Xiaomi headphones do not mate with the phone: a complete guide to troubleshooting

Have you pulled Xiaomi’s new wireless headphones out of the box (or your proven Redmi AirDots suddenly stopped connecting), but your smartphone stubbornly “can’t see” them? Or the connection breaks after a few seconds? This problem is familiar to many owners of the brand’s gadgets – from the budget Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 to the flagship Xiaomi FlipBuds Pro. The reasons can lie in software failures and hardware malfunctions.

In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios, from basic checks (battery charge, enabled Bluetooth) to deep settings (reset to factory settings, flashing). MIUI, For example, did you know that some headphones have a forced pairing mode that is activated by holding the button to 10?+ Or that Xiaomi is blocking the connection to devices with an outdated version of Bluetooth?

Don't rush your headphones to the service center, because you can solve the problem yourself in about 90 percent of the time in 5 to 15 minutes, and let's start with the simplest and gradually move on to the most complex methods.

1.Basic checks: 5 steps before a deep diagnosis

Before digging into your phone's settings or disassembling your headphones, make sure the problem isn't on the surface.These actions take less than a minute, but often save hours to find a solution.

• 🔋 Headphone charge level: even if the indicator is on, the battery could be discharged to a critical level (below 5%). Connect the case to charge for 10-15 minutes and try to pair again. In AirDots 3 Pro and later, at a discharge below 3%, the headphones automatically turn off the Bluetooth module.
• 📱 Bluetooth on your phone: check that the module is enabled not only in the notification curtain, but also in the settings (Settings) → Connections → Bluetooth. On some firmware MIUI After the update, the permissions for Bluetooth are reset.
• 🔄 Reboot devices: Turn off and turn on the headphones (remove from the case and hold the button for 5 seconds), then restart the smartphone.
• 📦 Device compatibility: Xiaomi headphones with Qualcomm chip QCC3040 (FlipBuds Pro will not work properly with Bluetooth 4.0 phones (released before 2016.
• 🎧 Connecting to another device: try pairing your headphones with another phone, tablet, or laptop. If they connect, it's a problem in your smartphone, if not in the headphones themselves.

⚠️ Note: In headphones Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic and Redmi AirDots 2 after the battery is completely discharged, the pairing settings are reset. To restore the connection, you will have to perform a forced reset (about this in section 3).

2. Bluetooth problems on the smartphone: settings MIUI

If the headphones are not defined by any device, the problem is likely in themselves, but if other gadgets (columns, fitness bracelets) connect normally and Xiaomi does not, the smartphone is to blame. MIUI There are several “pitfalls” that are not written in official manuals.

The first thing to do is clear the Bluetooth cache and reset the network settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show System Processes.
3. Find Bluetooth in the list, open it and click Clear Cache and Reset Settings.
4. Reboot the phone.

If this doesn’t help, check the developer’s hidden settings:

• 🔧 Activate Developer Mode by pressing the build number 7 times in Settings → The phone.
• Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• Find the Bluetooth Audio Codec option and set the value SBC (most compatible codec).
• Turn off the Bluetooth Absolute Volume if the option is active.

In some versions MIUI (especially on the Redmi Note 8/9) There's a bug that causes the phone to forget its paired devices after the upgrade:

1. Go to Settings → Connections → Bluetooth.


2. Click on three dots → Clear the list of devices.




3. Remove all saved devices manually.




4.Reboot your phone and try to connect again.

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If your smartphone is on MIUI 12.5+ And Xiaomi headphones are connected, but the sound is interrupted -- disable the dual Bluetooth function in the developer settings. AAC, which is used by most of the brand's headphone models.

3.Reset Xiaomi headphones to factory settings

If the basic methods don't work, the next step is to hard-reset the headphones, which removes all the connections that you've saved and returns the device to a boxy state, and the way you reset it depends on the model.

Important: In headphones Xiaomi Mi Air 2 Pro after reset may need to update the firmware through the official application. without this, they will connect only in mono mode (one earphone).

If the reset didn't help, try the forced pairing mode:

1. Remove the headphones from the case.
2. Hold the touchpad on the right earpiece for 20 seconds until the indicator flashes white quickly.
3. On the phone in the list of available devices will appear item Mi True Wireless_EAR_R (Or similar. Connect to it.
4. Repeat steps. 2–3 For the left earphone (Mi True) Wireless_EAR_L).

⚠️ Attention: Redmi AirDots 3 Pro headphones may have a forced pairing of the volume balance between the right and left headphones. Use Mi Earphones to restore it. → Balance).

Charge the case to 100%|Make sure the headphones are clean (no moisture/dust in the contacts)|Disable Bluetooth on all devices except the current one|Prepare the official Xiaomi app (if you need firmware)|Check the version of the headphone firmware in the app-->

4. Update the firmware of headphones through Mi Earphones

Many pairing issues arise from outdated firmware. Xiaomi regularly releases updates for its headphones, fixing connection errors, improving Bluetooth stability and adding new features (like support). LC3 at FlipBuds Pro).

To update the firmware:

1. Install the official Mi Earphones app from Google Play or the App Store.
2. Connect your headphones to your phone (even if the connection is unstable).
3. Open the application and go to the Firmware Update section.
4. If a new version is available, click Update and wait for the process to complete (don’t turn off the headphones!).

The table below shows the current firmware versions for popular models (as of June 2026):

If the Mi Earphones app doesn't see the headphones:

• 📱 Make sure your phone is enabled with Bluetooth and Geodata (the app uses them to determine the firmware region).
• 🔄 Reinstall the app and clear its cache.
• 🌐 Connect to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes updates are blocked on corporate or public networks).

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Updating the firmware is the only way to fix hardware pairing errors caused by Bluetooth stack incompatibility. For example, Redmi AirDots 2 headphones before version 1.2.0.7 had a bug that prevented them from connecting to phones with a Snapdragon 865 chip (such as Xiaomi Mi 10).

5. Hardware malfunctions: when without repairs can not do

If none of the software methods worked, the problem could be a physical breakdown of the headphones or smartphone, and here are the most common hardware reasons:

• 🔌 Damaged contacts in the case: over time, the spring contacts become oxidized or deformed, which prevents the headphones from charging or turning on.
• 📡 Faulty Bluetooth module: If other devices are not connected to the phone, the problem is the antenna or Bluetooth chip.
• 🔋 Bloated battery in headphones: if the headphones suddenly stopped holding the charge and turned off after a few minutes, the battery could fail.
• 🎛️ Damaged Control Board: If the headphones don't respond to button presses and don't turn on, it's likely that the controller has burned.

How to diagnose a hardware malfunction:

1. Check the case, plug it into the charger, see if the indicator is on, and if it's not, there's a problem with the battery or the case board.
2. Call the contacts: with the multimeter, check the resistance between the charging contacts on the headphones and the case. Normally, it should be 0.5-1.5 Ohms.
3. Test on another device: try connecting your headphones to a friend's phone or tablet, and if they're not detected anywhere, the problem is with them.

⚠️ Attention: Xiaomi headphones often fail the Bluetooth antenna, which is located in the earphone loop. If you notice that the connection disappears when you turn the head, most likely, the antenna is damaged. In this case, repair is possible only in the service center (replacing the loop will cost 1500-2500). ₽).

If you are sure that the problem is in the headphones, and the warranty is still valid, contact the official service center Xiaomi.

• 🔧 Replace the battery in one headphone: 800-1200 ₽.
• 📡 Repair of Bluetooth module: 1500-2500 ₽.
• 🔋 Replacement of contacts in the case: 500-900 ₽.

6. Alternative methods of connection (if nothing helps)

If standard methods do not work, you can try non-obvious solutions that sometimes save in desperate situations.

Method 1: Connecting through a third party application

Some applications (such as Bluetooth Auto Connect or Btool) allow you to force a connection to a device even if it does not appear in the standard Bluetooth menu.

1. Install Bluetooth Auto Connect from Google Play.
2. Open the app and click Search devices.
3. In the list, find your headphones (they can be displayed under a technical name, for example, BES2300YM For Redmi AirDots 3).
4. Press Connect and confirm the pairing.

Method 2: Change Bluetooth Regional Settings

In some firmware MIUI There are restrictions on connecting devices from other regions:

1. Activate Developer Mode (as described in Section 2).
2. Go to Settings. → Additionally. → For developers → Bluetooth Region.
3. Set the value of United States or Europe (depending on the headphone model).
4. Restart your phone and try to connect again.

Method 3: Use ADB-Teams (for advanced users)

If the headphones are defined but not connected, you can manually clean their recording in the system through ADB:

adb shell settings delete global bluetooth_device_address


adb shell settings delete global bluetooth_device_name

After completing the commands, restart the phone and try to connect again.

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Apps like Bluetooth Auto Connect often help connect headphones that aren’t visible on the standard menu, which is because they use low-level Bluetooth protocols to bypass the restrictions. MIUI.

7. Prevention of connection problems

To avoid problems with pairing in the future, follow these recommendations:

• 🔋 Don't discharge your headphones to zero: try to recharge them when the charge drops below 20%.Full discharge can damage the Bluetooth controller.
• 🚿 Avoid moisture: even if the headphones have protection IPX4, ingress of water into case contacts often leads to corrosion.
• 📱 Update your firmware: Check for updates in the Mi Earphones app every 1-2 months.
• 🔄 Reset the settings: if the headphones began to glitch (self-disconnect, distort the sound), reset once every six months.
• 📦 Store in a case: do not leave headphones outdoors - this leads to oxidation of contacts.

If you often connect headphones to different devices (for example, to your phone and laptop), use multi-point connection (if the model supports).

1. Connect the headphones to the first device.
2. Open Mi Earphones and activate the option of dual connection.
3. Connect the headphones to the second device via Bluetooth.

Note: In multi-point connection mode, the sound quality may deteriorate due to switching between devices.

FAQ: Frequent questions about pairing Xiaomi headphones