How to answer a call in Xiaomi wireless headphones: all ways + fixing

Xiaomi wireless headphones have long been an integral part of everyday life — they accompany us on jogs, on transport and even during work calls. But what if at the most critical moment you can not quickly take an incoming call? It turns out that 43% of users (according to a survey by Mi Community in 2023) do not know all the ways to manage calls through headphones, and some even face the fact that the feature does not work.

In this article, we will discuss all possible methods of receiving calls – from standard gestures to voice commands and hidden settings. MIUI. And we'll also find out why headphones can ignore your touches and how to fix them.Spoiler: 80 percent of the time, the problem isn't hardware failure, it's the wrong settings on your smartphone or the headphone firmware.

If you use Xiaomi headphones with an iPhone or an Android device from another manufacturer, some of the features may work differently — we will talk about this separately. And for owners of Redmi Buds 4 Pro and Xiaomi Buds 4, we added up-to-date data on dual connection support (simultaneous use on two devices) and its impact on call management.

Before you go to the instructions, make sure your headphones are connected to your smartphone in Phone Audio mode (not just Multimedia mode). This is kritisch for the correct call reception function. You can check your current profile in your phone's Bluetooth settings.

1. Standard ways to answer a call

Most Xiaomi models support three main methods of receiving calls: touch the touchpad, button on the case (if any), and voice commands.

Touch gestures are the most common way, and most headphones just need a single or double touch on the touch zone on the body, but there's a caveat: different models respond to different gestures.

• 🎧 Redmi Buds 3/4 Lite, Xiaomi Buds 3/4: single touch of any headphone - accept the call, double - reject.
• 🎧 Redmi Buds 4 Pro, Xiaomi FlipBuds Pro: double touch - accept, hold 2 seconds - reject.
• 🎧 Xiaomi Air 2/2S/2 Pro: Touch and hold 1 second to accept, triple touch to reject.

If your model isn't mentioned in the list, check the official instructions or try all the options in turn.Importantly, some headphones require touch control activation in the Mi Home or Xiaomi Wear app.

The physical button is less common, but it can be found on models like Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic or Redmi AirDots S. Usually one short press takes the call, and holding for 3 seconds rejects.

Voice commands work only when connected to smartphones Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO base MIUI 12+. Enough to say:

• 🗣️ "Accept a challenge - to answer.
• 🗣️ "Reject or Ignore – to Reject.
• 🗣️ "Call back in 5 minutes" - for delayed response (not working on all models).

2. Set up call management in the application

By default, Xiaomi headphones use standard gestures, but they can be personalized through branded apps.

1. Install Mi Home (for older models) or Xiaomi Wear (for newer ones).
2. Connect the headphones to the app (they should appear in the list of devices).
3. Go to the "Management" or "Gestural" section.
4. Select the action to receive / reject calls from the available options.

Some models (such as the Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro) can customize different gestures for the left and right earphones, which is handy if you often wear only one earpiece.

Warning: After changing your settings, reconnect your headphones to your phone (turn off and switch on Bluetooth again) so that the changes take effect.

If the app does not have the option to configure calls, then your model supports only fixed gestures, in which case you can either get used to standard combinations or update the firmware of the headphones (more about this in the next section).

3. Update to the headphone firmware

If the gestures don't work or don't work properly, the first thing you need to do is update the firmware. The manufacturer regularly releases patches that fix the bugs with the management of calls. For example, in Redmi Buds 4 Pro firmware version. V12.4.6.0 A mistake was corrected that caused the double touch to work as a single touch.

How to update firmware:

1. Open the Xiaomi Wear app.
2. Select your headphones in the list of devices.
3. Go to "Device Settings" → "Firmware update".
4. If a new version is available, click "Update" and wait for completion (earphones should lie in a case with an open lid!).

Warning: Do not interrupt the update process or close the case cover, which can lead to headphones becoming “bricky” (loss of performance). If the update has been hanging for longer than 10 minutes, restart the phone and try again.

After the update, reset the headphone settings to factory:

1. Put the headphones in the case.
2. Hold the button on the case (or touch zone on the headphones) for 15 seconds until the indicator flashes red and white.
3. Connect the headphones again via Bluetooth.

4. Solving call-taking problems

If the headphones don’t respond to touch or don’t show a call response option, the reasons may be as follows:

Critical error: if after updating the firmware headphones stopped responding to any commands, try forced reset:

1. Put the headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Open the lid and hold the button on the case for 30 seconds (the indicator should go out and blink again).
3. Reconnect the headphones.

If the problem persists, check the headphones on another phone, and if they don't work there, it's a hardware malfunction (most often a touchpad or microphone fails), in which case you just have to contact the Xiaomi service center.

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If the headphones start to glittle after falling or getting moisture, don’t try to disassemble them yourself – this will deprive you of warranty. Instead, dry the device in rice or silica gel for 24 hours, and then check the health.

5. Features of working with iPhone and Android from other manufacturers

Xiaomi headphones are optimized for working with smartphones on MIUI, But you can use them with other devices, but some of the features will be limited:

On the iPhone:

• ✅ Basic gestures (receiving/refusing calls).
• ❌ No voice commands and advanced settings available through Xiaomi Wear.
• ⚠️ Possible delays when switching between headphones and phone speaker.

On Android (not Xiaomi):

• ✅ Gestures and voice commands work, but may require additional permissions.
• ❌ Some models (e.g. Redmi Buds 4 Pro) do not support dual connection to two devices at the same time.
• ⚠️ You may need to install Xiaomi Wear app to work properly (even if it doesn’t officially support your phone).

How to improve compatibility:

1. In your phone’s Bluetooth settings, turn off “Absolute Volume” (if you have such an option).
2. Install the Developer Options app and enable Bluetooth Debugging (for Android).
3. For iPhone, try resetting your network settings: Settings → Mainstream → Removing or resetting iPhone → Reset → Reset the network settings.

If after connecting to the iPhone headphones automatically turn off through 5-10 This is a problem with the Bluetooth protocol. 5.0. Decision:

• Forget the device in Bluetooth settings.
• Turn off and turn on Bluetooth again.
• Connect your headphones again, but don’t open the Xiaomi Wear app (it may conflict with iOS).

6. Additional chips: dual connection and quick answers

Modern Xiaomi models (starting with Redmi Buds 3 Pro and Xiaomi Buds 3) support dual connectivity, the ability to connect to two devices at the same time (for example, a smartphone and a laptop), but there is an important caveat: call management will only work from the device from which the call was received.

How to enable dual connection:

1. Connect the headphones to the first device (for example, a smartphone).
2. Open the case cover and hold the connection button for 5 seconds until the indicator starts flashing quickly.
3. Connect the headphones to the second device via Bluetooth.

Note: When dual-connecting, voice commands (such as "Accept Call") may not work smoothly. If you make frequent calls, it's best to turn off the second device or use headphones with only one gadget.

Another useful feature is quick answers (available on the Internet). MIUI 13+). It allows you to send SMS Or voice messages right during an incoming call without taking off your headphones:

1. During the call, say, "Respond with a message."
2. Dictate the text (e.g., "I'll be back in an hour").
3. Confirm the sending by voice: "Send".

The list of quick answers can be edited in the settings of the Phone application (Settings) → Quick answers. There are default patterns like this:

• 📞 "I'm busy, I'll call you later"
• 📞 "I can't talk, just write to the messenger"
• 📞 "I am on the subway and will contact you if possible"

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Dual connectivity is convenient for multi-tasking, but can impair the quality of communication when calling. If stable calls are important, use headphones with only one device.

7. Alternative ways to manage calls

If the standard methods don't work, you can use third-party apps or physical accessories, and let's look at the most workable options.

Applications for customization of gestures:

• 📱 Headset Button Controller (Android) – allows you to reassign actions for buttons / touches headphones, even if the manufacturer did not provide such an opportunity.
• 📱 Assistant Trigger – Launches the Google Assistant (or Siri) by triple tapping.
• 📱 SoundAssistant (Samsung) – gives you extended control over audio devices, including headphones.

Physical remotes:

• 🎛️ Bluetooth headphone remote (for example, Mi Smart Bluetooth Remote) – connects to headphones and allows you to manage calls with mechanical buttons.
• 🎛️ Smart watches (for example, Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro) – you can take calls directly from the clock, and the sound will go through the headphones.

Gameplay mode:

If you play on a smartphone and do not want to interrupt the session to answer a call, turn on the game mode in the settings of Xiaomi Wear.

• The sound of the call will be quieter so as not to distract.
• The call will be received with one touch (without confirmation).
• The headphone microphone will automatically disconnect from the game chat (Discord, built-in voice chat).

For developers:

If you are developing applications for Xiaomi and want to integrate headphone management, use the Xiaomi Open Earphones Framework. Documentation is available on the Xiaomi developer portal.

// Example of touching headphones (Kotlin)


val headsetManager = getSystemService(HEADSET_SERVICE) as HeadsetManager




headsetManager.registerHeadsetEventListener(object : HeadsetEventListener() {




override fun onHeadsetGesture(gesture: Int) {




when (gesture) {




GESTURE_SINGLE_TAP -> answerCall() // Accept the call




GESTURE_DOUBLE_TAP -> rejectCall() // Reject call




}




}




})

FAQ: Frequent questions