Mi Fit for Android, complete guide: what you can do with the Mi Band app (and other Xiaomi wearables)

Since the arrival of the first generation of the Mi Band bracelet back in 2014, Xiaomi has accompanied its wearables with an application from which to configure and control the devices through the mobile, and thus get more out of these successful accessories .

The application in question is Mi Fit, initially known as “Mi Band,” and later renamed to include the rest of the activity monitoring devices created by Xiaomi and its subsidiary brands.

If you have been using a bracelet like the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 for a long time, you are probably already familiar with this tool. However, you may have just bought your first Xiaomi or Amazfit Wearable and still don’t know how to start using the application. In any case, in this guide, we will explore every one of its functions and the odd secret hidden in Mi Fit for Android.

What is Mi Fit, and what is it for

To allow buyers of its first smart bracelet, the Mi Band, to control different aspects of the accessory and configure it to their liking, Xiaomi decided to create an application that would carry out the synchronization between the smartphone and the bracelet. This application would also serve as a tool to access the activity data recorded by the bracelet, such as steps, calories, or kilometers traveled.

Later, when the bracelet received the possibility to vibrate when receiving notifications and calls, the application was also updated so that it was possible to customize the vibrating alerts on the bracelet.

Currently, the Xiaomi subsidiary, Huami, is in charge of developing and maintaining the application, which is no longer only compatible with the accessories of the Mi Band series. As specified by the app page on Google Play, Mi Fit works with devices from the Mi Band, Amazfit Bip, Mi Body Composition Scale, Mi Scale, Amazfit Pace, Amazfit Stratos, Amazfit Cor, Amazfit Verge families, and even with some of the brand’s smart shoes.

Where to download the latest version of Mi Fit

Since downloading and installing Mi Fit will be the first thing you should do as soon as you receive your new Mi Smart Band, Amazfit watch, or any of the accessories mentioned above, it is always good to know where to go to download the latest available version of the application. Huami releases the stable versions of Amazfit through the Google Play Store, where the app has already accumulated more than 10 million downloads.

However, it is possible that on some occasions, the latest version of Mi Fit takes longer than it should reach Google Play. In situations like that, or in case of not having access to the Google application store, it may be advisable to resort to an alternative and download the APK of Mi Fit. A good way to do this is through APKMirror.

How to synchronize your bracelet or watch with Mi Fit

Now that you have installed the application, it is time to synchronize the bracelet with the smartphone. Although, as we will see later, there are alternatives to the Mi Fit app, in most cases, it will be necessary to use the original application at least once to carry out the synchronization process. Luckily, it’s simple, and you have to follow a few simple steps:

1. Activate the mobile’s Bluetooth and turn on the bracelet in configuration mode.
2. Open the Mi Fit app, log into your Mi account, and tap on the “Add” button. Select the type of device you want to sync.
3. The application will search. Once you’ve found the accessory, select it in the app and finish the setup process.

That is all. In case of updates, the application itself will automatically start downloading and updating the device’s firmware. Once this process is finished, you will be able to configure the accessory to your liking.

Everything you can do with Mi Fit and your Xiaomi bracelet or watch

Now is the time to see everything that can be done with Mi Fit and a compatible device. As soon as we open the application, we find an information panel that shows us various data related to our physical activity. All these data correspond to the “Status” tab within the Training section.

Training Section

Here we can see data such as the number of steps, the exercise time, or the calories burned. We will also see the latest sleep and heart rate data recorded by our accessory if it is compatible with these characteristics. At the bottom, we can see a graph showing our exercise streak in the last few days.

By clicking on each of the cards that appear on the main screen, we access the different submenus where all the information recorded over time is broken down. For example, by clicking on the number of steps, we will see the activities carried out during the day, while by touching the last sleep data, we will see our sleep habits and some recommendations from the app.

My Fit also includes other functions such as the option to compare our weight, sleep or exercise habits with those of other people anonymously so that it is possible to know if we are really on the right track when it comes to our health.

If from the main screen we slide to the right, we will access the different sections corresponding to the Walking, Running, and Cycling exercises. From here, we can start a new activity and make the Mi Band bracelet or Amazfit watch start recording the data.

Friends Section

At the bottom of the application, we see how the shortcut bar houses two other tabs: Friends and Profile. Regarding the first, it is necessary to comment that it allows us to see the activity and sleep information of those people that we have added as friends, as well as the possibility of scanning other people’s QR codes or showing ours to the rest. A messaging system is even included to chat with other Mi Fit users without leaving the application.

Profile section

Many of the interesting options of the application are hidden within the Profile section. In it, all the device settings synchronized to the app will be carried out, in addition to allowing activating or deactivating some options.

First, we can access our profile information by clicking on the image at the top. A form will appear to modify weight, name, height, date of birth, and more. Thus,?

A list with all connected devices is also displayed, and the possibility of adding more. By selecting one of them, you access a new window to modify the device settings. Depending on the type of accessory, we will see options similar to the following.

• Bracelet or watch screen settings: allows you to choose the face shown on the screen, customizable through third-party apps
• Configure the lock screen so that the mobile remains unlocked when the bracelet is connected
• Enable or disable alerts for incoming calls and notifications
• Create alarms and reminders
• Choose which applications can send notifications to the bracelet
• Activate or deactivate inactivity alerts that notify us when we spend a lot of time inactive
• Locate the device: vibrate the bracelet or watch when we cannot find it
• Modify the location of the bracelet or watch – left or right wrist
• Activate or deactivate heart rate detection
• Activate or deactivate night mode and the option to lift the device to view information
• Choose the ringtone
• Enable or disable background execution
• Time setting
• Check and install firmware updates
• Unpair the device

When we return to the main screen of the profile section, we will see a section at the bottom from which we can set activity and weight goals, return to the Friends tab and access a useful function called Tagging Actions.

We must stop at this last option since it tends to go unnoticed despite its importance. Thanks to it, we can “help” the device to know what activity we are doing at all times with greater precision. If, for example, we see that our Mi Smart Band 4 bracelet does not register our runs correctly, access this menu and select the option to run. Then, we have to go running with the mobile at a distance of fewer than 5 meters from the bracelet. In this way, the next time, the device will compare if the activity that is being carried out corresponds to the stored record and will identify that we have gone out for a run.

A total of 17 different activities are included, such as climbing stairs, standing, running, driving, eating, or sitting, which comes in handy to the label to prevent the bracelet from measuring our activity in the wrong way. It is also possible to add custom activities.

From this same menu, it is also possible to access the application settings, activate or deactivate the intelligent analysis of sleep quality and body type if available, or add accounts to synchronize the data registered by the device with applications such as Google. Fit.

The best alternatives to Mi Fit

Although it may seem that Mi Fit is a complete application and full of useful functions, the truth is that it is not a perfect tool. Since its inception, the community of users of Mi Fit bracelets and other Xiaomi wearables has worked to try to get more out of the app. At the time, they were able to carry out reverse engineering techniques to create alternative tools to Mi Fit that could be synchronized with devices such as Xiaomi Mi Band bracelets without resorting to Mi Fit. This type of alternative has gained more popularity than ever due to Xiaomi’s decision to introduce advertising in its application. It is possible to find third-party apps that allowable even more features on devices, which would not be available through the original app.

It must be borne in mind, however, that this type of alternative apps has some limitations, such as the inability to update the firmware of the devices. In some cases, it is necessary to resort to Mi Fit to carry out the configuration and synchronization process initially. That said, these are the best alternatives to Mi Fit that exist today.

Gadgetbridge

More than an application, GadgetBridge is an open-source project that promises to improve the experience when using wearables from a good handful of brands, including Xiaomi and Amazfit. This version of the project allows it to carry out functions such as synchronizing alarms, activity, and health data, finding the device, or controlling aspects related to its software. One of its advantages is that it does not need an Internet connection so that the data remains private at all times.

Tools & Mi Band

Another popular app that promises to make us completely forget about Mi Fit is Tools & Mi Band. It is compatible with all variants of the Mi Band bracelet and can work in combination with the Mi Fit. However, it offers extra features such as fully customized notifications with options such as content filters or individual colors for each application. It also includes integration with other third-party applications such as the famous Sleep as Android that we analyzed at the time. Or Tasker to carry out automated tasks, and much more.

Notify & Fitness for Mi Band

This is probably the best and most complete alternative application to Mi Fit. Notify & Fitness for Mi Band began as a tool from which to configure the notifications of the first bracelets and ended up being an app capable of completely replacing the original tool, thanks to the inclusion of functions of all kinds, ranging from the recording of activity data to the configuration of notifications, passing through others such as the possibility of seeing routes from Google Maps without the need to use third-party applications such as Mi Band Maps. And those are just some of the options that this app enables when used with any compatible devices, whether they are bracelets from the Mi Band series or any of the Amazfit watches.