Why the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro works without sound – 7 reasons and solutions

Live wallpaper with dynamic effects and sound is one of the features of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphones that gives the device its personality. However, many users face the problem: the animation works, and the sound in the live wallpaper is absent — either disappears after the update, or was not active initially. What is the reason? Is it a hardware defect, a firmware error or a consequence of incorrect settings?

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible causes of the lack of sound in the live wallpaper on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, from trivial volume settings to deep system failures. You’ll learn how to diagnose a problem, which settings to check first, and what to do if the sound is lost after a MIUI update or reset. And for those who like experiments, we’ve prepared a unique way to recover sound through the engineering menu — it’s not in Xiaomi’s official instructions.

1. Checking basic settings: why sound can be turned off by default

Before you sin on hardware malfunctions, make sure the problem isn't in the rudimentary settings.The Redmi Note 8 Pro has separate volume controls for multimedia, notifications and system sounds - and live wallpaper is often tied to the latter category.

Here's what you need to check:

• 🔊 System volume: press the volume button and make sure that the Systems slider is not at zero.
• 🎵 Sound Profile: In the notification header, select “Sound” or “No Sound” – in “Vibration” mode, the wallpaper is silent.
• 🔕 Silent reproduction: c Settings → Check if the "No Sound for Media" item is activated».
• 📱 Custom wallpaper settings: Some live themes have their own volume regulator (press your finger on your desktop) → «Wallpaper settings»).

If the sound doesn't appear after this manipulation, the problem goes deeper, perhaps because of the power saving settings or the conflict with other applications.

2. Conflict with Power Saving Mode: Why MIUI is muffling sound

MIUI aggressively optimizes background processes, and live wallpaper is no exception. In Power Saving or Super Power Saving modes, the system can automatically turn off the soundtrack to reduce battery consumption, both standard themes and third-party live wallpapers from Google Play.

How to check:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Mode
2. Select “High Performance” (if available) or turn off “Energy Saving”.
3. Restart your phone and check the sound in the wallpaper.

If the problem is gone, then the MIUI optimization is to blame. To keep the sound from going away in the future, add the live wallpaper app to the exceptions:

• 🛡️ Go to Settings. → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start.
• 🔄 Find a wallpaper app (like Live Wallpapers Picker) and allow autoruns.
• ⚡ In the same menu, open Battery Optimization and turn it off for this app.

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If your version of MIUI does not have the Auto Start option, try turning off Background Limitation to apply wallpaper in the battery settings.

3. resetting sound settings: when the system "forgets" parameters

Sometimes, after updating MIUI or resetting to factory settings, the Redmi Note 8 Pro loses user audio preferences. It's not a critical failure, but it can affect live wallpaper, in which cases, resetting the audio settings to default helps.

Instructions:

Open Settings → System and Device → Additional → Settings Reset |Select “Reset Sound Settings” (not to be confused with a full reset!) |Confirm action and restart phone |Check the sound in live wallpaper after rebooting-->

If this method does not work, the problem may lie in corrupted system files, in which case only flashing or manually restoring sound drivers (more on this).

⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse "Resetting Sound" with "Resetting All Settings"!The second option will delete all your data, including photos and apps.

4.Firmware problems: Sound disappears after MIUI update

The Redmi Note 8 Pro received several major MIUI updates (up to MIUI 14), and some of them contained sound bugs, such as MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 13, which caused users to complain in large numbers about the loss of sound in live wallpaper after the update.

• 🐛 Errors in the sound driver (especially if the update was over the air»).
• 🔄 Conflict of old settings with a new version of firmware.
• 📦 Incomplete update installation (for example, if the phone turned off during the process).

Decisions:

For manual flashing, download the official firmware for the Redmi Note 8 Pro (codename begonia) from MIUI Downloads and follow the instructions for your method (via Recovery or Fastboot).

5. Hardware malfunctions: when the speaker or plume is to blame

If software methods haven't worked, it's worth considering the physical causes of the lack of sound.The Redmi Note 8 Pro has two speakers (bottom and conversational), and problems with them can manifest in different ways:

• 🔇 Down speaker is not working. → The sound in the wallpaper disappears completely (as they use a multimedia speaker).
• 🔌 Oxidation of the plume contacts → sound appears when pressing the body or after restarting.
• 💧 Moisture intrusion → The sound is distorted or lost after the phone bath.

How to diagnose:

1. Check if the sound works in other apps (like YouTube or a player) and if it doesn't, it's a problem with the dynamics.
2. Connect headphones: if there is a sound in the wallpaper, the speaker or his plume is to blame.
3. Light a flashlight into the speaker: if you see rust or debris, you need to clean.

Decisions:

• 🛠️ Cleaning speaker: use a soft brush or a spray of compressed air.
• 🔧 Replacement of plume: if the contacts are oxidized, soldering or replacement (cost) will be required ~1500–2500 ₽).
• 🔊 Microphone check: sometimes the sound is lost due to a failure in the audio codec (requires diagnosis in the service).

⚠️ Warning: If the phone fell or was hit, the problem may be in the fallen contact on the motherboard.In this case, self-repair can damage other components - it is better to contact the service.

6.Shoe-sided live wallpaper: why they're silent

Not all live wallpapers from Google Play or MIUI Themes support sound on the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The thing is the limitations of MIUI, which blocks background playback for third-party apps. Here's what to do:

Challenges and solutions:

If you use wallpapers from Google Play (like Live Wallpapers HD or 3D Parallax Backgrounds), try:

1. Remove the current wallpaper and install it again.
2. Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps.
3. Check out the reviews in the Play Market – it’s possible the problem is massive and the developer has already released a patch.

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Standard live wallpapers from MIUI Themes (e.g. Ocean or Space) have better sound compatibility than third-party apps.

7 Hidden Settings: How to Turn on Sound through Engineering Menu

If all previous methods failed, there is a unique way to activate sound through the Redmi Note 8 Pro’s engineering menu, which is not documented in Xiaomi’s official instructions, but helps in 70% of cases when audio is lost due to a failure in the audio profile.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code ##36446337## (this will open the MTK Engineer Mode engineering menu).
2. Go to Hardware Testing → Audio → Normal Mode.
3. Select the Sph Test (Mic Test) and Speaker Test (Displayer Test).
4. If the speaker is running in the test, but not in the wallpaper, go back to the main menu and select Audio → Set Default → Restore Default.
5. Reboot the phone.

This method resets audio settings at the firmware level, which often solves the problem with mute wallpaper. However, be careful: incorrect changes to the engineering menu can lead to malfunctions in the phone.

⚠️ Note: If after manipulations in the engineering menu the sound is completely lost (including calls), reset the sound settings (see section 3) or contact the service.

FAQ: Frequent questions about sound in live wallpaper