Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones offer users powerful content creation tools, but the standard camera interface sometimes hides useful features or imposes unnecessary ones. One of the common tasks for bloggers and ordinary users is to record a video sequence without the accompanying audio stream. This may be required to create timelapses, video for editing with music overlay, or simply to capture visual information without noise. The standard button to turn off the sound in the camera interface is often absent or does not work as expected, which causes confusion among device owners.
With MIUI and the new HyperOS, the logic of multimedia functions may differ from pure Android. Users often confuse the play volume settings with the microphone recording parameters. It is important to understand that completely turning off sound when shooting requires either the use of specific modes or access to additional software. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods, from built-in functions to professional solutions.
Before we get to the tricky side of things, it’s worth noting that the result depends on the firmware version and model of your device. New flagships may have advanced functionality not available on budget models of the past. However, there are universal action algorithms that will help solve the problem on most current gadgets. It’s important to know that the standard Camera application in global firmware versions often lacks a direct microphone switch in normal video mode.
Analysis of the standard MIUI camera interface
The first thing a user does when they want to change the recording settings is to look at the camera's menu. In most cases, when they start the video mode, the screen displays flash settings, HDR and aspect ratio icons. However, the crossed-out speaker button that is responsible for turning off the sound is often missing in Xiaomi's standard interface, due to the company's policy of maximizing ease of use for the mass consumer.
However, in some versions of the shell or when you switch to certain shooting modes, the desired option may appear.It is worth trying to switch to Pro or Video mode if you are in the Photos section. Also note the top toolbar: sometimes functions are hidden in a drop-down menu marked with three bars or a gear. If you do not find an explicit switch, this does not mean that the function is not available, perhaps it is hidden in the depth of the settings.
Some users mistakenly believe that lowering the media volume slider before the camera starts will affect recording. This is a misconception: the volume of speakers when playing and the sensitivity of the microphone when recording are independent parameters. Turning off the phone's sound will not make the video silent, the microphone will continue to capture the surrounding noise with complete sensitivity.
Using Pro Mode to Control Audio
The most reliable regular way to get video without sound is to use a professional video mode. Unlike automatic mode, Pro gives the user full control over exposure, focus and, in our case, audio recording. To activate this mode, launch the camera app and swipe the mode menu to the "More" tab, where select "Pro-video".
In the interface that opens, you'll see a series of sliders and icons that are responsible for technical parameters. Find the microphone icon, which is usually located at the top of the screen or in the sidebar of the settings. Pressing it puts the microphone in jamming mode, which is visually displayed by crossing the icon, and then you can start recording, and the file is saved completely without audio track.
- 🎥 Open the Camera app and go to the “More” section».
- 🔧 Select the Pro-Video mode (Pro Video).
- 🔇 Click on the microphone icon to turn off the sound recording.
- 📹 Press the shutter button to start recording.
Consider that in Pro mode, many automatic settings, such as autofocus or white balance, may work differently or require manual adjustments. If you're used to shooting in automatic mode, the quality of the Pro video may surprise you, but it requires attention to detail. However, for the task of obtaining a clean video sequence, this is the best built-in solution.
☑️ Checking the Pro-Mode settings
Third-party video recording apps
If MIUI's built-in tools seem inconvenient or Pro mode functionality is redundant, you can always turn to third-party software. App stores offer dozens of cameras that allow you to flexibly adjust audio settings. One of the most popular and functional solutions is Open Camera, which is completely free and contains no ads.
Once you install this app, you need to give it permission to use the camera and microphone. Audio settings for most alternative cameras have a clear "Enable audio" switch or similar. By disabling this tick, you are guaranteed to get a video file without a soundtrack, regardless of the model of your Xiaomi smartphone.
⚠️ Warning: When installing third-party cameras from unknown sources, be careful. download apps only from a trusted Google Play store or official GetApps repository to avoid malware introduction.
The advantage of third-party apps is that you can save settings profiles, so you can create a separate No Sound profile and activate it with a single touch, which is especially useful if you often have to shoot quiet videos in libraries, museums or concerts where sound is not needed or prohibited.
Sound settings in HyperOS and MIUI
Deep system settings can also affect camera behavior. Newer versions of the HyperOS shell have an extended sound control panel. Calling the volume menu with buttons on the case, tap the top three or gear to go into advanced settings, where you can control individual sound streams, although direct control of the camera microphone from here is usually not available.
However, it’s worth checking the Sound and Vibration section in the phone’s main settings. Sometimes there are options related to system and application sounds. Make sure the Camera app has all the necessary permissions, but there is no conflict with other recording services. In rare cases, resetting the audio settings to factory settings can help if the microphone shutdown function worked before but stopped.
What to do if the microphone is not switched off?
Also worth mentioning is the Sound Mode feature, which can be activated in some use cases: Check if you have Do Not Disturb or Vibratory Silent Mode on. While they don't turn off recording directly, they can affect the behavior of indicators and notifications during shooting, which sometimes indirectly helps in creating quiet content.
Comparison of methods of switching off sound
To make it easier for you to choose the right method, we have organized the basic methods into a table, each with its advantages and disadvantages depending on the specific situation and model of your device.
| Method | Difficulty | Video quality | Presence of artifacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-video mode | Medium | High. | No. |
| Third-party annexes | Low. | Depends on the software. | Possible. |
| Turning off the microphone (engineering) | Tall. | High. | No. |
| Post-processing (removal) | Low. | Reference | No. |
As you can see from the table, Pro-video is the most balanced option for Xiaomi owners: it does not require the installation of additional software and provides the maximum quality supported by the hardware of the smartphone. Third-party applications are a great alternative if the regular functionality does not suit you.
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Use the Pro mode not only to turn off the sound, but also to fix the exposure so that the light does not “jump” when shooting moving objects.
Post-processing: Removing sound from finished video
If you've already recorded a video of sound and you forgot to turn off the microphone, don't worry. You can delete the audio track in seconds right in the gallery of your smartphone or using video editors. The standard Xiaomi editor, built into the gallery, allows you to separate sound from the image or just drown out the track.
To do this, open the video in the gallery, click Change, and find the speaker icon on the timeline. By clicking on it, you can turn the volume down to zero or turn off the track completely. Once you save the file as a copy, you get a new video without sound, keeping the original unchanged. It's a universal method that works on any device.
- 📂 Open the video in the app "Gallery».
- ✏️ Click the "Edit" button (pencil or slider icon).
- 🔇 Select a sound track and turn the volume to zero.
- 💾 Save the changes as a new copy of the file.
More advanced users can use apps like CapCut, InShot, or VN Editor, which provide detailed control over audio channels, allowing them to not only jam the audio, but also replace it with music or voice comment, which is often required when creating content for social networks.
Frequent problems and their solution
Users may encounter various difficulties during the setup process, such as when the firmware updates, the camera settings may reset and the microphone button in Pro mode will turn on again by default, in which case you need to check the status of the microphone each time before starting an important shooting.
Another common problem is the presence of background noise even when the microphone is turned off in some third-party applications, which may be due to Android optimization bugs for a particular model, in which cases it is recommended to update the camera app through the GetApps store or Play Market.
⚠️ Warning: Don't try to tape microphones to silence them, not only is this inefficient (microphones sense body vibration), but it can damage the safety nets or cause glue to enter the body.
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The fastest way to get a video without sound on Xiaomi is to use Pro-video mode and turn off the microphone there before shooting.
If none of the software methods work, there may be a hardware malfunction or a deep software failure, which may require a complete reset of the phone or contacting a service center, but such situations are extremely rare.