How to set up wireless headphones on Xiaomi Android smartphone: the full guide

Xiaomi’s wireless headphones are among the most popular smartphone accessories, thanks to a combination of price, sound quality and convenience, but even with devices like Mi True Wireless Earbuds, Redmi Buds or Xiaomi FlipBuds, users are facing challenges: From no sound to constant communication interruptions, this article will help you understand how to properly connect and configure wireless headphones to your Xiaomi phone (including the Redmi Note models, POCO, Mi 11/12/13), and also solve typical problems.

We’ll look at not only basic Bluetooth connectivity, but also fine-tuning audio, optimizing latency for games and videos, and how to reset headphones if they’re no longer defined by the system. We’ll focus on Xiaomi’s signature features, such as Low Latency mode and integration with the Mi Earphones app. If you just bought new headphones or encountered a device not found error, read on — here are answers to 90% of typical questions.

1. Connection Preparation: What to Check Before Starting Setup

Before you start pairing your headphones with your phone, make sure both devices are ready to go, which will save you most of the problems during the connection phase.

Requirements for a smartphone:

• 📱 Android version: no lower than 8.0 (for full profile support) A2DP and AVRCP). On Xiaomi, it's MIUI 9 and newer.
• 🔋 Battery charge: at least 20% (at low charge, the phone can interrupt the search for devices).
• 📶 Bluetooth: enabled and visible for other devices (check in notification curtain).

Headphone requirements:

• 🔋 Case Charge: The indicator should be white/green (red) = discharged).
• 🎧 Pairing mode: Headphones must be in search mode (usually activated by a long press of a button on the case).
• 🔄 Resetting previous connections: If the headphones have already been connected to another device, they must be reset (instruction in Section 4).

Headphones Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro and newer support the protocol LC3 (Low Complexity Communication Codec, which provides better sound quality at low bitrate, but requires a low bitrate. MIUI 14+ Android 13+.

2. Step-by-step instructions: how to connect headphones to Xiaomi via Bluetooth

The process of pairing the headphones with the Xiaomi phone takes no more than a minute, if you follow the algorithm. Let's consider two ways: standard (through settings) and fast (through the control panel).

Method 1: Through Bluetooth settings (recommended for first connection)

1. Open Settings → Connections and Sharing → Bluetooth.
2. Activate the Bluetooth slider (if it is turned off).
3. Click Device Search (or Add a new device).
4. Remove the headphones from the case and hold the pairing button (usually 3-5 seconds) until the indicator starts flashing white/blue.
5. In the list of found devices, select your model (e.g. Redmi Buds 5).
6. Confirm the pairing on the phone (entry may be required) PIN-code - usually 0000 or 1234).

Method 2: Through the control panel (quick connection)

1. Swipe down the screen to open the notification curtain.
2. Press and hold the Bluetooth icon (or tap it to turn it on).
3. In the window that opens, click Add the device.
4. Activate the pairing mode on the headphones (as in method 1).
5. Select the headphones from the list and wait for the connection to complete.

If the headphones are not determined, try:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone and headphones (remove them from the case for 10 seconds).
• 📱 Update MIUI Up to the latest version (in Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🎧 Reset the headphones to factory settings (instructions in section 4).

3. Sound tuning and latency optimization for games/video

Xiaomi uses a standard profile by default A2DP Sound is a good way to transmit sound, but you can optimize it for specific tasks, like listening to music, watching videos, or playing games.

1.Selection of Bluetooth codecs

The quality of the codec is the bitrate and the delay of the sound, so you can change it.

1. Put the headphones on the phone.
2. Open Settings → Connections → Bluetooth.
3. Click on the icon. ⚙️ near the name of your headphones.
4. Select the Audio Quality (or Audio Codec).
5. Available options: SBC — Standard, universal (delayed) ~200 miss). AAC — Better for Apple Music and YouTube (latency) ~150 miss). aptX/aptX LL — low-key (~40 MS), but requires support from headphones. LDAC — high quality (up to) 990 qbit/s, but high delay (~300 miss).

Selection recommendations:

2. Low Latency (Low Latency)

On headphones Xiaomi with support for aptX LL (For example, FlipBuds Pro or Buds 4 Pro can be activated in low latency mode:

1. Open the Mi Earphones app (download from Google Play if it isn’t).
2. Put the headphones on.
3. Go to the section Sound settings.
4. Activate the Low Latency (or Game Mode) option.

💡

If the sound is late in the games, try turning off Bluetooth. LE Audio in Developer Settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Shut down. LE Audio).

3. Equalizer adjustment

The Mi Earphones app allows you to fine-tune the sound:

• 🎛️ Pre-installed profiles: "Bases", "Vocals", "Balance" and others.
• 📊 Manual setting: 10-band equalizer with the ability to save your own presets.
• 🔊 ANC (Active noise cancellation: available on FlipBuds Pro and newer models.

💡

For better sound in Mi Earphones, turn off the system equalizer in Settings → Sound. → Equalizer to avoid conflict settings.

4. Resetting headphones to factory settings

If Xiaomi headphones are not connected, permanently switched off or play back distorted sound, resetting will help.

Reset for Redmi Buds 3/4/5, Mi True Wireless Earbuds:

1. Put both headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Open the lid and hold the button on the case for 15-20 seconds until the indicator flashes red and white.
3. Close the lid and wait 10 seconds.
4. Open the lid - the headphones are ready for a new pairing.

Reset for FlipBuds Pro, Buds 4 Pro:

1. Remove the headphones from the case.
2. Press and hold the touch panels on both headphones for 10 seconds until you hear the beep.
3. Put the headphones back in the case and close the lid.
4. After 5 seconds, remove them - the reset is completed.

Signs that a reset is needed:

• 🔴 The headphones are connected, but the sound is only in one.
• 🔄 Constant communication interruptions (every 1-2 minutes).
• 🔊 Distorted sound (crackling, wheezing).
• 📱 The phone can see the headphones, but can’t connect.

⚠️ Note: After reset, Xiaomi headphones lose all saved connection profiles. If they were paired with multiple devices (laptop, tablet), you will have to reconnect.

5. Solving common connection problems

Even after successful pairing, Xiaomi users face common mistakes, and we will examine the most common and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: The phone can't see the headphones

Possible causes and solutions:

• 🔋 Case discharged: connect to charging for 10 minutes and try again.
• 📱 Bluetooth is turned off in power saving: open Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime → Settings and disable the Bluetooth limit.
• 🔄 Conflict with other devices: disable Bluetooth on all other gadgets (laptop, smartwatch).
• 🛠️ Firmware failure: update MIUI and headphone firmware (via Mi Earphones).

Problem 2: The sound is interrupted or slowed down

What to check:

• 📶 Wi-Fi interference: If your phone and headphones are near your router, switch Wi-Fi to 5GHz (or turn it off temporarily).
• 🎵 High bitrate: in Mi Earphones, select a codec SBC instead LDAC.
• 📱 Background applications: Close all programs that use the microphone (Zoom, Discord).
• 🔋 Low-charge headphones: charge up to 50% or more.

Problem 3: The microphone is not working during calls

Decisions:

• 🎤 Check that the headphone microphone is selected in the call settings (in some Xiaomi models, it turns off automatically).
• 🔄 Reconnect the headphones and allow access to the microphone in Settings → Annexes → Phone. → Permits.
• 📱 Update the firmware of headphones - in old versions there are bugs with a microphone.

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models (such as the Redmi Note 10) have a bug with a microphone in their headphones when the developer mode is active. → Additionally. → For developers.

Additional functions: ANC, transparentness

Modern headphones Xiaomi supports advanced features that can be customized through the Mi Earphones app.

1. Active noise cancellation (ANC)

Available on FlipBuds Pro, Buds 4 Pro and later.

1. Open Mi Earphones and connect the headphones.
2. Go to the Noise Reduction section.
3. Select a level. ANC: Weak for the office, medium for the transport, strong for the plane/train.

Adaptive ANC

2. Transparent Mode (Ambient Mode)

It allows you to hear the surrounding sounds without taking off your headphones, and it's useful outside or in conversation.

• 🎧 Activated by double tap on the earpiece (setting in Mi Earphones) → Gesture management).
• 🔊 You can adjust the level of transmitted sound (20 to 100%).

3. Customization of gestures

The following gestures are supported on Xiaomi headphones (configurable in Mi Earphones):

💡

On the Buds 4 Pro and later, you can use the swipe up/down gesture to adjust the volume. To activate, update your headphone firmware to the latest version.

7. Update to Xiaomi headphone firmware

The manufacturer regularly releases updates for headphones, fixing bugs, adding new features (for example, support). LE Audio) or sound enhancements, you can check the relevance of the firmware through Mi Earphones.

How to update firmware:

1. Make sure the headphones are at least 50% charged.
2. Put them on the phone.
3. Open Mi Earphones and go to the Software Update section.
4. If a new version is available, click Update.
5. Do not turn off the headphones and do not close the application until the process is completed (it takes 2-5 minutes).

What the updates are:

• 🎵 Improved sound quality (for example, Buds 4 Pro has support after upgrading to version 1.4.0.6). LC3).
• 🔋 Optimization of battery consumption (in Redmi Buds 5, the operating time increased by 1-2 hours).
• 🛠️ Fixing connection bugs (e.g., fixing for the Device Not Found error on Android 13).
• 🎮 Adding a low-latency mode for gaming.

⚠️ Warning: If your headphones turn off or run out during a firmware update, they may stop turning on. In this case, put them in a case for 10 minutes to charge, which usually solves the problem.

8. Alternative ways to connect (if Bluetooth does not work)

If the Bluetooth on a Xiaomi phone is broken or the headphones don't support the protocol, you can use alternative methods of connection. Let's consider two options.

Method 1: Connecting via Bluetooth adapter

If the phone's built-in Bluetooth module is faulty, an external adapter (such as Xiaomi Bluetooth Audio Receiver) will help.

1. Buy a Bluetooth adapter with a connector USB-C 3.5 mm (depending on the phone model).
2. Connect the adapter to the phone.
3. Activate the pairing mode on the headphones.
4. In Bluetooth settings, select the adapter as the sound source.

Method 2: Using applications for low latency

If the sound in games or videos is late, try specialized apps:

• 🎮 SoundAssistant – allows you to adjust the sound delay for individual applications.
• 🎵 Wavelet – setting up equalizer and codecs to reduce lag.
• 📱 Bluetooth Auto Connect – automatically reconnects headphones when communication is broken.

Limitations:

• Adapters may not support the aptX codec or LDAC.
• Lag reduction apps don’t work on all Xiaomi models (e.g., on the same model). POCO F3 There may be problems with Wavelet).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up Xiaomi headphones