days, provided that the statistics were regularly downloaded from the bracelet. That is, while walking without a phone, the tracker will continue to work autonomously, recording your movements, and you can see the number of steps taken at any time by activating the gadget on your hand.
The daily goal for the number of steps taken can be set in the application, in the “Set Goal” section, below the list of connected gadgets.
Next on the list is “Behavior Tags.” Users mistakenly perceive this item as a training tool that adjusts the fitness bracelet to the wearer’s movement characteristics. Manual calibration of the pedometer remains a myth even for the latest Mi Band model, and no tags will correct false alarms when moving in transport; the obtained statistics are only necessary for programmers to improve the counting algorithm.
Using the function
It’s worth pointing out right away that for some reason, for residents of the Russian Federation, the pedometer in Xiaomi is a hidden function. To enable it and continue to use it, you will need:
- In the phone settings, set the region to “India”.
- Launch the widget feed, where you can find and download the “Xiaomi Health” utility.
The tool is currently only available in India, Indonesia and Spain. If you change the region back to Russia in the parameters, the calculated steps will be reset.
The procedure for selecting the region “India”.
Enable and disable
The procedure for activating the Mi pedometer:
Activating the pedometer through the widget feed.
- Open “Settings” – “Advanced settings” – “Region”.
- Put "India".
- Go back to “Settings”. From there, go to the “Desktop”, where switch the “Widget Ribbon” switch to the active state.
- Return to the main screen of your device and swipe left. Scrolling through the feed, you will see the “Steps” block. By clicking on the line, the system will offer to download “Xiaomi Health”. Download by clicking the appropriate button.
That's it, the utility is loaded and working.
Settings
While in the widgets feed, find the “Steps” block, next to which there will be a “Settings” button. You will be taken to the main screen of the Mi Health application, where first of all, set your activity goal - the number of steps you want to take per day.
The main page displays the number of steps taken per day (or per week/month). Below you will see three bars that show: activity time, distance traveled and calories burned.
There are no instructions for the application, and none are required. All you need to do is take your smartphone with you, and the sensor itself will count your steps, displaying them on the device screen. There is no way to make the calculations more accurately, unless you carry the phone in your pocket, where the sensor will work best.
Lock screen input
How to display the number of steps on the lock screen?
You can make sure that the steps taken are reflected directly on the display, without entering the Mi Health application.
How to display on the lock screen:
- Open "Settings" - "Security and Privacy".
- “Screen lock and passwords” item.
- Toggle the Pedometer on Lock Screen slider.
How to reset steps on mi band
The step counter is automatically reset at midnight, but sometimes there is a need to reset this parameter in the middle of the day - before a workout, a hike, or a long walk around the city. You can use one of three options:
- Time change. Since the Mi Band relies on the date and time from the phone, it is possible to time it to a fictitious midnight. In your smartphone settings, change the time to 23:58, then open the application and start forced synchronization - to do this, swipe down on the main screen. All that remains is to wait for the counter to update and set the exact time on your phone.
- Reboot. Data collected during the current day is deleted. The option can be found in the menu of the fitness bracelet itself: Additional/More > Settings > Reboot.
- Reset. A hard reboot deletes all user data, settings, and downloaded watch faces. A hard reset is performed through the device menu, just like a regular reboot (other methods are discussed in separate articles on our website), but you will need to resynchronize with your smartphone.
Which models have a pedometer?
The tool is available on Xiaomi mobile devices running MIUI 11 and later. Here is the list of models.
With the release of MIUI 12, the pedometer appeared on all the company’s gadgets, not just on flagships. But for its operation, it requires the presence of an appropriate sensor, as well as downloading a special “Mi Health” application.
So, if MIUI 10 version is installed, you will not be able to count steps, at least in the ways available out of the box. After all, many third-party trackers have now been released, which, although they give an error, show more or less current information.
Theme for miui 12
Everything is even simpler here. Go to the “Themes” application and write “MeUi 12” in the search, then download and apply the theme of the same name from the developer PANKAJ. As a result, you will end up with this beauty.
And if you install
live wallpaper from MIUI 12
and update some system applications, following my recommendations in previous articles, the appearance of your smartphone will change dramatically, imitating the new version of the shell.
Future of Mi Health
Although there is no information about the arrival of the application in our country, the semi-translation of some devices leads us to believe that it will eventually arrive. Another start is linking services, which, although at the moment does not help export data from My Fit to this health app, is a step that needs to be taken into account because if the information from our account is taken into account by Me. We will have to wait to learn more about the future of the application, which is entirely related to the design of MIUI 12 , but it still features features halfway to the final version, at least outside of China.
Sleep tracking
Probably the most interesting functionality in this application. Thanks to this feature, you can clearly see how much you sleep. The implementation of this option became possible thanks to the modern rhythm of human life, in which the smartphone occupies almost the main position. When you go to bed, the application automatically detects your sleep, analyzing your lack of activity based on the sensors in your smartphone and the turned off screen. After using the application for some time, you will be shown not only the duration, but also the phases of fast and slow sleep. To track phases, you need to place your smartphone close to your body on a flat, soft surface. For example, on the bed next to you. The app even recommends placing your smartphone under your pillow for a more accurate analysis of your body movements while you sleep. Based on the data obtained, the smartphone will provide statistics and recommendations for improving sleep quality.
Personally, I started using the sleep time tracking function back in MIUI 11. From my own experience, I can say that the monitoring is quite accurate. In the evening, there are false alarms, and if you don’t use your smartphone for a while closer to night, the application may count it as “sleep.” But to improve statistics and subsequent analysis, you can manually clarify when you approximately went to bed, and the application will recalculate the time based on its data and those you entered.
Why does the fitness bracelet count steps incorrectly?
In a situation where the fitness bracelet
does not
count steps
when you walk, the reason may be that the accelerometer is not working properly. It must determine the position of the hand and then transmit data to the microprocessor. The latter analyzes the information and produces the result.
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Move Reminder
We all know the saying “Movement is life.” MIUI developers also adhere to this principle. As you know, a sedentary lifestyle does not have a positive effect on human health. The Movement feature helps you become more active.
Taking information from your smartphone's sensors, the app will notice that you haven't moved for a long time and will suggest you stretch or stand on your feet for a minute. You can keep track of how often you warmed up throughout the day using charts. In my opinion, this is a very useful function, especially for those who are forced to sit at the computer all day due to their work.
