One headphone Xiaomi Redmi Airdots quieter than another: causes and solutions

You've turned on your favorite playlist, but instead of a harmonious sound, hear one Xiaomi Redmi Airdots headphone playing quieter than another? This problem is familiar to many wireless headphone owners, from budget Redmi Airdots to flagship Xiaomi Buds. The difference in volume can manifest as a subtle imbalance or as a complete "fallout" of one headphone from a stereo pair. In 80% of cases, the reason lies not in hardware failure, but in settings or software failures.

In this article, we will look at all possible causes, from the banal contamination of the speaker to the hidden Bluetooth settings on the smartphone. You will learn how to diagnose a problem in 2 minutes, what manipulations with headphones and phones will return stereobalance, and when to contact the service. Particular attention will be paid to the unique “chips” of Redmi Airdots firmware that are not described in the official documentation, for example, hidden mono-sound mode at low battery charge.

Before you rush to disassemble your headphones or carry them for repair, go through our checklist. 9 out of 10 times the problem is solved without a soldering iron and without cost - just know where to dig. Let's start with the simplest!

1. Checking basic settings: what to do first

Before you commit to hardware malfunctions, eliminate software jambs. Start with these steps — they take less than 5 minutes, but solve the problem in 60% of cases:

• 🔊 Balance of sound in phone settings. On Android: Settings → Special opportunities → Hearing settings → Stereo sound balance. Check if the slider is moving left/right. → Universal access → Audiovisual content → Balance.
• 📱 Reconnect your headphones. Remove Redmi Airdots from the list of associated devices and reconnect. Sometimes, the Bluetooth-glutch leads to monosound.
• 🔄 Reset your headphones. Press the button on both headphones for 15 seconds (until the red/white light flashes.
• 🎵 Test on another device. Connect your headphones to another smartphone/PC. If the volume difference persists, the problem is in the headphones, if it disappears, in the original phone.

Pay special attention to the “Monoaudio” mode on the iPhone. This feature is designed for people with hearing impairments, but sometimes activated accidentally. To turn it off, go to Settings → Universal Access → Audiovisual content and make sure that the Monoaudio option is turned off.

If the basic manipulations didn’t work, move on to the next section, but first check if your Xiaomi has a hidden power saving mode for Bluetooth activated — it can artificially limit the volume of one of the headphones when the phone’s battery is low.

2. Cleaning and physical diagnosis of headphones

One of the most common causes of the volume difference is contamination of the speaker or the soundoguide, and dust, earwax, or even cotton fibres (if you brush your headphones with cotton swabs) can create acoustic resistance by muting the sound, and here's how to diagnose and fix the problem correctly:

1. Visual examination. Take a flashlight and look at the speaker grille. Are you seeing foreign particles? Carefully shake the earpiece -- can you hear any debris rolling in?
2. Purge. Use a spray of compressed air (to clean keyboards) or blow your mouth carefully. Do not use wet wipes or alcohol, which can damage the membrane.
3. Soft brush, soft brush, soft bristles, or a special brush for machinery, and the movements should be circular, without pressing.

If the volume difference persists after cleaning, check the integrity of the speaker mesh. Sometimes it moves away from the body due to falls or mechanical damage. Carefully press the grille with your finger - if the sound is clearer, the mesh requires fixation (you can temporarily attach it with BF-2 glue, but this is not a long-term solution).

Checking the dynamics grille for pollution |

Pressure air purging |

Grid integrity test (light press)|

Checking the charging indicators (whether both burn?)-->

Look at the charge indicators on the headphone case. If one flashes red and the other flashes white, it may indicate different battery levels. Redmi Airdots, when the charge difference is more than 30%, activates an energy saving mode that mutes the sound in the "weak" earphone, the solution is to completely discharge and charge both earphones at the same time.

3. Bluetooth problems: hidden settings and crashes

Wireless is the most vulnerable area in Redmi Airdots’ work. Volume issues are often related to Bluetooth protocol malfunctions, especially if you’re using headphones with Android 10+ or iOS 14+ devices.

• 📶 Bluetooth codecs. On Android, headphones can automatically switch to codec SBC (poor quality instead AAC To check the current codec, install the Bluetooth Codec Checker app.
• 🔄 The Bluetooth version.Redmi Airdots (especially the 2019-2020 models) are optimized for Bluetooth 5.0.If your phone only supports 4.2, sound artifacts may arise.
• 📱 Conflict with other devices: If other Bluetooth gadgets (fitness bracelet, smart watch) are connected to the phone, they can "select" the bandwidth of the channel.

For forced codec switching to Android:

1. Open Settings → System → Developer (if there is no item "For developers", activate it by clicking 7 times on the Build Number in About Phone).
2. Find the Bluetooth Codec option and select AAC or aptX (if supported).
3. Reconnect the headphones.

On the iPhone codec can not be changed, but you can reset the network settings, which sometimes helps:

Settings → Main → iPhone transfer or reset → Reset → Network settings

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If the volume difference only occurs when you listen to music through a particular app (like Spotify or YouTube), clear the app's cache or reinstall it. In 15 percent of cases, the problem is with the software, not the headphones.

Another little-known nuance: Redmi Airdots, when connected to multiple devices at the same time (for example, to a phone and a laptop), can artificially turn the volume down in one of the headphones to "separate" audio streams.

4. Software failures and headphone firmware

Unlike wired headphones, wireless Redmi Airdots have their own firmware that can "glut" and this is especially true for Redmi Airdots 2/3 and Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic 2 models, where firmware bugs caused sound imbalances. Here's how to diagnose and fix:

Signs of software failure:

• The difference in volume appears spontaneously, without physical damage.
• After resetting the headphones, the problem disappears, but returns after a while.
• In one of the headphones, extraneous noises (cracking, squeaking) are heard.

To flash the headphones, you will need official software from Xiaomi. Officially, the company does not provide public access to firmware for Airdots, but there are workarounds:

1. Download the Xiaomi Earphones app (available for Android) from APKPure (there is none on Google Play).
2. Connect your headphones to your phone and open the app. If you have an update, you'll see a notification.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen. Do not turn off the headphones or close the app until the process is complete (it takes ~3-5 minutes).

If the flashing didn’t help, try an alternative method through the engineering menu (it doesn’t work on all models):

1. Open the Phone app and type ##38446##.


2. Select "Bluetooth Test" item.




3. Find your Redmi Airdots in the list and click "Update Firmware".

Attention, the wrong firmware can turn headphones into a brick, and if you're not sure what you're doing, you'd better go to the service center.

5. Hardware malfunctions: when without repairs can not do

If all the software methods have been tried and the volume difference has remained, it's probably a hardware breakdown, and here are the most common causes and signs:

The most common breakdown is that the speakers' contacts are detached due to falls or overheating, and if you're an electronics expert, you can try to re-sweeten the contacts yourself.

1. Carefully open the headphone case (use a plastic shoulder blade so as not to damage the latches).
2. Check the circuit between the speaker and the board with a multimeter (there should be a resistance of ~8–32 Ohms).
3. If contact is broken, solder it back with a soldering iron with a power of no more than 25 watts.

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If the headphones are warranty, don't open them yourself! Xiaomi will cancel the warranty when you see the autopsy.

To replace the battery in Redmi Airdots suitable battery type 301230 with a capacity of 40-50 mAh. It can be ordered on AliExpress (~200–300 ₽ The main thing is to solder the contacts correctly and isolate them with a shrink tube.

6. Alternative solutions: if nothing helps

If all of the above methods did not work, but the headphones are still warranty, contact the Xiaomi service center. According to the company's policy, sound imbalance is warranty cases, if it is not caused by mechanical damage.

• 📄 Check or electronic copy of purchase.
• 📦 Complete packaging (preferably).
• 🔋 Headphones with a charge level of at least 30%.

If the warranty is over and repairs are more expensive than new headphones, consider these options:

• 🎧 Buy a new headphone. AliExpress can find the original Redmi Airdots for 1200 ₽ (when ordered from China).
• 🔧 Self-replacement speaker. The set of two speakers for Airdots is worth it. ~500 ₽, but requires soldering skills.
• 📱 Use in mono mode: If one earphone is working normally, you can use it separately (e.g. for calls).

Another non-obvious lifehack: if the volume difference is not critical (e.g., 10-15%), you can adjust the balance programmatically.

1. Install an equalizer app on your phone (e.g. Equalizer FX or Wavelet).
2. In the settings, select the preset "Custom" and manually reduce the volume of the louder headphone by 2-3 dB.

This won’t solve the problem, but it will make it less visible.

FAQ: Frequent questions about sound imbalance in Redmi Airdots

If your question isn’t covered in the FAQ, check the official Xiaomi forums (such as Mi Community) or contact the Mi Home app for support. Specify the exact headphone model and firmware version – this will speed up the problem.