Turning on the audio when typing is not just an aesthetic preference, but an important tactile and auditory feedback for many users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. The sound helps to understand that the virtual button was successfully pressed, especially in blind typing or in situations where the smartphone screen is not visible completely. However, the MIUI shell and the Android operating system have several levels of settings that can conflict or hide the desired options.
Often, device owners are faced with a situation where after updating the firmware or installing a new interface theme, the sound effects disappear, this may be due to the settings of the system media, the parameters of the keyboard itself, or even the power saving mode turned on. Understanding the configuration hierarchy in the Android system allows you to quickly return the desired functionality without installing third-party software.
In this guide, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to activate the audio response. We will look at the standard system tools, settings of the popular Gboard keyboard, as well as touching on the specific functions of the MIUI shell. The correct configuration of these parameters will make working with a smartphone more comfortable and responsive.
⚠️ Note: If the tap sound does not appear even after turning on all settings, check if the phone is activated with “No sound” or “Do not disturb” mode, as they take precedence over system effects.
Configuring system interface sounds in MIUI
The first and most fundamental step is to check the operating system’s global settings. This is where the base volume level is set for all system events, including clicking on on the screen buttons. In Xiaomi smartphones, this setting is often hidden in the depths of the menu or divided into several subcategories, which can confuse the inexperienced user.
To access the basic parameters, you need to go to Settings and select Sound and Vibration. In this menu, you will find a slider responsible for the volume of the call, media and, importantly for our task, system notifications. However, to fine-tune the interface sounds (clicks) you need to go to Settings → Sound and Vibration → Additional settings (or just scroll down depending on the version of MIUI).
You need to find the "UI Sounds" or "Push Sounds" switch here, and activation involves a standard system click that is played when you interact with the controls. It's important to note that the volume of this sound is often regulated not by the main media slider, but by a separate parameter or by the overall volume of the system.
- 🔊 Go to Settings. → Sound and vibration.
- 🔍 Find the "More" or "More" section».
- ✅ Activate the switchboard "UI Sounds».
- 📈 Make sure the volume slider is not at a minimum.
Note that in some of the themes downloaded from MIUI Themes store, standard system sounds may be replaced or completely absent. If you use a third-party theme, try switching to the standard theme "Classic" or "No Limits" to see if it is the reason for the silence.
Enabling sound in the Gboard keyboard settings
Most modern Xiaomi smartphones use Google’s Gboard app as their standard keyboard, which has its own system-independent audio settings, meaning that even if the system has interface sounds on, the keyboard itself can block or ignore them if the corresponding setting is turned off in its settings.
To get to the desired menu, open any application that requires text input (such as Messages or Notes) to appear keyboard. On the keyboard toolbar, find the gear icon or press and hold the comma to call the settings menu. In the list that opens, select Settings, and then go to Preferences.
It's in the Preferences section that the key switch, "Keystroke Sound," activates the characteristic click on each touch of the virtual button, and you can also adjust the vibration duration if you need it, so that Gboard allows you to flexibly manage these parameters regardless of the system's audio settings.
☑️ Checking Gboard settings
It is important to understand the difference between system sound and keyboard sound. System sound is a common Android parameter, and Gboard sound is an internal app setting. For guaranteed results, it is recommended to include both options. If you use alternative keyboards like SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, the customization logic will be similar, but the menu may be called differently, for example, "Sounds and vibrations."
⚠️ Note: In newer versions of Gboard, audio settings can be combined with vibration settings into one menu item, so read the switch description carefully.
Adjusting the volume of system effects
A common problem is when the sound seems to be on, but it is too quiet or, conversely, deafeningly loud. In Xiaomi smartphones, volume control is divided into several channels. To adjust the volume, it is the keyboard clicks that you need to use an extended setting menu.
Click any of the physical volume buttons on the smartphone body. The screen will show a standard adjustment scale. Don't stop there: click on the three-dot icon or the down arrow next to the scale to expand the full menu, and you'll see several sliders: for media, alarm clock, call, and whatever we need, for System or Notifications.
Move the slider that matches the system sounds to achieve a comfortable level.In some versions of MIUI, the volume of system effects (including the keyboard) is rigidly tied to the volume of the call, so it may be necessary to reduce the volume of the ringtone to quiet sound of the keyboard, which is not always convenient.
| Parameter | What is responsible for? | Impact on the keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Media | Music, video, games. | It doesn't work. |
| Call. | Incoming challenges | Often associated with system sounds |
| Alarm clock | Alarm clock signals | It doesn't. |
| System/Notifications | Interface clicks, SMS | Direct influence |
Also worth mentioning is the Adaptive Audio or Mono-audio feature, which is sometimes found in advanced audio settings. Although it is designed to improve the sound perception in headphones, its incorrect operation can affect channel balance and overall system effects volume.
Secret Engineering Menu
Vibration settings as an alternative or supplement
For many users, vibration is a more important parameter than sound, especially in public places where turning on the keyboard sound may not be appropriate. The mechanical response of the motor gives a clear understanding that the character input has taken place. In Xiaomi devices, the vibration settings also have their own hierarchy.
First, check the common vibration switch in the Sound and Vibration menu. Make sure that the option “Vibration on touch” or “UI Vibration” is enabled. Without this global resolution, no application, including the keyboard, can vibrate when pressed. Next, go to the keyboard settings (for example, Gboard → Settings → Preferences), where you can separately enable “Vibration on press”.
A unique feature of some Xiaomi models with AMOLED-And the way that you can adjust the vibration force is with the screens and the advanced motors. → Additionally. → Vibration quality (the name may vary) can be selected as a Standard, Soft or Hard profile, which makes the keyboard response more tangible or sensitive.
- 📳 Global setting: Settings → Sound and vibration → Vibration on touch.
- ⌨️ Keyboard setting: Gboard → Settings → Preferences → Press vibration.
- ⚙️ Motor strength: Settings → Vibration quality (if available).
If the vibration is working in jerks or disappears after a long period of work, this may indicate an overheating of the device or a software failure in the drivers of the tactile response, in which case the smartphone reboot helps.
⚠️ Attention: Constant operation of the vibrator at maximum power can significantly accelerate the battery discharge, so in the energy saving mode, the vibration intensity can decrease automatically.
Use of third-party themes and their impact on sound
MIUI Theme Store offers thousands of design options that change not only icons but system sounds, including keyboard sounds. Users often forget that activating a new theme can replace a standard “click” with silence or strange sound if the theme author did not provide audio files or they are incorrectly integrated.
If you notice a loss of sound after changing the design, try going back to the standard theme. To do this, go to the Topic app, click on the profile icon and select My Themes. Find the Classic theme and apply it. If the sound returned, then the problem was in the files of the previous theme.
Some advanced users use modified themes that replace the keyboard sound with a mechanical click of a typewriter or other effects, and installing themes is the easiest way to diversify the audio without installing additional applications, but be careful with themes from unreliable sources, as they may contain errors in the code.
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When downloading themes from third-party sources, always check the comments of other users – they often write about problems with sound or vibration in a particular design.
Solving problems with lack of sound
If all settings are checked, the switches are activated, and the sound is still gone, a deeper diagnosis is needed, often because of a software failure of the service responsible for the audio output, or an application conflict.
The first thing to do is clear the keyboard app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, search the Gboard list (or your keyboard), click Memory and select Clear Cache. Fear not, it won't delete your dictionaries and input history, only temporary files.
The second step is to check for Do Not Disturb or No Sound mode, make sure that the notification curtain does not activate the icon of the crossed-out speaker or month, and check if the phone has Bluetooth headphones that can lie in your bag and "take" the keyboard sound without playing it.
The way to reset the audio settings (if available in your MIUI version):
Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 times) → Advanced Settings → Resetting Sound SettingsIn extreme cases, if the problem is only observed in one particular application (for example, Telegram has sound, but WhatsApp does not), the problem lies in the settings of the application itself or its compatibility with the current version of Android.
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90% of keyboard sound problems are solved by checking whether the sound is turned on in the keyboard settings and whether the phone is silent.